As you no doubt have heard by now, lawmakers voted last week to make gay marriage legal in the state of Illinois. The law will go into effect on June 1, and it will make Illinois the 15th state to sanction such unions. What you may not have heard is the religious justifications that lawmakers gave for favoring the bill. The Chicago Tribune reports that some lawmakers quoted recent remarks by Pope Francis as the basis for their vote. The Tribune reports:
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N. T. Wright says Christians should support national healthcare
Speaking of N. T. Wright, Michael Kruger points to an interview with Wright earlier this year in which Wright chastises American Christians who oppose national healthcare (i.e., Obamacare). In Wright’s own words:
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ENDA and the Christian Response
Editor’s Note: This week the Senate is poised to take up the Employment Non-Discrimination of Act of 2013 (ENDA). The law would prohibit some religious business owners from the freedom to hire individuals who share the values of their business. President Obama blogged at The Huffington Post over the weekend in favor of ENDA. This law has wide-ranging implications that directly affect religious liberty. Andrew Walker, Director of Policy Studies with the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, has graciously provided an interview to help readers think through this controversial law. Read it below. Q: What is ENDA? This week, the Senate is poised to vote on S. 815, the Employment…
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The Theology of Charles Krauthammer
Earlier this week, Dennis Prager hosted a fascinating interview with conservative columnist Charles Krauthammer. The bulk of the discussion deals with politics and Krauthammer’s new book Things That Matter. But that is not why I am posting the interview here. The best part of the interview is at the very beginning in which Prager presses Krauthammer to talk about his theological beliefs. In short, Krauthammer compares his views to that of Thomas Jefferson and Albert Einstein. In short, he describes himself as a Deist who has a fairly impersonal view of God’s nature and agency. You can download the audio here or listen below. [audio:http://s3.amazonaws.com/stitcher32.e/30059764.mp3]
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Millions losing current insurance plans under Obamacare
Lisa Myers of NBC News has just released a jaw-dropping investigative report. This is explosive. In light of the montage above, the report speaks for itself. Myers writes, President Obama repeatedly assured Americans that after the Affordable Care Act became law, people who liked their health insurance would be able to keep it. But millions of Americans are getting or are about to get cancellation letters for their health insurance under Obamacare, say experts, and the Obama administration has known that for at least three years.
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Texas attorney general to defend abortion law
By now, many of you have heard the news that a Federal Judge has blocked an important part of Texas’ new abortion law—the one made famous by Wendy Davis’ filibuster last summer. In particular, the judge blocked the part requiring abortion doctors to have admitting privileges in a local hospital. Almost as soon as the decision was released, the Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott vowed to appeal the ruling. General Abbott also says that he sees the case going all the way to the Supreme Court. If this case does go all the way, that’s when things could get interesting. Will the Supreme Court revisit any of the major holdings…
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“60 Minutes” covers the Benghazi attacks
“It’s now well established that the Americans were attacked by Al Qaeda in a well planned assault.” -Lara Logan, “60 Minutes” (October 27, 2013) It is incredible that it has taken over a year for “60 Minutes” to do a hard-hitting report on the Benghazi attacks. I say better late than never. If you’ve been reading this blog for any amount of time, you already know what I think about it. The question is whether Americans care anymore. I hope they do. Don’t miss this one. Watch above. —————— UPDATE, 11/8/13: CBS News has now had to issue an embarassing correction, saying that their main source in this…
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Albert Mohler’s address on religious liberty at BYU
Albert Mohler delivered an important address on religious liberty at Brigham Young University today. Mohler’s remarks are notable for a number of reasons. I suppose what struck me most, however, is how he speaks respectfully and candidly about the profound differences between Christians and Mormons even as he addresses our common predicament. He writes, I am not here because I believe we are going to heaven together. I do not believe that. I believe that salvation comes only to those who believe and trust only in Christ and in his substitutionary atonement for salvation. I believe in justification by faith alone, in Christ alone. I love and respect you as…
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Michael Gerson’s post-mortem on the shutdown
Michael Gerson gives a post-mortem of the shutdown and of the functional implosion of the Republican Party. As usual, he hits the nail right on the head. He writes, This is a strategic and tactical debate rather than a policy disagreement. But the result is no less bitter. Both sides of the GOP want to get rid of an unpopular law [Obamacare]. One side believes in building a legislative majority and electing a president to overturn it; the other believes in making preposterous demands and blaming their Republican colleagues when these demands aren’t fulfilled.
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Chris Christie discusses gay marriage
Since the last presidential election, I have become convinced that it will be impossible for future candidates to oppose gay marriage. As public opinion swings in favor of same-sex nuptials, there simply won’t be room for candidates who continue to support the traditional definition of marriage. If I am right, Governor Romney will be found to have been the last candidate to hold such a position.