The most recent issue of The Journal for Biblical Manhood & Womanhood has just released. The lead article is from Albert Mohler, who takes a critical look at the “contraceptive mentality” that so much defines the spirit of the age. Mohler writes: The effective separation of sex from procreation may be one of the most important defining marks of our age—and one of the most ominous. This awareness is spreading among American evangelicals, and it threatens to set loose a firestorm… A growing number of evangelicals are rethinking the issue of birth control—and facing the hard questions posed by reproductive technologies. Several developments contributed to this reconsideration, but the most…
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Wellum, Gentry, and Hamilton discuss biblical theology
A couple of weeks ago, I hosted a discussion between Peter Gentry, Steve Wellum, and Jim Hamilton. The discussion took place as a part of Southern Seminary’s Alumni Academy. The students were studying Gentry and Wellum’s book for the class, and Hamilton came in for a panel discussion about different approaches to biblical theology. I moderated.
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It’s now legal for your 11-year old daughters to buy abortifacients
Welcome to the brave new world. Now your 11-year old daughter can purchase abortifacient “birth control” over the counter without parental consent. Here’s the lede from NBC News’ report: A federal judge on Friday reversed a contentious Food and Drug Administration ruling and ordered the agency to make the so-called “morning-after pill” available without a prescription to all girls of reproductive age, including those younger than 17. Read the rest here.
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Good words about how we ought to speak on the internet
I came across two helpful items yesterday, both of which contained exhortations about how we should be using our voices on the internet. An essay from Tim Challies warns against what we ought not be saying, and another from John Piper what we ought to be saying. There are exhortations and admonishments in both of these that we all need to hear. I commend them both to you.
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Confronting Senator Portman’s use of scripture to affirm gay marriage
Last week Senator Rob Portman announced a dramatic reversal in his views on gay marriage. He cited a number of reasons, but the main catalyst was his son’s coming out of the closet two years ago. As a result of that revelation, Portman says he began to reconsider his own opposition to same-sex marriage. In an op-ed for The Columbus Dispatch, Portman explains: Two years ago, my son Will, then a college freshman, told my wife, Jane, and me that he is gay. He said he’d known for some time, and that his sexual orientation wasn’t something he chose; it was simply a part of who he is. Jane and…
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Why not call God “mother”?
I just read Jonathan Merritt’s interview with Rob Bell, and this bit sort of jumped off the page: Jonathan Merritt: So it would be totally appropriate to pray to one’s “heavenly mother” as well as one’s “heavenly father?” Rob Bell: Well, you certainly have Isaiah using a mother image for God and Jesus talks about longing to gather like a mother hen gathers her chicks. But that is a great question, and one we should be asking. This kind of feminine God-language has long been the mark of feminist revisionists who have moved well beyond the pale of evangelical Christianity. While we don’t believe that God has a gender, we…
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Does gay marriage lead to polygamy?
Doug Wilson gives his post-mortem on his debate with Andrew Sullivan over gay marriage. The audio and video have not been released yet, but apparently there was quite a row over Wilson’s contention that the legalization of gay marriage will lead to the legalization of polygamous marriage. The arguments for the one are identical to those in favor of the other. Thus if you accept those arguments with respect to gay marriage, it will be impossible to deny them for polygamous marriage. Wilson elaborates on why Sullivan so vigorously opposed the point: The reason that Andrew was so adamant about rejecting the logical consequence of polygamy is that it would…
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A brief postscript to my earlier critique of Rob Bell
Peter Enns admonishes Carl Trueman, Owen Strachan, and yours truly for critiquing Rob Bell’s forthcoming book before even reading it. I would agree with Enns that it is unwise and unfair to criticize a book that one hasn’t even read. But since not one of the three of us has actually criticized the book, I have to wonder why Enns’ has said that we did. All three of us were explicitly offering brief commentary on the trailer, not a definitive analysis of the book itself. Enns appears to be under the impression that evangelical reviewers are chomping at the bit to give nasty reviews of Bell’s book. But I don’t…
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Q&A with D. A. Carson on Complementarianism
From The Geneva Push: “Don Carson answers questions arising from his thorough argument for the equality of men and women but their different purposes under God.” You can download the audio here or listen below. [audio:https://thegenevapush.com/images/audio/complemenatrianism-questions.mp3] (HT: Derek Brown)
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President Obama celebrates sending women into combat
President Obama: “Every American can be proud that our military will grow even stronger with our mothers, wives, sisters and daughters playing a greater role in protecting this country we love.”