Democrats and media pundits are complaining that President Bush “politicized†9-11 in his address to the nation last night. Obviously, it was entirely appropriate for him to memorialize and honor the victims and heroes of that tragic day. But is it not also appropriate for the President to speak about the war on terrorism and where our country is in that fight five years hence?My response to the detractors who are complaining that the President politicized the speech is this. How could it have been any other way? Because the Democrats have opposed nearly every thing the President has said or done in the war on terror, the issue is…
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Timothy George Analyzes the Southern Baptist Convention
Timothy George has an article in the most recent issue of First Things that is a must-read for anyone interested in the goings-on of the nation’s largest Protestant denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). The article is aptly titled “Southern Baptists after the Revolution,†as it discusses new currents that have been flowing through SBC life since the conservatives secured control of the convention in the 1990’s.The big story coming out the SBC’s annual meeting this past summer was the election of dark-horse candidate Frank Page to the presidency of the denomination. Page’s election marked only the second time since 1979 that a person has won the presidency who was…
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Evangelical Gender Wars and the Authority of the Bible
In years past, the gender debates among evangelicals have focused largely on the interpretation of key biblical texts. Complementarians have presented their interpretation of of the Bible’s teaching, and Egalitarians have presented theirs.In recent years, however, a new line of argument has been emerging among those of an egalitarian bent. According to a recent book review by S. M. Hutchens in Touchstone magazine, this new approach appears in John G. Stackhouse’s 2005 book Finally Feminist: A Pragmatic Christian Understanding of Gender. Hutchens writes:
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Bob Casey Betrays Pro-life Principles
I just finished listening to the latest “Meet the Press†podacast (see transcript), and I am profoundly disappointed in “pro-life†candidate Bob Casey. Democrat Bob Casey is challenging Republican Rick Santorum for his seat in the U.S. Senate, and it is one of the most watched races in the country. They met on “Meet the Press†this past Sunday to debate the issues.When Tim Russert asked Casey about his position on the so-called “morning after pill,†Bob Casey took a position that cannot be reconciled with his previously stated belief that life begins at conception. Here’s the exchange between Casey and Russert: MR. RUSSERT: The morning-after pill. You in favor…
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Goodbye, Agassi.
I watched Andre Agassi play his final match this past Labor Day weekend. It was bittersweet. Bitter, because it marks the end of an era. Sweet, because Andre has changed so much for the better over the years, and he leaves behind a great legacy to his sport.I feel like I grew up watching Agassi play tennis (or maybe I should say, grew up with him). When I played on my high school tennis team back in the late ’80’s, Agassi was the man. He was the James Dean of tennis. He was to tennis was rock ‘n roll is to music. He was the proverbial rebel who exuded cool.…
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Last Word on the CIA Leak Case (a.k.a. “Plamegateâ€)
Today’s Washington Post provides it’s evaluation of Joe Wilson and the pseudo-scandal he provoked: One of the most sensational charges leveled against the Bush White House — that it orchestrated the leak of Ms. Plame’s identity to ruin her career and thus punish Mr. Wilson — is untrue. . . It’s unfortunate that so many people took [Joe Wilson] seriously (“End of an Affair,†Washington Post).
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Free Scooter Libby!
The call from the Wall Street Journal is for the president to pardon Scooter Libby and to bring an end to the pseudo-scandal known as “Plamegate.†I have been writing about this scandal for over a year (see previous posts) and have become increasingly aware that this entire dust-up was more about partisan politics than it was about truth–at least insofar as it has been covered in the media.Here is what we know today. Richard Armitage leaked Valerie Plame’s identity to Robert Novak. Karl Rove, Scooter Libby, Dick Cheney, and George W. Bush did not. I know this will be a shocker to Joe Wilson who was hoping to see…
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Pray for Darfur
The New York Times reports that Darfur is on the precipice of a catastrophe. The 7,000 member African Union force is proving ineffective, the rebel groups have not signed on to the U. N. agreement, and the goverenment of Darfur is poised to strike. The pieces are in place for a large-scale military conflict that would devastate the people of Darfur. “So far, negotiations over a proposed United Nations force to shore up the shaky peace in Darfur have limped along with no sign of compromise. The opposing sides in the conflict now seem headed toward a large-scale military confrontation, bringing Darfur to the edge of a new abyss —…
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Stained-Glass Ceiling for Women as Pastors?
A recent article in the New York Times claims that even in more mainline denominations that ordain women as pastors, very few women are being called to pastor larger churches. Women now make up 51 percent of the students in divinity school. But in the mainline Protestant churches that have been ordaining women for decades, women account for only a small percentage — about 3 percent, according to one survey by a professor at Duke University — of pastors who lead large congregations, those with average Sunday attendance over 350 (source). So why is it that so few egalitarian/feminist churches actually employ women as lead pastors? Here’s my theory. God…
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Gotta Love Dr. Mohler on YouTube!
I don’t know when, where, or why Dr. Mohler appeared in this little spoof, but I thought it was funny enough to pass along to you.“Mohler-McLaughlin Sessions†– YouTube (HT: Barry Joslin)