Barack Obama has invited Rick Warren to pray at the upcoming presidential inauguration, and the Politico is reporting on the reaction from gay rights activists: ‘Barack Obama’s choice of a prominent evangelical minister to perform the invocation at his inauguration is a conciliatory gesture toward social conservatives who opposed him in November, but it is drawing fierce challenges from a gay rights movement that – in the wake of a gay marriage ban in California – is looking for a fight.’
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James Kushiner on Single-Issue Voting
James Kushiner of Touchstone magazine has some apt reflections on the idea of single-issue voting: ‘But the labeling of some voters—all, it seems, on the “right” and usually pro-life—as “single-issue” voters, as if they are narrow-minded and unthinking participants in our national life, seems quite narrow-minded itself. . .
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“Pro-lifers” for Obama
The editorial in the latest issue of Touchstone magazine is spot on in its appraisal of “pro-lifers” who supported Obama for President: ‘The role of “pro-lifers” in the Obama campaign was not to persuade the candidate to moderate his stand on abortion (there is no evidence that they even tried to do so) but to persuade pro-lifers to forget about the issue.’ The rest of this essay is a must-read. “Morality Ploys: Big Bailouts & Culture War Maneuvers You Can Expect” – by James Hitchcock (Touchstone)
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Did Pro-lifers Kill the GOP in 2008?
In yesterday’s New York Times, Ross Douthat takes on the conventional wisdom among pro-choice Republicans who blame the pro-life movement for losing the presidency in 2008 (HT: Russell Moore). Douthat notes how pro-choice GOP’ers such as Christie Todd Whitman and P. J. O’Rourke have charged uncompromising pro-lifers with alienating the American mainstream in 2008.
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Has Obama Betrayed the Left-wing?
The left is debating right now whether Barack Obama’s cabinet appointments imply a betrayal of left-wing principles. Chris Matthews discussed this topic on “Hardball” last night and concluded that Obama’s appointments are window-dressing. They are there to provide cover for Obama as he implements a left-wing agenda. I can’t say whether or not Matthews’s theory is correct, but we will find out soon enough. In the meantime, it will be interesting to watch this debate unfold. You know change is afoot when Hillary Clinton is considered to be your right-wing foil.
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Steven Curtis Chapman Thanks President Bush
Steven Curtis Chapman is thankful for President Bush’s service to the country and has written a song saying as much. You can listen to the track at www.StevenCurtisChapman.com. Here’s the message that Chapman posted next to the song: Good Bye. Mr. President. Whether you voted for him & love him, or you’ve disagreed with all his policies and dislike him… Could we all agree on this? We owe President Bush a sincere thank you. As the historic Inauguration of President Elect Barack Obama approaches, StevenCurtisChapman.com pauses to thank our outgoing President for his service to our great country. This Thanksgiving weekend, we hope you’ll enjoy a new song by Steven…
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A Resolution on Protecting Human Life
This week Southern Baptists in Kentucky passed a resolution on protecting human life (HT: Philip Bethancourt). Russell Moore was instrumental in bringing this resolution to pass, and there is much to commend in it. I particularly like the fact that it does not go along with the “abortion-is-one-issue-among-many” approach that we saw some “evangelicals” take in the recent election. It encourages treating the abortion issue as a priority. I have printed the full resolution below, but here are some of the highlights:
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James Kushiner on the Election of Barack Obama
There’s been a lot of discussion about the future of the pro-life cause in light of the election of Barack Obama. The most pointed remarks I’ve read come from Touchstone‘s James Kushiner: ‘The irony about the election of our first black president, an irony which I wish did not exist, is that while blacks have risen from the indignities and injustice of slavery in which their bodies were sold and consumed as property, and have endured segregation and second-class citizen status and racial discrimination, and have now one of their own elected to the highest office in the land, this very president-elect, Barack Obama, will increase the death toll among…
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Change That Pro-Life People Can’t Believe In
Many “pro-life” Obama supporters made the case before the election that abortions would decrease under an Obama administration. Such statements were always suspect, given that Obama was the most pro-abortion candidate ever to run for office. Signs that President-elect Obama will in fact continue his pro-abortion posture have already begun to emerge. The Washington Post reports on the executive orders that Obama will implement soon after he takes office. The article says, “In some instances, Obama would be quickly delivering on promises he made during his two-year campaign, while in others he would be embracing Clinton-era policies upended by President Bush during his eight years in office.” The first two…
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Mohler’s Remarks about the Election on ABC News
ABC World News Tonight visited the campus of Southern Seminary this week and interviewed our president, Dr. Albert Mohler, about the results of the presidential election. Among other things, Dr. Mohler said this: “The fight for the dignity and sanctity of unborn human beings has been set back by a great loss. . . We’re going to have some setbacks here. . . We’re going to have some real days of disappointment. I think we need to be prepared for that. We’re going to find ourselves in a situation where our voice is not going to have the kind of resonance that it once had in Washington. “I think there’s…