Two UCG pastors interviewed on the radio

Yesterday I learned that BBC Radio interviewed Peter Hawkins on Monday, December 22, as part of a feature on Christmas. Mr. Hawkins is UCG's pastor in London.

Later that day, Victor Kubik was interviewed by KXLY in Spokane, Washington, on the topic of "Today's Toys". Mr. Kubik is UCG's pastor for Lafayette, Indiana, as well as for Eastern and Northern Europe.

Today I received a call from radio station KXLY 920 in Spokane, Washington. They wanted to interview me later in the day on a popular local talk show called Newscope hosted by Mike Fitzsimmons. It was during 3-6 PM drive time and I would be on right after Sean Hannity.

Mike Fitzsimmons had Googled “Today’s Toys.” I wrote an article eleven years ago for the Good News entitled “Today’s Toys: Child’s Play or Something Else?” It came to the top of the Google heap and he wanted to interview the author. His secretary called the Home Office who gave them my phone number. They said that they wanted to do two 15 minute segments at 3:00 PM Pacific time.
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Mike Fitzsimmons was most complimentary about the content of the article and the Good News magazine. He advised readers to get their own copy by Googling “Today’s Toys” which will get them the article and the magazine.

This story illustrates the importance of search engine optimisation (SEO) on the internet today. Last week Mr. Kubik was here in Cincinnati for the Council of Elders meetings which included an update on Aaron Booth's SEO efforts.

I Googled "Today's Toys" and the first two hits were links to Mr. Kubik's article. But what if that hadn't been true? What if it had been the fifth or sixth link? This opportunity may have been lost.

Then a surprise. My brother Eugene who did not know I was going to be on was listening to the program in his car and called in! He somewhat flabbergasted me and I had to ask him to repeat part of his question.

Mike Fitzsimmons commented how the article is even more applicable today than when I wrote it.

After half an hour he asked if I’d be willing to go another segment. This made my interview time 45 minutes. This was an enjoyable experience and hopefully this will bring positive exposure to the Good News and the United Church of God.

Here is the entire story from Vic Kubik. You can read his GN article here.

I could not find the interview on the internet, but Mike Fitzsimmons of KLXY blogged about the topic on Tuesday.

Samuele Bacchiocchi dies

I just noticed this story on Worldnetdaily announcing yesterday's passing of Dr. Samuele Bacchiocchi.

Biblical scholar Dr. Samuele Bacchiocchi, best known for his teachings on how Sabbath observance shifted toward Sunday worship in much of Christendom, died yesterday at his Michigan home at the age of 70 after a two-year battle with fourth-stage liver cancer.
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A Seventh-Day Adventist, Bacchiocchi believed there was no Scriptural mandate to change or eliminate Sabbath-keeping, and he singled out the Catholic Church for its role in changing the day.
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Bacchiocchi also explained the influence of pagan sun worship provides a "plausible explanation for the Christian choice of Sunday" over the day of Saturn. Its effect wasn't just limited to Sunday. It apparently led to the placement of Jesus' birth in late December.

"The adoption of the 25th of December for the celebration of Christmas is perhaps the most explicit example of sun worship's influence on the Christian liturgical calendar," Bacchiocchi writes. "It is a known fact that the pagan feast of the Dies Natalis Solis Invicti – the birthday of the Invincible Sun, was held on that date."

Dr. Bacchiocchi was probably one of the top 5 or 10 most influential advocates for the Sabbath Day in the 20th century. He is probably best known for his book "From Sabbath to Sunday: A Historical Investigation of the Rise of Sunday Observance in Early Christianity."