Bible Reading Plans- Read Through the Bible in 2009

At the beginning of a new year, many set the goal of reading through the Bible in a year. Reading according to a plan can help make this challenging task more manageable and accomplishable. And now, more than ever, there are so many excellent resources and plans available, especially on-line, for reading and study of the Bible.

But if you're like me, you may have often started a reading plan but not completed it. Rather than feel guilty, you may want to try an alternative approach. If reading the Bible according to a yearly plan doesn't appeal to you, check out Noel Piper's or Dan Edelen's articles below.

The important thing, really, is to read the Bible consistently and to get something out of what you read-- to encounter the Lord in your time in the Word, so that your life is changed as you take it to heart and apply it to your life. Find the reading approach that helps you as an individual to best accomplish this.

For those who do want to attempt a yearly plan, much assistance is available. Justin Taylor of Between Two Worlds has written a useful article in which he directs readers to resources for reading through the Bible in a year. He especially likes the ESV Bible reading plans (I do too), and particularly recommends these plans: ESV Study Bible, Daily Reading Bible and the M’Cheyne One-Year Reading Plan.

Here on Jordan's View, I always have on my sidebar numerous Bible Study Resources, including links to Devotionals, Bible Reading Plans, Scholarly Sites and Audio Resources.

But with the New Year now here (wow, 2008 went by in a flash!), I want to highlight the many available resources on the web.

May 2009 be a great Bible reading year for you (and me too)!

Bible Reading Resources

Effective Bible Reading

How to Use a Study Bible by Al Mohler

Tips for Effective Bible Reading

Reading Between the Trees: The Bible from Beginning to End

Profitable Bible Study by R.A. Torrey


Bible Reading Plans

ESV Bible RSS Feeds

Bible Reading Plans from BibleGateway.com

Bible Reading Schedules from Realms of Faith

M'CHEYNE Daily Bible Reading Plan (19th Century Scottish minister, Robert Murray M'Cheyne's popular plan takes readers through the New Testament and Psalms twice a year, and through the rest of the Bible once each year.

How to Study the Bible by Mike Aldridge

Bile Reading Plan through Christianity.com (requires a login; you can track your progress)

OneYearBibleOnline.com

Never in January by Noel Piper (A different approach, for those who don't like regimented plans)

The World's Best Bible Reading Program by Dan Edelen (alternative approach that focuses more on what you get of or your Bible reading than reading through the Bible in a year but not really getting much out of it).

Yearly Bible Read Through (lets you custom-design your own, track-able plan)

Daily Bile Readings from Crosswalk (lots of versions, but not the ESV/includes audio)

Daily Bile Readings from Crosswalk (with tracking/needs registration)

Miscellaneous Bible reading plan links

Bible Reading Plans for the New Year: A Resource Guide for Pastors

Bible Readings sent via email (customizable)

52 Week Bible Reading Plan(PDF file)

TableTalk (Ligonier Ministries) Bible in a Year (PDF file)

BibleReading.com

Advice on choosing a Bible reading plan

A Chronological Bible Reading Plan

Tags: Bible reading plans, ESV Bible reading plans, M’Cheyne One-Year Reading Plan, Read through the Bible in 2009, Bible reading resources

And Now for Something Totally Different

UPDATE 12-31-08: I've discovered and I'm listing below still more sites for listening to music on the Internet. Now, some of the sites I've listed below are not new (such as AOL, Live365 or Yahoo Music), but they seem improved.

But many of the newer sites blend listening to music on the web with social networking (i.e., sharing music with others). It seems there's a lot of companies jumping on the bandwagon as they vie for market share and the consumer dollar.

Anyway, all the competition equals more and better choices for you and me (always a good thing).

Also, there's many different types of sites these days, as you can discover in this article, Online Music: 90+ Essential Music and Audio Websites. This well-researched and comprehensive resource lists music sites under the following categories: Internet Radio, Music Discovery Tools, Social Networks, Music Sharing Applications and Widgets, Music Marketplaces, Karaoke, Jamming, Remixing, Mobile Music Services, Music Charts, Artists Databases, Lyric Databases, Audio Conversion Tools and Miscellaneous Music and Audio Tools.

So, what's your favorite site?

Happy listening and have a Happy and Blessed New Year!

AOL Music (Check out especially AOL Sessions and AOL Radio)
Wolfgang's Vault ("Live" music- classic and contemporary concert recordings)
Jango (internet radio and social site)
Spinner (subset of AOL music)
Pandora
Slacker
Shoutcast.com
Yahoo music
MusicMesh
Deezer
Musicovery
Live365.com

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Just sending out a quick note to readers of this blog that I am still alive and well and continuing work on the next article in my series on healing that critiques the popular charismatic view. I hope to post it very soon.

In the meantime, here's some tips for those of you who enjoy listening to music on the Internet or while sitting at your computer. There are some great sites out there for this purpose, besides YouTube.

One site I've recently been using is Last.fm, which is well-organized and makes finding music very easy. You can create an account, then add artists or individual tracks to your on-line library/station, or create playlists of songs. You can even share your playlists and/or your station with friends. It's a terrific site and, best of all, it's FREE! UPDATE 12-19-08: Oops, it ain't free! But a subscription isn't too expensive either].. There's also a cool extension for Firefox users- Fire.fm- that gives "direct access to the extensive music library on Last.fm."

Another site with a similar concept is Playlist.com, also known as Project Playlist. Like Lastfm, one creates an account, searches for music by artist or track and then you can create playlists of tracks. A very nice feature is the widget you can create to share your playlist on your website, Facebook, Myspace or blog. My widget playlist can be found right here on Jordan's View-- just scroll down to the bottom of the blog.

Gentle Conversation about Calvinism?

Well, as always on various sites around the Christian blogosphere, there are interesting debates taking place. Unfortunately, theological discussions can often turn ugly, uncivil and unbecoming in their witness to an unbelieving world. I think of the unfortunate Silva/Abanes controversy, in which one blogger accused the other of writing a libelous article about him, and instigated actions that eventually had the ISP remove the offending blog off the Internet (though the blog has now returned under another web host). Abanes, a writer who frequently addresses controversial topics in Christianity, and Silva, a pastor-teacher whose blog is known for taking strong stands against heresy in the church, might actually agree on many things. But it seems to me that they are so sharply divided over whether Rick Warren and his teachings are a boon to the church or a horrible deception, that a certain animosity developed between them, leading to the extreme situation. I hadn't written on the whole controversy because I didn't want to get dragged into debate on the whole topic of whether Abanes was justified in taking the actions he did, or whether Silva was correct is saying that Abanes' actions were uncalled for and set a bad precedent for freedom of speech on the Internet. But suffice to say that part of the issue is perhaps, that we Christians must learn to better frame our opinions; to present them in a way that doesn't unnecessarily antagonize.

