Frank Schaeffer blames the tragedy in Norway on conservative evangelicals and warns that evangelicals will be perpetrating similar attacks in the U.S. in days to come. He writes: In my new book “Sex, Mom and God” I predicted just such an action. I predicted that right wing Christians will unleash terror here in America too. I predict that they will copy Islamic extremists, and may eventually even make common cause with them… The rise of the “Tea Party,” the refusal by far right Republicans to authorize a the debt ceiling extension, the extremist anti-government words of people like Michele Bachmann, all these things are predictors of the violent Christian, white,…
-
-
Haunted by an Abortion
All of us are sinners, and we all are prone to cover our works in darkness so that our deeds will not be exposed (John 3:19-20). But we can’t hide our own faults from ourselves, so we have a tendency to rebrand our faults so that they are not faults after all. In other words, our hearts tend to suppress what they know to be true so as to salve our guilty consciences (Romans 1:18). But sometimes, there’s no getting away from the guilt. Even after we do our best to deny the evil of evil, it nevertheless haunts us at a visceral level.
-
Bankrupt Borders To Close All Its Stores
When I was a seminary student, I lived across the street from a Borders Bookstore. I spent a great deal of time there studying for class and browsing the stacks. In the mid 90’s, national chain bookstores like Borders seemed to be coming into their own. That is no more. Yesterday Borders announced that it will be closing all of its stores by the end of September. The Associated Press reports that “It was brought down by heightened competition by discounters and online booksellers, as well as the growth in popularity of electronic books.” I get a little sad every time one of these bricks and mortar sellers goes belly…
-
Shannon Stone: Husband, Father, Hero, RIP
Last week, Shannon Stone took his six-year old son Cooper to watch the Texas Rangers play the Oakland A’s at the Ballpark in Arlington. During the second inning, Mr. Stone fell from the stands while trying to catch a foul ball that Rangers’ star Josh Hamilton had thrown to him. One hour later, Stone was pronounced dead at a local hospital. He was 39. There aren’t many pure things in the world, but one thing that comes close is a father and a son at a ballgame together. Yet out of nowhere, a most unexpected tragedy shoots a dart right into the heart of this family and leaves a boy…
-
The Necessity of Social Media
Patrick Pexton says that the metro editor for The Washington Post has made social media a requirement for all his reporters. Why? A case in point is the recent news that Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner might be resigning. Pexton writes: “If you’re a print reader, you probably read about Geithner’s possible departure over your Friday morning coffee. But if you’re an online reader, you knew about it about 14 hours earlier. And that could be important if you’re an investor in New York, Tokyo, or Shanghai or if you’re a Senate staffer thinking about confirmation hearings or a Republican staffer planning on how to counter President Obama’s eventual nominee.” What…
-
The Real Story behind NY Gay Marriage
If you missed Michael Barbaro’s report in yesterday’s New York Times about the road to gay marriage in New York, you really should take the time to read it. The public story until now has been that a few key Republicans responded to emotional appeals from gay couples who wished to be wed. Barbaro shows that this is not what really happened.
-
New York Legalizes Gay Marriage
New York has just become the sixth state to legalize gay marriage. The NY Senate passed the bill earlier this evening, and then Governor Andrew Cuomo signed it into law. It will take effect 30 days from the Governor’s signing. New York joins Vermont and New Hampshire as the only states to legalize gay marriage through state legislatures. In every other state, it has happened through the courts. This bill doubles the number of people in the United States who will have access to same-sex marriage.
-
10 Brands That Will Disappear in 2012
Wall St. 24/7 produces a list every year of brands that will soon go the way of the Dodo. Previously, they predicted the demise of Blockbuster and T-Mobile, and so a lot of people pay attention to their forecasts. “When I saw, I reflected upon it; I looked, and received instruction” (Proverbs 24:32). The list of terminally ill companies is below. But first, here are the criteria they use to assemble the list:
-
Teaching Gender in Public Schools
This post is a follow-up to Monday’s post about the “genderless baby.” The worldview that motivated the Canadian couple to hide the gender of their baby can also be found a little bit closer to home—in a California public school. An Oakland elementary school contracted a group called “Gender Spectrum” to make a presentation to their students. What was supposed to be “anti-bullying lessons” for elementary children actually turned out to be indoctrination in contemporary gender theory. One news report describes it this way:
-
They Won the Big One
Just a little something for your Memorial Day fare. I spent Friday with my Dad at the National D-Day Museum in New Orleans, so these guys have been on my mind. I am grateful for them.