Production Notes

Christianity.com

2009-01-02T06:19:00.001-08:00

Production Notes has moved to Christianity.com. Would love to have you visit!

Back Blogging

2008-07-09T10:47:00.002-07:00

Blogging is a good exercise in writing, especially if you try and keep it to 22 words. A worthy goal, indeed.

Beyond The News

2007-05-15T09:07:00.000-07:00

I have changed my home for blogging for a time. If you've enjoyed visiting Production Notes over the years, please visit beyondthenews.com.

Thanks for checking in,
Mike

Obama's Father in the Faith?

2007-04-30T16:15:00.000-07:00

Writing for the New York Times, Jodi Kantor discusses Barack Obama's controversial relationship to his pastor, Rev. Jermiah A. Wright Jr. of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. Kantor begins:

Twenty years ago at Trinity, Mr. Obama, then a community organizer in poor Chicago neighborhoods, found the African-American community he had sought all his life, along with professional credibility as a community organizer and an education in how to inspire followers. He had sampled various faiths but adopted none until he met Mr. Wright, a dynamic pastor who preached Afrocentric theology, dabbled in radical politics and delivered music-and-profanity-spiked sermons.

As Obama continues to gain traction in his national campaign it seems right that the public know more about the man whom Obama has considered his pastor for the last twenty years. Does the good reverend have convictions about Christianity and the country that should give Americans pause when considering an Obama presidency or vice-presidency?

Apparently Obama is at least a bit concerned about his long-time association with Wright. According to the article, Obama cancelled a planned speaking engagement in March at a celebration of Wright's ministry in Chicago. And Wright is quoted as saying, “If Barack gets past the primary, he might have to publicly distance himself from me.” Both parties seem to agree that Obama's hopes for the White House are hindered if he is tied too closely to Rev. Wright. The question is, why?

Perhaps it has to do with Wright's liberation theology and "assertions of widespread white racism." Or his profanity laced sermons. Or, perhaps, it is Wright's anti-Americanism--what Kantor calls "his scorching remarks about American government"--heard in rhetorical questions like, “Which country do you think poses the greatest threat to global peace: Iraq or the U.S.?”

It would be unreasonable to think that after twenty years of sitting under Rev. Wright's teaching that Obama would not be significantly influenced. This is a relationship Americans need to probe--we are talking about the presidency of the United States. Meanwhile, watch closely as Obama tries to distance himself more and more from Rev. Wright. However, this won't be easy as Kantor concludes: "It is hard to imagine, though, how Mr. Obama can truly distance himself from Mr. Wright."

Being John Shelby Spong

2007-04-25T11:43:00.000-07:00

Your own personal jesus
Someone to hear your prayers
Someone who cares
(Depeche Mode, 1989)

John Shelby Spong is living like it's 1989. According to Jason Lee Steorts at National Review, Spong's new book, Jesus for the Non-Religious, is a tribute to a "nontheistic God." Steorts explains:

The “theistic definition of God” is dead, he says. What he means is that he does not believe — and does not think anyone else should believe — in “a being, supernatural in power, dwelling outside this world and able to invade the world in miraculous ways to bless, to punish, to accomplish the divine will, to answer prayers and to come to the aid of frail, powerless human beings.” Our goal should be to “separate God understood theistically from the experience of God that we claim for Jesus.”

What does Spong's "personal Jesus" leave believers with? Steorts concludes: "So the nontheistic God is mute. It can say nothing about how we should live. Worse, it can say nothing about how we should die."

Fortunately, the 80s did not just give us Depeche Mode and their "Personal Jesus." The 80s also gave us Francis Shaeffer's work, He is There and He is Not Silent--a powerful antidote to Spong's muted, nontheistic God.

The Culture of Death Meets the Culture of Life

2007-04-24T10:51:00.000-07:00

Writing for Newsweek magazine Ilene Jaroslaw laments the recent SCOTUS decision against partial-birth abortion. Ms. Jaroslaw, a mother of three, argues that "today the hard work of repealing the federal abortion ban must begin." For Jaroslaw the 5-4 decision last week was "a giant step backward" for modern women:

Last Wednesday was a dark day for women, and for the men in their lives who care about the health, autonomy, freedom and equality of women in 21st-century America. The high court took a giant step backward when it upheld the federal abortion ban, sweeping aside decades of its own constitutional precedent protecting women's health, in favor of ideology.

In contrast to a worldview that embraces the culture of death, Albert Mohler sees the decision as a victory for the culture of life:

April 18, 2007 will go down in history as a landmark day in the struggle to recover human dignity and the sanctity of human life. This ruling is an important step toward that recovery -- and we still have a very long way to go. There is reason to believe that this decision may be even more important than might first appear. After all, the majority opinion does recognize that for many citizens, any abortion is "a procedure laden with the power to devalue human life."

It is an indication of where we are as a culture when Newsweek publishes an op-ed with the aim of rallying people to begin "the hard work of repealing the federal abortion ban"--a ban that preserves life.

Support the Troops and Their Families

2007-04-20T15:07:00.000-07:00

In case you haven't seen this yet:

Is America Becoming "Numb" to Tragedy?

2007-04-19T13:46:00.000-07:00

Perhaps, according to Daniel Henninger at the Wall Street Journal. In his important column today Henninger observes how different the reaction to the Virginia Tech massacre has been to other recent tragedies. He notes a distinct "clinicalness" to the response, describing the media coverage as "almost literally forensic."

What accounts for this?

While the grief death visits on individuals remains an emotionally devastating event, it may be that as a nation we've reached tilt with tragedy. "Tilt" is the famous metaphor drawn from the old pinball machines, which shut down if one banged on them too hard. Pinballs could survive plenty of random shocks to the system. But there were limits. Of late, we have been banged on hard.

Henninger considers the role the suicide bombers in Iraq have played in the "numbing down" of our sensibilities to tragedy:

As an extension of its determination to be even-handed, contemporary journalism has attempted to impart not only the politics of war but also its human cost. It will be interesting, years hence, when histories of this war's journalism are written, as with Vietnam, to discover the basis of the news judgment that placed the suicide bombers' work at the top of the news pyramid. Almost any normal reader who consumed these accounts as often as the suicide bombers staged them would eventually pull back emotionally from the bombings, and from the war itself.

This has had the expectable result of producing what one might call the numbing down of America. Setting aside support for or opposition to the war, the muting of the emotional pathways of the American people is a neutral event, a normal defense against the killings of the suicide bombers, or the crude murders of Cho Seung-Hui.

