Catholic Online reports that Dr. Katherine Ragsdale has recently been appointed as the sixth and newest president of Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, MA. She has a sermon that is published online that reveals that she is not only pro-choice, but pro-abortion. Here she is in her own words: “When a woman wants a child but can’t afford one because she hasn’t the education necessary for a sustainable job, or access to health care, or day care, or adequate food, it is the abysmal priorities of our nation, the lack of social supports, the absence of justice that are the tragedies; the abortion is a blessing.
-
-
Iowa Court Legalizes Gay ‘Marriage’
From the Associated Press: The Iowa Supreme Court says the state’s same-sex marriage ban violates the constitutional rights of gay and lesbian couples, making it the third state where gay marriage is legal. . . During oral arguments before the Supreme Court in December, Des Moines lawyer Dennis Johnson argued the ban violated his clients’ due process and equal protection rights. “We are suggesting that everybody be able to participate equally in an institution that has existed since the beginning of this state,” Johnson said during arguments.’ The problem with this logic is clear. The “institution” of marriage in Iowa has been recognized as the union of one male and…
-
Celebrating the Death of the Innocent
Last week I noted a story in the Associated Press about a married mother of three who aborted her fourth child for financial reasons. The story was so sad and so manifestly tragic that I didn’t even have any commentary. It seemed self-evident that something was horribly wrong with this story . . . until today. Bonnie Erbe has posted a short opinion essay at U. S. News and World Report arguing that “In a Recession, Abortions Are Not a Bad Choice.” Erbe complains that the aforementioned AP story portrayed the abortion decision as negative, and she contends that such abortions are actually the most moral thing to do. Here…
-
An Atheist’s Reflections on Hatred and Proselytizing
Penn Gillette (of ‘Penn and Teller’ fame) tells the story of a man who gave him a Bible after one of his shows. Penn is an atheist, but something about this person made an impression on him. As he describes this encounter, he reflects on the morality of proselytizing, and he asks this question: “How much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize?”
-
Infanticide for Unrighteous Mammon
From the Associated Press: The pregnant woman showed up at the medical center in flip-flops and in tears, after walking there to save bus fare. Her boyfriend had lost his job, she told her doctor in Oakland, Calif., and now _ fearing harder times for her family _ she wanted to abort what would have been her fourth child. “This was a desired pregnancy _ she’d been getting prenatal care _ but they re-evaluated expenses and decided not to continue,” said Dr. Pratima Gupta. “When I was doing the options counseling, she interrupted me halfway through, crying, and said, `Dr. Gupta, I just walked here for an hour. I’m sure…
-
‘Gay Marriage’ in the Dictionary. So what?
Last week, the conservative news website WorldNetDaily reported that the latest edition of the Merriam-Webster dictionary has revised its definition of the word marriage. In its online and print editions, the dictionary includes in its definition of marriage the following line: “the state of being united to a person of the same sex in a relationship like that of a traditional marriage.” The WorldNetDaily report also references the above YouTube video and implies that the expanded definition somehow means that the dictionary’s publisher has taken sides in the current debate over same-sex “marriage.”
-
Calvinism Changing the World
According to TIME magazine, Calvinism is one of the top “10 Ideas Changing the World Right Now,” ranking at number 3. Here’s the list.
-
John Piper says “Over my dead body”
A female high school student in Minnesota is competing in wrestling competitions against male students, and John Piper has some counter-cultural advice to fathers about it. ‘Come on, dads, have some courage. Just say, “Over my dead body are you going to wrestle a girl.” Of course, they will call you prudish. But everything in you knows better. ‘Yes, I am talking to the boys’ fathers. If the girls’ fathers don’t care how boys manhandle their daughters, you will have to take the lead. Give your sons a bigger nobler vision of what it is to be a man. Men don’t fight against women. They fight for women. ‘They called…
-
Proposition 8 Revisited
Amanda Shaw reports on the First Things blog that the Supreme Court of California is considering the constitutionality of Proposition 8, the ballot initiative passed last November that defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman. At issue is how marriage should be defined vis a vis human rights. Shaw writes: “To hear media accounts of legal rights, a particular definition of marriage is assumed, and assumed to be fixed, while that definition is precisely what is in question. Today, the proposition is being challenged on the basis that it was improperly posed and passed as an amendment, while in fact—by supposedly restricting minority rights—it falls into…
-
Paul Harvey, R.I.P. (1918-2009)
ABC News is reporting that the man who made his living telling us “the rest of the story” has passed away. ABC Radio Networks President Jim Robinson has released the following statement: “Paul Harvey was one of the most gifted and beloved broadcasters in our nation’s history. As he delivered the news each day with his own unique style and commentary, his voice became a trusted friend in American households.