"Christians and the Internet" newsletter
CATI, Vol. 1, No. 38: September 22, 2000.
_______________________________________________________________
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. SSOME CATI TOPICS AND ARTICLES (AND WHERE TO FIND THEM)
2. MY NAPARC-PLUS WEB DIRECTORY, PART NINE: URCNA CHURCHES
3. NOAH WEBSTER AND AMERICAN DICTIONARIES (THEN AND NOW)
4. SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION FOR THIS NEWSLETTER
_______________________________________________________________
1. SOME CATI TOPICS AND ARTICLES (AND WHERE TO FIND THEM)
There have been a lot of articles published in CATI thus far
this year, and all of them are available online! Following
is a list of some of the many topics covered and where you
can find many of the related articles:
AOL (AMERICA ONLINE)
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati05.htm#2
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati25.htm#1
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati27.htm#3
ARP (ASSOCIATE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH)
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati32.htm#2
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati34.htm#3
BACKUPS, IMPORTANCE OF HARD DRIVE
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati37.htm#1
BEGINNERS' GUIDES TO THE INTERNET
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati21.htm#1
BEST (GENERAL) WEB SITES
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati26.htm#1
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati27.htm#1
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati28.htm#2
BOICE, JAMES MONTGOMERY
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati23.htm#1
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati26.htm#3
"BROKEN LINKS" ON THE WEB
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati26.htm#2
BOOK REVIEW: ULTIMATE GUIDE TO THE INTERNET
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati36.htm#2
CHRISTIAN WEB SITES, LISTS OF
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati01.htm#3
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati03.htm#3
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati07.htm#2
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati08.htm#4
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati13.htm#1
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati14.htm#4
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati16.htm#2
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati18.htm#1
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati19.htm#1
COMIC STRIPS ON THE WEB
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati35.htm#1
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati37.htm#4
COMPUTER MAGAZINES ONLINE
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati04.htm#4
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati05.htm#4
DOWNLOADING SOFTWARE
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati12.htm#2
EDITOR, INTRODUCING THE
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati01.htm#1
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati02.htm#1
EMAIL ETIQUETTE
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati04.htm#3
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati05.htm#3
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati27.htm#3
EMAIL HOAXES
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati02.htm#3
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati11.htm#2
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati18.htm#2
EMAIL TIPS
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati03.htm#5
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati23.htm#2
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati25.htm#3
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati34.htm#1
FAMILY-SAFE INTERNET
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati01.htm#2
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati03.htm#4
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati06.htm#2
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati07.htm#3
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati08.htm#3
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati10.htm#1
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati11.htm#3
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati17.htm#3
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati25.htm#1
FINDING INFORMATION (SEARCH ENGINES, ETC.)
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati09.htm#2
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati12.htm#1
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati12.htm#3
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati13.htm#3
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati15.htm#5
FREE STUFF ON THE INTERNET
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati07.htm#1
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati08.htm#2
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati10.htm#2
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati17.htm#2
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati19.htm#2
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati24.htm#1
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati25.htm#3
GOSPEL MAGIC
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati13.htm#4
GREEK NEW TESTAMENT
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati22.htm#3
HALL OF CHURCH HISTORY
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati19.htm#1
HODGE, CHARLES AND A.A.
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati20.htm#2
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati20.htm#3
HOME SCHOOLING
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati14.htm#2
HUMOR
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati30.htm#2
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati32.htm#1
INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS (ISPS)
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati05.htm#2
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati10.htm#1
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati11.htm#3
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati24.htm#1
JOHNSON, PHIL
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati18.htm#1
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati19.htm#1
JOURNALISM, CHRISTIANS IN
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati10.htm#3
MIDI FILES
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati09.htm#1
MODERN REFORMATION MAGAZINE
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati23.htm#3
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati24.htm#2
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati25.htm#2
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati37.htm#2
MOVIE AND VIDEO REVIEWS
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati09.htm#3
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati15.htm#4
MP3 FILES
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati02.htm#4
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati02.htm#5
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati31.htm#3
NEWTON, JOHN, AND AMAZING GRACE
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati11.htm#1
OPC (ORTHODOX PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH)
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati30.htm#1
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati31.htm#4
PARENTAL CONTROL SOFTWARE
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati01.htm#2
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati06.htm#2
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati07.htm#3
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati08.htm#3
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati25.htm#1
PCA (PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN AMERICA)
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati34.htm#2
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati35.htm#2
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati36.htm#3
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati37.htm#3
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati35.htm#3
PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati08.htm#1
RCUS (REFORMED CHURCH IN THE UNITED STATES)
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati31.htm#1
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati34.htm#3
REAL AUDIO
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati29.htm#1
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati31.htm#2
RPCNA (REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF NORTH AMERICA)
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati33.htm#2
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati34.htm#3
SEARCH ENGINES
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati12.htm#1
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati12.htm#3
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati13.htm#3
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati15.htm#5
SPURGEON, CHARLES
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati21.htm#2
TELEVISION AND THE INTERNET
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati15.htm#2
URCNA (UNITED REFORMED CHURCHES IN NORTH AMERICA)
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati38.htm#2
VIRUS PROTECTION
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati06.htm#3
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati16.htm#4
WARFIELD, BENJAMIN B.
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati28.htm#3
WEB BROWSERS
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati22.htm#4
WEB SITE BUILDING
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati17.htm#2
WEBRINGS, CHRISTIAN AND OTHERWISE
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati04.htm#2
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati05.htm#1
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati37.htm#4
WORLD MAGAZINE
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati29.htm#2
If your email program permits it, you can just click (or maybe
double-click, if required) on one of the preceding links and
explore the articles directly from this issue of CATI. Or,
if you prefer, you can use the online partial index of CATI
articles online at this address:
http://traver.org/cati/pindex.htm
That partial index of CATI includes the CATI article titles in
addition to the links to the articles, but even that index is
only a partial index (that is, it's incomplete).
For a chronological (or, rather, reverse chronological) list
of all of the CATI issues and articles published thus far, you
can check out the following Web page:
http://traver.org/cati/archives.htm
There also you will find individual article titles in addition
to links to their locations on the Web.
Finally, if you want to search for something specific in CATI,
you can use the special CATI search engine found on this page:
http://traver.org/cati/
Here's where you'll find a brief explanation of how to use the
CATI search engine:
http://traver.org/cati/archives/cati15.htm#5
Enjoy!
By the way, if you have suggestions concerning what you'd like
to see in future issues of CATI, please let me know. (You can
contact me at this email address: cati@traver.org.
_______________________________________________________________
2. MY NAPARC-PLUS WEB DIRECTORY, PART NINE: URCNA CHURCHES
I'm in the process of putting together a directory of churches
in conservative Reformed denominations (primarily those in
NAPARC) that have Web pages. As I indicated previously, in
addition to NAPARC denominations my intention was/is also to
include in my directory of Web pages congregations that belong
to the United Reformed Churches in North America (URCNA), a
denomination which holds to similar convictions. That URCNA
list is included in this issue.
Please notify me of any errors that need to be corrected or of
any additions that should be made to any of these lists (or if
you happen to know of any Korean-American Presbyterian Church
congregations with Web pages). Thanks!
First, here are some pages where you can learn more about the
URCNA:
Unofficial site for the United Reformed Churches in North
America
http://www.urcna.org/
United Reformed Churches in North America
http://www.iserv.net/~bethany/URC.htm
An Abstract of the History of the United Reformed Churches in
North America
http://spindleworks.com/library/precedent/ppMain/u01.html
The United Reformed Churches: The Reformation Continues
http://reformedtoronto.org/urcna.html
And here's where you'll find a list of URCNA congregations:
United Reformed Churches in North America: Directory of
Churches
http://www.iserv.net/~bethany/director.htm
And here are URCNA congregations that have Web pages (or at
least the ones of which I am currently aware):
UNITED STATES
ARIZONA
Phoenix
Phoenix United Reformed Church, Phoenix
Pastor: Rev. Bradd Nymeyer
http://www.phoenixurc.com/
CALIFORNIA
Anaheim
Christ Reformed Church, Anaheim
Pastor: Rev. Kim Riddlebarger
http://www.christreformed.org/
Arcadia
Pasadena United Reformed Church, Arcadia
Pastoral Intern: Movses S. Janbazian
http://purc.homepage.com/
Escondido
Escondido United Reformed Church, Escondido
http://www.escondidourc.org/
Oceanside
Oceanside United Reformed Church, Oceanside
http://www.oceansideurc.org/
Ontario
Ontario United Reformed Church, Ontario
Pastor: Rev. Rand Lankheet
http://www.ontariourc.org/
Ripon
Zion United Reformed Church, Ripon
Pastor: Rev. Alrick Headley
http://www.zionurc.org/
Walnut Creek
Trinity United Reformed Church, Walnut Creek
Pastor: Rev. Joghinda S. Gangar
http://pweb.netcom.com/~davirma/turc/
ILLINOIS
Lansing
Oak Glen United Reformed Church, Lansing
http://www.imperiumnet.com/oakglen/
MICHIGAN
Kalamazoo
Covenant United Reformed Church, Kalamazoo
Pastor: Rev. Philip Vos
http://www.covenant-urc.org/
Wyoming
Bethany United Reformed Church, Wyoming
Pastor: Rev. Casey Freswick
http://www.iserv.net/~bethany/
VERMONT
New Haven
United Reformed Church of Champlain Valley, Ferrisburg
Pastor: Rev. Fredrick (Fritz) Harms
http://www.sover.net/~fharms/
CANADA
ALBERTA
Calgary
Bethel United Reformed Church of Calgary, Calgary
Pastor: Rev. Ed Marcusse
http://www.bethelurc.org/
Lethbridge
Trinity Reformed Church, Lethbridge
Pastor: Rev. John Barach
http://www.trinityurc.org/
ONTARIO
London
Cornerstone United Reformed Church, London
Pastor: Rev. Dennis W. Royall
http://www.forministry.com/N6BCURC
ELSEWHERE
PHILIPPINES
Davao City
Davao Reformed Christian Church, Davao City
http://pweb.netcom.com/~davirma/drcc/
Please let me know of additions or corrections that should be
made to any of these lists. Thanks!
