The conversation about Joel Osteen is continuing under my previous post, “Joel Osteen’s Christianity without a Cross.” I’m writing this post as a follow-up to alert readers that the entire “60 Minutes” feature on Osteen is available at CBS.com. You can view it at the following link: “Preacher to the Masses.”
-
-
CT Has Feature on the Gospel Coalition
Christianity Today‘s Colin Hansen has a feature on the Gospel Coalition titled “Tethered to the Center.” Be sure to read the whole thing, but here are the closing lines: “Imagine an evangelical movement led by churches that grow by multiplying, preach with theological substance and winsome apologetics, encourage holiness among members, engage their communities in areas such as politics and art, and even share economic resources and welcome the poor. Who can argue with these aims? If the Gospel Coalition’s churches can pull this off, they will have a much easier time persuading other evangelicals to return to the theological center.”
-
J. P. Moreland Tweaks Mainstream Media
One of our favorite evangelical philosophers tweaks the mainstream media’s coverage of the abortion debate in America. The criticism appears in a recent blog post titled, “Michael Vick, Dog Fighting and Media Hypocrisy.” He writes: “Why won’t the media show pictures or video of abortions and aborted babies when they show the carnage of the Iraq war and the hideous dog fighting surrounding Michael Vick? Answer: It’s pure hypocrisy. The media is overwhelmingly secular and pro-abortion. The widespread use of ultra-sound pictures during pregnancy is decreasing the number of abortions. Similarly, if people were given the chance to view an abortion or its results on television, much of the abortion…
-
Lake of Fire
I’ve been reading some of the reviews and reactions from the media to the new abortion documentary “Lake of Fire.” The film is directed by Tony Kaye, and it alleges to present an unbiased look at abortion in America. If you are interested in seeing a trailer of the movie, you can view one here: Trailer of “Lake of Fire”. I must warn you, however, that the trailer itself should probably be rated PG-13 or R. Manohla Dargis’ review of the film in the New York Times reveals the typical moral confusion that most people have when it comes to their thinking about abortion. Actually, “moral confusion” is probably too…
-
LSU Is Still the Best Team in the Nation
It was a tough weekend for the LSU Tigers. Needless to say, I was very disappointed that they lost to the Wildcats of Kentucky (who I predict will lose big to Florida next weekend). Nevertheless, I agree with ESPN’s Colin Cowherd who says that LSU should still be ranked as the best team in the nation, not Ohio State. Even though Ohio State has a perfect record thus far, they do so as a member of the “wobbly Big 10.” In fact, Ohio State’s strength of schedule is ranked 118th in the nation. Ohio State was perfect last year and got drubbed by a one-loss SEC school, the Florida Gators.…
-
Joel Osteen’s Christianity without a Cross
The sad thing about Joel Osteen is that he has all the marks of a sincere person. I just finished watching the profile of his ministry on “60 Minutes,” and there is not one thing about him that looks phony. He is one of the most likeable, loveable fellows that you’ll ever see. I really think he believes everything he is saying.
-
More on Rudy Giuliani
This is just a follow-up to my post from earlier this week, “Why I Will Not Vote for Rudy Giuliani.” Maggie Gallagher writes a scathing critique of the Giuliani candidacy that you won’t want to miss. It’s titled “Rudy’s Mythical ‘Electability’,” and here’s the relevant excerpt: “Sean Hannity spends hours every afternoon criticizing those in the GOP coalition (such as Dr. James Dobson) who won’t vote for Rudy. Sure, Giuliani may be wrong on gay marriage and abortion, but he’ll be much better than Hillary because he’ll appoint “strict constructionist” Supreme Court justices, right?
-
Dispensational Dustup
Christianity Today reports on a “Dispensational Dustup” at Northwestern College in St. Paul, Minnesota. According to CT, the college removed a senior as student ministries director because of his “hyper-dispensational” views. The student believes “that the book of James was written for Israel and not for the church; that the church started with Paul and not at Pentecost; and that Israel was saved by faith and works, not by faith alone.” The administration is definitely correct to find such views troubling. I would even go so far as to characterize such views as sub-Christian. Nevertheless, it’s important to point out (as Darrel Bock does in the article) that the student’s…
-
Answering Brad Pitt’s Objections to Religion
In a recent interview with Parade magazine, Brad Pitt explains why he no longer embraces Christianity. It turns out that he was raised as a Southern Baptist, but when he got to college he came upon some stumbling blocks that led him to cast aside his faith altogether. He describes his current feelings on “religion” in this way: “Guilt is the thing I find most evil about it. It’s the thing I rail against the most. . . Religion works. I know there’s comfort there, a crash pad. It’s something to explain the world and tell you there is something bigger than you, and it is going to be alright…
-
Why I Will Not Vote for Rudy Giuliani
I have recently written about the candidacy of Rudy Giuliani for president and have said that I will not vote for him because he is pro-choice. I should clarify that his pro-choice position is not the only reason that I’m not supporting Mayor Giuliani. There are many other issues that also make him an unacceptable candidate (e.g., opposition to ban on gay “marriage,” support for federal funding of embryonic stem cell research). For these reasons, it is clear that Rudy Giuliani is no more conservative on moral issues than Hillary Clinton. But my concern is not so much whether people regard him as conservative. My concern is that he stands…