David Kirkpatrick of the New York Times writes an interesting piece about the “The Evangelical Crackup.” The article focuses on the shifting political allegiances of evangelical Christians in America. His contention is that the Christian conservative voting bloc is about to fall apart and go the way of the dinosaur. Although I think Kirkpatrick’s understanding of the evangelical movement is seriously deficient, he has one think right. If Rudy Giuliani becomes the Republican nominee for president, there will be a tectonic shift in the Republican party. He writes:
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Wildest Football Finish You’ll Ever See
Trinity University completed 15 laterals before scoring a touchdown at the end of regulation to clinch an improbable 28-24 win over Millsaps College (both are Division III schools). You’ve got to see it to believe it. VIDEO: “Trinity Laterals Their Way to Division III Win” – ESPN.com “Greatest ending ever?” – Sport Illustrated
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Justin Taylor (et. al.) Endorse Mike Huckabee
If you are not a regular reader of Justin Taylor’s blog, you should be. It’s the Drudge Report of the Reformed Evangelical blogosphere. Yesterday, he and Joe Carter and Matthew Anderson made the case for Mike Huckabee’s candidacy for President. They argue that Huckabee will turnout the social, fiscal, and national security conservative vote to prevail against Hillary Clinton. They write:
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Boston College Wins. Dang!
I’m rooting for LSU to win the national championship (surprise, surprise). LSU is ranked number 3 in the BCS, so tonight I was pulling for Virginia Tech to beat number 2 Boston College. It didn’t happen, and I have two reactions to this game. Reaction One: Boston College deserved to win this game. BC scored two touchdowns when it counted, and Virginia Tech’s only touchdown was not really a touchdown. They were given a touchdown because of an error in officiating. BC won. Good for them. Reaction Two: LSU would crush both of these teams. The Tigers have already put the hurt on Virginia Tech, and they would do the…
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Some Sweet Blessings of Masculine Christianity
Pastor John Piper has an excellent little message that he preached last week to the Fidelis Foundation Pastors Luncheon. It’s a practical piece on the benefits that occur in and for families and churches when a Complementarian view of gender takes root. Once again, it’s a homerun. For anyone interested in some of the ways that Complementarianism works out practically, you’ll appreciate this message. “Some Sweet Blessings of Masculine Christianity” – by John Piper (Sermon Notes)
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Richard Land: Third Party Is Not a Bluff
Richard Land has some things to say in an interview with Newsweek that I hope Republicans will hear. Some of the key exchanges are below: NEWSWEEK: So we wanted to ask you, first of all, about the third party idea and whether it’s serious. A number of people are suggesting it is just a threat. LAND: My intuition [is that] this is not a bluff. If Giuliani is the nominee, there will be a third party. There are things that Giuliani could do to help mitigate the damage. But I have been in too many discussions over the last 15 years where evangelical leaders have said, “The one thing we…
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Michael Gerson on Eugenics
Don’t miss Michael Gerson’s column in today’s Washington Post. Here’s a snippet: James Watson, the Nobel Prize-winning scientist who helped discover the structure of DNA in 1953, recently pronounced the entire population of Africa genetically inferior when it comes to intelligence. And while he hopes that everyone is equal, “people who have to deal with black employees find this not true.”
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Does God Permit Divorce?
Does God permit divorce? Not all evangelicals agree on what the Bible teaches on this question. David Instone-Brewer has written a scholarly book on the subject, but his recent article in Christianity Today has stirred up some conversation in the blogosphere. Instone-Brewer argues that God allows for divorce in cases of adultery, abandonment, and physical/emotional neglect. John Piper has responded that Instone-Brewer’s conclusions do not faithfully render the Bible’s teaching. Piper also argues that divorce is not allowed under any circumstances. Andreas Köstenberger responds to both of these articles arguing that Jesus permitted divorce in cases of adultery and abandonment.
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An Historic Election in Louisiana
A good thing happened in my home state over the weekend. The voters of Louisiana made history by electing the first Indian-American ever to serve as a state governor, Bobby Jindal. The result was good for a couple of reasons. First, Jindal ran on an ethics reform platform. Anyone who knows anything about Louisiana politics knows that if Louisiana needs anything, it’s ethics reform. Politics in the bayou state has a sordid history (think Huey Long, Edwin Edwards and David Duke), and Jindal represents a break from that checkered past.
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Dallas Morning News Prints Misleading Story about Dr. Jeffress’ Sermon
The Dallas Morning News (DMN) ran a story last week about the Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas (where I am a member). The DMN was covering a recent sermon in which our pastor, Dr. Robert Jeffress, used Mitt Romney’s candidacy as an occasion to make that point that Mormonism is not a Christian religion but that it is a cult. I heard Dr. Jeffress preach the sermon live, and I can confirm that there are at least two items in the DMN story that are inaccurate. The first is just factually wrong; the second is misleading.