In a nutshell, Douthat thinks Bush was better: “I think it’s worth comparing tonight’s speech, unfavorably, to George W. Bush’s address announcing the Iraqi surge. . . Obama was more comprehensive; Bush was much, much better. And now we have to hope that the President’s strategy is more successful than his speech.”
-
-
WaPo on Manhattan Declaration
Richard Cohen’s Op-Ed for The Washington Post this morning takes issue with The Manhattan Declaration. In particular, he rails against the Declaration’s stance on same-sex “marriage.” The bottom line of Cohen’s argument in favor of same-sex “marriage” is his own personal experience. He writes, “I know of children raised by same-sex partners and they seem no worse for the experience.” He also writes that “Some of the declaration is couched in religious terms, and with that I cannot argue. But it is its appeal to common sense that I find so appalling.” In other words, he argues that “common sense” and his own personal experience trump the religious basis for…
-
True Love Pays
It will cost you $87,403 to make your ‘true love’ happy this Christmas—that is, if you use “The 12 Days of Christmas” for your gift list. According to the annual “Christmas Price Index” compiled by PNC Wealth Management, the $87,403 figure is slightly up from last year. Here’s the entire list.
-
USC and the Boy Who Saw Them
I don’t like USC, but I like this.
-
Girls Gone Mild
Nightline ran a story last week called “Girls Gone Mild” about a program called “Pure Fashion” that encourages young girls to dress modestly. This story registers high on the counter-cultural meter, so I thought it would be worth passing along to you. You can watch the video here or read the text version here.
-
David Mathis Critiques N. T. Wright on Justification
David Mathis has posted a scathing review of N. T. Wright’s most recent book on justification. Mathis identifies five critical areas of weakness in Wright’s Justification: God’s Plan & Paul’s Vision, and each one of them is worth the reader’s careful consideration. Not only has Wright failed to engage his most serious critics (e.g., John Piper), he also fails to produce any close exegesis of the relevant biblical texts. Mathis puts it this way:
-
Tiger Redemption
Last Saturday night I was driving I-10 from New Orleans to DeRidder, Louisiana. During my trip, I listened on the radio to LSU’s gut-wrenching loss to Ole Miss. The announcers didn’t do a good job describing the finish. All I could make-out was that the Tigers were about to score, mismanaged the clock, and lost the game. From fans to players to coaches, everyone was disgusted. How could the Tigers have blown that game? Much controversy followed all week long. Who would have figured that exactly one week later the Tigers would have a chance to redeem themselves? With about a minute and a half to play, the Tigers had…
-
‘No Idols’ High School Conference
Josh Harris, Al Mohler, and Russell Moore will be the featured speakers at Boyce College’s conference for high school students on March 19-20, 2010. The theme for the conference is “No Idols: Calling Students to Single-hearted Devotion.” Grammy-nominated Boyce College student “Flame” will perform, and “Shane and Shane” will be leading the worship in music for the weekend. Speakers / Lodging / Schedule / Registration / Contact Last year’s conference was a great success, and I expect this one will be even better. It will be a Christ-exalting, gospel-centered, Bible-focused weekend. So please tell your pastor or youth leader about “No Idols.” You don’t want your students to miss this…
-
Beauty Will Rise at Thanksgiving
Rose Kennedy buried four of her own children–all of whom met tragic ends. Her oldest son Joe was killed in action in World War 2. Her daughter Kathleen died in a plane crash in Europe. Her sons John and Bobby died by the assassin’s bullet. At the end of her life she wrote this: “It has been said that time heals all wounds. I don’t agree. The wounds remain. Time—the mind, protecting its sanity—covers them with some scar tissue and the pain lessens, but it is never gone.” I have never known that kind of grief. It is hard to imagine. And I would not dare gainsay her experience. Nevertheless,…
-
Piper and Mohler at ETS
John Piper and Albert Mohler sat on a panel last week at ETS to discuss a recent effort to bridge the theological divide between Muslims and Christians. The effort resulted in a document titled “A Common Word Between Us,” and I wrote about it in early 2008 (read it here). I was at the panel discussion which featured two Muslim scholars and one Christian scholar in favor of the proposal, and Piper and Mohler who were opposed. Desiring God has made the audio available, and I commend it to you. J. P. Moreland moderated the discussion, and I have arranged the audio below to reflect the original order of presenters.