For example, the challenging issue of whether man has "free will" to choose God, a topic that is often part of contentious Arminianism versus Calvinism debates, is being discussed over at Parchment and Pen. C. Michael Patton recently posted an article that presents a Calvinistic approach to the topic, titled What do You Mean By "Free Will", which in turn launched a stimulating yet polite conversation (which I'm involved in).

Like the conversations at Theologica, the online community Patton created, comments at his Parchment and Pen blog tend to be, for the most part, respectful, though passions do get intense. Patton, an advocate for an irenic approach to theological discussion, does a good job of leading by example in this, managing to keep the conversation civil and gracious most of the time. He teaches this style of theological interaction through The Theology Program he established, and has also written on this topic, most recently in articles titled, Theological Conversation to the Glory Shame of God and What Part of Gentleness and Respect don’t You We Understand?.

Given that conversations around the blogosphere, in religious forums and in theological communities often degenerate into mean-spirited arguments in which no one is listening to one another (this certainly does not reflect well on Christianity), Patton's observations and suggestions are both timely and helpful.

Getting back to Calvinism, Phil Johnson has a series of excellent articles he's written sometime back but now has re-posted at Grace to You, on Why I Am a Calvinist. In these articles Mr. Johnson, though making a strong argument, strikes a conciliatory tone. A gentle Calvinist- who would have thunk it?

P.S. I am working on the follow-up article in the healing article series, and will post it as soon as possible.

Tags: irenic theology, free will debate, Calvinism vs Arminianism, Silva vs Abanes, Calvinism, C. Michael Patton, Phil Johnson

Resources: The Theology Program and 2 New Podcasts

I am currently taking the Spring 2008 Introduction to Theology course provided by The Theology Program (TTP) of Reclaiming the Mind Ministries. It's a program that describes itself as "a comprehensive and in-depth training program for the layperson". So far I have enjoyed the course, which personally I'm taking as a way of further exploring the idea of going to seminary.

However I believe most folks who take this course and enroll in TTP are not necessarily intending to enter seminary but nevertheless desire quality, seminary-level resources for learning theology. Thus far I have found the materials to be of excellent quality (downloaded videos and workbook, website resources). Course books must be purchased, although alternate free readings are offered to those who may not be able to afford the required textbooks. Each week, there are 2 online class sessions in which students interact with the instructor and with each other. Weekly assignments and comments are posted online and students may interact with one another's comments on the course blog. The course may be taken for free, or students may enroll in the more challenging certificate program. Certificate courses are $100 per course, and some scholarships are available. Successful completion of the series of six courses earns a certificate.

Instructors for the course are C. Michael Patton, Th.M, and Rhome Dyck, Th.M, both graduates of Dallas Theological Seminary. The aim of the program is to learn about theology historically and biblically, and to gain a methodology for the study of theology that is pursued in an irenic (peaceful), rather than a polemic fashion. Though Mr. Patton is a Calvinist and a cessationist, the program does not attempt to convert participants to these particular views. Rather, the course is about learning how to "do theology". As written on their website,

The contents of TTP are created from a broadly evangelical perspective, engaging other traditions in a persuasive yet gracious manner. In short, we seek to help people think theologically by understanding what they believe and why they believe it.

It has been quite interesting to interact online with others from varied backgrounds who are taking the course, and the weekly assignments and discussions are challenging in that they don't ask students just to regurgitate answers, but to thoughtfully engage with the material. of course the more time and effort one puts into the course work, the more benefit one will derive from the material.

My only frustrations (which may be more personal rather than problems with the course) is that the chat discussion sessions seem a bit superficial in their engagement with the material. I don't think it's easy in a chat room environment to stay focused on the material and not be distracted by all the extra commenting going on. My other frustration is with the broad, irenic approach that characterizes the program. On the one hand, I can see the benefit of this approach, in its openness to hear and engage all viewpoints. Having an accurate understanding of other viewpoints, even those one disagrees with, would help one to think through one's own positions better and develop more strongly considered convictions. On the other hand, I think it important to come to conclusions, and it seems that the irenic method may lend itself to the postmodern tendency of endless discussion and reluctance to point to what is true and to reject what is false. Nonetheless taking the course has been a good experience and I would recommend it especially to those who have no plans to attend seminary but want a structured, quality program for gaining a strong foundation in Christian theology.

The Program also emphasizes trying to bring this program into local churches, and persuades interested students to facilitate this process. Since many if not most churches don't provide systematic theological training, this program may be useful for helping laypeople learn theology. But I'm not yet entirely sure whether I think a program like this would be superior to one that teaches more didactically (from a reformed viewpoint).

New Podcasts/Players- "The Theology Program: Introduction to Theology Course" and "Best of Apologetics Podcast"

Having discovered a method for creating podcasts of audio materials posted on the web, I have created two new resources. One is an audio podcast of all the sessions from The Theology Programs- Introduction to Theology Course, which I described above. You'll find this resource at this link on my ReformingChristianity.com Netvibes page.

Also, under the Apologetics section here on Jordan's View, I've created a "Best of Apologetics Podcast Player", into which I'll regularly post Christian apologetics audio from a variety of sources.

How to Get a Reformed Education for Free Online

I bet you were thinking-- what other cool reformed stuff can Jordan come up with? (OK, so maybe you weren't thinking that, but throw me a bone, huh?)

Anyway I have added today yet another scrolling link list to the Reformed Theology section in my sidebar. It's a section titled "Free Reformed Christian Classics (Old and New)" and contains numerous links to great classic, contemporary (and best of all, free) resources for your study and edification.

Many of these books are required reading at reformed seminaries, and because they are in the public domain, you can read or download them online for free!

Among the links are two that recommend particular books to read as a way of gaining a seminary-level education at home. One of these links, Sound Advice for Studying Theology at Home I have already recommended to you. Another link is a Recommended Reading List from Reformed Theological Seminary-- this list contains books that the seminary recommends one reads (after the Bible and the Westminster Confession) "in preparation for the seminary journey".

