John Piper delivered a sermon this week that fleshes out what I was arguing in my previous post. We are facing marginalization in the culture for our faith. How are we going to respond? Here’s how Piper describes the moment we are facing:
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Pastor Jeffress’ Response to Cultured Despisers in the Media
Pastor Robert Jeffress addressed his congregation on Sunday morning about the week he has had since Tim Tebow cancelled his previously planned visit to the First Baptist Church of Dallas. Pastor Jeffress received a raucous applause as he took the stage. If you’ve been following this story, I recommend that you watch this entire video and listen to Jeffress’ remarks. He expresses his resolve to proclaim the truth of the Bible no matter the cost and to offer the gospel of Jesus Christ to everyone. He concludes:
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Asinine, ignorant, unfair journalism at Washington Post
This has to be one of the most asinine, ignorant, and unfair articles that I have ever read—and yet it comes from the ombudsman at The Washington Post. The guy basically admits that when traditional marriage supporters speak, he closes his eyes and puts his fingers in his ears and says “na na na na na…” After all, everyone knows such people are bigots. Why should bigots have a hearing? He writes:
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Why I’m still bullish on Tim Tebow
Tim Tebow has been under attack from all sides since cancelling his speaking engagement at the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas. On one side, those on the secular left have castigated him for not coming out strongly enough against Pastor Jeffress and his views. On the other side, some Christians have criticized him for caving in to pressure from the left. As I wrote Thursday morning, I am confident that Tebow is an orthodox believer in Jesus Christ and that no one should jump to the conclusion that he has jumped the evangelical ship. I am grateful to see that some of his closest friends are indeed confirming this…
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Why are conservatives losing the marriage battle?
Rod Dreher has an insightful little piece about why conservatives are losing the marriage battle. Dreher writes: Marriage culture is like a river that has changed course, and left we who adhere to the traditional model an oxbow. We are trying to convince others to help us re-channel the river, but that seems not only unlikely, but nonsensical to people who just want to sail on. Older Americans may remember a time when a different view of marriage prevailed. Younger Americans have never known such a time. All they have ever experienced is a view of marriage that has no necessary connection to procreation or to permanence. Their parents’ acquiesced…
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Why is Tebow’s cancellation significant?
In a series of tweets, Tim Tebow has announced that he has cancelled his upcoming appearance at the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas. In his own words: While I was looking forward to sharing a message of hope and Christ’s unconditional love with the faithful members of the historic First Baptist Church of Dallas in April, due to new information that has been brought to my attention, I have decided to cancel my upcoming appearance. I will continue to use the platform God has blessed me with to bring Faith, Hope and Love to all those needing a brighter day. Thank you for all of your love and support.…
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Is civil marriage for gay couples good for society?
There is a debate coming next week that you won’t want to miss. Doug Wilson will face Andrew Sullivan to answer the question, “Is civil marriage for gay couples good for society?” Sullivan will argue that it is, and Wilson will argue that it is not. Peter Hitchens will moderate. The debate will take place in the University of Idaho SUB Ballroom at 7:30pm on Wednesday, February 27th.
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Video of Wendell Berry speaking on gay marriage
Wendell Berry’s remarks on gay marriage at Georgetown College were previously only available in reported excerpts. The college has now posted the full video of his comments on YouTube. You can watch it above. You can listen to the full argument in the video above, but here’s the heart of what Berry said:
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The death of a mentor, Howard Hendricks (1924-2013)
It’s difficult to describe the sense of loss at the news today of Howard Hendricks’ death. He leaves behind an enormous footprint—a legacy of teaching and ministry that looms large over the landscape of American evangelicalism. As one of his former students, I can attest that his legacy still looms large over my own life. If I could sum up that legacy in a phrase, it would be this: He loved the Bible, and he gave his life sowing that love into the hearts of his students. He sowed it into me.
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The Gospel and a Christophobic public culture
This is an insightful line from George Weigel’s column today in The Wall Street Journal: Only a robust, unapologetic proclamation of the Gospel can meet the challenge of a Christophobic public culture that increasingly regards biblical morality as irrational bigotry. If we could stipulate a biblical definition for “Gospel,” this line would be absolutely perfect. Read the rest here.