I read the headline earlier this week that 1 in 10 teens reports having sexual encounters with someone of the same sex. What I didn’t know until this morning is that the news story had reported incorrectly what the study actually said. Kevin DeYoung has done us all a service by actually consulting the study behind the report. Here’s what he found:
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Moore on Music
As I was driving in to work this morning, I was listening to Miranda Lambert’s song “The House that Built Me.” I’d heard the song before, but today I actually paid attention to the words for the first time. It wasn’t long before I felt like someone would need to pass me a hanky. I experienced then what many of you have experienced before too. Music has the ability to reach inside your guts and communicate like no other medium can.
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Thielman on Ephesians
I’ve been reading in Frank Thielman’s new commentary on Ephesians, and I really like what I see here. It’s clearly written, learned, and meticulously grounded in the exposition of the Greek text. Here’s a quick look at some of the interpretive hot spots. Thielman understands the letter to be the authentically written by Paul (not pseudonymous, a view that is popular among Ephesians commentators). Thielman argues that en EphesÅ in verse 1:1 is the original reading, and thus he argues that the original audience really is “the saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus.”
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The Cowboys Are So Done
I don’t remember when I’ve ever seen the Cowboys lower than they are now. Steve Young’s assessment in the video above is right on. The Giants spotted Dallas 20 points in the first half, and the Cowboys still couldn’t win. No one rose to the occasion after Romo went down. There’s no leadership at all on this squad. Stick a fork in them because they are done. In the words of Forest Gump, that’s all I have to say about that.
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Owl City does “In Christ Alone”
I just saw that Owl City has recorded a new version of “In Christ Alone.” You can download it here or listen below. (HT: Brad Jones) [audio:http://owlcityblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/In-Christ-Alone.mp3] UPDATE: Tim Challies pointed out something in the comments below that I didn’t notice when I posted this earlier today. This version leaves out the verse that talks about the cross. I have no idea why the second verse is omitted. Perhaps he left it out because all four verses push the song past the three and half minute time limit for pop songs. Whatever the reason, it’s too bad he omitted it. Nevertheless, I’m grateful that he recorded the song. I think…
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Juan Williams and Objectivity
By now you’ve probably heard about the flap with Juan Williams, whom NPR fired last week for remarks he made about Muslims on Fox News. Voices from the left and the right have denounced the firing as unfair. Eugene Robinson has gone so far as to call NPR’s response a pretext. I think the dust-up is a good opportunity for all of us to be reminded about news reporting and the myth of objectivity. Mika Brzezinski had it exactly right in her remarks on “Morning Joe” Friday morning. You can watch above or read below. “I really think this sets a dangerous precedent, and I think we all need to…
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LSU Finally Loses
Well, it finally happened. LSU lost to Auburn today (24-17) in a battle of the unbeatens. I knew it was bound to happen eventually. Les Miles had already used up all of his nine lives, and his luck was bound to run out. It finally did tonight. Auburn is too good and LSU too sloppy for it to have come out any other way. LSU has a ton of talent, but it is underutilized. Jarrett Lee has just as much talent as Matt Mauck and Matt Flynn (both of whom led LSU to national championships), but LSU doesn’t have an offensive scheme to exploit his passing ability. In fact, LSU…
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Open Minds?
Princeton University recently hosted a conference on abortion titled “Open Hearts, Open Minds and Fair Minded Words.” The conference title was inspired by President Obama’s 2009 Notre Dame address in which he called on different sides of the abortion debate not only to work together where we agree, but also to engage in “vigorous debate” with “open hearts, open minds, and fair minded words.” Peter Singer was one of the organizers of the event, and David Gushee was invited to represent the pro-life view. A full list of speakers and sponsors are available here.
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Buddha and Biblical Womanhood
Last week I wrote briefly about Rachel Held Evans’ year of living biblically. Her stated aim is to live out what the Bible teaches about womanhood. Today she writes about her difficulty in adopting the “gentle and quiet spirit” commanded in 1 Peter 3:4. To help develop such a spirit, she has incorporated contemplative prayer into her morning routine, “particularly breathing exercises, lectio divina, and centered prayer.” She appeals to the teaching of contemplative masters—both Buddha and the Proverbs—as sources for learning how to master “the volatile human spirit.” Just a reminder, Thomas Nelson has agreed to publish her book in 2012.
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Entrusted with the Gospel
I am grateful to have received a copy of Entrusted with the Gospel: Pastoral Expositions of 2 Timothy edited by D. A. Carson. It’s a compilation of sermons from the plenary addresses at the 2009 meeting of The Gospel Coalition. At one level, the book is a popular-level commentary on the text of 2 Timothy. At another level, the book is a study in the different preaching styles of its authors—a list that includes John Piper, Phil Ryken, Mark Driscoll, Bryan Chapel, and Lig Duncan. For all their differences, the editor still finds value in each of them. In the introduction, Carson writes: “The best of expository preaching takes its…