Perhaps you’ve read the announcement about the upcoming debate between Albert Mohler and Jim Wallis. The debate will be hosted by The Henry Center, and they will be addressing the question “Is social justice an essential part of the mission of the church?” Jim Wallis will be arguing “Yes,” Mohler “No.” For more information about this event, go here. Why is this question important? When evangelicals disagree with one another over this issue, that is one thing. But differences over this issue between evangelicals and progressives is quite another. Oftentimes the differences between progressives and evangelicals on this question are not only about the mission of the church, but also…
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“The Today Show” Looks at Best Colleges
On “The Today Show” this morning, Robert Franek, author of Princeton Review’s The Best 376 Colleges, talks about the schools that were top-ranked in such categories as great financial aid, best professors and top party school. I learned today that there is also a category that they rank called “the best stone-cold sober school”—the opposite of the best party school. Brigham Young has a long streak at the top of this list, but Wheaton College ranked number two. Here are others who made the list:
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Albert Mohler Weighs-in on the Debt Crisis
Albert Mohler is back from his summerly hiatus and has started into his second season of his podcast “The Briefing.” If you aren’t a regular listener to this program, you need to be. It is Mohler’s daily commentary on items in the news, and he packs it all in about 15 minutes or less. It’s smart and steeped in a Christian worldview perspective. Mohler’s take on the debt-ceiling crisis from today’s program is as thoughtful and balanced as any I’ve heard. I highly recommend that you listen to it. If you missed it, you can listen to it here or just press the play button below. [audio:http://albertmohler.com/media/audio/totl/Podcast/20110802_TheBriefing.mp3] In the podcast,…
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Mat Kearney’s New Album Drops Today
I know there are bound to be some Mat Kearney fans who read this blog. For those who are, you’ll be glad to know that his new album “Young Love” drops today. The first single “Hey Mama” was released last month, and it’s outstanding. You can watch the video for the single below or download it here. For what it’s worth: Music downloads cost less at Amazon.com than at iTunes. Kearney’s first single from this album is $.99 at Amazon.com, but it is $1.29 at iTunes. Likewise, the whole album is $5.99 at Amazon.com, but it is $7.99 at iTunes. Amazon.com downloads also have the added bonus of being MP3’s.…
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Gabrielle Giffords Returns to House of Representatives
Gabrielle Giffords returned to the House of Representatives this evening for the first time since she was shot last January. When she stepped onto the floor, the House erupted in applause. It was a fantastic moment. The video is above.
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Perry Offers Clarification on Abortion and States Rights
The Houston Chronicle reports that Texas Governor Rick Perry has clarified his stance on abortion and states rights. This statement from his spokesperson is a step in the right direction. “Gov. Perry is proudly pro-life and successfully championed strong pro-life legislation in Texas including parental consent, this year’s sonogram bill and a budget that significantly defunds abortions in Texas. The governor has long supported overturning Roe v. Wade, and would support amending the U.S. Constitution, with the backing of Congress and the states, to protect innocent life.”
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Is the Family Research Council a Hate Group?
From James Kushiner at Touchstone: “The Southern Law Poverty Center has a hate map showing hate groups with a list of groups for each state available when you click on any state. For instance, under Washington, DC you will find, listed with the KKK, the Family Research Council. In Illinois, the Illinois Family Institute is listed as a hate group. If you do not approve of homosexual marriage or homosexual activity, you are hateful. Period. To be consistent should they list teetotaler groups as hateful against drinkers?”
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The State of Your Heart Is the State of Your Home
This paragraph from Rachel Jankovic’s book Loving the Little Years: Motherhood in the Trenches is a jewel: “It is no abstract thing—the state of your heart is the state of your home. You cannot harbor resentment secretly toward your children and expect their heart to be submissive and tender. You cannot be greedy with your time and expect them to share their toys. And perhaps most importantly, you cannot resist your opportunities to be corrected by God and expect them to receive correction from you” (pp. 14-15).
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Kristof Honors Stott and Evangelicals in NY Times
Don’t miss Nick Kristof’s generous tribute to John Stott in Sunday’s The New York Times. He sees Stott as a kind of kinder, gentler evangelical. Given their diametrically opposed worldviews, Kristof’s words come as a bit of a surprise (at least to me). It is not often that you hear a liberal columnist at a secular bulwark like The Times giving honor to an evangelical. But what is perhaps even more surprising about this article is Kristof’s generous tribute to evangelicals in general (at least some of them), which he bases on interactions that he has been having with them over the last several years. He writes:
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Right To Life vs. States Rights and Rick Perry
I wrote last week about Governor Rick Perry’s walk-back of his comments about gay marriage. At a recent fundraiser, he invoked the 10th amendment to argue that New York’s decision to legalize gay marriage was just “fine” with him. He later told Tony Perkins that he merely meant to express his belief in the right of individual states to decide such matters. Now Perry has done it again. A few days ago in remarks to reporters in Houston, Perry invoked the 10th amendment again to say that if Roe v. Wade were overturned, the matter should then be decided by the voters in each state. Presumably, then, just like with…