“The most consequential cultural and political event in American history in the past half century was the Roe v. Wade decision of January 22, 1973. An argument can be made that it is rivaled by September 11, but that fateful day did not result in the deep realignment of religious, cultural, and political dynamics resulting from the Supreme Court’s ukase, which established an unlimited abortion license that wiped from the books of all fifty states any legal protection of unborn children. . . This Monday marks the thirty-fourth anniversary of Roe v. Wade. On January 23, 1973, the New York Times reported that the Court had ‘settled’ the dispute over…
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SMU Professor in Favor of Bush Library
Dr. James Hollifield, a professor of political science at SMU, does not jump on the bandwagon of faculty protests against the Bush Library to be built on SMU’s campus. “It is legitimate for anyone to criticize the president and his policies, but it is presumptuous for us as scholars to say that we know in advance and with certainty what the legacy of a sitting president will be . . . faculty members are not disconnected from the politics of the moment” (‘The Biggest Man on Campus’ – NY Times). I think Dr. Hollifield has wisely reserved judgment and has taken the long view. That is precisely what I was…
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A “Middle Ground” on the Life Issue?
Two recent opinion editorials talk about coming to a “middle ground” compromise on the human life issue, but they each take positions that are anything but a compromise. Ellen Goodman’s piece in the Boston Globe (“Abortion’s elusive middle ground”) is decidedly pro-choice. Yuval Levin’s essay in the New York Times (“A Middle Ground for Stem Cells”) is decidedly pro-life.
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Methodist Ministers Muzzle Museum
I’ve already written about the Methodist professors who are opposing President Bush’s library that is likely to be built on SMU’s campus (see previous post, “Bush in My Backyard”), but now a group of Methodist ministers have also joined the fray. These ministers stand against the library’s being associated with SMU because they perceive President Bush to be an anti-Christian President. One of the protesting ministers is quoted in the Dallas Morning News saying, “I think that George Bush has been in his presidency so inconsistent with fundamental Christianity that he should not be associated with a Methodist university. Methodist means decency and this man has not been decent” (source).
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Jim Wallis Fumes after President’s Speech
It is well-known that Jim Wallis is a lefty evangelical and that he opposes the American war in Iraq. I think that people of good will can have different opinions about the war. But I don’t think that Wallis’ inflammatory rhetoric is at all helpful or constructive.
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Embryos Are Babies Too?
A recent story about a new born baby in Louisiana powerfully suggests that human embryos are people too. The Associated Press reports: “Rescued from a great flood while he was a frozen embryo, a baby boy entered the world Tuesday and was named after the most famous flood survivor of them all: Noah.
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Dobson Rejects McCain Candidacy
The President of Criswell College (where I teach) hosts a daily radio show in Dallas called “Jerry Johnson Live.” Last Thursday the show made headlines because of an interview that Dr. Johnson did with Dr. James Dobson.
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Meredith Vieira’s Inadvertent Pro-Life Message
Meredith Vieira did not explicitly endorse a pro-life position in her report for NBC’s Today Show. But her coverage of an amazing new 4D imaging technology speaks louder than anyone’s words. Vieira interviews a family with triplets who allowed their babies to be imaged while in utero. The pictures are detailed live-action images and show the babies “playing” with one another in the womb. According to Vieira’s report, the pictures suggest that the babies’ relationships begin to form “almost from conception.”
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A New Strategy for a Just War?
President Bush set forth his new strategy for the war in Iraq in a nationally televised speech earlier this evening (video, transcript). He said almost everything that I wanted to hear him say (and I acknowledge that people of good will can have different opinions on this issue).
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Editorials on the President’s New Strategy
Pay no attention to the New York Times‘ editorial on the President’s speech concerning the new strategy in Iraq. Apparently, the Times is ready to throw in the towel and to declare this war as already lost. For them, it’s time for the U.S. to cut its losses and any chance at a viable unity-government in Iraq. For a more realistic analysis of the President’s new strategy, two Wall Street Journal editorials are worth your careful consideration: “Mission Baghdad: ‘Clear, hold and build’ will take at least this many troops” “A Cynical Opposition: Democrats criticize Bush without taking any responsibility”