I hope that you'll find something here for your edification. Reading and studying these works will not of course earn you a degree from a reformed institution, but you will be getting a good reformed education.

Here's the list so far (will be expanded as I discover new resources):

# A Body of Practical Divinity by Thomas Watson
# Confessions of Saint Augustine
# Creeds Confessions and Catechisms
# De Servo Arbitrio “On the Enslaved Will” or The Bondage of Will by Martin Luther
# Death of Death in the Death of Christ by John Owen
# Historic Baptist Documents
# Holiness by J.C. Ryle
# Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin
# Of the Mortification of Sin in Believers by John Owen
# Online Books by John Piper
# Outlines of Theology by A.A. Hodge
# Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan
# RTS Recommended Reading List
# Sound Advice for Studying Theology at Home
# Summary of Christian Doctrine by Louis Berkhof
# The Bondage of the Will by Martin Luther
# The Creeds and Confessions of Christendom
# The Plan of Salvation: Five Lectures Delivered by B.B. Warfield
# The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment
# The Reformed Pastor by Richard Baxter
# Why I Believe in God by The Rev. Cornelius Van Til, Ph.D.

Tags: John Bunyan, A.A. Hodge, John Piper, Cornelius Van Til, reformed resources, free online books, Thomas Watson, Richard Baxter, Martin Luther, John Owen, John Murray, Louis Berkhof, J.C. Ryle, Augustine, Creeds and Confessions, historical Baptist documents

Great Free Reformed Seminary Resources!

In the course of doing preliminary research on reformed seminaries to attend, I have come across many helpful (and usually free) resources. For example, Desiring God Ministries (John Piper) features two articles recommending particular reformed seminaries and also distance education opportunities.

In my Reformed Theology sidebar section, you'll find a scrolling link list titled "Seminaries and Education (Reformed)" that includes these article links, as well as links to many reformed institutions.

But what I really want to bring to your attention today is the fact that there are high-quality free seminary course materials one can subscribe to, or download, from such well-regarded seminaries as Reformed Theological Seminary, Covenant Theological Seminary or Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. These resources were already available here on Jordan's View in the Christian Teaching section under "Free Seminars, Seminary and Christian Courses".

But to make it more convenient to listen to the free lectures provided by these reformed schools, I have created the following tabs at my ReformingChristianity.com Netvibes Universe:

• Reformed Theological Seminary-OT and NT Courses
• RTS Courses- Church History
• RTS Courses- Practical Theology
• RTS Courses- Theology
• Covenant Seminary - Apologetics, Missions & Preaching
• Covenant Seminary- Word, Theology, Church History

On these pages you can click on a link to listen to or download any lecture title. I find this a more convenient way to listen than using an iTunes subscription, which requires downloading each file.

Additionally, there are excellent reformed ministries that provide top-notch training materials at low cost. Reclaiming the Mind Ministries/The Theology Program aims to offer "comprehensive and in-depth theological training for lay-people", and provides inexpensive and/or free versions of their materials. I have enjoyed reading Parchment and Pen, the prolific blog of C. Michael Patton, president of Reclaiming the Mind Ministries and a Calvinist teacher/writer.

Third Millennium Ministries, an Evangelical Christian parachurch ministry in the Reformed tradition, has Richard L. Pratt, an adjunct professor of Old Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary, for its president. Its mission is to "equip church leaders in their own lands by creating a multimedia seminary curriculum in five major languages in fifteen years." The materials at this site may also be purchased at modest prices and/or downloaded in free versions.

As one strongly considering entering seminary, I really appreciate the availability of these outstanding free resources, which I am beginning to utilize in preparation for more formal training. I hope this article also helps others find and make use of them.

Other Good Resources:
Dimensions of the Faith at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (Free on-line theological education program)

Sound Advice for Studying Theology at Home

Doctrine and Theology (Audio and Multimedia links at Monergism.com)

Biblical Training

Tags: reformed seminaries, Reformed Theological Seminary, Covenant Theological Seminary, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Reclaiming the Mind Ministries, The Theology Program, Third Millennium Ministries, Parchment and Pen blog

Web 2.0 Enhancements at Jordan's View

Hey friends,

I love trying out new web technologies that add practical value to this blog. From the beginning, I envisioned this blog as not only a place to communicate Christian truths through articles, but also as a web resource center. So the idea was to create links in my sidebar to point people to excellent web resources, and have those links organized according to categories. Thanks to ingenious hacks developed by technically-minded folks like Stephen Webber at Singpolyma Technical Blog and Hans at Beautiful Beta, I have been able to enhance features on my blog in ways I desired, but would never have been able to figure out on my own. For example, the sidebar link mentioned above were converted to mostly scrolling lists that one may show or hide, just by clicking on the title.

In addition, thanks to improvements Blogger made to its platform after being acquired by Google, I am able to categorize all posts easily, using their "labels" system.

Then there are the more "Web 2.0-type" enhancements I've added, such as the Jordan's Video section powered by vodpod that lets me share videos, or the Music Live Video Collection (powered by YouTube) I added at the bottom of the blog that lets me share favorite music video performances.

The web 2.0 enhancements continue this week, with the addition of a "Share" button next to the title of every post. This button comes courtesy of madKast. Clicking the button brings up a pop-up that allows readers to easily bookmark the post using their preferred service, or send the article by email to a friend. And today I have added a "Listen" button (powered by Odiogo) that when clicked allows you to hear a podcast of the article being read. Other options are to download an MP3 version, or subscribe to the Jordan's View podcast. What's really amazing is that the work of creating these podcasts was done entirely by Odiogo-- all I had to do was set up an account and provide my feed information. The voice that reads the articles is automated, yet sounds pretty human and is mostly clear and understandable.

So if Jordan's View is taking a bit longer to load these days, please do be patient. I think these latest features are worth the little extra time it takes to load the blog.

Tags: web 2.0, Jordan's View, podcast, Odiogo, madKast, Google Blogger platform

New Facebook Group: "League of Reformed Bloggers"

Dear "reformed" friends, brothers, sisters and comrades:

Are you seeking a place to connect with like-minded "reformed" men and women? People who would affirm that the doctrines of grace provide an accurate biblical portrait of salvation? Do you enjoy reading reformed blogs such as Pyromaniacs, Adrian Warnock, CampOnThis, Challies.com, Alex Chediak, Jollyblogger, Josh Harris, Together for the Gospel and others? Are you looking perhaps to join in conversation about these great doctrines with other believers, in order to learn more? Do you want your own life and ministry to grow in the grace of God as you apply these doctrines to your life? If so, joining my new Facebook group, "League of Reformed Bloggers" might help.

The group aims to "establish a network of bloggers of a "reformed" theological persuasion-- to interact, encourage, exhort, discuss, debate, and work together to spread the gospel. The name of the group comes from a similar network that bloggers Adrian Warnock and David Wayne began on the web." (Mr. Warnock and Mr Blayne are being invited to participate).

What are you waiting for? Establish a Facebook account, if you don't have one already, and please do come and join us!

Blessings,

Alex

Tags: Facebook, Facebook group, reformed theology, League of Reformed Bloggers, Pyromaniacs, Adrian Warnock, CampOnThis, Challies.com, Alex Chediak, Jollyblogger, Josh Harris, Together for the Gospel

More Resources for the Reforming Christian

Since my own evolution from an (unexamined) Arminianism to a confirmed Calvinism was greatly aided by reading many superb on-line articles describing and teaching Reformed Christianity, I have tried also to be a help to others who may want to learn more about the "doctrines of grace" and examine them for themselves. To that end I began writing an in-depth series contrasting Arminian and Reformed theology (which I plan to re-visit and continue, as soon as I'm able) and more recently, have been writing a book review series of Richard D. Phillips' excellent title, "What's So Great About the Doctrines of Grace?". I also created a section for Reformed Theology on the sidebar there, which I continue to update and add resources to. More recently, I created a new "Netvibes universe" website titled "ReformingChristianity.com- Resources for the Reforming Christian", which, though it duplicates many resources found here, may be a more-user friendly way to locate many of them. There's a link to that site too, from the sidebar here.

ReformingChristianity.com- Resources for the reforming Christian
The new site contains many reformed feeds, podcasts and website links, all found under descriptive tabs. It's think it's an easy site to navigate, and it's also simple for me to maintain and update. I have recently added tabs for "Reformation and Christian History", and if like me you've been investigating seminaries, you'll want to check out the new tabs for "Reformed Seminaries (Accredited)", "Reformed Seminaries & Schools (Non-Accredited)" and "Distance Education Programs/Courses". Many of the reformed seminaries and reformed distance education links are ones recommended by John Piper at Desiring God Ministries. Additionally there's a tab for Reformed Education- Free Seminary-Level Materials, which I aim to take more advantage of myself.

May your Resurrection Sunday remembrance be blessed and Happy Easter!

Tags: reformed Christianity, reforming, reformed theology, ReformingChristianity.com, reformed seminaries, reformed distance education, reformed- free seminary-level courses and materials

"Start-Page" Wars- The Curse of the "Tweaker"

I am busy working on the next post in my first-ever book review series (click here to jump to the initial article), but didn't quite get the next post done in time to post tonight.

So I'll take a little fun break. Or what I find fun. Ha ha. You may not. I don't know about you, but I love to tweak my browser (Firefox, of course), and also, my "start page". You know, those pages that you can have on the Internet where you can add all the content you want, like news feeds, or local weather, or a little clock, etc.? "My Yahoo" is an example of one that's been around a long time. But the new start pages have really gone all "Web 2.0" in sophistication. So this gets a "tweaker" like me into trouble because (I hope you some of you know what I'm talking about) I'll tweak to get the browser organized just so, and fiddle with the home page till it contains just the information I want on it, and looks just right, and I have to load up my browser and home page with lots of buttons and widgets and doodads. I know, it sounds like I have too much time on my hands. No, but actually this kind of tweaking is more about function than aesthetics-- in the end it does make surfing and doing work on the Web a whole lot easier (really it does).

Anyway, several months ago I wrote about how I'd discovered and started using Netvibes as a home page. Now, I found out that Pageflakes offers very similar types of pages and functions, and of course, iGoogle and Live.com also want to "get in on the action". But how is one to choose from among the competitors? Well, here's an in-depth article from CNET in Australia to your technical rescue:

Start-page smackdown: Netvibes, Pageflakes, iGoogle and Live.com

Personally, I think I'll be sticking with Netvibes (by the way, please do check out my new ReformingChristianity.com- Netvibes Universe", and you'll get a taste of what I'm describing in this article. Besides, it's a whole world for you crazy Calvinists to romp about in). Still, knowing myself, it's inevitable that I'll sneak over and give Pageflakes a try one of these days... 'cause I can't resist tweaking.

P.S. Just found yet another cool start-page website with Web 2.0 features: www.odysen.com

For further information
This PC Magazine article analyzes and compares some of the same top start pages sites as the article mentioned in my post: The Best Start Pages on the Web
See also: Top 5 personalized start pages
The Top Personalized Start Pages
10 Ajax Start Pages To Consider
The Future of Personalized Start Pages

Plus: See my new Web 2.0 Start Pages links list

Tags: netvibes, pageflakes, iGoogle, Live.com, my yahoo, start pages, Web 2.0, Firefox browser

ReformingChristianity.com- a Netvibes Universe

A while back, I wrote here about my idea to start a new blog titled ReformingChristianity.com. Subsequently, I realized that I just didn't have the time to launch and maintain a whole new blog (could re-visit the idea in the future).

But then recently, Netvibes.com, a "Web 2.0" type of site I use personally as a home page on the web, gave me a new idea. They are allowing users to create their own "personal universes" on the Web (I could probably write a whole post on the tricky theological implications of such a phrase). Essentially I saw in this development a great opportunity to create a simple website hosted by Netvibes, one that will make use of their technological innovations to easily create dynamic content (e.g., feeds to Reformed blogs and other resources on the web). So today I'm happy to announce that "ReformingChristianity.com-- a Netvibes Universe" is up. I hope that the site will prove to be a useful companion to this blog, and I think it will be somewhat easy to maintain.

Here's what I wrote on the Welcome page of the new site:

I have created this new resource to help people find excellent Reformed teachings, blogs, podcasts, etc. that are available on the world wide web. The site will be an ongoing work-in-progress. I also am the author of Jordan's View, a blog that features original articles and also extensive resources, all from a Reformed Christian perspective.

