Have you ever seen a guy carrying a man-purse or wearing “guy-liner” make-up? They exist, and unfortunately their tribe appears to be increasing. On this topic, Tom Purcell pens an Op-Ed for The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review in which he mourns the loss of manhood in our culture. Purcell has some trenchant critiques about how sissified men have become. He writes, Why are men turning into a bunch of softies?
-
-
Evangelical Church Endorses Homosexuality
The Associated Press reports that an “evangelical” church in Colorado has decided to endorse homosexual monogamy as a valid Christian lifestyle. The pastor of the church reasons this way: “Our position is not one of lenience, but a matter of justice. It’s not that we don’t acknowledge the reality of sin. It’s not a sin to be gay or act in accordance with your nature.” The article also suggests that this particular church has found a middle-way and has transcended the typical conservative-liberal divide on this issue. But as you read on, it becomes clear that the pastor has embraced traditionally liberal interpretations of key biblical texts.
-
Army general in Iraq issues ban on pregnancy
It’s a “lawful order,” and violators face court-marshall and jail. NBC News reports: Anyone who becomes pregnant or impregnates another servicemember, including married couples assigned to the same unit, could face a court-martial and jail time, according to an order issued by Maj. Gen. Anthony Cucolo. . . Military officials say the order was issued because Army policy requires the force to remove a pregnant soldier from a war zone within 14 days of learning of the pregnancy, creating a hole in a unit that makes it more difficult to complete its mission. “It is a lawful order,” Thompson said Friday during a phone interview with Stars and Stripes. Thompson,…
-
Russell Moore’s Review of “The Princess and the Frog”
Check out Russell Moore’s review of the new Disney film “The Princess and the Frog.” It’s really good. He lists five things he likes about the movie and four things that he really hates. Here’s my favorite part: ‘Disney is embarrassed (and rightly so) now by the racial stereotypes present in at least one of their earlier movies. No one now would market crude ethnic caricatures in an animated film, and that’s a good thing. Why then is it okay to use the most derogatory and cardboard stereotypes of rural working southern people? The cajuns in the bayou are presented as characters from “Deliverance.” ‘Wendell Berry rightly warned us against…
-
“Twilight” Is a Mormon Love Story?
I just read a fascinating article in Touchstone magazine about the meaning of the Twilight vampire series. In his article “Mormon Vampires in the Garden of Eden,” John Granger argues that the Twilight story is actually a metaphor for Mormonism. “Twilight is essentially an allegory of one gentile seeker’s coming to the fullness of Latter-day Saint faith and life.” If this sounds far-fetched to you, then you need to read the article. Granger bears out his thesis by connecting the events and characters of the Twilight books to the history and theology of Mormonism. Given that author Stephenie Meyer is an observant Mormon, Granger makes an interesting case. The reader…
-
WaPo on Manhattan Declaration
Richard Cohen’s Op-Ed for The Washington Post this morning takes issue with The Manhattan Declaration. In particular, he rails against the Declaration’s stance on same-sex “marriage.” The bottom line of Cohen’s argument in favor of same-sex “marriage” is his own personal experience. He writes, “I know of children raised by same-sex partners and they seem no worse for the experience.” He also writes that “Some of the declaration is couched in religious terms, and with that I cannot argue. But it is its appeal to common sense that I find so appalling.” In other words, he argues that “common sense” and his own personal experience trump the religious basis for…
-
True Love Pays
It will cost you $87,403 to make your ‘true love’ happy this Christmas—that is, if you use “The 12 Days of Christmas” for your gift list. According to the annual “Christmas Price Index” compiled by PNC Wealth Management, the $87,403 figure is slightly up from last year. Here’s the entire list.
-
Girls Gone Mild
Nightline ran a story last week called “Girls Gone Mild” about a program called “Pure Fashion” that encourages young girls to dress modestly. This story registers high on the counter-cultural meter, so I thought it would be worth passing along to you. You can watch the video here or read the text version here.
-
Why Mohler Signed It
Dr. Albert Mohler explains why he signed the Manhattan Declaration in an article on his website (see my remarks here). Here’s his reason in a nutshell: “There are several reasons, but they all come down to this — I believe we are facing an inevitable and culture-determining decision on the three issues centrally identified in this statement. I also believe that we will experience a significant loss of Christian churches, denominations, and institutions in this process. There is every good reason to believe that the freedom to conduct Christian ministry according to Christian conviction is being subverted and denied before our eyes. I believe that the sanctity of human life,…
-
Google Brain-teaser
Tim Challies posted a link this morning to “15 Google Interview Questions That Will Make You Feel Stupid.” It turns out that Google is hiring again, and they like to ask hard questions in their interviews. In fact, you might say that their interview questions are like taking the GRE. Here’s one of the brain-teasers they use when interviewing product managers. See if you can figure it out before looking at my answer in the comment section. Let me know if you got it right. You have eight balls all of the same size. Seven of them weigh the same, and one of them weighs slightly more. How can you…