_______________________________________________________________
3. NOAH WEBSTER AND AMERICAN DICTIONARIES (THEN AND NOW)
When we hear the name Webster, most of us probably think at
once of dictionary, and an American dictionary at that. That
is properly the case, because the first American dictionary
was prepared by Noah Webster. An American Dictionary of the
English Language was published in two volumes in 1828 and
later enlarged in 1840, although his first dictionary (a
preliminary effort) was published back in 1806.
Even earlier than that, in 1783 he had written A Grammatical
Institute of the English Language, a book which was popularly
known as the "Blue-backed Speller" because of its blue cover.
The "Blue-backed Speller" was, according to some authorities,
"the most popular American book of its time" (although the
same could be said of his dictionary).
The "Blue-backed Speller" was used for 100 years to teach
children how to read, spell, and pronounce words. Benjamin
Franklin reportedly used this book to teach his granddaughter
to read. But, as I said, Webster's dictionary was no less
popular, so there is good reason for his becoming known as
"the Schoolmaster of the Nation."
William J. Federer has some interesting comments about and
quotations from Noah Webster in his book America's God and
Country Encyclopedia of Quotations, a useful book that you
can read more about at Amazon.com:
America's God and Country Encyclopedia of Quotations
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1880563053/travertabletalk
The quotations from Noah Webster in this article are taken
from that book.
Here are three comments from Noah Webster on education:
"Education is useless without the Bible."
"The Bible was America's basic text book in all fields."
"God's Word, contained in the Bible, has furnished all
necessary rules to direct our conduct."
And here's what he had to say in the Preface to his great 1828
dictionary:
"In my view, the Christian religion is the most important and
one of the first things in which all children under a free
government ought to be instructed.... No truth is more
evident to my mind than that the Christian religion must be
the basis of any government intended to secure the rights
and privileges of a free people."
Here are some comments which may help to illustrate the extent
of both Webster's scholarship and his achievement:
"In 1806 Webster published A Compendious Dictionary of the
English Language, the first truly American dictionary.
Immediately thereafter he went to work on his magnum opus,
An American Dictionary of the English Language, for which he
learned 26 languages, including Anglo-Saxon and Sanskrit, in
order to research the origins of his own country's tongue.
This book, published in 1828, embodied a new standard of
lexicography; it was a dictionary with 70,000 entries that
was felt by many to have surpassed Samuel Johnson's 1755
British masterpiece not only in scope but in authority as
well."
http://www.m-w.com/about/noah.htm
Webster was also actively involved in the politics of his
time. At the time of the American Revolution, he was an
active member of the Federalist party and wrote articles and
pamphlets to promote that cause. Although much of his later
life was devoted to his dictionary work, even at the end of
his life he maintained his interest in political issues.
In his 1832 History of the United States, for example, he
wrote the following (although you need to keep in mind that
the word "republican" refers not to the later distinction
between Republican and Democrat but to the meaning of the
word "republic" as in "...and to the republic for which it
stands..." in the Pledge of Allegiance):
"When you become entitled to exercise the right of voting for
public officers, let it be impressed on your mind that God
commands you to choose for rulers just [that is, righteous]
men who will rule in the fear of God. The preservation of
republican government depends on the faithful discharge of
this duty; if the citizens neglect their duty and place
unprincipled men in office, the government will soon be
corrupted; laws will be made not for the public good so much
as for selfish or local purposes; corrupt or incompetent men
will be appointed to execute the Laws; the public revenues
will be squandered on unworthy men; and the rights of the
citizens will be violated or disregarded. If a republican
government fails to secure public prosperity and happiness,
it must be because the citizens neglect the divine commands,
and elect bad men to make and administer the laws."
In 1833 Webster published an American version of the King
James Bible "with amendments to the language." You can
find a copy online here:
Noah Webster, The Holy Bible
http://www.stg.brown.edu/webs/bible_browser/Versions/webst.shtml
At that location we are told that "In 1834, the year after
completing the Webster Bible, Noah Webster wrote a companion
piece titled 'Value of the Bible and Excellence of the
Christian Religion - For the Use of Families and Schools.'"
