Penn State University hired Louis Freeh last November to lead an independent investigation of the alleged failure of Penn State personnel to respond to Jerry Sandusky’s sexual abuse of children. Freeh released his 267 page report today, and it is devastating not only to university administrators but also to Joe Paterno himself. Freeh’s report confirms what we already knew about the cover-up. But it also says that Paterno knew about the sex-abuse allegations as far back as 1998 and that he followed the official investigation of those allegations very closely. Here are two excerpts from the report that get to the heart of it:
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Alan Chambers Talks Reparative Therapy on Hardball
Alan Chambers is the President of Exodus International, an evangelical ministry to homosexuals. A couple of weeks ago, I noted that Chambers has changed his views on the usefulness reparative therapy. In the video above, Chambers appears on MSNBC’s “Hardball” to elaborate how his views have changed. What’s striking to me on these talking head shows is how little these hosts seem to know about evangelical beliefs about homosexuality. It appears that hosts have a caricature in their mind as if evangelicals all agree that homosexuality is all nurture and no nature. That’s the paradigm that the interviewer is working with in the video above, and it’s why he really…
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The Crime of Circumcision
Michael Gerson begins his column today with a quotation from Genesis 17:10: “This is my covenant which you shall keep, between me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised.” As this text shows, the practice of circumcision is at the heart of Jewish piety, yet it is under assault from the modern liberal idea that a “child’s right to physical integrity trumps freedom of religion and parents’ rights.” Gerson writes:
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Did you hear what happened in San Diego last night?
Last night, there was a mishap at San Diego’s 4th of July fireworks show. Through some really bad malfunction, all the explosions went off at once. What was supposed to be an 18 minute firework show set to music was reduced to 15 seconds of pyrotechnic pandemonium. In the video above, you can hear when spectators begin to realize what happened, and a little kid says “Aww!” Classic.
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I Miss Mayberry: Andy Griffith Dies at 86
I love Andy of Mayberry. He was the best of the best, and I was sad to hear today of his passing. Though Andy Griffith became a gospel singer later in life, he is most well-known for his acting. It’s amazing that, even after all these years, his portrayal of the iconic Sheriff of Mayberry still holds up.
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The Slavery of Student Loan Debt
Last April we learned that student loan debt in the U.S. surpassed 1 trillion dollars (source). We also learned that Americans owe more on their student loans than on their credit cards or car loans (source). Why is this? Many people assume that a college education is the key to prosperity and is therefore worth any cost. But that assumption is profoundly inaccurate. The video above breaks down the issue as clearly and as simply as I’ve ever seen it done (HT: Ad Fontes). It argues that Americans face a “Higher Education Bubble” that is just about to burst. I think it’s right. Whether you’re a parent or a student,…
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CNN and FOX Really Whiffed It Today
Both CNN and FOX News whiffed it today in their coverage of the Supreme Court’s decision on Obamacare. CNN’s correspondent was breathless in her exclamation that the Supreme Court had struck down the law. I’ve seen this happen before when reporters try to break news about a Supreme Court decision before actually reading the majority opinion in full. I watch MSNBC, so I missed this while it was happening. But I did see the confusion on Twitter, and it was quite the spectacle as people tried to get their stories straight.
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Fred Luter: ABC News’ Person of the Week
ABC News has selected Fred Luter as their person of the week (HT: Russell Moore). See above Diane Sawyer’s report and interview from earlier this evening. The YouTube version is here. My favorite part is when Luter says that his mother gave him the gift of a “drug.” He says, “She drug me to church every week.” It was also interesting to see the pictures of past SBC presidents flash across the screen. It’s not your everyday fare for the nightly news, but there it is. The picture is below. You get a 100 points in the big book in the sky if you can name all these faces.
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News Coverage of Fred Luter’s Election
I would not have missed being in New Orleans for the election of Fred Luter for anything. One thing that I did miss, however, was the television news coverage of the historic election. The convention meetings kept me busy, and there was very little time to track news reports. I can imagine that many other Southern Baptists at the meeting missed those reports as well. So I’m posting here a round-up of some news coverage that folks may have missed if they were attending the convention. See below.
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Behold the Horror of Abortion
China has forced its citizens to endure its gruesome “one child” policy for 30 years now. The law allows urban families to have only one child and rural families to have two children if their first child is a girl. Those who get pregnant beyond the legal limit of children are forced either to pay a fine or to abort their unborn child. For years, we have heard horrific stories of forced abortions in China —women coerced by their government to have their own babies killed.