On this site I am especially interested in promoting the reformed "doctrines of grace", also known by the acrostic "T.U.L.I.P." I believe that the classic, rich biblical truths found in these teachings paint a portrait of God and of Christian living that properly show God as being central in the salvation and sanctification process (or in simpler words, He is the one that saves us and makes us like Him, from beginning to end). These doctrines honor and glorify God by crediting Him as the One whose power alone transforms lives, through the radical grace found in Jesus Christ. They offer meaty, substantive insights from the Scriptures-- a bracing antidote to the weak, man-centered teaching altogether too prevalent in these days. These doctrines have been historically controversial, and even today many consider them problematic and even heretical, a detriment rather than a blessing to the church. But I believe that the critics, though perhaps godly and intelligent individuals, are off-target in their assessment.

May this site lead many to discover and study these old truths of "Calvinism" for themselves-- and decide whether or not they are the teaching of the Bible. If after careful examination one is convinced they are not biblical, then by all means do not adopt them. Yet it is my prayer that the Spirit may use reformed teachings found through this site to bear witness to the truth of these doctrines as biblical, that the body of Christ may be mature and full of godly joy and fruit as we apply them.

Blessings,

Alexander M. Jordan

Tags: Netvibes.com, Reformed Christianity, Calvinism, doctrines of grace, Web 2.0

The Web 2.0 Revolution

It seems that almost every day new web sites are coming out with functions much more dynamic than yesterday's static web sites. These new sites use ever-evolving technological innovations such as Ajax programming to create powerful, intuitive and even user-configurable sites. Such sites have earned the name "Web 2.0", not only because of the new technologies they utilize, but also because they are the product of ongoing collaboration between their developers and the people who use them. The Web 2.0 conception sees web communication as no longer just a unidirectional monologue (from speaker to listener) but as a multi-directional dialog. Through technology, every participant has opportunity to become a communicator, as well as receiver, of information. Thus the web becomes a giant collaboration among many.

I am finding it quite exciting and interesting to discover, explore and begin to use some of these Web 2.0 sites, despite the fact that I don't always fully understand them conceptually or technologically. But you don't have to know exactly how they work in order to take advantage of them. In fact, the best of these sites are designed to be extremely user-friendly, this being a high value in Web 2.0 thinking. Since, as mentioned earlier, new applications are continually being developed, the following list provides a very brief survey of Web 2.0 applications.

Start (Home) Pages
One of the sites I recently discovered is Netvibes.com, a site that reminds me of the Firefox browser (itself a product of Web 2.0 innovations) in terms of its high intuitiveness and configurability. Netvibes aims to be a place where you can set up your own web "universe". I have already begun using it as a home base on the Internet, gathering together in one place my contacts, calendar, to-do list, blog feeds, news feeds, podcasts, etc. Time Magazine recently selected Netvibes as one of their top 50 websites.

Of course, this is not a new concept. Many sites, such as My Yahoo or iGoogle, have aimed to become the preferred portal to the web for their audiences. Yet while both My Yahoo and especially iGoogle (with its many, often user-designed widgets) have implemented new ideas for personalizing home pages, sites like Netvibes take the innovations to the next level. Thus Netvibes and the similar Pageflakes are probably the top Web 2.0 choices right now for creating customized start pages.

Social Networking
Responding to invitations from friends, I recently joined three social network web sites: LinkedIn, Facebook and Plaxo Pulse. LinkedIn and Plaxo Pulse both seem geared toward those wanting to link to others professionally, while Facebook seems more a networking tool for friends. All three sites seem are very "Web 2.0" in terms of purpose-- trying to connect people via Internet-- and also in regard to ease of use. Being new to these networks, I can't really give an opinion as to which of them is best-- their functions probably overlap, if using all three. Another popular site along these lines, especially for a younger crowd, is MySpace.com.

Social Bookmarking
A phenomenon related to social networking is that of social bookmarking, in which users create online lists of Internet resources they like or have found useful and share them with others. Sites such as del.icio.us, Simpy, and Furl have become popular networks of this kind. More recently Diigo, Ma.gnolia, Netvouz, and StumbleUpon have also joined this growing web market. You can learn more about social bookmarking in this helpful Wikipedia article. Wikipedia itself is another great example of Web 2.0 in action-- an on-line encyclopedia collaboratively maintained and expanded by its readers.

Office "2.0"
Do you use programs such as Microsoft Word or Excel to create documents or spreadsheets? What if you could create, collaborate on, access and share such documents on the web? Innovative sites such as Google Documents and Spreadsheets, Zoho.com, Writeboard, ThinkFree.com, and Ajax13.com provide free online software that makes it possible to create spreadsheets and documents compatible with Microsoft Office, even if you don't own Microsoft products. Best of all, you can upload your created documents to the web to share with others or access from any computer with Internet. Recently, Google acquired a company called Jotspot, a Wiki-type site that enables online collaborative projects. This site will soon be integrated with Google's Documents and Spreadsheets. Microsoft has responded to the challenge posed by such Web 2.0 sites with Microsoft Live, which they describe as "services [which] allow you to create a professional online presence without the expense of buying a server, setting up a complicated infrastructure, and hiring technical staff to maintain it."

There are so many more Web 2.0 sites in multiple categories. The following is a mere sampling:

More Web 2.0
City Guides & Reviews
Yelp
Judy's Book

Digital Storage and Remote Access
Mozy.com
Omnidrive.com

Email and Communication
Gmail
Meebo.com
Skype

Feed Management
Feedburner.com
Rojo.com

Photos, Digital Images and Sharing
Flickr.com
Picasa
Photobucket

Mobile Technology
Twitter.com
plusmo.com

Music
Pandora.com
LastFM

Online Desktop
Goowy
desktoptwo.com

Podcast Services
Odeo.com

Video Sharing
Vimeo
YouTube

And of course, this blog itself is part of the wonderful world of Web 2.0.

Utilizing Web 2.0 wisely
I feel I would be remiss without admonishing (myself, as well as readers) to use the Web wisely. All the technological innovation of Web 2.0 is meant to make modern life easier and more productive, and certainly can be a tremendous asset in this regard. But, as with anything good, there is a danger of the Web becoming an idol in our lives. An idol is anything we allow, by the value and time we spend upon it, to become a kind of "god" to us, something which usurps relationship with the true God. The Web can easily become a totally absorbing and distracting place in which to live, and tracking the endless barrage of information becomes an exhausting addiction, even when the information in itself is good and helpful.

