In the wake of the Episcopal Church’s approval of same-sex relationships, Ross Douthat says that theological liberalism is a dead-end for the church: The Episcopal Church…is flexible to the point of indifference on dogma, friendly to sexual liberation in almost every form, willing to blend Christianity with other faiths, and eager to downplay theology entirely in favor of secular political causes.
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Bobby Bowden Says Paterno Statue Should Be Removed
In a recent radio interview, Bobby Bowden said that Joe Paterno’s statue should be removed from the campus of Penn State. In his own words: If I was Joe Paterno’s family, I would want it taken down. Every time they play a game in that stadium, the cameras are going to flash down on that statue of Joe, and it’s going to bring up again this thing with Sandusky. To me, Penn State needs to get that behind them somehow. They gotta pay for the sins — that’s going to cost them a whole lot of money — but every time they see that statue, they’re going to bring that…
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Bizarre Clown Ministry
The video above is some kind of training video for a clown “ministry.” I have no doubt that these folks mean well, but this looks really awful to me. If I am ever in a nursing home, please don’t send a clown to visit me or any other kind of actor. Please send a real person with real words and real love and a real Bible. That will do. (HT: @drmoore)
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The Witch-Hunt for Mark Regnerus
Last month I noted Mark Regnerus’ recent study on children who are raised by gay parents. Regnerus’ work has since proven to be very controversial because it does not paint a positive picture of children of gay parents. Even though it’s based on scientific methodology, it suggests conclusions that cut against the prevailing gay rights narrative. As a result, folks on the left have been calling for Regnerus’ head on a platter. Yesterday, The Austin American-Statestman reported that the witch hunt is officially on. A gay blogger lodged a complaint with the President of the University of Texas, alleging that Regnerus had engaged in “scientific misconduct.” Other faculty from UT…
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Why not Condi for VP?
Last night, the Drudge Report ran a big headline declaring that Secretary Condoleezza Rice was on Mitt Romney’s shortlist for vice president. It didn’t take long for Eric Erickson to report “Multiple assurances from Team Romney tonight that Condi is not happening for Veep.” The morning news programs are also reporting that the rumor has no truth to it. So that’s that. But why are these reports being dismissed so quickly? Why wouldn’t Romney consider Rice for VP? Perhaps many readers already know the answer to that question, but for those of you who don’t here’s the long and short of it. Rice is completely unacceptable to social conservatives because…
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There’s No Reviving Paterno’s Legacy
Penn State University hired Louis Freeh last November to lead an independent investigation of the alleged failure of Penn State personnel to respond to Jerry Sandusky’s sexual abuse of children. Freeh released his 267 page report today, and it is devastating not only to university administrators but also to Joe Paterno himself. Freeh’s report confirms what we already knew about the cover-up. But it also says that Paterno knew about the sex-abuse allegations as far back as 1998 and that he followed the official investigation of those allegations very closely. Here are two excerpts from the report that get to the heart of it:
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John Piper Talks about Sanctification and Aging
This video is released in connection with Desiring God’s upcoming National conference this September. John Piper, Kevin DeYoung, Jarvis Williams, Russell Moore, and Ed Welch will be the plenary speakers. Visit the event page to learn more and register.
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U. S. Senate Resolution on the Election of Fred Luter
On June 29, Senator Mary Landrieu submitted a resolution in the United States Senate that congratulates the Southern Baptist Convention for electing Rev. Fred Luter as its first African American president. The resolution has been referred to the judiciary committee and awaits disposition. You can download a PDF of the resolution here, or you can read it below. Senate Resolution 518 Whereas the Southern Baptist Convention formed in 1845 in Augusta, Georgia, in opposition to the abolition of slavery;
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Presbyterians Denounce Corporal Punishment
When the Presbyterian Church USA (PCUSA) met last week, it passed a recommendation calling on its members to adopt discipline methods that do not include corporal punishment. It not only calls on schools and orphanages to abandon spanking, but it also calls on parents to abandon it as well. The PCUSA issued a series of rationales for this decision. Here is Rationale #1:
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Alan Chambers Talks Reparative Therapy on Hardball
Alan Chambers is the President of Exodus International, an evangelical ministry to homosexuals. A couple of weeks ago, I noted that Chambers has changed his views on the usefulness reparative therapy. In the video above, Chambers appears on MSNBC’s “Hardball” to elaborate how his views have changed. What’s striking to me on these talking head shows is how little these hosts seem to know about evangelical beliefs about homosexuality. It appears that hosts have a caricature in their mind as if evangelicals all agree that homosexuality is all nurture and no nature. That’s the paradigm that the interviewer is working with in the video above, and it’s why he really…