This Sunday will mark the tenth anniversary of the 9-11 terrorist attacks on the United States. Like every other American, I will never forget where I was and what I was doing when I heard news of the attacks. My wife and I had only been married a year, and we had just moved to Louisville, Kentucky so that I could pursue a Ph.D. I had a seminar that afternoon and was still at home when the attacks happened. My wife called me from work to tell me to turn the television on. I think both buildings had already been struck by the time I tuned in, but I was…
-
-
David Letterman’s First Show after 9-11
A few weeks ago, I posted video of Jon Stewart’s first show back after the 9/11 attacks. He choked back tears throughout his opening monologue, and it was a reminder of what things were like in the immediate aftermath of the attacks. The shock and grief rested heavily on the entire country. And many of the normal late night comedians simply stopped recording new shows. For some of them, it was weeks before they returned to regular programming, and nobody missed them. It was a singular moment in American pop culture. It was an ethos I had not experience before 9-11, and one I haven’t experienced since.
-
A Little Boy Who Wants To Live as a Girl
The video above is the story of a little boy named Jack who “feels” like he is a girl. His parents have affirmed his intuition and are now letting him live the life of a little girl with the name Jackie. The parents are tragically wrong in this case. And the grandfather is right to insist that 10 year olds do not know what’s best for themselves and that parental guidance is needed (Proverbs 22:6).
-
TV Appearance of Last Living Witness of President Lincoln’s Assassination
Samuel J. Seymour was five years old when he went to Ford’s Theater with some family and friends. After arriving in Washington, D.C., he was told, “Sammy, you and I and Sarah are going to a play – a real play. And President Abraham Lincoln will be there.”
-
DC Comics Creates First Lesbian Superhero
Just a quick note about another sad milestone in popular culture: DC Comics is shaking-up its comic book universe. They have decided to do a giant do-over of 52 of their titles, which means that Superman, Batman, and a host of other comic book icons will be starting-over from issue number 1. What does this mean? For starters, it means that Lois Lane will no longer be married to Superman. There will be brand new story lines and brand new characters. America is a lot less “white” than it was when DC Comics started 76 years ago, so the new series will feature more ethnic diversity among its heroes. But…
-
Should Wives Submit to Their Husbands?
The front page of The Nashville Tennessean has an article by Bob Smietana titled “Should wives submit? Debate resurges.” Though Michele Bachmann’s candidacy for president is the catalyst for this piece, the article is not really about her. It’s about how American Evangelicals approach the question of gender roles in the home, in the church, and in society at large. Smietana interviews folks on both sides of this question and even deals briefly with the various interpretations of Ephesians 5 and how those readings play out in the lives of real families. Smietana even uses the proper theological designations for each view, complementarianism and egalitarianism. This is an unusual article,…
-
Joseph Bottum Takes Joe Biden to Task over Abortion Remarks
Joseph Bottum has written a scathing criticism of Vice President Joe Biden’s recent remarks about China’s one-child policy. In a gaffe on August 21, Vice President Biden said that he didn’t want to “second-guess” China’s one-child policy—a policy that has led to countless forced sterilizations and forced abortions in China. Bottum responds:
-
College Asks Prospective Students about Sexual Orientation
Elmhurst College in Elmhurst, Illinois has become the first college in the country to ask applicants about their sexual orientation. From the Chicago Sun-Times: “Increasing diversity is part of our mission statement,” said Gary Rold, Elmhurst’s dean of admissions. “This is simply closing the loop, in many ways, of another group who has a very strong identity. It may not be race and religion but it’s an important part of who they are.”
-
Who’s Your Daddy? Could Be Ferris Bueller for 2015 Class
The freshmen class entering college this Fall has no remembrance of what life was like before the Internet, what this whole Communist Party fuss was about in Russia, and that Amazon was once just known as a river in South America. Ferris Bueller is old enough to be their dad, and they probably don’t know the name of the bar where everybody knows your name (MSNBC.com). Every August since 1998, Beloit College has compiled the Beloit College Mindset List, “providing a look at the cultural touchstones that shape the lives of students entering college this fall.” The paragraph above describe just a handful of cultural items that have shaped (or…
-
Gay Activists Want Marriage Supporters Regarded as Bigots
Maggie Gallagher has a helpful article at The Public Discourse about the aims of the gay rights movement. She warns about the conflict that will come to those stand for traditional marriage: Advocates of gay marriage are not slow to use any lever of power, including government, to impose their new morality on America. The primary goal of the existing gay marriage movement is to use cultural, social, economic, and political power to create a new norm: marriage equality. The governing idea behind “marriage equality” is this: there is no difference between same-sex and opposite-sex unions. If you see a difference, there is something wrong with you. “You’re a hater,…