Hennigner's conclusion:

We are far from the events in Virginia. But we have been putting emotional distance, in stages, between ourselves and the Blacksburgs for some time. An event such as the mass murder in Blacksburg will always elicit sympathy and a coming together of what each speaker at its memorial service called "community." The pain of individual families closest to such death can never diminish or be diminished. Still, we may be passing through a period, as Europe did after World War I, when people became hollowed out by repetitive exposure to violence and death--real or manufactured. No one should be surprised if our shell-shocked population is reluctant any time soon to revisit the experience outside the realm of friends and family.

Henninger is on to something here. There does appear to be a distinct "numbness" to tragedy in the populace today given the litany of horrific events in the culture just since 9/11. However, another explanation for the lack of national hysteria around the Virginia Tech massacre could be the sober response of the surviving victims and their families.

I am amazed at the several interviews I've heard of students and parents discussing calmly--with words that seem to reflect Christian faith--the event. Several of the people interviewed have displayed a resolute calm in the face of this horrendous adversity, combined with a deep gratitude for the preservation of life. In fact, some of the reporters seem almost surprised at the measured responses from those interviewed.

Perhaps we're not becoming so much "numb" to tragedy, but more realistic about its prevalence in a fallen world. With this changing dynamic in the culture, Christians must be ready to give a reason for the hope that is in them.

Four Justices for Infanticide

2007-04-18T14:51:00.000-07:00

NRO on the dissenters in today's SCOTUS decision regarding partial birth abortion:

Four justices on the Supreme Court have accepted all the premises for a constitutional right to infanticide. They lack only the nerve to take their reasoning to its logical conclusion.

Read the whole editorial.

Partial Progress in Abortion Debate

2007-04-18T08:28:00.000-07:00

The Supreme Court today upheld with a 5-4 decision the ban on the barbaric procedure known as partial birth abortion. This is good news for those of us who long to see abortion abolished at all stages of pregnancy.

[Almost] unbelievably, Justice Ginsberg wrote in dissent: "Today's decision is alarming."

I find it most encouraging.

John Bolton for President?

2007-04-17T17:02:00.000-07:00

Andrew Sullivan would never have it! This is Sullivan's set-up to an interview Bolton did with the BBC:

What staggers me about this clip is Bolton's point-blank view that the US had no responsibility to impose order after the invasion, and no responsibility for security within the country. Bolton actually says that the only error Bush really made was not giving the Iraqis "a copy of the Federalist papers and saying, 'Good luck.'" Yes, he says he's exaggerating for effect, but he is conveying the gist of the policy. The casual recklessness and arrogance of these people never cease to amaze. The world is theirs' to play with - and the victims of predictable and predicted violence are left to help themselves.

Check out the entire post and interview with Bolton at The Daily Dish.

In a post-9/11 world it's tempting to want to embrace Bolton's "Federalist Papers and Good Luck" foreign policy. Of course, it may just create far more problems than one nation can handle.

[HT: GG]

It's Good to Laugh

2007-04-17T15:05:00.000-07:00

With all the difficult news of late coming out of Virginia, it was wonderful to see this video of Thomas learning to ride a bike. (Not sure how the family tree works on this one: Thomas is Julia's cousin's son.)

The "Thighmaster Paradox"

2007-04-13T10:26:00.000-07:00

Writing for the Wall Street Journal, Rob Long details the "Thighmaster Paradox": "Watching people do things on TV--fight it out on a desert island, say, or sweat themselves into shapelier thighs--often replaces the need to do those things ourselves."

Long applies this theory to charity "reality TV" shows like ABC's hugely successful "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition":

There is reason to believe the Thighmaster Paradox will apply just as much to a new round of shows, in which we're supposed to watch nice people doing nice things. It started with ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" in which a family--often parentless--struck hard by bad luck, weather, medical bills or something else suitably Dickensian, is suddenly beset by remodeling do-gooders who swarm around their house, fixing it up, upgrading the appliances, and showering the family with gifts and cash and the camera's attention. Basically it's the last scene in "A Christmas Carol"--but just the spray of food, stuff and good cheer, without all of the tiresome character development and fear of damnation. In the "Extreme Makeover" universe, Ebenezer Scrooge has been replaced by generous product-placement sponsors such as Home Depot and Sears, and the rest of us are blubbery Tiny Tims.

As Long contends, "it's hard not to watch a whole hour of "Extreme Makeover" without getting a slightly lumpy throat." But does watching "Extreme Makeover" actually make the vast majority of its viewers get up off the couch and help a family in need? Probably not, according to Long. In fact, he argues that television is not the best medium to motivate action, because people end up feeling like they did a good thing by emotionally engaging in the show. It's charity by proxy.

Long concludes:

Only a fool would bet against the success of these shows. Oprah did not get immensely rich by accident. She knows what people like to watch. More important, she knows what people like to feel when they watch. We want to feel good, about ourselves and our neighbors. We want to feel good about the power of a remodeled kitchen.

Mostly, though, we want to watch. Actual, real charity work--as opposed to actual, reality-television charity work--involves a certain amount of bleakness, the risk of an unhappy ending, an occasional lack of gratitude from the recipient, uncomfortable encounters with poor hygiene and a lot of guilt. In other words, a lot of things that would make for a really terrible television show.

Watching TV is so splendidly idle and so marvelously anesthetizing--ask any advertiser--that it's the wrong place to issue a call to action but a great place to issue a call to Domino's. Oprah has publicly declared that what she wants to do is inspire people to give more of their money and time, but that's a tough thing to accomplish. In order to pick up a hammer, you first have to put down the universal remote.

Now if only Ty and the gang would come remodel my home.

Unhelpful Podhoretz

2007-04-12T11:49:00.000-07:00

John Podhoretz is a bright guy. So why does he write like this at The Corner? (N.B. his description of Al Sharpton, ironically, in the context of blasting Imus.)

Satirists should be outrageous. If they're not, they're not satirists. Stern is a satirist (and so is Rush Limbaugh). Imus is just a loudmouthed grouch who hates everybody and picks on the worst possible reason to hate whomever he's hating at that moment.

But as my item poking fun at Ana Marie Cox yesterday indicated, it's hard to know what to make of certain people who traffic in shamelessness joining in a self-righteous effort to silence someone for saying something appalling. For Al Sharpton, a rampantly infectious venereal disease that masquerades as a man, to lead the charge against anyone for poor behavior ought to be enough to give everyone at least a moment's pause.

Can this be at all helpful?

Podhoretz (and all conservatives) should do better. Unless, of course, Podhoretz now considers himself a mere satirist.

That's What Friends Are For

2007-04-12T11:06:00.000-07:00

I must be feeling a bit sentimental today. Here's part of an e-mail exchange I had early this morning with a dear friend from high school that I had fallen out of touch with until recently:

It's funny how it chokes me up a little bit thinking about the old days and the wonderful lives we have been blessed with. As a matter of fact, I have a precious little gift on my lap as I type this. She is eating cheerios and giving kisses. Today is already great. Chat with you soon.

It must have been his 14-month-old daughter Anna on his lap.

Yes, today is already great.

"Power to the People!"

2007-04-12T10:47:00.000-07:00

At the Reagan Library.

(Unfortunately you can't see my wife to Laura's right. Julia cropped the pic.)

Katie Couric and Plagiarism

2007-04-11T09:35:00.000-07:00

Katie Couric meet Stephen Glass, Jayson Blair, James Frey...The moral to this Newsweek story: do your own work.

The Ghost of Tom Daschle

2007-04-10T14:35:00.000-07:00

Newsweek's Howard Fineman details "Obama's Secret Weapon": Tom Daschle.

America: Materially Prosperous but Culturally Decadent?

2007-04-09T16:20:00.000-07:00

Yes, according to Dinesh D'Souza at Townhall.com. In his important essay, "It's the Culture, Stupid," D'Souza argues that mainstream Muslims are increasingly seeing America's cultural decadence as a threat to their traditional values:

There is a cultural blowback against America that is coming from all the traditional cultures of Africa, South America, the Middle East, and Asia. This resistance is summed up in a slogan often used by Singapore's former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew: "Modernization without Westernization." What this means is that traditional cultures want prosperity and technology, but they don't want the values of American culture. The Islamic radicals are the most extreme and politically-mobilized segment of this global resistance, and they are recruiting innumerable ordinary Muslims to their proclaimed jihad against the values represented by America.

Interestingly, D'Souza sees the American "left" as the primary culprit:

Anti-Americanism comes in different varieties. Speak to Europeans who dislike the United States, and they point to what they see as the evils of conservative America: a shoot-first, ask-questions-later cowboy in the White House, Bible-toting fundamentalists walking around the corridors of power. Speak to Muslims who are hostile to America, however, and the typical complaint is very different. Many Muslims point to what they view as the horrors of liberal America: homosexual marriage, family breakdown, and a popular culture that is trivial, materialistic, vulgar, and in many cases morally repulsive. So while many secular Europeans abhor "red America," many religious Muslims dislike and fear "blue America."

Isn't that ironic?

"A Midwest Guy From Iowa"

2007-04-09T15:32:00.000-07:00

Zach Johnson winning the Masters is a great story. The Des Moines Register has a good quote by a local golf pro, Ken Schall:

"Zach is an Iowa boy connected to his roots," Schall said. "He has a real strong faith. And obviously family is important to him. Those are the types of things us Iowans believe in."

Given all the family I have in and from Iowa, I agree with Schall and tip my hat to Johnson.

The Boston Globe and Regent University School of Law

2007-04-09T15:27:00.000-07:00

The Boston Globe profiles Regent University School of Law. Only at the end of the article does the author suggest that perhaps not all the dumbest law students go to Regent.

"American Idol" and Hanging Chads

2007-04-04T18:42:00.000-07:00

What possible relationship could "American Idol" and the Florida recount during the 2000 presidential election have?

The New York Times suggests that what is driving the obsession with “American Idol” voting (and all Internet voting exercises) is a “displacement ritual: a psychological release that allows people to vote—and even vote often—in a contest that has no dangerous or even lasting consequences.” And, of course, this “displacement ritual” is practiced because voters felt cheated in the 2000 presidential election.

This is a stretch even for the New York Times.

Nothing But America's Finest at Yale

2007-04-04T11:10:00.000-07:00

The Associated Press reports that "Three Yale Students Charged With Burning American Flag." Not surprisingly, the students are not of Scandinavian descent.

Third Man to Walk on Water

2007-04-03T14:50:00.000-07:00

First there was Jesus, then Peter and now this guy.

[HT: DS]

The Truth About Islam

2007-04-03T14:05:00.000-07:00

In today's Wall Street Journal Tawfik Hamid sets out "The Trouble with Islam." He argues that at the core of mainstream Islam "something is fundamentally wrong":

It is vital to grasp that traditional and even mainstream Islamic teaching accepts and promotes violence. Shariah, for example, allows apostates to be killed, permits beating women to discipline them, seeks to subjugate non-Muslims to Islam as dhimmis and justifies declaring war to do so. It exhorts good Muslims to exterminate the Jews before the "end of days." The near deafening silence of the Muslim majority against these barbaric practices is evidence enough that there is something fundamentally wrong.

This, it seems, is what so few politicians today recognize--or at least are reluctant to admit. Do you think Nancy Pelosi has this understanding in mind as she visits Syria this week?

Campaigning for the Right to Kill

2007-03-31T14:39:00.000-07:00

While I know this is not new in many places around the world--the United States in particular--I was saddened and angered afresh when I read this morning of the campaigning going on in Mexico City for the right to kill the unborn. Tragic.

More Than The Roof Is On Fire

2007-03-31T14:01:00.000-07:00

CBS reports that two teens have admitted setting a Hollywood blaze scorching over 150 acres.

Fortunately Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is on record as saying the two boys (16,17) were "old enough to know what they were doing." Let's just hope the California justice system is wise enough to know what they should do.

Compare the conduct of these two teenage pyromaniacs to the teenagers that started Cellphones for Soldiers (see below).

[Photo: Associated Press]

Bong Hits for Suburbia

2007-03-30T10:45:00.000-07:00

In wealthy suburbs of Los Angeles authorities are finding “pot homes” where the whole residence is turned into a marijuana factory. In one community alone an estimated $22 million in marijuana plants has been confiscated.

According to the article, neighbors are surprised when they learn that no one was really living down the street from them but instead every room was filled with pot plants.

How have our communities become so impersonal that we don't even realize pot farms are sprouting up in living rooms next door?

A Call to Duty: Teenagers Show the Way

2007-03-29T11:45:00.000-07:00

Two teenagers raise $1 million for phone cards for American soldiers overseas. This is a great story and an encouragement to us all to think of creative ways to support our troops.

Check out the Web site cellphonesforsoldiers.com.

More Iranian Defiance

2007-03-28T17:32:00.000-07:00

What's Iran's deal with taking hostages? This latest act of aggression against Britain, combined with the defiant rhetoric of Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, makes for an incredibly volatile situation.

Amazingly, but perhaps not surprisingly, the latest NYT report on this quickly escalating situation fails to frame it in any kind of historical perspective. In fact, Ahmadinejad is not even mentioned in the article. Would the NYT have us believe that the capturing of 15 Royal Navy sailors and refusing to release them in the face of official protests from Britain is just an isolated incident?

Context matters.

Fury as "Fashion Accessory"?

2007-03-27T09:30:00.001-07:00

George Will's blood is boiling. Why? Because today "Anger is All the Rage." Writing for the Washington Post, Will notes the prevalence of anger in America today at all levels: in the Whole Foods Market parking lot when organic loving, Volvo (and Prius) owning customers jockey for a place to park; on cable news networks with pundits on both sides of the aisle throwing verbal bombs across the table; in Congress; in magazines and, of course, in the blogosphere where editorial oversight is rarely found beyond the blogger's keyboard.

Anger is as old as the human race. So to protest the prevalence of anger is nothing new. What is new is the way rage is viewed in our culture: "But now there is a new style in anger--fury as a fashion accessory, indignation as evidence of good character."

Will goes on to consider how anger's spread is uniquely suited to the American experience:

No wonder Americans are infatuated with anger: It is democratic. Anyone can express it, and it is one of the seven deadly sins, which means it is a universal susceptibility. So in this age that is proud of having achieved "the repeal of reticence," anger exhibitionism is pandemic.

This, of course, is not how it has always been in America:

Once upon a time, Americans admired models of self-control, people such as George Washington and Jackie Robinson, who mastered their anger rather than relishing being mastered by it. America's fictional heroes could be angry, but theirs was a reluctant anger -- Alan Ladd as the gunfighter in "Shane," Gary Cooper as the marshal in "High Noon." Today, however, proclaimed anger -- the more vituperative the better -- is regarded as a sign of good character and emotional vitality.

There is a place for anger in our fallen world today. That is, there is something to be said for "righteous indignation" in a world filled with unrighteousness. However, when anger is elicited from the loss of a parking space forcing you to go three stalls down, then justified anger looses its power. We need much more "reluctant anger" today.

No Points for Originality

2007-03-26T16:43:00.000-07:00

As Crosswalk.com reports, the Hollywood Prayer Network wants you to stop boycotting Hollywood and start praying for "the most influential zip code" in America. Specifically:

The campaign asks people to 1) Pray that the Christians working in Hollywood would be ambassadors of beauty, truth and grace. 2) Pray that Christians around the globe will embrace 90028 as a mission field and 3) Pray that celebrities and decision makers will come to know how high and long and wide and deep is Christ’s love for them.

Look, I think it's great to try and persuade Christians to pray for Hollywood. But couldn't the Hollywood Prayer Network have thought of something a little more original than yet another wristband campaign?

Then, again, it does seem appropriate that they would use something as trite and overused as a colored wristband--this is Hollywood after all.

Victor Davis Hanson On Iraq

2007-03-26T16:13:00.000-07:00

Victor Davis Hanson has an important piece in yesterday's Dallas Morning News. In "Backtracking from Baghdad: How Did We Get Here?" Hanson outlines five reasons why the war in Iraq has been "orphaned" by both Congress and the American public, and then concludes on this optimistic note:

But if we have an orphaned war that is dubbed lost, it nevertheless can still be won. The U.S. military alone, in the very little remaining time of this spring and summer, can give Iraqis the necessary window of security and confidence to govern and protect themselves and thereby to allow the donors, peacekeepers, compromises and conferences to follow.

If Gen. David Petraeus can bring a quiet to Baghdad, then all the contradictions, mistakes, cheap rhetoric and politicking of the bleak past will mean nothing in a brighter future.

Here's hoping for that "brighter future" for Iraq and, as a consequence, for the rest of the civilized world.

It's a Strange, Strange World

2007-03-26T14:03:00.000-07:00

Gay British Men Pay Fertility Clinic £33,000 For Designer Babies

(Headline in Sunday's Times of London)

"The Secret" is a Lie

2007-03-24T11:48:00.000-07:00

Don Whitney has an excellent review of Rhonda Byrne's The Secret. Thanks to Oprah, this book (and DVD) have become an international phenomenon. Tragic.

Here's Whitney's bottom-line:

The problem with The Secret is that it focuses our hope selfward and not Godward. It is all about self-empowerment, self-fulfillment, and getting whatever we want. But Jesus warned, "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?" (Matthew 16:26). The Secret disregards the fact that God has a Law and we have broken it (James 2:10). What Byrne fails to realize about her law of attraction is that our sinful hearts deceive us (Jeremiah 17:9) and attract not only more sin and guilt, but ultimately, the wrath of God.

Check out this brief introduction to The Secret. This must be a joke, right?

Is Your Pastor "Locked In"?

2007-03-23T09:17:00.000-07:00

CT reports on the future direction of the Passion conferences. One of the most important characteristics of these conferences is that the teachers have "the look":

Giglio gives them a theme passage from Scripture but does not tell Moore or Piper what to teach. Yet they wouldn't be invited if they didn't share Giglio's vision to push the supremacy of God to the forefront. And Giglio does require one intangible from Passion's speakers—"the look."

"College kids have a sixth sense," Giglio said. "They buy stuff based not on what they hear but what they see. They're looking in our eyes long before they're listening to what we have to say. They're looking for some validation in our eyes: 'Are you really locked into what you're saying?'"

Piper and Moore have the look. As a result, they can get away with delivering hard teaching. They don't labor for new ways to reach a postmodern generation. They just deliver sharp challenges drawn from God's Word. Who would think a generation raised on self-esteem would turn out again and again to hear "God is big, and you are not"?

"We're the generation who likes things raw and uncut and really in-your-face," Taylor Dodgen explained to me. "It's almost like reverse psychology. [Piper's] not doing it for shock value, but he almost elicits that same response. He's saying the gospel without any sort of sugar-coating, with very few illustrations, and it's hitting home."

How strong would today's church be if all teachers and preachers of God's Word were "locked in" to the truth of what they are proclaiming?

The evangelical community should expect this of all its leaders. Anything less is better suited for a career in sales.

"True Love Revolution" at Harvard?

2007-03-22T12:04:00.000-07:00

Harvard Club Promotes Abstinence. Pretty smart for an Ivy League school.

Thus Saith the Lord

2007-03-22T11:31:00.000-07:00

John Piper on how God speaks. (N.B. his interaction with a recent CT article toward the end.)

[HT:Between Two Worlds]

Slate on "Hillary 1984"

2007-03-22T10:23:00.000-07:00

Jimmy Carter and Mormonism

2007-03-22T09:56:00.001-07:00

Former President Jimmy Carter was asked in an interview by Lisa Miller of Newsweek whether he thought Mormons were Christians. Here's the excerpt:

Do you think a Mormon is a Christian?
Yes, I do. I have a cousin who is a Mormon and she married one of the Marriott family. I don’t know anyone who’s more devout in their faith than she and her family. I admire them very much.

Of course, by Carter's definition it appears that anyone "devout" in their religion would qualify as a Christian. Are devout Hindus, Muslims, Jews and Buddhists Christians as well?

This is what happens when the validity of a religion is not based on doctrine, but on devotion.

But this Newsweek interview raises a timely question: Should Mormons be considered Christians? Why or why not?

Tempted?

2007-03-20T13:35:00.000-07:00

David Reinhard (a conservative editor at The Oregonian) wrote an important article on the Giuliani candidacy entitled "The Giuliani Temptation." His advice for social conservatives is to "take a cold shower" and not settle on Giuliani too soon.

Reinhard poses some serious questions:

Are social conservatives ready to shortchange stands they've championed for decades because of Giuliani's 9/11 performance or poll numbers? Or a few promising words or winks? What makes social conservative leaders so sure he will live up to his part of any deal after he's won the nomination or White House? Or that the party's pro-life, traditional-values base will stick with an abortion-rights, gay-rights standard bearer? Are post-2006 social conservatives so keen on winning that they'll sign on with a candidate who opposes them on key cultural issues? What would a Giuliani candidacy do to the GOP's largely successful "brand"?

Read the whole article here.

'Christianity Today,' Francis Schaeffer and Learning to Cry

2007-03-20T09:50:00.000-07:00

It takes more than tears.

The Age of 'Intensive Mothering'

2007-03-20T09:43:00.001-07:00

The Washington Post runs a story today highlighting a new study showing that moms are spending more time with their children than any other time in recent history:

But for all the rush of modern life, recent research suggests that mothers are actually doing a better job than they may think, at least by historical standards.

According to a University of Maryland study, today's mothers spend more hours focused on their children than their own mothers did 40 years ago, often imagined as the golden era of June Cleaver, television's ever-cheerful, cookie-baking mom.

In 1965, mothers spent 10.2 hours a week tending primarily to their children -- feeding them, reading with them or playing games, for example -- according to the study's analysis of detailed time diaries kept by thousands of Americans. That number dipped in the 1970s and 1980s, rose in the 1990s and now is higher than ever, at nearly 14.1 hours a week.

According to the article, parents are feeling an increased burden to help their children succeed in the world so mothers (and fathers) are more intentional about investing in their kids:

Now, said Sharon Hays, of the University of Southern California, women -- especially those in the middle and upper-middle class -- feel that to be good mothers they need to be experts on child development and spend more and more time interacting with their children. Hays, who wrote a book on the subject, calls this "the culture of intensive mothering."

This is a trend that can only be good for kids.

Update: More good news for kids: "Fathers Are No Longer Glued To Their Recliners" (WP)

This Is The One

2007-03-19T17:45:00.001-07:00

Thanks to iTunes I was able to add to my music library one of the great 80s albums of all time: the self-titled 1989 release by The Stone Roses.

I lost the tape a long time ago...

Holding Out For A Hero?

2007-03-19T14:56:00.000-07:00

Bonnie Tyler sang about it in 1984:

I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night
He's gotta be strong
And he's gotta be fast
And he's gotta be fresh from the fight
I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light
He's gotta be sure
And it's gotta be soon
And he's gotta be larger than life

Now it appears that women continue to sing these lyrics by flocking to see '300'. While the Los Angeles Times acknowledges that 60% of the viewers are male, apparently the 40% that are female are going because they're drawn (at least in part) to the heroism of the men:

Although the audience for "300" has been estimated at 60% male, women are flocking to the film as well. Hunky star Gerard Butler, whose cult following took off with 2004's "The Phantom of the Opera," is one reason, along with the film's heroic theme, female moviegoers say.

Robin Ruinsky, 49, a magazine writer from New York's Long Island who said she had seen the movie twice and planned to go again, said of Butler: "A lot of women I know are crazy about this guy. Some think he's a great actor and some are just gaga."

Suzanne Packard, 40, a health club assistant manager in suburban Baltimore, said the story of heroic sacrifice roused emotions in a manner similar to "Braveheart" and "Gladiator."

"These guys were resolute. They knew they weren't going to come back but they did what they had to do and they didn't complain," said Packard, who also had seen the film twice. "That speaks to women."

Could it be that many women today are "holding out for a hero" at the movie theatre because they don't see any real heroes at home?

(Check out the trailer to '300' here.)

Was it Really Unauthorized?

2007-03-18T21:54:00.000-07:00

For the story behind the 'Hillary 1984' video, go here (see previous post).

Big Brother Hillary?

2007-03-18T21:52:00.001-07:00

This apparently unauthorized 'attack' ad against Hillary Clinton is a must-see. Great production piece.

The campaign for '08 is going to be fun.

A Window Into 'March Madness'

2007-03-16T16:43:00.000-07:00

Steve Moore is a huge fan of the NCAA tournament. His column is a must read for the true fan or for those wanting a better understanding of the hype.

On Khalid Shaikh Mohammed

2007-03-16T11:09:00.000-07:00

The Los Angeles Times actually seems to get it. A sample from one of today's editorials:

Whether you call it militant Islam, Islamic fascism or a clash of civilizations, there is a movement that has declared war on the U.S. and the West. It is neither a figment of President Bush's imagination nor a byproduct of the Iraq war. Americans disagree about how to engage that enemy, but its existence is undeniable. So is the willingness of its adherents to kill — and die — for the cause. The passage of time since 9/11 may have dulled our appreciation of that reality, especially as partisan bickering consumes Washington. By confessing — and boasting about — his crimes, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed has sharpened it.

Duke Blues

2007-03-16T09:34:00.000-07:00

Nice.

In case you missed it, watch it here.

Lenny Bruce Is Not Afraid

2007-03-15T16:58:00.001-07:00

I love reading David Pogue's technology blog at the New York Times and watching his informative and entertaining video podcasts. (His work on the new iPhone was excellent!)

However, in one of his latest posts, Pogue speaks with great admiration for the recent Technology, Entertainment and Design conference. Here's part of his account of this 4-day event dedicated, as far as I can tell, to proclaiming the inevitable end of the world:

Last week, I attended my second TED conference, which stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design. During the four-day conference, you hear 50 speakers, who are given 18 minutes each.

They are the most compelling, passionate, informed speakers you’ve ever heard (all right, maybe 45 of them are). Some bring back reports from the edge of medicine, archaeology, nanotech, neurology, psychiatry or the Web. Some, like Paul Simon, Tracy Chapman, and They Might Be Giants, perform live.

But a good number of them bring you face to face with some of the most upsetting realities of human existence. The horrors in sub-Saharan Africa. The viruses that are gaining on us. The increasing scarcity of drinkable water. And over and over and over again, climate change, presented with the most harrowing examples, measurements and projections.

