Alan Chambers is the President of Exodus International, an evangelical ministry to homosexuals. A couple of weeks ago, I noted that Chambers has changed his views on the usefulness reparative therapy. In the video above, Chambers appears on MSNBC’s “Hardball” to elaborate how his views have changed. What’s striking to me on these talking head shows is how little these hosts seem to know about evangelical beliefs about homosexuality. It appears that hosts have a caricature in their mind as if evangelicals all agree that homosexuality is all nurture and no nature. That’s the paradigm that the interviewer is working with in the video above, and it’s why he really…
-
-
A Trenchant and Hilarious Parody of Hipster Christianity
This video is hilarious. It’s an ad for an upcoming conference hosted by Doug Wilson. It’s a parody of hipster Christianity, and it really hits the nail on the head. (HT: Patrick Schreiner)
-
Black Pastors Withhold Support from President Obama over Same-Sex Marriage
The Coalition of African-American Pastors represents about 1,300 congregations, and they are tired of their support being taken for granted by the Obama administration. In May, they came out strongly against President Obama’s announcement in support of gay marriage (see video above). In a recent letter, they call on black voters to withhold support from President Obama over the issue. They are also demanding a meeting with the president to express their concerns to him personally.
-
Requiem for a Nixon Man
Russell Moore’s tribute to Chuck Colson in the most recent issue of Touchstone is a must-read. Really well done. It’s not just a reflection on Colson’s life, but also a meditation on what it meant for Colson to be a “Nixon man.” Here’s an excerpt: In the weeks and months after the death of Chuck Colson, many of us have reflected on how God changed the old White House “hatchet man,” the dirty trickster who participated in perhaps the greatest challenge to the American constitutional system in over two hundred years of our history. I was -perturbed to read newspaper and website accounts of Colson that treated him, after his…
-
Should churches display the American flag?
Christianity Today hosts a forum on whether or not churches should display the American flag in their sanctuaries. Douglas Wilson says no, Lisa Velthouse says yes, and Russell Moore says “yes, but…” Wilson and Moore have some characteristic rhetorical greatness in their short reflections. After arguing against displaying the flag in the sanctuary, Wilson does insist that Christians ought to fly it elsewhere:
-
Mere Patriotism
Brett McCracken has a fantastic little essay on patriotism over at the “Mere Orthodoxy” blog. In short, he extols patriotism and argues that it’s an error to confuse patriotism with nationalism. He writes: Patriotism is a good thing. It’s the natural emotional connection we have with place. We’re wired to ache for this notion of “home.” It’s what the Israelites longed for in the Sinai. It’s what the Hobbits longed for (the Shire) during their Middle Earth adventures. It’s what constitutes part of C.S. Lewis’s Sehnsucht: a nostalgic longing for the “Green Hills” of his Belfast childhood, “the low line of the Castlereagh Hills which we saw from the nursery…
-
B21 Panel with Mohler, Patterson, Akin, Greear, and Platt
At the Southern Baptist Convention in New Orleans last month, Baptist21 hosted a very helpful and constructive panel discussion with Albert Mohler, Paige Patterson, Danny Akin, J. D. Greear, and David Platt. Fred Luter made a cameo appearance as well. It was a candid discussion covering a range of topics, including Calvinism in the SBC, the conservative resurgence, the basis for cooperation in the SBC, and more. Thanks to the guys from B21 for hosting this event and now for sharing it with everyone. Well done!
-
Could gay marriage debate drive young Christians from church?
MSNBC.com interviews Rachel Held Evans and Matt Anderson about evangelicals and the gay marriage debate. Here’s the intro: As the battle over gay marriage heats up in this election year, one evangelical Christian writer is calling for a truce, fearing that the outspoken opposition to gay marriage among some church leaders could alienate an entire generation of religious youth. “Evangelicals have been so submitted to these culture wars for so long, so that’s hard to give up,” evangelical writer and speaker Rachel Held Evans, 31, told msnbc.com. But “the majority of young Christians really, really, really want to stop with the political emphasis.” You need to read the rest of…
-
The Slavery of Student Loan Debt
Last April we learned that student loan debt in the U.S. surpassed 1 trillion dollars (source). We also learned that Americans owe more on their student loans than on their credit cards or car loans (source). Why is this? Many people assume that a college education is the key to prosperity and is therefore worth any cost. But that assumption is profoundly inaccurate. The video above breaks down the issue as clearly and as simply as I’ve ever seen it done (HT: Ad Fontes). It argues that Americans face a “Higher Education Bubble” that is just about to burst. I think it’s right. Whether you’re a parent or a student,…
-
Jeremiah and Us on Trial
Jim Hamilton preached a message on Jeremiah 26 yesterday. He compares the suffering of Jeremiah to the suffering of the faithful in every age—even our own day. It’s really good, and you can download it here or listen to it below. [audio:http://kenwoodbaptistchurch.com/podcast/download.php?filename=2012-07-01_jim_hamilton_jer_26_jeremiah_on_trial__jul_1.mp3]