Karen Swallow Prior has a fascinating piece at TGC about the author of “In the Bleak Mid-Winter.” Her name is Christina Rossetti (1830–1894), and Prior writes that she was a woman of “deep Christian conviction.” Prior concludes: The paradox of Rossetti’s life is that her “spirit of self-postponement” produced some of the finest Christian poetry written—the gift of herself, given to her Savior and received by the world. I commend to you the rest of Prior’s essay, which you can read here. I also recommend two versions of the song that are staples around my house during this time of year. My favorite version is Shawn Colvin’s, and a close…
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Are liberals ready to live with the transgender revolution they’ve unleashed?
Carl Trueman writes about a 52-year old transgender man who is now identifying as transaged as well. Not only is Stefonknee Wolscht no longer identifying as a male of the species. He is also claiming to be a 6-year old. This is not a joke. This 52-year old man really claims that he is now a 6-year old little girl. Thus he is both transgender and transaged. The man’s picture looks like a gag from The Onion, but it’s not. It’s for real. Many transgender advocates have been complaining that this particular transgender person is trivializing the quest for transgender rights. And it is this complaint that Carl Trueman responds…
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The man who gave us “strategery” returns
The man who entered “strategery” into the American lexicon returned Saturday night to reprise his impression of President George W. Bush. Will Ferrell really lampoons the Republican field in this one. Hilarious.
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Ryan Anderson at The Atlantic’s inaugural LGBT forum
Last week, I watched Ryan Anderson’s interview at The Atlantic’s inaugural LGBT summit. It is fair to say that Ryan was in hostile territory in this appearance. He was the lone speaker to oppose gay marriage at a conference filled with gay marriage supporters. I think it was remarkable that they even included him on the program. Going forward, I expect conferences like this not to tolerate any arguments that contradict the new orthodoxy. Indeed, for the most part, that’s how things already are. This conference seems to be an outlier on this point. The interview was respectful, and I think Ryan was compelling. I doubt anyone in that audience…
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Christmas in Kentucky… Everywhere It’s Christmas
On his most recent Christmas album, Steven Curtis Chapman sings a song about returning to his hometown of Paducah, Kentucky for Christmas. One might expect a song like this one to be sappy nostalgia along the lines of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” or “Tennessee Christmas,” but it’s not. This is not the song of a child, but the song of a grown man who’s walked long enough with God to know that Christ came not just for folks like him but for the whole world. It’s the best news in the world. I love this song. In the video above, you can hear the song in its entirety as…
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All the Star Wars Trailers and Clips in One Video
This is the week. “The Force Awakens” is only days away. I’ve already got my ticket for the 8:10pm sneak preview on Thursday night, and I can’t wait to don my Greedo costume for the occasion (I hope Han doesn’t shoot me first, but I digress). Seriously though, if you’re like me and you’re about to come out of your skin waiting for the release, here’s a mashup of all the trailers and clips that have been released for “The Force Awakens.” It’s a thirteen minute fix, and it’s just what the doctor ordered for the home stretch. Nerd-out concluded.
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Undermining God’s saving purposes through Christ
Yesterday, the Vatican released a statement saying that the Roman Catholic Church should not engage in an “institutional mission work directed towards Jews.” Why? The statement is long—too lengthy to summarize here. But the gist of the argument goes like this. God has spoken to the Jews in the Old Testament. The Old Testament bears prophetic witness to Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World. We know from Paul that “the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable.” Therefore, whether they realize it or not, the Jews are saved by Christ.
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Duggars Return to TLC: “Jill and Jessa: Counting On”
From the YouTube description: “Here’s the extended sneak peek of Jill & Jessa: Counting On, premiering Sunday, December 13 at 8/7c on TLC.”
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Calvin College features gay alumni in school paper
Calvin College recently published an article featuring to gay alumni who were the first couple in the county to receive a legal gay marriage. An excerpt: Both Zach and Colby struggled with their identities while they were students. But they said they came to the conclusion that God does not desire for them to hide part of their identity at the cost of being a Christian. “It is often times thought of as a dichotomy — that you can’t be gay and Christian at same time.” Colby said. “God takes precedence in both of our lives … and so trying to reconcile homosexuality and engagement in the homosexual community, which…
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“Giving away the store” on same-sex attraction?
On Thursday, The Gospel Coalition posted an excerpt from Ed Shaw’s new book Same-Sex Attraction and the Church: The Surprising Plausibility of the Celibate Life. Yesterday, Doug Wilson took issue with the excerpt, saying that it “gives away the store” on the issue of same-sex attraction. Wilson writes, The upshot of the article is that Christian parents should care about whether or not their children grow up to be godly, and that they really ought not to care — provided the godliness is there — whether or not their children grow up to have same sex attraction. This is presented so smoothly, in an evangelical cliche sort of way, that…