Christians recognize the reality of indwelling sin, which means that the pull of the world and sin are still present. So if you are Christian, please bear this in mind as you explore the world of Web 2.0. And if you are not a Christian, I would suggest that you consider the idea that if God is real He must have a claim on all human life. No activity in this world will ever bring us the true satisfaction and abiding joy that comes from being in relationship with our Creator. And no human activity or philosophy can solve the sin problem which separates us from Him. Visit my Gospel Presentations section for more about this.

For Discussion
What are your favorite "Web 2.0" sites? Do you ever feel that you've become addicted to the spending time on the Web?

Further reading:
50 Best Websites, selected by Time magazine

Web 2.0 by Wikipedia

Review of the Year's Best Web 2.0 explanations

What exactly does Web 2.0 mean?

Best Web 2.0 Sites July 2007 (top 10 from Real World Software Development)

2007 Web 2.0 Awards

2007: Web 2.0 Companies I Couldn’t Live Without

The Best Web 2.0 Software of 2006

Top 100 Web Apps (included are many Web 2.0-type sites)

Top 100 Web 2.0 Sites

The Best of Web 2.0

Brave New Web: 20 Top Web 2.0 sites

Go2Web20.net-the complete web 2.0 directory

Ajax Projects (Web 2.0 sites)

Tags: Web 2.0, Ajax programming, Netvibes.com, social networking, social bookmarking, Office 2.0, Wiki

New at Jordan's View

Dear readers:

You probably noticed the new "Navigation jump links" I have added, near the top of the Jordan's View page, to help with jumping to the resource sections you might be interested in. Just click on the link, and the page will jump to that portion of the screen. Notice that some links are for the left-column resources, and others for the right column.

I have also recently added new resource sections. There is a section at the top of the right column containing links to several "Gospel Presentations". Right below is the "Jordan's Video" section, to which I will add videos that are educational as well as for just fun.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I am a songwriter (and also play guitar), though I have been busy focusing on other things for quite awhile. However I am trying to get myself inspired and busy with music again, by setting some goals for the near future. One is just to work on my guitar skills, which for me tends to lead to more inspiration for new songs. Another is a longstanding goal-- to record everything I have written to date, in digital format. Another is to finish off many new songs already in process by writing the accompanying lyrics. And yet another objective is to begin sharing podcasts (or vodcasts) of my music right here.

To help with the goal of improving my guitar skills, I was researching guitar lessons and guitar software on the web. There is a wealth of good material and resources, many of which are free. I am sharing the fruits of this research with you in several new sections here, which you'll find under "Culture"-- Guitar Education Software/DVDs, Guitar Lessons & Music theory Online, and Guitar Lessons Software- Reviews. Click on the "jump-links" and you'll find these sections quickly. if I find a particularly helpful site or software that I am using myself, I'll be sure to recommend it to my readers.

Also, keep checking "Blips of the Blogosphere" for regularly updated link recommendations to interesting articles. I hope to post before the end of this week the next article in my series on Arminian vs Reformed theology.

Blessings to you,

Alex

Why Pick on Paris?

Well, it's been a while since I posted any sort of cultural commentary. I have been so busy discussing "heavy" theological issues here at Jordan's View. Of course, I think to discuss theology is not an abstract exercise, but is to be pursued with the ultimate aim of accurately understanding God's word so as to apply it practically to one's life.

But every once in a while, I have turned on the TV, perhaps watching entertainment news for a little break from all the "deep" thinking. So I heard recently about poor Paris Hilton and her troubles with the law, first for DUI (driving while intoxicated), for which she was sentenced 36 months probation, alcohol education and $1,500 in fines, and more recently, for violating probation on that sentence-- twice.

Can you believe though, that the judge in her case actually sentenced her to 45 days in jail? Doesn't he know who she is? Now she has been complaining publicly since then about the great injustice of her sentence:

"I feel that I was treated unfairly and that the sentence is both cruel and unwarranted and I don't deserve this". But as she has been sentenced 45 days for a crime that is punishable under the law by up to 90 days in prison, actually, the judge is being somewhat lenient.

But not in Paris' way of thinking. After all, doesn't the judge realize that "Paris Whitney Hilton is an American celebrity and socialite?" "An heiress to a share of the Hilton hotel fortune" and to her father's fortune? Can't he see that "she provides hope for young people all over the U.S. and the world", as well as "beauty and excitement to (most of) our otherwise mundane lives"?

What will we all do with Paris away for a whole 45 days, not available to brighten up our otherwise boring lives?

This judge is a big old meanie. Instead of just letting her go (you know, she did say she's sorry and she did cry), or giving her the "slap-on-the-wrist" she should have gotten (that's just the way things are done for celebrities), well, don't you know that cranky old judge actually sentenced her to 45 days in jail! Outrageous!

It seems he doesn't want to just "slap her on the wrist", like all the other celebrities are used to getting, but actually apply the law in her case. What a gross miscarriage of justice!

Can this possibly be right, to sentence an actress with these incredible credits ("Hilton is notable for her leading roles on the FOX reality series The Simple Life and in the remake of the Vincent Price horror classic "House of Wax"), to jail?

There's so many other celebrities that could have been made an example of? Why pick on Paris?

After all, she's learned her lesson, or so says her publicist. "She is sincere, apologetic, and full of regret for her actions as she explained tearfully to the Judge handling her case in court".

Perhaps you detect a note of satire/sarcasm in the above?

I really don't mean to sound completely unsympathetic to Paris Hilton. I do feel sympathy for her, but not because she's sentenced to jail. I feel sorry that she is so caught up in a way of thinking exemplified in the petition she sent to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger regarding her plight (most of the quotes above come from this petition). She sincerely seems to believe that because she is an heiress, an actress, and a celebrity, that somehow, she should be above the law and that the judge should make an exception for her and that people in high places should go out of their way to pardon her. She want others to sign the petition for these reasons.

Of course it is very fortunate that her drunk driving did not hurt anyone. But Paris showed by her subsequent failures to abide by the sentence in that conviction that she was not taking her crime seriously, but rather, making light of it.

Drunk driving is a serious matter that has been the source of great tragedy for millions of families. Any attitude that treats such a crime lightly and says that one should be pardoned for this crime because supposedly one has more value to society, by virtue of being a celebrity, is repugnant and wrong. According to her prosecutors, Hilton violated at least three conditions of her probation; driving at 70 mph without her headlights on in a 35 mph zone, driving with a suspended license, and failing to enroll in the court-ordered alcohol education program. Apparently the judge agreed with their case and has ruled Paris guilty, giving her the sentence appropriate to the crime for which she is guilty.

