Earlier today, both President Obama and former President Bush offered eulogies at the memorial service for five Dallas police officers. You can watch President Bush’s remarks above and President Obama’s below. I think these words from President Bush stand out:
-
-
Dallas Police Chief: “We’re asking cops to do too much”
Dallas police chief David Brown held a candid press conference yesterday. The video above is a remarkable excerpt in which he says: I’m a person of faith. I believe [the fact that] I’m able to stand here and discuss this with you is a testament to God’s grace and his sweet tender mercy. Just to be quite honest with you… We’re asking cops to do too much in this country. We are. We’re just asking us to do too much. Every societal failure, we put it off on the cops to solve. Not enough mental health funding? Let the cops handle it. Not enough drug addiction funding? Let’s give it…
-
Senator Ben Sasse, a lone voice of moral clarity
Among congressional Republicans, Senator Ben Sasse is standing almost alone against his party’s presumptive nominee Donald Trump. Sasse has consistently been one of the few clear voices throughout the dumpster fire known as the 2016 presidential election. Earlier this evening, Senator Sasse posted an open-letter to American voters. He argues that it is wrong to vote simply for the lesser of two evils. Too much is at stake in this election. He writes: To be clear, I have a strong desire for a candidate who is a conservative. But this is more foundational than mere policy differences right now. More important are the virtue of the individual who would serve…
-
Obama supporter has buyer’s remorse over gender policy
Justin Giboney has a remarkable opinion piece at Christianity Today that I missed at the end of May. Giboney is an ardent supporter of President Obama, but he says that it was a mistake not to oppose President Obama’s views on transgenderism. Here’s an excerpt: We happily manned the front lines as Obama fought for the poor and underserved. We held our noses when he championed policy contrary to our beliefs. The unspoken, but understood call was to stand down lest we undermine our brother and empower his enemies. And stand down we did, submitting to the Obama Effect. When Louie Giglio “withdrew” from events in Washington for having the…
-
Let your forbearing spirit be known to all men
“Walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing forbearance to one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” -Ephesians 4:1-3 “Let your forbearing spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near.” -Philippians 4:5 Obviously, we are all rightly grieved and horrified by the events of the last three days. I know I am. It feels like our nation is coming apart at the seams, and there is much sorrow and bewilderment. Everyone is on edge. Emotions are frayed. And it is easy for our…
-
It is risky to pray for justice, but we should do it anyway.
I’m thinking about Habakkuk today, an Old Testament prophet who had the audacity to ask God for justice. Habakkuk took a long hard look at systemic injustice in Israel—social division, violence, oppression. His depiction of the nation is one of total moral and social upheaval: “The law is ignored and justice is never upheld” (Hab. 1:4). Because justice has become so “perverted,” Habakkuk cries out to Yahweh for help. If Habakkuk teaches us anything, he teaches us that it is good and right to pray for justice. But he also teaches us something else. Praying for justice is risky precisely because God might answer our prayer. Habakkuk didn’t realize just…
-
Ware, Grudem, Sanders, Erickson, Giles to come together to talk about the Trinity
A draft of the annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society has been released. As many of you know, the theme of this year’s conference is “The Trinity,” which is such a smiling providence given the heat of current controversy. I won’t summarize the whole program here, but I will say that it looks really good. Among the highlights, there will be a parallel session featuring Bruce Ware, Wayne Grudem, Millard Erickson, and Kevin Giles: Millard J. Erickson, “Language, Logic, and Trinity: An Analysis of Recent Subordination Arguments” Bruce A Ware, “The Nature of the Priority of the Father within the Trinity: Biblical Basis and Importance” Wayne Grudem, “Why a…
-
The Golden Rule of Theological Polemics
The video below is not new, but it is relevant. Among the profitable things in it, these men remind us how the ninth commandment must inform theological polemics. “You shall not bear false witness” means that you must represent your opponent’s view accurately. It also means that you must not confuse your opponent’s view with an alleged entailment of his view. You can warn about a potential entailment of his view, but you cannot legitimately accuse your opponent of holding the alleged entailment if he explicitly rejects it.
-
When free men shall stand…
It is hard to imagine that July 4, 1776 was anything but bittersweet for the men who signed the Declaration. They knew the principles they were standing for, and they knew what it would cost them to stand: “With a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.” It would cost them all of that and more. On July 4, 2016, two-hundred and forty years hence, we find ourselves at another bittersweet moment. Our nation desperately needs leaders and statesmen to stand for principle and to be willing to do so at great personal cost. Where…
-
A showstopper at the Lincoln Memorial
A couple of weeks ago, tourist G. Star Swain belted out an impromptu performance of the national anthem at the Lincoln Memorial. Bottom line. She can flat out sing. And this is one of those renditions that gives you goose bumps. Her friend videoed the whole thing, and it has now gone viral. It has even been covered on news broadcasts by more than one network. Watch the performance above. See the coverage below.