• Christianity,  Culture,  Personal

    Before and After Pictures of Collapsed Bridge

    A friend of mine just sent me a link to some before and after pictures of the collapsed bridge in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The photos go back to 1967 when the bridge was under construction. Here’s the link: “Interstate 35W Bridge Collapse, Minneapolis, Minnesota.” Also, be sure to follow the Desiring God blog’s commentary on the disaster. The newest entries include a video from the scene and a poem by John Piper.

  • Christianity,  Culture,  Politics

    The Gay Shibboleth

    This is a follow-up to yesterday’s post on the Surgeon General and his stance that homosexuality is a sin. Christianity Today has an editorial out today titled “The Gay Shibboleth,” which takes basically the same position that I do, but states is much better: Affirmation of homosexual behavior seems to be shifting from an in-group shibboleth to an unwritten requirement for American leadership. Where does that leave biblical Christians? We may soon come to the point where supporting a sexual ethic based on an orthodox reading of Scripture becomes part of our cross to bear. . .

  • Culture,  Politics

    Can a public servant call homosexuality a sin?

    I don’t look to the editors at the New York Times to agree with Christian teaching on sexuality, but neither do I expect them to advocate a policy that effectively excludes Christians from government service. Yet that is precisely what they have done today in an editorial about President Bush’s nominee for Surgeon General, Dr. James Holsinger. They argue that Dr. Holsinger’s adherence to his church’s teaching on homosexuality should exclude him from being the Surgeon General. They write:

  • Culture

    Why “Evan Almighty” Flopped

    Mark Joseph over at FoxNews.com reviews the movie-made-for-faith-audiences, “Evan Almighty.” Joseph gives an excellent post-mortem of a movie that did not do near as well as its hawkers had hoped. The best line from the review: “It’s one of the worst cinematic miscalculations this side of Ishtar.” In case you didn’t know, the “Ishtar” comparison is the Scarlet “A” of Hollywood. If your movie gets compared to “Ishtar,” you’ve got a lemon on your hands. You can’t get any lower than “Ishtar.” Here’s a little more from the review:

  • Culture

    Protesting Paris (and rightfully so)

    Kudos to MSNBC reporter Mika Brzezinski who refused to talk about Paris Hilton on a morning news show (watch it here). Her producer repeatedly put the story in front of her as the lead, and each time she refused to report it, choosing instead to tear up the paper on which it was written. Way to go Mika!

  • Christianity,  Culture,  Politics

    Russell Moore Goes to Washington

    She’s not a pugilist even though her name is Barbara Boxer. And Dr. Russell Moore will be testifying before her Senate committee this Thursday morning, 10:00 AM ET, June 7 (see full schedule). The U.S. Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works will be holding hearings this week entitled “An Examination of the Views of Religious Organizations Regarding Global Warming.” Dr. Moore will testify among a constellation of religious illuminati from all sides of the theological spectrum. In fact, the first person scheduled to testify is Katherine Jefforts Schori, the controversial Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church. I don’t know where Moore is on the global warming question, but my…

  • Culture

    The Season Finale of “Lost”

    There was a lull in the storyline of “Lost” this season, and I was about to give up on the show altogether. But my relationship to the “Lost” series can be compared to Michael Corleone’s relationship to the mafia: “Just when I think I’m out, they pull me back in!” All I can say now is that after the season finale, my attention to this story has been totally reinvigorated. “Lost” is a fascinating show with a host of religious and philosophical undertones. Characters are named after famous philosophers (e.g., John Locke, Desmond David Hume), storylines are mistaken for religious narratives (e.g., the theory that the island is purgatory), and…