I’ve been reading some of the reviews and reactions from the media to the new abortion documentary “Lake of Fire.” The film is directed by Tony Kaye, and it alleges to present an unbiased look at abortion in America. If you are interested in seeing a trailer of the movie, you can view one here: Trailer of “Lake of Fire”. I must warn you, however, that the trailer itself should probably be rated PG-13 or R. Manohla Dargis’ review of the film in the New York Times reveals the typical moral confusion that most people have when it comes to their thinking about abortion. Actually, “moral confusion” is probably too…
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The War: Some Reflections
I just finished watching the last episode of Ken Burns’ documentary “The War.” The film is not entertainment. It’s an historical depiction of real evil and of the heartrending, gut-wrenching consequences of human sin. It’s also a reminder of the great courage and heroism of a generation of Americans who went out to fight a necessary war. I am grateful for them and their sacrifice, even as I thank God for the blessings of liberty and peace that I too often take for granted.
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The War: A Must See Documentary
One of my readers sent me a note that I think is worth passing along to you. Beginning this Sunday evening, PBS will begin the first part of a 14 hour documentary on World War II. The title of the program is “The War,” and it looks like it will be one to watch. Tom Hanks, Samuel Jackson, Josh Lucas, and Bobby Cannavale are the narrators, and Ken Burns is the director. Here’s the description from the website: “THE WAR . . . tells the story of the Second World War through the personal accounts of a handful of men and women from four quintessentially American towns. The series explores…
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Women are from Venus, Men are . . . just gross!
Here’s a bit of troubling news from the Associated Press: “The gender gap has widened when it comes to hygiene, according to the latest stakeout by the “hand washing police.” One-third of men didn’t bother to wash after using the bathroom, compared with 12 percent of women, said the researchers who spy on people in public restrooms.” I’m just hoping that statistic doesn’t hold with restaurant workers.
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Ben Witherington: Piper Has Unbiblical View of God
Ben Witherington enters the theodicy discussion that began with John Piper and that continues in the comments section on this blog. Witherington contests John Piper’s understanding of God’s sovereignty over calamities, saying that Piper is “just guilty of having an unBiblical view of God, that ironically is closer to the fatalistic one found in the Koran, than the Biblical one found in the New Testament.”
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Touchstone Forum on Evangelicalism
This is just a note on something that is coming in the November issue of Touchstone magazine. The editor has put together a forum on the state of evangelicalism today, and the contributors include Russell Moore, John Franke, Darryl Hart, Michael Horton, David Lyle Jeffrey, and yours truly. Here are the questions that we all answered:
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The Wonder Years: Nostalgic about Nostalgia
I’m a sucker for nostalgia. That’s why I got so hooked on the television show “The Wonder Years” back in the late ’80’s. It was a collage of laughter and bittersweet Americana. The characters were familiar and so were their stories. I loved it. The show ran for six years, but as the main character Kevin Arnold began to grow up, I eventually lost interest. When I noticed this summer that reruns of “The Wonders Years” had been showing on channel 26 here in Dallas, I wondered how the story had ended. In particular, I wondered how the central piece of the plot was resolved. Did Kevin and Winnie ever…
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September 11, 2001
Of course I’ll never forget where I was on September 11, 2001. My wife and I were in our second year of marriage, and we were living in Louisville, Kentucky while I was working on my Ph.D. On the morning of the attacks, I was in our apartment, and she 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 watching live television as both of them eventually crumbled to the ground. The emotion of that day has left an indelible mark on me. The uncertainty. The questions. The very real…
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A Publicity Coup for Noam Chomsky . . . Not!
You’ve gotta feel for the guy a little bit. Everyone’s favorite linguist has put his best foot forward to write about politics and other areas outside his technical expertise (We know a little bit about that on this blog!). Nevertheless, Noam Chomsky seems to be the man of the hour among all the wrong people. Last Fall, Chomsky got endorsed by the world’s most notorious dictator, Hugo Chávez. And now this Fall, he has just been endorsed by the world’s most notorious terrorist, Osama Bin Laden. All in all, I’d say that’s a pretty bad 12 months worth of publicity. Talk about your unintended consequences!
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Al Mohler’s Comments on Mother Teresa
We discussed Mother Teresa’s “dark night of the soul” earlier this week. It’s also the topic of conversation at the Washington Post‘s “On Faith” blog. Dr. Albert Mohler has weighed in on the matter, and here is what he concludes: