Here’s an interview with the “Fire Away!” podcast about Transforming Homosexuality.
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A theological earthquake with evangelicals caught flat-footed
Jonathan Merritt has published an interview that evangelicals would do well to take note of. In this piece for Religion News Service, Merritt talks to Mark Yarhouse and Megan DeFranza about their new books dealing with transgender and intersex respectively. Why is this interview important? The interview highlights two books that represent a massive revision of biblical anthropology. I finished reading Yarhouse’s book about a month ago, and I am reading DeFranza’s book now. And their revisions are not benign. They represent a theological earthquake that for some reason has yet to register on the evangelical Richter Scale. The ideas aren’t new, but I think their mainstreaming within the evangelical…
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Is Reparative Therapy a Valid Approach?
Reparative therapy has become quite the hot potato in our national conversation about homosexuality. It is a therapy that focuses on orientation change for homosexuals, and many people view it as the Christian approach to homosexuality. But is that true? Right now there are at least two perspectives on this question among conservative evangelicals. Some believe it is a valid aid in discipleship and sanctification. Others do not. Who is right?
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Want to alienate pro-life voters? Attack a candidate for being “too extreme” in his views on abortion.
The New York Times reports that the Super PAC supporting Governor Jeb Bush is thinking about running ads criticizing Senator Marco Rubio for his views on abortion: In an attempt to blunt Mr. Rubio’s appeal and showcase a potential vulnerability against the Democratic nominee in the general election, Mr. Murphy recently showed some Republicans a video portraying Mr. Rubio as too extreme on abortion. A longtime opponent of abortion rights, Mr. Rubio said in a debate in August that he had “never advocated” laws that would allow abortions, even in cases of rape or incest. In other words, the Bush Super PAC is considering running ads criticizing Rubio for not…
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Unjustified apoplexy over Ben Carson on “Morning Joe”
Let me begin what I am about to say with a couple caveats. First, I am not a supporter of Ben Carson’s bid for the GOP nomination. Not by a longshot. In fact, I think if he were the nominee, he would set the cause of conservatism back. Second, “Morning Joe” is one of my all-time favorite political programs. I listen to the commentary from Joe, Mika, and the others on a daily basis. It is a part of my daily routine that I really enjoy.
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Alan Chambers says “sin is irrelevant.” Is he right?
Alan Chambers has given another very troubling interview in which he declares that “sin is irrelevant” for Christians. Chambers is the former head of the now defunct Exodus International—an umbrella organization for a number of different ex-gay ministries that support reparative therapy. In recent years, Chambers has repudiated his former support of reparative therapy and has apologized to the gay community for his former work. Chambers’s remarks in this most recent interview are riddled with biblical and theological error, and I am not going to attempt a comprehensive response. But I do want to comment on two items:
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World Magazine responds to Ann Coulter’s Accusations
Last week I briefly noted an inflammatory article by Ann Coulter and made note of her failure to treat abortion and marriage as transcendent moral issues: If you don’t know why it matters where a candidate stands on abortion and gay marriage, don’t lecture those who do. https://t.co/xHvNMq8m9d — Denny Burk (@DennyBurk) October 30, 2015
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Matt Bevin’s family tragedy and strong Christian faith
Earlier this evening, the news broke that Matt Bevin was elected as the next governor of Kentucky. As that news rippled across the country, what may not have been as well known is Bevin’s fervent Christian faith and connection to Southern Seminary where I teach. Several years ago, Bevin endowed our school’s center for global missions. This came about as a result of a devastating family tragedy. You can hear Bevin share the story above in his own words, or you can read Aaron Hanbury’s 2012 report below. Don’t miss this one.
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Miami beats Duke on an impossible final play
If you missed the ending of the Miami vs. Duke game, you need to see this. With only six seconds left in the game and with only a three point lead, Duke kicks off to Miami. Miami does about eight Rugby laterals before running the ball in for a touchdown after time had expired. There are a lot of folks saying that the officials blew it on this play. They may be right. Still, this is one for the ages. The unlikely play is above. Miami’s interim head coach’s shocked response is below. The player who made the touchdown–Corn Elder–comments below that. Wow.
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Ross Douthat takes the Roman Catholic academy to the woodshed
Last Monday, a cadre of Roman Catholic theologians wrote a letter to the powers-that-be at The New York Times complaining about Ross Douthat’s unwashed views about Catholic theology. In particular, they were perturbed at Douthat’s remarks about marriage in the wake of the recent Synod on the Family. These theologians argued that a layman like Douthat had no business opining on things he is not credentialed to opine on. It was a snarky, elitist argument aimed at shaming the Times into silencing Douthat.