Serve your time soberly, Paris. Reflect on the good fortune that you have had. Be grateful and thankful that your drunken driving did not kill or harm anyone.

When you get out, perhaps use your celebrity to promote a sober driving campaign.

Then you will earn respect, and be known for your character, rather than just for being a celebrity.

"For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Luke 14:11

Tags: Paris Hilton, Jail sentence

Pop-Up Scripturize It! Bookmarklet

Well, not too long ago I added a pop-up ESV feature to my blog. The idea was that whenever I posted an article with Scripture references, each reference would turn into a link that when clicked would open a pop-up box to the ESV version of the verse. Lately, it just ain't working. So for the time being, until I can (hopefully) fix the problem, I point you to an alternative method for viewing the ESV (or NIV) pop-up box on verses when you visit my blog (or any other site that contains Bible verses that are not links).

Visit this site, and just drag the ESV or NIV bookmarklet Scripturize It! feature to your browser's toolbar. Now, whenever you visit a site in which Bible verses are not links, you can click the Scripture It! button in your toolbar. All the verses will now be turned into clickable links that will pop-up to the ESV or NIV of your verse, depending upon which version of the bookmarklet you've installed.

Tags: Scripturize It! Bookmarklet, ESV, NIV, Bible verses

How To Get the Most Out of Jordan's View

Whether you're visiting this site for the first time or have checked it out before, in this post I'd like to let you know about the many resources available through Jordan's View.

Blogs, of course, vary widely in style and purpose. Some try to be "up-to-the-minute" sources as they provide links to breaking news items, the latest intelligence regarding a particular sphere of interest, or reaction to what's happening in the blogosphere. Other blogs, like this one, are generally more content-driven.

Some blogs become gathering points of public debate and discussion, while many others are content to be more personal in nature, visited mostly by friends and family.

At Jordan's View, besides trying to provide quality content that explicates a Christian worldview, it is my aim to serve the community by providing convenient link access to some of the best Christian resources on the web.

To give you an idea of what is available here at Jordan's View, I have listed below all the resources gathered at this site, as of today, February 13, 2007. I continue to add new links on a regular basis, and periodically to add new resource sections.

In the "Featured Ministries (Outstanding Resources)" section, I will be listing sites I have found to be a "cut above" most, in terms of content, organization or vision.

Blips on the Blogosphere
This is where I share links to recent web articles I have found valuable and interesting. Click on the "Read More" link at the bottom of the section to read all the shared articles on one web page.

Devotionals and Bible Resources
Devotionals, Bible Study (both for the layperson and for the more scholarly), Info about Bible Translations, Search the ESV Bible, Bible Reading Plans, Listen to the Bible (Audio Resources)

Christian Teaching
Online Audio Sermons, miscellaneous sites featuring Christian Teaching

Reformed Theology
Reformed and Charismatic Teaching/Ministries, Reformed Theology Resource links, Reformed Teaching Podcasts, Seminaries and Educational sites

General Theology
Charismatic Theology sites, miscellaneous general Christian Theology sites

Apologetics
Apologetic Teaching/Ministries, Christianity and Science links

Culture
Ministries Engaging Culture, Music/Arts/Culture/Media links, Film Reviews from a Christian perspective, Christian History links, News and Media from a Christian Slant

Web Community
Jordan's View Blogroll and miscellaneous Blogrolls of interest, Blog directories

Godly Counsel
Christian Counseling links, Ministries of interest to Christian singles, Ministries that help people stay sexually pure, Men's Ministries

And many other resources as well:

• "Multi-link portals", through which you can find many other websites in various categories


• Free online Christian books


• Resources for PDA users


• NYC churches


• Resources for Bloggers


• Web Browsers


• "Blogger Beta" hacks and hackers

So, to get the most out of Jordan's View, I highly recommend exploring these resources, remembering of course that "Jordan's View does not confirm or necessarily approve of all the views and content found through these links. One should always be "Berean": comparing truths expressed on this site or others against the standard of the Scriptures" (from my disclaimer).

I hope that you do find something that will edify, encourage and bless you. Please drop me a line with your comments or suggestions.

Blessings,

Alex

P.S. If you plan on coming back to visit Jordan's View, make it more convenient for yourself. Visit my "Syndication" section, where you can click the "Add to any Feed Reader" button to add this blog to your favorite reader (eg, Google Reader, My Yahoo, Bloglines), or click the orange icon to do the same via Feedburner. You can bookmark Jordan's View using your favorite social bookmarking tool (eg, Del.icio.us, furl), or subscribe to the latest posts via email. You can even add me to your "blogroll" with just a click. So many options...

Tags: Christian resources on the web, resources at Jordan's View blog

New Christian Portal: Best of the Godblogs

Are you a busy blogger? If you're reading this, you probably are.

Though I don't know official statistics on this, I would guess that many who regularly read blogs are also writers who maintain their own blogs. Perhaps between having a regular job, fulfilling family and other responsibilites, and maintaining a blog, you find yourself extremely busy, and find it difficult to keep up with all that is happening in the Christian blogosphere.

But a new site, Best of the Godblogs, promises to be very helpful in this regard. The mission of the site is clear from its title: Best of the Godblogs will be a portal to excellence, helping readers of Christian blogs to quickly find the best blogs and read their well-written posts, (without having to surf the web yourself)!

It's a great idea, originated by Mark Swanson, the "running pastor" at runalong with pastor mark. Mark will decide, from among all the suggestions he receives, and also from his own research, which links to highlight and recommend. He is working with a team of "BGB associates" (I'm privileged to be one) who will regularly send him their recommendations.

A prominent theme that emerged from the panel discussions and workshops of GodBlogCon 2005 was that Christian bloggers will achieve greater impact and influence in the world as we learn to function together as a true community. Naturally, this suggests that we need to read one another's blogs and mutually encourage one another in our blogging pursuits.

I believe Best of the Godblogs will be a helpful vehicle towards this goal, as it seems to me that the mission of the site is not to just promote "star" bloggers, but to help one another grow as a connected community, that we may become better, more fruitful disciples of Jesus Christ. Everyone can participate in this purpose by sending link recommendations to Mark. He is looking for quality writing, and to help new bloggers who are writing excellent material to be discovered.

