Tim Tebow is good in the clutch, and that includes answering tough (and even dumb) questions from reporters. In what may be the dumbest, most-out-of-bounds question to date, Tebow maintained his composure. Tebow did not get sacked in this encounter, but I hope the reporter does. P.S. I agree with Kevin Allen’s take on this one.
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Can you get de-baptized?
Here’s an article from USA Today explaining a new trend among atheists, ‘de-baptism.’ ‘Up until last summer, Jennifer Gray of Columbus, Ohio, considered herself “a weak Christian” whose baptism at age 11 in a Kentucky church came to mean less and less to her as she gradually lost faith in God. ‘Then the 32-year-old medical transcriptionist took a decisive step, one that previously hadn’t been available. She got “de-baptized.” ‘In a type of mock ceremony that’s now been performed in at least four states, a robed “priest” used a hairdryer marked “reason” in an apparent bid to blow away the waters of baptism once and for all. Several dozen participants…
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A Critical Look at Cronkite’s Legacy
The Wall Street Journal has an editorial that offers a critical look at the journalistic legacy of Walter Cronkite. This one is worth reading in full, but here’s an excerpt: “The most important moment in his career came when he departed from the newsman’s role to play editorialist… “Without the authority that derives from that trust, reporters get careless about objectivity, weakening the audience’s trust even further. “The glory of Walter Cronkite’s career is that he did more than anyone to earn his viewers’ trust and establish his profession’s authority. The tragedy is that he also did more than anyone else to undermine them.”
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Concerns about New Hate Crimes Bill
The Baptist Press reports some disturbing news: ‘The U.S. Senate passed legislation July 16 to expand hate crimes protections to include homosexuals and transgendered people.’ Here’s how the Baptist Press explains the significance of the measure: ‘The measure, combined with existing law, could expose to prosecution Christians and others who proclaim the Bible’s teaching that homosexual behavior and other sexual relations outside marriage are sinful. For example, if a person commits a violent act based on a victim’s “sexual orientation” after hearing biblical teaching on the sinfulness of homosexual behavior, the preacher or teacher could be open to a charge of inducing the person to commit the crime, some foes…
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Tom Wright on ECUSA Declaration of Independence
The Episcopal Church in the USA (ECUSA) has effectively declared its independence from the worldwide Anglican Communion. Yesterday, the House of Bishops of ECUSA voted overwhelmingly to allow practicing homosexuals to be consecrated and ordained. In taking this step, they knowingly defied the rest of the communion. Read about it here. Bishop Tom Wright has written forcefully denouncing the move in the Times online, and his remarks are worth noting. He writes:
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Richard Hays and the Authority of the NT
Recently I picked up again Richard Hays’s The Moral Vision of the New Testament in preparation for a paper I am giving at ETS this November. Hays rightly argues at the beginning of the book that the New Testament is the norm that trumps all other authorities. He writes: “This study proceeds on the assumption that the canonical Scriptures constitute the norma normans for the church’s life, whereas every other source of moral guidance . . . must be understood as norma normata. Thus, normative Christian ethics . . . must begin and end in the interpretation and application of Scripture for the life of the community of faith. Such…
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Healthy Economies Rely on Healthy Marriages
Pope Benedict XVI has some fascinating things to say in his latest encyclical titled Caritas in veritate “Charity in Truth.” A papal encyclical is a general letter to Roman Catholic Christians, and Popes use such letters to teach the church the Christian viewpoint on key issues. The document is 30,472 words, which translates to about 54 pages of single-spaced text. For a good summary, see Francis Beckwith’s piece at the Christianity Today website. Among other things, I found it interesting that the Pope attempted some “public access” arguments in favor of marriage. Much of this letter is taken up with economic issues, and the Pope insists that healthy economic policies…
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Quotables from Caritas in Veritate
“Religious freedom does not mean religious indifferentism, nor does it imply that all religions are equal.” “Reason always stands in need of being purified by faith: this also holds true for political reason, which must not consider itself omnipotent.” –Caritas in Veritate, 55 & 56
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AG Holder To Investigate Bush Interrogation Practices
United States Attorney General Eric Holder is contemplating something pretty big. Here’s the scoop from Newsweek: “Four knowledgeable sources tell NEWSWEEK that he is now leaning toward appointing a prosecutor to investigate the Bush administration’s brutal interrogation practices, something the president has been reluctant to do. While no final decision has been made, an announcement could come in a matter of weeks, say these sources, who decline to be identified discussing a sensitive law-enforcement matter. Such a decision would roil the country, would likely plunge Washington into a new round of partisan warfare, and could even imperil Obama’s domestic priorities, including health care and energy reform.”
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Derek Webb: Clean or Explicit?
Derek Webb has a new album out, and it comes with a bit of controversy. BeliefNet.com reports the following: ‘Derek Webb’s new album, Stockholm Syndrome, will be released in September in two versions: a clean and explicit version. ‘The controversy surrounds the lyrics to one of the songs, “What Matters More,” in which Webb says apparently the word “sh*t”. In typical Derek Webb fashion, he’s used a bit of shock value to make a point and in the process made his label a little nervous. (And used it all to promote the album.)‘