Russell Moore has an outstanding essay on what should and should not trouble Christians about Barack Obama’s pastor, Jeremiah Wright. This is one you’ll want to read. Here’s an excerpt: ‘What [Obama’s pastor] is preaching is a form of liberation theology, leftover Marxist theory baptized in the narrative of Scripture and applied to a set of political goals. The tenor of the Trinity United Church of Christ ministry is one that is defined by race and politics.
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“Issues, Etc.†Radio Program Cancelled
My good friend Mason Beecroft is a pastor in the Lutheran Church Missouri Syndod, and he is trying to get the word out about a radio program called “Issues, Etc.” that was recently cancelled. In addition to its regular hosts, Mason tells me that Dr. Albert Mohler was a frequent guest. Mason writes:
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Gerson Reviews Keller’s “The Reason for Godâ€
In his Washington Post column today, Michael Gerson reviews Tim Keller’s book The Reason for God. The review is actually more of a “Good Friday” reflection than it is a formal review. Nevertheless, I thought it would be worth passing along. Here’s an excerpt:
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Recent Lectureships at Southern Seminary
One of my favorite parts about studying at Southern Seminary was the endowed lectureships. Southern has had three such lectureships in recent weeks, and the audio is now available online. The lectures were given by Millard Erickson, Jim Hamilton, and Graeme Goldsworthy. Here are the links:
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Thabiti Anyabwile on Black Liberation Theology
In light of my previous post, I need to pass along another article that I think is very helpful. This one is an interview that Collin Hansen conducted with Thabiti Anyabwile, author of The Decline of African American Theology. The interview discusses the sermonic genre of African American churches as well as the Liberation Theology that has eclipsed the gospel in churches like Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s. Here’s an excerpt:
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A Few Thoughts about Obama’s Speech
Everyone has been talking about Senator Barack Obama’s speech on race and religion (transcript, video). I don’t know that I have much to add to what’s already been said by others, but I will share a few thoughts. 1. Low on substance. Obama is a great speech-maker. His rhetoric is top-notch. But I don’t think the substance of the speech really amounted to much. Obama admitted that he knew about Reverend Jeremiah Wright’s extremist views, but he didn’t do much to explain why he nevertheless enlisted him as an advisor.
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Study Says Abortion Can Lead to “Mental Illnessâ€
A study out of Great Britain says that women who have abortions risk having emotional problems. Here’s an excerpt: “Women may be at risk of mental health breakdowns if they have abortions, a medical royal college has warned. The Royal College of Psychiatrists says women should not be allowed to have an abortion until they are counselled on the possible risk to their mental health.
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Tim Keller at Berkeley and Stanford
Tim Keller is the pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, and he is one of the bright lights of evangelicalism today. We all could stand to learn a great deal from Keller about how to engage this generation with the gospel. Recently, Keller spoke at Stanford University and at Berkeley. The video of his two presentations is available online, and I recommend them to you. Not only are the presentations very well done, but the question and answer times are instructive as well. Keller fields questions from Christian students as well as from atheists and agnostics.
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Michael Horton on “The Pastor’s Visionâ€
If you are not a subscriber to Touchstone magazine, you should be. The March issue has an outstanding article by Michael Horton on what pastoral ministry ought to look like. Horton writes: ‘It used to be that the pastor had an office and worked in his study, but today the pastor has a job and works in his office. Whereas Peter organized the diaconal office so that the apostles could devote themselves to the Word and to prayer, ideal ministers seem increasingly to be managers, therapists, entertainers, and entrepreneurial businesspeople.
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Southern Baptists Go Green
Jonathan Merritt, an M.Div. student at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, has spearheaded an effort to raise the awareness of Southern Baptists concerning global climate change. The name of the effort is the “Southern Baptist Environment & Climate Initiative” (SBECI). The website for the effort has a declaration outlining SBECI’s beliefs about climate change and how Southern Baptists should respond to it. Several prominent Southern Baptist leaders have signed on to endorse the declaration, including two former SBC Presidents.