Many evangelicals are truly political partisans. There are many others who are not partisan, but nevertheless have the appearance of a partisanship because of their consistent support for Republican candidates. For those of us who fall in the latter category, the explanation is rather simple. The Democrats and Republicans couldn’t be more polarized when it comes to the most important human rights issue of our time–abortion.I cannot improve upon Robert George’s analysis of this polarization and the effect that it has on conscientious, pro-life voters. George writes,
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Ben Witherington Puts Just War Tradition on Trial (at least implicitly)
Maybe he didn’t intend to do this, but New Testament scholar Ben Witherington has put the “Just War†tradition on trial in his most recent blog post. Commenting on the Family Research Council’s recent summit in Washington, D. C., Witherington complains that many evangelical Christians are inconsistent when they vigorously advocate pro-life policies while supporting the war in Iraq. He writes,
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Rosie O’Donnell: Christianity Is More Dangerous Than Radical Islam
Maybe you missed it, but Rosie O’Donnell made some outrageous remarks on “The View†this week. In an exchange with Elisabeth Hasselbeck, O’Donnell said that “Radical Christianity is just as threatening as radical Islam in a country like America where we have a separation of church and state.â€You can watch the video of O’Donnell’s remarks by clicking here. Hasselbeck countered O’Donnell’s comments by saying that, “We are not bombing ourselves here in the country. We are being attacked.†Even cohost Joy Behar was compelled to respond to O’Donnell’s outlandish claims saying, “Christians are not threatening to kill us. This group (radical Islamists) is threatening to kill us.†I think most…
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How Could the President’s Speech Not Be Political?
Democrats and media pundits are complaining that President Bush “politicized†9-11 in his address to the nation last night. Obviously, it was entirely appropriate for him to memorialize and honor the victims and heroes of that tragic day. But is it not also appropriate for the President to speak about the war on terrorism and where our country is in that fight five years hence?My response to the detractors who are complaining that the President politicized the speech is this. How could it have been any other way? Because the Democrats have opposed nearly every thing the President has said or done in the war on terror, the issue is…
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Bob Casey Betrays Pro-life Principles
I just finished listening to the latest “Meet the Press†podacast (see transcript), and I am profoundly disappointed in “pro-life†candidate Bob Casey. Democrat Bob Casey is challenging Republican Rick Santorum for his seat in the U.S. Senate, and it is one of the most watched races in the country. They met on “Meet the Press†this past Sunday to debate the issues.When Tim Russert asked Casey about his position on the so-called “morning after pill,†Bob Casey took a position that cannot be reconciled with his previously stated belief that life begins at conception. Here’s the exchange between Casey and Russert: MR. RUSSERT: The morning-after pill. You in favor…
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Last Word on the CIA Leak Case (a.k.a. “Plamegateâ€)
Today’s Washington Post provides it’s evaluation of Joe Wilson and the pseudo-scandal he provoked: One of the most sensational charges leveled against the Bush White House — that it orchestrated the leak of Ms. Plame’s identity to ruin her career and thus punish Mr. Wilson — is untrue. . . It’s unfortunate that so many people took [Joe Wilson] seriously (“End of an Affair,†Washington Post).
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Free Scooter Libby!
The call from the Wall Street Journal is for the president to pardon Scooter Libby and to bring an end to the pseudo-scandal known as “Plamegate.†I have been writing about this scandal for over a year (see previous posts) and have become increasingly aware that this entire dust-up was more about partisan politics than it was about truth–at least insofar as it has been covered in the media.Here is what we know today. Richard Armitage leaked Valerie Plame’s identity to Robert Novak. Karl Rove, Scooter Libby, Dick Cheney, and George W. Bush did not. I know this will be a shocker to Joe Wilson who was hoping to see…
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Pray for Darfur
The New York Times reports that Darfur is on the precipice of a catastrophe. The 7,000 member African Union force is proving ineffective, the rebel groups have not signed on to the U. N. agreement, and the goverenment of Darfur is poised to strike. The pieces are in place for a large-scale military conflict that would devastate the people of Darfur. “So far, negotiations over a proposed United Nations force to shore up the shaky peace in Darfur have limped along with no sign of compromise. The opposing sides in the conflict now seem headed toward a large-scale military confrontation, bringing Darfur to the edge of a new abyss —…
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Propaganda and “Plan Bâ€
The FDA has just approved the use of a non-prescription “morning after†pill. According to the Associated Press, “Women may buy the morning-after pill without a prescription — but only with proof they’re 18 or older†(source).Anyone who reads this blog knows that I believe this to be a tragic development. I say that because the so-called “morning after†pill can act as an abortifacient. How does “Plan B†work? It is essentially a heavier dose of birth control pills that a woman takes within 72 hours of sexual intercourse. The “emergency contraception†works to restrict ovulation in a woman. But it also can act after conception by blocking implantation…
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Embryonic Stem-Cell Research: Okay after All?
Today’s New York Times reports that “Biologists have developed a technique for establishing colonies of human embryonic stem cells from an early human embryo without destroying it. This method, if confirmed in other laboratories, would seem to remove the principal objection to the research†(source).If this article is any indication, I think the proponents of this research have yet to grasp the moral implications of experimenting on embryonic humans. While we can be thankful that this new technigue doesn’t kill the embryo, there still remains the obvious ethical problem of using human beings for spare parts. Moreover, this new technique doesn’t even address the widespread practice of in vitro fertilization…