10 countries with no army

1. Costa Rica

First country to formally abolish military forces. The constitution has forbidden a standing military since 1949. It does have a public security force, whose role includes law enforcement and internal security. For this reason Costa Rica is the HQ for the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and also the United Nations' University for Peace.

2. Grenada

No standing army since 1983 due to an American-led invasion. The Royal Grenada Police Force maintains a paramilitary special service unit for internal security purposes. Defense is the responsibility of the Regional Security System.

3. Kiribati

The only forces permitted are the police and the coast guard. Defense assistance is provided by Australia and New Zealand.

4. Liechtenstein

Abolished its army 1868 because it was deemed too costly. Army is only permitted in times of war, but that situation has never occurred. However, country maintains a police force and a SWAT team, equipped with small arms to carry out internal security duties.

5. Marshall Islands

Defence is the responsibility of the United States.

6. Federated States of Micronesia

Defence is the responsibility of the United States. Maintains a small paramilitary police force.

7. Nauru

Australia is responsible for Nauru's defense under an informal agreement between the two countries.

8. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

The Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force maintains a paramilitary special service unit for internal security purposes. Defense is the responsibility of Regional Security System.

9. Samoa

Does not have a standing army. New Zealand can be called upon for military aid per a 1962 agreement.

10. Solomon Islands Had a heavy ethnic conflict between 1998 and 2006, in which Australia, New Zealand and other Pacific countries intervened to restore peace and order. Has no standing army.

New Book for Reformed Baptists

Jeremy Walker draws attention to a new book on covenant theology by Greg Nichols here. The perspective is a rare Reformed Baptist one.

Bible Bashed

Rugby Quiz

Q. How many tries did Scott Williams score for Wales in the match against Namibia?

81:7

It seemed to me that a point a minute would be enough and it was despite some slower times

Sunday Rugby

This article can be found here.

Devout Christian Euan Murray has questioned the need for Rugby World Cup matches to be played on Sundays.

The Glasgow-born prop, 31, has chosen to prioritise his faith this weekend, meaning he will miss Scotland's Pool B clash with Argentina on Sunday.

"I don't see why there have to be games on Sundays," said Murray. "I hope things will change in future."

Geoff Cross will replace Murray, who has been dubbed by Scotland coach Andy Robinson as "the best scrummager".

Murray will hope that he has done enough in previous matches to get his place in the team back for next week's match against England, which takes place on a Saturday.

Back in 2008, Murray did play on a Sunday when Scotland took on France in the Six Nations.

But, after his faith deepened, he announced a year later that he would no longer be available for selection on Sundays.

At the time he said: "It's basically all or nothing, following Jesus. I don't believe in pick 'n' mix Christianity. I believe the Bible is the word of God, so who am I to ignore something from it?

"I might as well tear out that page then keep tearing out pages as and when it suits me. If I started out like that there would soon be nothing left.

"I want to live my life believing and doing the things (God) wants and the Sabbath day is a full day.

"It's not a case of a couple of hours in church then playing rugby or going down the pub, it's the full day."

Murray is not the first sportsman to be pull out of events because of his faith, one of the best-known being Eric Liddell who felt compelled to pull out of the heats for the 100m at the 1924 Olympics.

After finding out the schedule well in advance he decided to practise doing the 400m and subsequently won the gold medal, breaking both the Olympic and World records.

More recently, triple jumper Jonathan Edwards missed the 1991 World Championships. After much deliberation he changed his mind two years later, just in time for qualifying, and went on to win bronze.

Should Scotland finish as runners-up in pool B, Murray would also miss the quarter-final and then possibly the semi-final, a similar situation to the one New Zealand star Michael Jones found himself in back in 1987 and 1991.

He was eventually omitted from the 1995 squad because he would have missed both the last-eight and last-four matches.

Chairs Z

Zaisu (we made it - all 26!)

Chairs Y

A "Y" chair as a Y visible in its shape.

Ezekiel's obedience

Ezekiel 24:15-18, 24

The word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man, with one blow I am about to take away from you the delight of your eyes. Yet do not lament or weep or shed any tears. Groan quietly; do not mourn for the dead. Keep your turban fastened and your sandals on your feet; do not cover your mustache and beard or eat the customary food of mourners.”

So I spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died. The next morning I did as I had been commanded. ...