John Doerr, the famous venture capitalist whose firm bootstrapped such startups as Amazon and Google, began his climate-crisis talk with the words, “I’m really scared. I don’t think we’re going to make it”—and ended too choked up to speak.

Another speaker this year actually used the term “species extinction,” referring to ours.

There are so many standing ovations, you’re practically doing 18-minute calisthenics. And the cumulative effect of the conference is devastating. You can’t return to the real world thinking the same thoughts you thought before; you just can’t do it.

With speakers "really scared" and "too choked up to speak," and others bemoaning the extinction of the human race, what's the use of devoting so much time and energy to technology?

And I thought Christians were the only ones overly occupied with gloomy end-times scenarios?

Louisville Marches On

2007-03-15T13:17:00.001-07:00

Joe Drape at the New York Times NCAA Tournament blog, The Bracket, gives a great court side view of the Louisville drubbing of Stanford. An excerpt:

Much was made of Stanford having to cross time zones, play early today — 9:30 a.m. Pacific — and face a pro-Louisville crowd. But it would not have mattered if the Cardinals took on the Cardinal in Palo Alto in prime time. Stanford could not compete.

Is Louisville this good, or Stanford this bad?

Amillenialists be Damned?

2007-03-14T18:15:00.000-07:00

Justin Taylor at Between Two Worlds has started a rousing debate on eschatology (given that John MacArthur made it a central theme at his most recent pastors conference). Here's his latest post that sets out the things one must necessarily believe if holding to premillenialism (historic or dispensational). Here's his earlier post that got things started.

Be sure to weigh in on this issue at my new poll.

Giuliani on Abortion

2007-03-12T11:58:00.001-07:00

Public funded killing of the unborn--it's statements like these that make it very hard to get excited about a Giuliani candidacy.

When Death is Swallowed Up in Victory

2007-03-07T09:19:00.000-08:00

For one of the most moving accounts of experiencing a father's death, please read John Piper's journal entry recounting his last hour with his dad.

A 'Wrongful Birth'?

2007-03-07T09:02:00.000-08:00

A women in Boston is suing Planned Parenthood for a botched abortion. Yes, the baby actually survived after the doctor tried to kill the woman's now 2-year-old daughter. The plaintiff, Ms. Jennifer Raper, actually wants money for what she is calling a "wrongful birth."

What will this little girl think when she learns that her mother sued because she lived?

The Many Faces of Hillary Clinton

2007-03-06T09:55:00.000-08:00

Editor of The New Republic Marty Peretz, sums up nicely the real problem with Hillary's twang over the weekend in Selma, AL.

Obsession: The Movie

2007-02-26T11:01:00.001-08:00

This trailer summarizes well the scope and seriousness of the threat from radical Islam.

Conservatives Should Welcome 'Converts'

2007-02-23T12:52:00.000-08:00

The Editors at National Review weigh in on Romney's move to the right.

Losing My Appetite

2007-02-23T12:15:00.000-08:00

Check out this picture of rats infesting a Taco Bell-KFC in New York City. This can't be good for business.

How Sweet the Sound: See "Amazing Grace"

2007-02-23T08:53:00.000-08:00

Writing for the Wall Street Journal, Charlotte Allen argues that the new movie "Amazing Grace"--the story of William Wilberforce and his labors to end the British slave trade--intentionally downplays Wilberforce's evangelical Christianity as the primary motivation for his efforts against the slave trade:

It is rare that a Hollywood film takes up a subject like William Wilberforce (1759-1833), the British parliamentarian who devoted nearly his entire 45-year political career to banning the British slave trade. Alas, a lot of people watching "Amazing Grace," Michael Apted's just-released film, may get the impression--perhaps deliberately fostered by Mr. Apted--that Wilberforce was a mostly secular humanitarian whose main passion was not Christian faith but politics and social justice. Along the way, they may also get the impression that the hymn "Amazing Grace" is no more than an uplifting piece of music that sounds especially rousing on the bagpipes.

Allen continues: "In fact, William Wilberforce was driven by a version of Christianity that today would be derided as "fundamentalist."

Having seen an advanced screening of the film, I do not think Wilberforce's Christianity was downplayed nearly as much as Allen protests. In fact, the connection is explicit at several points (see, for example, the movie clip, "You Can Do Both"). However, Allen's conclusion about how the culture at large understands the relationship between conservative Christianity and social justice is helpful:

Nowadays it is all too common--and not only in Hollywood--to assume that conservative Christian belief and a commitment to social justice are incompatible. Wilberforce's embrace of both suggests that this divide is a creation of our own time and, so to speak, sinfully wrong-headed.

See the movie this weekend--it is a wonderful story of how conservative Christian conviction can impact the secular world for good.

Does Global Cooling Cost Too Much?

2007-02-22T15:23:00.000-08:00

I was able to hear a good bit of NPR's Talk of the Nation today as they aired a debate on the economics of global warming. The debate was arranged largely in response to a column Jonah Goldberg wrote for the Los Angeles Times on February 8. In "Global Cooling Costs Too Much," Goldberg takes issue with the Gorites that are fueling global warming hysteria:

Skeptics like me are heckled for calling attention to the fear-mongering that suffuses global warming activism. But the simple fact is that the activists need to hype the threat, and not just because that's what the media demand of them. Their proposed remedies cost so much money — bidding starts at 1% of global GDP a year and rises quickly — they have to ratchet up the fear factor just to get the conversation started.

Goldberg argues persuasively that the answer is not to pour trillions of dollars into fixing global warming now. Instead, we need to allow capitalism and technology to solve the problem over time:

The history of capitalism and technology tells us that what starts out expensive and arduous becomes cheap and easy over time. Lewis and Clark took months to do what a truck carrying Tickle-Me Elmos does every week. Technology 10 years from now could solve global warming at a fraction of today's costs. What technologies? I don't know. Maybe fusion. Maybe hydrogen. Maybe we'll harness the perpetual motion of Sen. Joe Biden's mouth.

Sen. Biden's mouth aside, you can consider Goldberg's thoughts in the aftermath of the debate at The Corner.

Future Leader in America

2007-02-21T16:29:00.003-08:00

Doesn't this Greenpeace ad make you want to sign-up? So hopeful, positive and optimistic...

Sunday Prep

2007-02-20T13:18:00.001-08:00

The following excerpt from Martin Luther’s, A Meditation on Christ’s Passion (1519), argues that true or right contemplation of the cross begins with seeing it as a judgment against oneself (cf. “This earnest mirror, Christ…"). The cross is the revelation of God’s wrath against humanity. However, as you will see from the close of this sample, Luther saw in the cross not only the revelation of God’s judgment against humanity, but also the display of His love.

