I watched Gov. Mike Pence’s press conference this morning with great interest. He is trying to face down an enormous backlash against Indiana’s recent Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), which has been mischaracterized nationally as a license to discriminate against gay people. Nevertheless, he called a press conference and announced his intention to consider a legislative “fix” or “clarification” of the RFRA law. He did not explain what that legislative “fix” might consist of, but he said that something is coming. I like Gov. Pence, and I think that he has been trying to fight the good fight. But he has gotten himself into a dilemma that has no good…
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Media freak-out lands on “Hardball with Chris Matthews”
Kudos to Russell Moore for fighting the good fight in a tough venue. Moore completely outmatched the activist that he was paired to debate. Still, what strikes me about this conversation is that it is clear that Chris Matthews has no idea what the Indiana bill says. After 5 days of national debate, he still doesn’t have a basic working knowledge of this law. Not only that, he apparently is unaware of the bakers, florists, photographers, etc. who have been at the center of this debate for years now. How can he not know the basics by now?
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The media freak-out hits CNBC, and Ryan Anderson answers the bell
Ryan does a great job explaining the real intent of the law. Again, the other talking heads are unable to hear the argument. Don’t miss his article at The Daily Signal from earlier today: “Apple CEO Tim Cook Is Wrong About Indiana Religious Freedom Law.”
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The media freak-out hits “Morning Joe”
John McCormack and Joe Scarborough are the only voices of sanity at this discussion (see above). The other talking heads are a perfect illustration of the irrational “media freak-out” that is the real story here. For more on that, read Rod Dreher’s remarks in my earlier post. Very troubling.
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It’s the justices, stupid
Rod Dreher might be accused of being a “Debbie Downer” for his dire predictions about religious liberty, but I think his analysis is spot-on. In an essay posted this morning, he argues that the take-away from the Indiana RFRA is not the law itself, but the media “freak out” that happened in response. It reveals just how deep our nation’s indifference is to religious liberty and just how willing some of our elites are to stamp it out. And it won’t stop with RFRA’s. He says that churches that support traditional marriage will soon face attacks on their tax-exempt status. If you think this isn’t coming, you aren’t paying attention.
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The Abortion Spa: Rebranding Infanticide
What do abortionists do when they are losing the abortion argument? When their “blob of cells” trope has collapsed under the moral weight of ultrasound images? When everyone can now see that the humanity of the unborn is as plain as the nose on their face? What do they do? They double-down on deception. In what will no doubt be the most disgusting thing you read today, The Washington Post reports on an “abortion spa” that has opened up in the “tony” neighborhood of Friendship Heights in Washington, D.C. The point of the facility is to destigmatize abortion by providing a spa-like experience to women seeking to end the lives…
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Discrimination against gay people in Indiana?
I applaud Indiana Governor Mike Pence for taking a courageous stand in defense of our first freedom—religious liberty. Gov. Pence has been on the hot-seat ever since he signed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) into Indiana law last week. Not only did he sign the bill into law, but he also had the moxie to go on national television to defend the law in the face of scurrilously unfair criticism (see video above).
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Q&A with a same-sex attracted pastor—Sam Allberry.
I recently moderated a Q&A with Sam Allberry where he fielded questions from me and from students (see above). Sam is a same-sex attracted Christian, and a faithful brother. I cannot overstate how grateful I am for his life and testimony. The Lord has raised him up for our time. If you haven’t yet read Sam’s book, you need to. It’s titled Is God Anti-Gay? (Questions Christians Ask). Sam delivered three messages to our students before the Q&A: “Sam’s Story” “What the Bible Teaches about Homosexuality” “Gospel-Ministry to the Same-Sex Attracted” You can listen to all three of these at the website of The Center for Gospel and Culture. I think…
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Is the church failing gay Christians?
Over the weekend, I listened to a radio broadcast out of the U.K. hosted by Justin Brierley titled “Is the church failing gay Christians?” The program includes voices from all sides of the issue: Steve Chalke, Ed Shaw, Rosaria Butterfield, and Jayne Ozanne (Butterfield’s portion is pre-recorded). If you are familiar with these names, you know that the viewpoints represented here are widely divergent. On the one hand, you have Shaw and Butterfield arguing for the Christian view. On the other hand, you have Chalke and Ozanne arguing for a non-Christian view. You can download it here or listen below. . Two things struck me about this conversation:
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Dear Gay Community: Your Kids Are Hurting
Heather Barwick was raised by her mother and her lesbian partner, and Barwick loves them both. Nevertheless, she says that her childhood left her “hurting.” In a poignant piece for The Federalist, she writes: Growing up, and even into my 20s, I supported and advocated for gay marriage. It’s only with some time and distance from my childhood that I’m able to reflect on my experiences and recognize the long-term consequences that same-sex parenting had on me. And it’s only now, as I watch my children loving and being loved by their father each day, that I can see the beauty and wisdom in traditional marriage and parenting. Same-sex marriage…