In case you haven’t heard, progressive “evangelical” leader Jim Wallis has recently come out in favor of gay marriage—sort of. In two separate interviews—one with The Huffington Post and another with Jonathan Merritt—he was asked about gay marriage. In both interviews, he gave a meandering response that sounded like support for gay marriage. Also in both interviews, the interviewers had to follow-up with a clarifying question, “Just to be clear, do you now support gay marriage.” He answered in the affirmative both times. What’s going on here? Why is Wallis being so cagey about his newfound support for gay marriage? I don’t know the man’s motives, but I can think…
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Being gay at Jerry Falwell’s university
I just finished reading what has to be one of the most riveting articles I’ve ever seen. The author is Brandon Ambrosino, and the title is “Being Gay at Jerry Falwell’s University.” Writing for The Atlantic, Ambrosino tells his story of coming out as a homosexual while he was a student at Liberty. This is not a conversion story. Ambrosino writes as one who has come to terms with his homosexuality and has embraced it. The real import of the story is how the Christians at Liberty University responded to the revelation of his sexuality. He had feared that they would want to stone him. But instead, he found out…
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Good words about how we ought to speak on the internet
I came across two helpful items yesterday, both of which contained exhortations about how we should be using our voices on the internet. An essay from Tim Challies warns against what we ought not be saying, and another from John Piper what we ought to be saying. There are exhortations and admonishments in both of these that we all need to hear. I commend them both to you.
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Talk about being on fire for Jesus!
An Easter pageant at a church in Canton, Ohio went horribly awry on Sunday when the paper mache tomb caught on fire during the finale. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but I’m pretty sure they made a memory. It’s remarkable that the singer never missed a note. The rest of it, you’ll just have to see for yourself above. The good stuff starts at about 1:10. (HT: Zach Nielsen, @RevKevDeYoung)
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Ross Douthat on Gay Marriage and Historical Amnesia
Ross Douthat is getting some push-back on a column he wrote over the weekend about gay marriage. In a blog post today, therefore, he offers a rejoinder. He argues that gay marriage proponents have “historical amnesia” when they claim that marriage’s legal connection to procreation is a new idea invented by conservatives to oppress gay persons. He shows convincingly from the historical record that this is not the case and then concludes with this: That so many people find this claim credible or even self-evident is a small but potent example of exactly the two phenemona that my column’s conclusion discussed: First, the way that gay marriage inevitably has widening…
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Piper’s first-day thoughts on not being a pastor anymore
Having completed his course at Bethlehem Baptist Church, John Piper has a meditation on the joy of “finishing things.” He writes: Therefore, as I woke up on this Monday morning for the first time in 33 years without the official mantle of pastor, the only tears that came were tears of thankfulness. And under them was a great joy. It is finished. It has a completeness to it. God started it. God sustained it. God ended it. And I have loved it. And I love looking back on it, complete. Imperfect in a hundred ways, but not because it was too long or too short. Being Bethlehem’s pastor has been…
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John Piper’s final sermon at Bethlehem Baptist Church
I am grateful beyond words for the ministry of John Piper at Bethlehem Baptist Church (read about it here). And I am grateful as well for the ministry that continues there under Jason Meyer. In more ways than one, this isn’t the end. It’s only the beginning. Still, this past weekend marks the close of a significant chapter, and it is worth the time to mark the occasion. So watch the video above, read the transcript here, download audio here, or listen to the audio below. [audio:http://cdn.desiringgod.org/resources/sermon/2013/20120330.mp3]
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A Resurrection Day Poem
O Jesus, Savior of my life, My hope, my joy, my sacrifice, I’ve searched and found no other one Who loves me more than you have done. (John 15:13)
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What I observed this week in the debate about gay marriage
This week has been a watershed moment for the fortunes of marriage in our culture. I’ve been following the discussion with great interest, including listening to oral arguments that were made before the Supreme Court on Tuesday and Wednesday (here and here). Without question, the most significant thing that I have noticed in debates both inside and outside the Court has been the utter lack of moral argument. This was brought home in spades on Wednesday when Justice Elena Kagan highlighted a statement made by the House Judiciary Committee in 1996 when the Defense of Marriage Act was passed. Here are the critical lines:
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President of Midwestern Seminary enters blogosphere
Until very recently, Dr. Jason Allen was a colleague with me here at Southern Seminary. Last year, however, he took the helm as president of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has a vision for Midwestern that it serve the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. To that end, he has launched a new website this week. He’s already gotten several items posted, including the beginning of a series on theological education.