Please join us in this community venture-- don't get "left behind"(ha ha). Blogging is a rapidly-growing phenomenon with wonderful potential for believers to make a positive impact for Christ, as we "shine our light" together, help each other mature, and speak in a collective voice. So go visit Best of the Godblogs, read the great articles andsubmit your link recommendations to Mark, Take advantage of this marvelous opportunity we have to make a positive contribution through blogging.

Blessings to you,

Alex

Top 101 Websites (from PC Magazine)

PC Magazine has compiled a listing of top websites in a number of categories, including Blogs, Business and Finance, Careers, Computing, Search References and Portals, Travel, News Reads and Politics, Consumer Electronics and Photography, Information, Lifestyle and Fun, Entertainment and Sports, and others.

I find these lists very helpful-- someone actually gets paid to surf the Web and find all these sites!

Click on the title above to check out the article/sites.

Utilizing The Power of the Internet

Last month, I wrote about how you can Grow Your Christian Life Via the Web. I probably used the wrong term in my title, "Web", because according the official definitions, the Web (short for World Wide Web- www) refers to a service that operates over the Internet. So really the Web is a subset of the Internet, which is the "publicly accessible worldwide system of interconnected computer networks" that provide all the great free resources that I talked about in that article. The "Internet" would have been the more accurate term to use in my title, although many people, use the terms Web and Internet synonymously.

Whether you call it "Web" or "Internet", the vast resources we are privileged enough to tap into (if fortunate enough to have access to a computer with Internet access) is truly staggering. It's amazing to realize too, that the Internet is such a young phenomenon, having only become what it now is, a free public global network, during the 1990's!

As mentioned in the previous article, I have hoped to make this blog into a valuable resource for visitors by highlighting and organizing links through which you can utilize some of those vast resources. I have continued to add link items. For example, I have now created two new sections. "Public Policy Organizations" provides links to several organizations at the forefront of the task of shaping public policy, in terms of Christian values and ideals. "News from a Christian Perspective" provides links to organizations that report on the news through a Christian lens, and which highlight issues and areas that secular news organizations may neglect.

With President Bush's announcement last night of John Roberts as his nominee for the Supreme Court position that Sandra Day O'Connor vacates through retirement, it is so important that believers continue praying and staying informed about the current issues shaping the future of America. The links I have provided are some of the sites I have found helpful in this important task. Again, I welcome your suggestions of other good resources.

Of course, bloggers have also revealed themselves to be an influential force, because the rapid dissemination of information made possible by the Internet makes it possible for bloggers to quickly respond, and in effect, can become a collective voice. Such blogging can help to keep news organizations accountable. Additionally those in the Christian blogosphere have a wonderful opportunity to influence cultures with Christian truth, by engaging the marketplace of ideas. Let us utilize this power for good, remembering at all times to pray.

Which Is the Best Browser?

Today I'm posting on a lighter subject than I normally do: browsers. What is a browser, some of you may ask? Well, the browser is a program on your computer that provides a viewing environment for the web pages you want to see. An example of a browser is Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE), which is also the most widely used, but there are many alternate browsers out there. OK great, you might respond, but why should I care which browser I'm using?

I admit, most browsers do their job quite well, in terms of connecting you to the Internet. The most popular browser is definitely Microsoft IE (6.0), followed by Mozilla's Firefox (latest version: 1.0.4), then Netscape (latest version: 8.0) and Opera (latest version: 8.0). In recent years IE has been losing market ground to these other browsers because the alternates offer more nifty, innovative features to make it easier to get around the Internet quickly and organize pages you visit on a regular basis, among other things. Additionally, these browsers provide lots of tools for customization, enabling you to tailor the look and functionality of your browser to your personal needs and preferences. These tools can also make your browser quite fun!

Tabbed Browsing
Browsers such as Firefox, Netscape's latest (8.0) and Opera all include "tabbed browsing", a feature that allows you to open web pages by loading them as "tabs" within the same browser window. This makes surfing multiple pages more convenient, because it's easy to switch back and forth among open pages. Tabbed browsing also conserves system resources, since you only have one browser window open. Until recently, tabbed browsing was not included as part of IE. Realizing that it has become a very popular feature, Microsoft has now developed tabbed browsing as a function within their new MSN toolbar, which when downloaded can bring this functionality to the IE browser. With its upcoming 7.0 release, Microsoft will include tabbed browsing in IE (read IE: Not Dead Yet).

My favorite browser, Mozilla Firefox
Still, when it comes to customization, the favorite browser of many, and the one I use most often as my main browser, is Mozilla Firefox. Firefox is an uncluttered browser that also has hundreds of themes you may download to enhance the way it looks (very appealing to my aesthetic needs). But the best thing is its great functionality, via "extensions" that are easy to download and install. Some extensions I use within Firefox: Adblock- lets me get rid of annoying ads on a page; Menu X- adds the ability to collapse any toolbar and provides up to 24 function icons I can add to any toolbar; Foxy Tunes- lets me listen to the installed media player of my choice right from the status bar; Bible toolbar-- lets me search the Bible by keyword or passage. I have others still more extensions, among them the Preferences Toolbar, a Calendar, Remember Password; I haven't even explored all the ways I may utilize these completely. Yet all of these extensions work without a hitch, and I can always uninstall a particular extension if it isn't functioning correctly.

I think my favorite aspect of the Firefox browser, though, is that I enjoy using bookmarks (favorites), and Firefox allows me to arrange my bookmarks strategically within a "bookmarks toolbar folder" that gives me easy access to them. An entire folder of bookmarks residing on this bookmarks toolbar folder might be clicked and opened simultaneously, as tabs.

I have also set up Firefox so that every time it opens, three favorite "home pages" open simultaneously, in tabs. I can always change these settings or add more home pages in the future.

The recently updated Netscape browser 8.0 was based on Firefox and offers many of the same features; it sets up more for you on the browser. Thus I would recommend it for those who would rather have a browser that is more "ready-to-go". Read the PC mag Netscape review for more details. Like Firefox, Opera has loads of features, yet I think that using it is not quite as intuitive as Firefox. Also, to get rid of the ad banner that comes with the free version, one must purchase their browser, something I would be unwilling to do with other great browsers available for free. Still, Opera comes with some of its own unique features.

Enhanced "IE" browsers
There are also browsers built on the IE framework which add improved functionality to the basic IE. These include the Avant and Maxthon. I downloaded these two recently and found them to be very simliar. I would recommend them if you have grown accustomed to IE but perhaps would like some enhancements.

Well, happy browser hunting on this 4th of July!

P.S. What's your favorite browser?