The Wall Street Journal has an editorial that offers a critical look at the journalistic legacy of Walter Cronkite. This one is worth reading in full, but here’s an excerpt: “The most important moment in his career came when he departed from the newsman’s role to play editorialist… “Without the authority that derives from that trust, reporters get careless about objectivity, weakening the audience’s trust even further. “The glory of Walter Cronkite’s career is that he did more than anyone to earn his viewers’ trust and establish his profession’s authority. The tragedy is that he also did more than anyone else to undermine them.”
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Feel My Pain
Carl Trueman writes with poignancy and verve. His essays on Reformation21 are always must-reads. His latest one on whining is no exception. You’ll need to read the whole thing, but here’s the conclusion: ‘Expressions of hurt are too often really something else: cowardly attempts by representatives of a cosseted and self-obsessed culture to make themselves uniquely important or, worse still, to bully and cajole somebody they dislike to stop saying things they don’t want to hear or which they find distasteful.  My advice to such is akin to that of the counselor in the Bob Newhart sketch: Stop it! If somebody’s writing or speaking hurts you, ask yourself “Why?”, don’t…
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Russell Moore Takes on ‘Orphan’ Movie
Russell Moore guest-hosted “The Albert Mohler Program” (AMP) yesterday and took on the negative stereotyping of the new horror movie “Orphan.” It was a timely show, and you should listen to it. Below is the audio and description of the program from the AMP website. “How to Protect Orphans from Hollywood” [audio:http://www.sbts.edu/media/audio/totl/2009/AMP_07_07_2009.mp3] “Why are people so afraid of orphans? Orphans often find themselves demonized by Hollywood, and it’s happened again with the release of a new horror film about a deranged orphan girl called, Orphan. Why is it that the least of these are so easily preyed upon by those who should protect them? Guest host Dr. Russell Moore discusses…
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Schoolhouse Rocks the 4th of July
I used to watch “Schoolhouse Rock” every Saturday morning. Through this program, a whole generation learned about manifest destiny (“Elbow Room”), English grammar (“Conjunction Junction”), how a bill becomes a law (“I’m just a bill”), and much more. So here is my annual 4th of July tribute to Schoolhouse Rock’s videos on the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution.
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Thoughts on Obama’s Remarks at the LGBT Reception
President Obama hosted hundreds of gay and lesbian leaders in the White House yesterday for a “LGBT Gay Pride Month” reception. I want to comment briefly on three excerpts from the President’s remarks and conclude with some final thoughts at the end.
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All I Really Wanted Was a Dad
“Through the grace of God, I have been fortunate to have achieved many of my artistic and professional aspirations realized early in my lifetime. But these, friends are accomplishments, and accomplishments alone are not synonymous with who I am. Indeed, the cheery five-year-old who belted out Rockin’ Robin and Ben to adoring crowds was not indicative of the boy behind the smile. . . I am the product of a lack of a childhood. . . when I was young I wanted more than anything else to be a typical little boy. I wanted to build tree houses, have water balloon fights, and play hide and seek with my friends.…
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Pregnant “Man” Gives Birth
Here’s the headline from the UK’s Times online: “‘Pregnant man’ Thomas Beatie gives birth for second time.” The story caught my eye because I didn’t even know such a thing was possible. I’m no medical expert, but I am pretty sure I would have heard about it if some technology were invented that actually enabled a man to conceive and give birth. But that is actually not the case here. Here’s the key paragraph from the report:
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Spin?
Even so, pretty effective.
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Damning Euphemisms
Some euphemisms are good and necessary. It’s a good thing that people talk about “going to the bathroom” rather than reporting on what they are actually about to do. In this sense, euphemisms nurture polite, wholesome conversation. They are good and necessary in a decent society. But some euphemisms are damning in that they intentionally cover-up great evils that ought to be exposed for what they are. When a pornographic movie is billed as having “adult content,” that is a euphemism that serves to salve seared consciences that refuse to acknowledge the evil of pornography. Inasmuch as the euphemism provides comfort to a conscience that ought to be afflicted, the…
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Reproductive Technologies, Sexual Ethics, and ‘Jon & Kate Plus Eight’
Julie Vermeer Elliott has a hard-hitting article in Christianity Today on “Evangelicals and the Making of Jon & Kate Plus 8.” She argues that evangelicals have been undiscerning in placing “Jon & Kate” on a spiritual pedestal. Long before marital infidelity was alleged, evangelicals were willing to overlook Jon and Kate’s “materialism, narcissism, and exploitation of children.” Elliott also questions the propriety of the reproductive technologies that were used to produce the eight children who star in this reality show. She writes: