Russell Moore appeared on Fox News yesterday to talk about Obamacare’s contraception mandate and the threat that it poses to religious liberty. The money quote is at the end. From the transcript at FoxNews.com: You can see this happening all over the country not only related to Obamacare. This is just one fiery rafter in a burning house. Religious liberty is under assault all over the place in this country in ways that I think are probably more pronounced than we have seen since the founding era… People who are doing good things in their communities motivated by religious convictions are simply being driven out of the public square because…
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The Life of a Female Biblical Scholar
Christianity Today has a fascinating short interview with Lynn Cohick, professor of New Testament at Wheaton College. Among other things, Cohick reflects upon what it is like to be a female biblical scholar. Here’s an excerpt: Although women still face challenges as a minority in evangelical scholarship, are there any benefits of being a female in your field? I would say it’s almost a double-edged sword. I get invited to speak or to write a chapter in an edited volume, and oftentimes there is a presumption, or it’s even directly stated: “We need a woman.” We need a woman on this panel, or we need a woman speaker because the…
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What is the meaning of sex?
For those of you who pay attention to the sidebar, you know that I have a new book set to be released on October 31. As it turns out, the publisher got her done early, and the book is available now for anybody who wants one. Amazon.com has it at a discounted price, but the best price I’ve seen so far is offered by the Westminster Theological Seminary bookstore—only $9. People have been asking me why I wrote this book. There are a number of reasons I could cite, but the main reason is this—the glory of God. We inhabit a culture that falls short of the glory of God…
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Mark Driscoll crashes the “Strange Fire” conference
As many of you know, John MacArthur is hosting the “Strange Fire” conference at his church in California this week. The conference is focused on reasserting a cessationist position and highlighting the dangers of the charismatic movement. The Christian Post is reporting that Mark Driscoll showed up to the conference today, engaged attendees, and handed out free copies of his new book, which has a chapter advocating the continuationist position. Driscoll himself posted pictures of his visit on Instagram. Driscoll also says that the books he was handing out were confiscated by security. Security confiscated my books. #strangefire http://t.co/mGccvXZwyK — Mark Driscoll (@PastorMark) October 18, 2013 Sarah Pulliam Bailey reports…
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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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Documentary on Albert Mohler’s presidency
I am grateful beyond words for Dr. R. Albert Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. When he was elected president of Southern Seminary in 1993, the seminary was in the throes of theological liberalism. Hardly anyone could have fathomed back then the absolute transformation that God would bring about through Dr. Mohler’s leadership. It has been truly remarkable. What a blessing it is to be serving here at this time under this president. On campus this week, we have been celebrating the 20-year anniversary of Dr. Mohler’s election to the presidency. The documentary above was premiered Tuesday night at a dinner honoring Dr. Mohler. It tells the story…
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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.
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Southern Baptists sue federal government over Obamacare
USA Today reports that Southern Baptists are suing the federal government over Obamacare’s contraception mandate. Guidestone Financial Resources is a division of the SBC that provides health benefits to Southern Baptist churches. When the law goes into effect on January 1, it would require Southern Baptists to foot the bill for insurance that covers contraceptives and abortion-inducing drugs. From the report:
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ERLC and ManDec Panel on Religious Liberty
The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission and the Manhattan Declaration teamed up last week and hosted a fascinating panel discussion on religious liberty. Andrew Walker moderates and panelists include Kirsten Powers, Ross Douthat, Russell Moore, Jennifer Marshall, and Timothy Shah. I think this discussion is really helpful, and I commend it to you. Click the image at right or click here to watch.
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Worlds Collide: Tullian Tchividian on “Morning Joe”
MSNBC’s Morning Joe is my favorite political program. It’s the only one that I’m into every weekday. So it’s an unusual confluence to see one of the Young, Restless, and Reformed to make an appearance there. And yet that’s exactly what happened yesterday morning when Tullian Tchividian came on to talk about his new book and to give an update on how his grandfather Billy Graham is doing. Watch it above. Get the book here.