Ezekiel will be a sign to you; you will do just as he has done. When this happens, you will know that I am the Sovereign LORD.

That's what you call obedience.

Jane Eyre

Eleri and I went to see the new version of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre last night and I thought it was pretty amazing. Obviously the novel (despite its anti-evangelical bias, its Romanticism and downright mystical bent) is brilliant. This screenplay is very well done. The casting is almost perfect (an uglier more Yorkshire like Rochester would have suited me). Every scene shot is done with breathtaking beauty. The use of the bleak moors, the meteorological observance of the pathetic fallacy, the tempo, the attention to detail, the excellent and well judged music - it is all done very well. The acting is brilliant. I hate the way everyone goes on about how brilliant Judi Dench is but what can you do? In this she is simply brilliant. At one point she says nothing just looks and you know she just has it.

It all reminded me of how much I enjoyed some of those Merchant Ivory films of the late eighties and early nineties. I'd love to see the team on Wuthering heights, much harder to pull off I would guess.

Carson on Psalm 71

But David’s vision is more comprehensive than mere protection. He wants so to live in old age that he passes on his witness to the next generation. His aim is not to live comfortably in retirement, but to use his senior years “to declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come.” That is a prayer eminently worth praying. Should not senior saints be praying for grace to pass on what they have learned to a new generation? Perhaps this will be one on one, or in small groups. Perhaps one of them will take under his or her wing some young Christian or abandoned waif. Perhaps some experienced prayer warrior will teach a young Christian leader how to pray. And when there is too little strength even for these things, we shall pray that God’s grace will so operate in our weakness that God will be glorified in us: perhaps we shall teach younger Christians how to persevere under suffering, how to trust in the midst of pain, and how to die in the grace of God.

From For the love of God Vol

Rugby World Cup Wales

So Wales beat Samoa 17-10

Next game Monday 26 September: Wales v Namibia, Stadium Taranaki, New Plymouth (0730 BST)

LIP Annual meetings

It was great to be at the LIP (London Inreach Project) meetings in Orange Street near Trafalgar Square last Saturday. I was there for a meeting of the trustees first over the lunch hour. Otherwise we had a news session from 1.30 pm mainly with Andrew Murray and Roger Carter (above) but also featuring Mick Lockwood of Haworth who said how encouraging the project was despite the uphill slog it has been. Mick was once approached about working with the project and although nothing came of it it eventually propelled him into his current church planting role in Haworth. Mick later preached and I chaired.

Later, after a lovely tea downstairs, I was in the chair as we met again and took opportunity to thank Derek Sewell (and family) for all his work and heard more from Roger and from Peter Jermyn our treasurer. Mick preached very encouragingly from Acts 17 especially verses 26 and 27. We were not heaving numbers wise but it was good to be there and a great encouragement. Back here we had a sort of barbecue at the house for church people. Nice time again though a little wet.

50 hours without

I woke up Friday morning to find the internet out (and the phone line too). It was another 50 hours or so before it was sorted out some time on Sunday. Thankfully mobile phones allowed us to report the fault and get calls diverted so we managed okay, which I am relieved to be able to say.

Marlowe's Faustus at the Globe

I popped down to the Globe yesterday afternoon to see Christopher Marlowe's Dr Faustus. It was a lovely afternoon and the production was done very well. It is the play that includes the famous lines "Is this the face that launched a thousand ships (not shops)?" I was sorry that my favourite line was cut, where Faustus says at the end

"See, see, where Christ's blood streams in the firmament.

One drop would save my soul, half a drop. Ah, my Christ!"

They did have a bit I'd forgotten, however, where Faustus asks Mephistopheles who made the world and he won't say because it is, of course, God. They made quite thing of that and it was powerful for me.

I remember reading it in university and enjoying it. It's quite different from Shakespeare in that it employs a lot of stage spectacle. This production did all that very well (there was some limited audience interaction and bawdiness almost inevitably). It must have had quite an impact on the original audiences. Its genius is that it is a real spectacle and good fun but raises the most profound theological questions. Whether we take the play on its own professed terms, those of theological orthodoxy, or look deeper it still raises crucial questions of life and its purpose. Like the last play I saw we ended with the whole cast doing a little dance with the musicians. I really wonder what that is all about.