They contemplate Christ’s passion aright who view it with a terror-stricken heart and a despairing conscience. This terror must be felt as you witness the stern wrath and the unchanging earnestness with which God looks upon sin and sinners, so much so that he was unwilling to release sinners even for his only and dearest Son without his payment of the severest penalty for them. Thus he says in Isaiah 53:8, “I have chastised him for the transgressions of my people.” If the dearest child is punished thus, what will be the fate of sinners? It must be an inexpressible and unbearable earnestness that forces such a great and infinite person to suffer and die to appease it. And if you seriously consider that it is God’s very own Son, the eternal wisdom of the Father, who suffers, you will be terrified indeed. The more you think about it, the more intensely will you be frightened.

You must get this thought through your head and not doubt that you are the one who is torturing Christ thus, for your sins have surely wrought this. In Acts 2:36-37 St. Peter frightened the Jews like a peal of thunder when he said to all of them, “You crucified him.” Consequently three thousand alarmed and terrified Jews asked the apostles on that one day, “O dear brethren, what shall we do now?” Therefore, when you see the nails piercing Christ’s hands, you can be certain that it is your work. When you behold his crown of thorns, you may rest assured that these are your evil thoughts, etc.

For every nail that pierces Christ, more than one hundred thousand should in justice pierce you, yes, they should prick you forever and ever more painfully! When Christ is tortured by nails penetrating his hands and feet, you should eternally suffer the pain they inflict and the pain of even more cruel nails, which will in truth be the lot of those who do not avail themselves of Christ’s passion. This earnest mirror, Christ, will not lie or trifle, and whatever it pints out will come to pass in full measure…

…We must give ourselves wholly to this matter, for the main benefit of Christ’s passion is that man sees into his own true self and that he be terrified and crushed by this…

…You cast your sins from yourself and onto Christ when you firmly believe that his wounds and sufferings are your sins, to be borne and paid for by him, as we read in Isaiah 53:6, “The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” St. Peter says, “in his body has he borne our sins on the wood of the cross” (1 Pet. 2:24). St. Paul says, “God has made him a sinner for us, so that through him we would be made just (2 Cor. 5:21). You must stake everything on these and similar verses. The more your conscience torments you, the more tenaciously must you cling to them.

From Timothy F. Lull ed., Martin Luther's Basic Theological Writings. (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1989), 166-67, 170.

Romney's First Ad

2007-02-20T11:51:00.001-08:00

[HT: Hugh Hewitt]

Why Democratic Candidates Are In Church

2007-02-16T12:39:00.000-08:00

In "Curse of the Christian-Bashers," Mary Eberstadt finds the deeper issue at stake for the Democrats in the Edwards blogging debacle:

For what the blogger tempest really illuminates is a fact that could come to haunt the Democrats as they vie for national office: namely, that their past few wilderness years have also been boom years for the church-loathing liberal/left punditry. As a result, anti-Christian invective now graces (or disgraces) many of the books, magazines, Web sites and blogs to which liberals, including the Democratic elite, habitually look for ideas. One motto of this cottage industry is that the most serious threat to the American republic can be found in, no, not those religious fundamentalists, the ones that first leap to mind after 9/11; but, incredibly, certain other believers--our nation's Christians.

Further:

Sophisticates and secularists have always titillated themselves by despising the Bible Belt. But professional Christian-bashers have never been as "embedded" in the liberal mainstream as they are today. And therein lies a problem for Democrats. More Amanda Marcottes are not what the party needs as it scrambles to re-establish its religious bona fides with wary red-staters. No wonder so many Democratic candidates are in church. Now they really have something to pray about.

Read the whole article here.

CT on the Future of Calvary Chapel

2007-02-16T11:55:00.000-08:00

CT has seen the future of Chuck Smith and Calvary Chapel--and it doesn't look good.

Considering Romney: A British Perspective

2007-02-16T10:29:00.001-08:00

Gerard Baker, an often insightful commentator with the Times of London, has a good piece on Romney and his "Mormon problem." Baker finds it odd that Americans would have a problem with his Mormonism given the several politicians in recent history that have held high-ranking positions with the Church of Latter Day Saints (e.g., Harry Reid, Orrin Hatch) combined with his success as governor of Massachusetts.

Baker predicts that when all is said and done Romney's Mormonism won't be his biggest problem:

In the end, I suspect the Mormon issue will not be the largest impediment to a Romney presidency. He has suspiciously changed his position on critical social issues, for example — when he was running for governor of heavily Democratic Massachusetts, he was pro-abortion; now he is running for the Republican presidential nomination, he says he is anti-abortion.

Iraq, too, could hurt him. So far his approach seems to be the Basil Fawlty strategy — “Don’t mention the war!” He gives long campaign speeches without a reference to Iraq. But in what looks likely to be a foreign-policy dominated election, he will surely not be able to get away with that, and his inexperience in the national security field will not help either.

The real upshot, it seems, for Baker in a Romney candidacy is how much we stand to learn about Mormonism over the next many months:

In the meantime, expect to hear a lot more about Mormonism in the next year or so than you will ever learn from those nice, smart young men who come and knock on your door.

Read the whole article here.

Peretz, Congress and Iraq

2007-02-16T10:08:00.000-08:00

Martin Peretz, editor-in-chief of The New Republic, offers important commentary in today's Wal Street Journal on the current U.S. Iraq policy. In "House Call" Peretz critiques both Democrats and Republicans, but levels the stronger critique on Democrats and their handling of the non-binding resolution being debated in Congress:

But the formula that the House Democratic leadership has fixed on is a charade. It allows each of the 435 representatives five minutes at the podium, enough for them to posture for local television but not so much that anybody can say anything serious, let alone deep or even brave. And the resolution's text itself is rather cowardly. For, since it purports to be a declaration of support for American soldiers actually fighting in Iraq -- whatever "support" actually means -- why does it criticize the only help that can possibly enable the military in the war: more soldiers and more weapons? And, if the Democrats do not want the war to be continued, then they should bring forth legislation either cutting funds or setting a date for withdrawal, in the manner of George McGovern. There is no rationale for troops in terrible danger to be held hostage to the political expediency of nervous Democrats, who are not prepared to do what they really mean to do and to say what they really mean to say.

Peretz concludes by pointing to the "big picture" of America's involvement in Iraq while giving a solemn warning:

One of the tropes of many Democratic critics of the war is that, in going to war in Iraq, we squandered our near-victory in Afghanistan. The defeat of the Taliban was actually exhilarating, what with women out in the streets with normal clothes they wanted to wear and children even playing musical instruments. But the enthusiasm of the Democrat Party for Afghanistan is rooted in the fact that Afghanistan is not a strategic asset for the West. It is only a moral triumph. The Democrats prefer to look away from the colder long-term calculations of American and Western interests in the Middle East. We need more than moral triumphs there. We need strategic triumphs. If Iraq turns out not to be the latter sort of triumph, it will be remembered as one of the most momentous blunders in our history.

