Each edition of The Christian Century Magazine features a two-page section entitled "Century Marks", which offers brief thought provoking snippets form other religious publications. Two entries in the September 19, 2012 edition caught my interest. The first, from the journal Word & World, rephrases the Ten Commandments in reference to the technologies we use in our everyday life. “Technology is a gift,” says author Adam Copeland, “but a problematic and challenging one.” The commandments Copeland offers are intended to speak to the moral challenges our small handheld devices can pose. His first commandment is: “You shall have no other gods, so don’t treat your cell phone like one.” The third is: “Honor the Sabbath day; give the gadgets a rest.” The fifth states: “You shall not kill, so of course you shall use the Internet for peace.” The seventh: “Steal neither goods nor time from yourself and others.” Some families, writes Copeland, have a designated technology basket where cell phones and music players are placed during meals and other family times so as not to be distracted by them.
A second snippet, again from the September 19, 2012 edition of The Christian Century Magazine, tells about Chinese Cardinal Paul Shan Kuo-hsi, who died this summer after a six-year battle with lung cancer. For the Cardinal, according to the magazine Vatican Insider, cancer was a blessing, as it gave him a chance to explain his faith to many people. In his final years he gave priority to ministering to three groups: intellectuals, condemned prisoners and people of other religions. When asked if he was afraid to die, he responded: “No! Dying is falling into the loving arms of God”.
A second snippet, again from the September 19, 2012 edition of The Christian Century Magazine, tells about Chinese Cardinal Paul Shan Kuo-hsi, who died this summer after a six-year battle with lung cancer. For the Cardinal, according to the magazine Vatican Insider, cancer was a blessing, as it gave him a chance to explain his faith to many people. In his final years he gave priority to ministering to three groups: intellectuals, condemned prisoners and people of other religions. When asked if he was afraid to die, he responded: “No! Dying is falling into the loving arms of God”.
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