If you're interested in reading more about Noah Webster, you
may want to take a look at Harlow Giles Unger's book Noah
Webster: The Life and Times of an American Patriot, a book
that presents a very sympathetic picture of Webster. Read
more about the book at Amazon.com:
Noah Webster: The Life and Times of an American Patriot
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0471379433/travertabletalk
After his death in 1843, Webster's heirs sold the rights to
the dictionary to G. and C. Merriam Company. That is the
reason for the "Merriam" in the Merriam-Webster dictionaries
seen today. We've looked at "then," so let's look at "now."
You'll find two good American dictionaries online today (but
without the same Christian perspective ), including a
Merriam-Webster dictionary:
Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary
http://www.m-w.com/netdict.htm
You can access that dictionary free of charge, and it has
been available on the Web since 1996.
Here's how Patrick Douglas Crispen describes that site in his
helpful (and free) TOURBUS newsletter:
"The online Merriam-Webster dictionary works much like a
search engine. Key in the word you are looking for and up
pops the Webster's entry for that word, including the word's
pronunciation, origin, and definition. It couldn't be easier
to use. In fact, it is so easy to use that you may find
yourself doing something you never thought you'd do: look
up words in the dictionary ... often!"
http://listserv.aol.com/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0010C&L=tourbus&P=R429&m=51
That site also offers other word-related resources, including
the following:
Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Thesaurus (different tab)
http://www.m-w.com/thesaurus.htm
Word of the Day
http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/mwwod.pl
Word Games
http://www.m-w.com/game/
Word for the Wise (past scripts for the radio program)
http://www.m-w.com/wftw/wftw.htm
But Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary is only one of two
very helpful modern American dictionaries now available on the
Web. Patrick Douglas Crispen tells the story:
"Merriam-Webster isn't the only name brand dictionary on the
Web,... There is a new kid on the online dictionary block.
The...American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language is
now available, free of charge...."
http://listserv.aol.com/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0010C&L=tourbus&P=R429&m=51
And this online dictionary has even more to offer:
"[The] American Heritage dictionary takes the Merriam-Webster
dictionary one step further. Not only does the online edition
of the American Heritage dictionary have over 90,000 entries
and 900 full-page color illustrations, it also has 70,000
audio word pronunciations. That's right, folks ... not only
can you look up a word's definition, you can also hear how
that word is pronounced!"
http://listserv.aol.com/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0010C&L=tourbus&P=R429&m=51
Here's the Web address for the American Heritage Dictionary:
American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language
http://www.bartleby.com/61/
And Crispen tells how to use it:
"Using the online American Heritage dictionary is a little
like using the online Merriam-Webster dictionary, but with
one additional step. Key in the word you are looking for, and
you'll be taken to a search-engine-esque results page. You
have to click on the appropriate hit to see the definition
for which you are looking. [This will make more sense when
you try it.]... Oh, and to hear how a particular word is
pronounced, just click on the beige speaker icon in the
pronunciation section of that word's definition."
http://listserv.aol.com/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0010C&L=tourbus&P=R429&m=51
If these two dictionaries aren't enough for you (or aren't the
type for which you are looking), Crispen's article provides
links that will lead you to hundreds of other dictionaries:
Patrick Douglas Crispen, TOURBUS (Fri., 20 Oct. 2000)
http://listserv.aol.com/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0010C&L=tourbus&P=R429&m=51
If you like his newsletter (written alternately by him and Bob
Rankin), here's where you can subscribe:
The Internet TOURBUS
http://www.tourbus.com/
And, yes, this is the Crispen of "Crispen's Six Antivirus
Rules," mentioned earlier in CATI:
Virus Protection: Crispen's Six Antivirus Rules
http://www.traver.org/cati/archives/cati06.htm#3
Crispen's Six Antivirus Rules: "I Love You" Update
http://www.traver.org/cati/archives/cati16.htm#4
Enjoy!
_______________________________________________________________
4. SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION FOR THIS NEWSLETTER
This is the thirty-eighth issue of a free newsletter devoted
to "Christians And The Internet" ("CATI," pronounced "Katy,"
but spelled with a "C" and an "I" for "Christians" and the
"Internet").
To subscribe, write to cati@traver.org, including "Subscribe to
CATI" in the Subject line and including in the body your real
name and the email address to which you wish CATI sent.
Past issues: you'll find archives of past issues of CATI
available online at http://traver.org/cati. "It's not a
pretty site," but hopefully it may be a useful one.)
________________________________________________________________
Unless otherwise indicated, all material in this newsletter is
Copyright (C) 2000 by Barry Traver, All Rights Reserved. For
permission to reproduce material from this newsletter, contact
Barry Traver at cati@traver.org. Permission is hereby granted,
however, to pass along this issue to others, provided that (1)
no changes are made and (2) it is passed along in its entirety.