Thom Rainer has a really helpful article about the Penn State scandal. He speaks what should be common sense: It is inconceivable to me that someone could witness sexual abuse and then simply report it and leave it to their supervisors. The right response is to intervene by force at the moment, and with the police immediately thereafter. The rest of this article has some practical advice for churches to help them protect children against predators:
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John Piper on Halloween
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Surprised by the Lead Singer of The Killers
Has anybody out there ever been a fan of The Killers? I remember their hit song from the mid-2000’s “Mr. Brightside”, and in light of that song the video above is a complete surprise to me. This is not what I thought the lead singer would be like. You have to watch until the very end to get the last surprising twist. After you’ve done that, go read Mike Pohlman’s reflections on the meaning of all of this.
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John Calvin Pumpkin Template
In honor of Reformation Day, Timothy Paul Jones has linked to a John Calvin pumpkin template, and I think this is the one of the most hilarious things I have ever seen. You’ll have to be a true artisan to carve this design, but I’m sure that if you can get it done this pumpkin will scare a whole lot of people away from your front door!
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Robert Jeffress Writes Op-Ed for Washington Post
Pastor Robert Jeffress has penned an Op-Ed for The Washington Post defending his position that Christians ought to prefer Christian political candidates over non-Christian ones. He has a number of points, but in one section he seeks again to clarify where he believes he has been misrepresented in the press. He writes: I believe I have been misquoted repeatedly as telling the GOP not to vote for Romney. I have never made such a statement; I realize I might very well end up voting for Romney if he is the Republican nominee. While I prefer a competent Christian over a competent non-Christian, religion is not the only consideration in choosing…
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180 Movie
Last night I took the opportunity to watch Ray Comfort’s viral movie “180.” It is a 33-minute tour de force of pro-life argument and evangelism. In the movie, Ray Comfort quizzes people on the street about the Holocaust and about abortion. He sets his trap skillfully to convince people that if they oppose the Holocaust, they ought to oppose abortion as well. By the end of the movie, many of the interviewees make a 180 on their views about abortion. At the end of the movie, Comfort turns these conversations about abortion into conversations about the gospel. I don’t know that any of these folks actually became disciples of Jesus,…
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A Woman Born Deaf Hears for the Very First Time
The video above captures an extraordinary moment. The Washington Post blog explains:
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Moving Pro-Life Testimony on The X-Factor
The doctors advised Pamela Cook to abort her baby when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She refused. See the rest of her story above. (HT: Manhattan Declaration)
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Almost Half of Americans Support Banning Gay Marriage by Constitutional Amendment
A new Associated Press poll says that “Almost half of all Americans support banning gay marriage by constitutional amendment.” But there is some schizophrenia in this poll as well. While forty-seven percent say they oppose same-sex marriage, 57 percent say that same-sex couples should receive the same government benefits as married couples of the opposite sex. That means that a good many people who oppose same-sex marriage for moral or religious reasons do not favor public policies and laws that would privilege heterosexual unions over homosexual ones. This suggests that many supporters of traditional marriage have failed to see the implications of their view for the public good. Read more…
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Where Rock Stars Go To Die
Ted Kluck is as hilarious as he is insightful. His little article “Where Rock Stars Go To Die” is a great read. It’s his commentary on worship vs. performance, skinny jeans vs. khakis, and everything in between. Among other things, he writes: The only thing that separates a “worship band” from a “rock band” is the presence of lyrics on a projection screen behind the worship band. What’s really happening is a concert. A performance. But the presence of lyrics on a screen somehow makes it “worship.” If this sounds weird/confusing to you, that’s because it is weird and confusing to me as well. To be sure, Kluck says much…