Read the whole article.

ABC's Person of the Week

2007-02-15T15:45:00.001-08:00

Thanks to Salem Communications' Greg Hengler for pointing me to this great story on Bert Brady and how we ought to treat our soldiers. Other networks should follow ABC's lead on this one.

Howard Fineman's Time Warp

2007-02-15T13:42:00.000-08:00

Howard Fineman at Newsweek is still perpetuating the myth that the triad of Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson and James Dobson are the "Kingmakers" when it comes to who will win the Republican nomination for president. In "Preacher Primary" Fineman considers the race for '08 and sees the same trinity of anointers for Republicans:

The Three Kingmakers have familiar names and big, traditional audiences on radio, television and now, the Internet: the Rev. Jerry Falwell, Dr. Pat Robertson and Dr. James Dobson. A younger generation (or two) is coming along, but these remain big brand names in the burgeoning world of all-Christian commerce.

The mainstream media love to link Republicans to Falwell and Robertson given some of their outrageous statements in recent history--and Fineman wants to maintain that association in the minds of the electorate. However, while many conservative voters still look to Dobson, it has been a long time since Falwell and Robertson spoke for a majority of evangelicalism.

Fineman needs to update his contacts.

"It's Good to Speak to People"

2007-02-14T10:25:00.001-08:00

Jennifer Saranow takes up the issue of e-mail addiction in today's Wall Street Journal. In "Deleting the Habit: How E-mail Junkies Do in Withdrawal," Saranow profiles several "addicts" and the attempts they're making to stop obsessing over e-mail. (Apparently some people are finding this as difficult as Barak Obama's efforts to quit smoking.)

Saranow is undoubtedly on to something. You would have to be blind to not see the zombie-like e-mail addicts walking around the city centers of America. ("Crackberry" now has an entry at Dictionary.com: "a person who uses a Blackberry handheld computer addictively or obsessively; also, the Blackberry when used this way.")

And the proliferation of "addicts" has apparently become a safety hazard, at least according to New York State Senator Carl Kruger who recently introduced legislation that would ban Blackberrys and other hand-held devices from use while crossing a street. (This, of course, is ridiculous. If an individual is not smart enough to stop e-mailing while crossing a busy street in Manhattan, then his problems are much greater than e-mail addiction.)

But thank God for think tanks. Last month London's Global Ideas Bank held its fourth annual "International Internet-Free Day." The director of the group, Nick Temple, is very concerned about Internet abuse and the "addicts" that result. In trying to wean people off of their e-mail devices he had this sage advice: "It's good to speak to people."

I'm sure it is, but who has time? I have too many e-mails to return.

Rudy Giuliani--Culture Warrior?

2007-02-13T16:25:00.000-08:00

Brendan Miniter at the Wall Street Journal cautions against ruling out Giuliani's appeal to social conservatives, arguing that Tony Perkins, Richard Land and others may be underestimating him.

It Ain't Easy Being Green

2007-02-12T17:30:00.000-08:00

That is, unless you're WARW-FM 94.7 "The Globe" in Washington, D.C. According to the Washington Post, WARW "is hoping to tap into increased concerns about the environment and global warming by switching not only its format but also its source of power." Reporter Frank Ahrens explains:

WARW will pay a premium for electricity that Pepco guarantees is wind-generated, rather than produced by a coal-fired plant. The station plans to build a performance studio at its Silver Spring headquarters at least partly out of green material, such as recycled flooring. And WARW's gasoline-burning cars are being replaced by hybrid vehicles. At the same time, "Classic Rock 94.7" becomes "94.7 the Globe," incorporating more contemporary artists into its playlist and Mother Earth into its name.

Why would a radio station do this? The pursuit of ratings gold, of course: "The move is part of a growing trend of corporations seeking positive public relations--and perhaps profit--in showing an eco-friendly exterior."

Ah, now I can really feel absolved as I sip my Starbucks coffee (organic blend, of course) from my 10% recycled paper cup while listening to classic and contemporary rock on an eco-friendly radio station--and all of this in the comforts of my SUV.

Rudy Giuliani and Social Conservatives

2007-02-09T15:03:00.000-08:00

The editors at National Review offer a thoughtful piece on Rudy Giuliani--what amounts to a cautionary tale that respects his legitimacy as a candidate, but does not gloss over the immense challenge Giuliani has to win over social conservatives.

John Podhoretz at "The Corner" commends the editorial as well, but does not sound the same warnings. Rather, Podhoretz seems more concerned that social conservatives "accept Giuliani's overture of friendship" while learning to undergo some "real bending." The problem with this kind of thinking, it seems, is that Giuliani's positions on everything from abortion to traditional marriage to stem-cell research and the courts (at least what can be discerned at this early stage in the race for '08) requires that the social conservative bend to the point of breaking.

If the hand of friendship is going to be taken, Giuliani will need to display some real candor on the campaign trail on the questions near and dear to social conservatives (see earlier post "Candor on the Campaign Trial").

Global Warming Skeptics Equivalent to Holocaust Deniers?

2007-02-09T13:53:00.000-08:00

For those of us skeptical of the new global warming orthodoxy, James Taranto's "Best of the Web" today has a must-read section dissecting Ellen Goodman's column in the Boston Globe, "No Change in Political Climate."

Why Did Nowak Crack?

2007-02-09T10:12:00.000-08:00

In an (almost) unbelievable attempt to absolve Lisa Marie Nowak (the astronaut charged with assault, attempted kidnapping and attempted murder) from personal responsibility for her more-than-bizarre conduct, Homer Hickam writes the following in today's Los Angeles Times:

But why did Nowak have to endure 10 years of scrutiny and constant competition with her fellow astronauts before she got to fly? The fact is, there are too many astronauts (more than 125) and not enough opportunities to fly. The NASA inspector general said the same thing in a 2003 report. Yet the astronaut office hired 11 more astronauts in 2004. Last year, the shuttle flew three times, carrying just seven astronauts per flight. Its replacement vehicle, which is under design now, will carry at most six astronauts.

Does it make sense to have this many overachievers all walking on eggs, vying for such a limited number of slots? Only in a dysfunctional bureaucracy like NASA's astronaut office, which keeps hiring more astronauts than it needs.

Don't blame Nowak for her melt-down; it must be NASA's fault for making her wait so long to fly. Are you kidding me?

Actions Speak Louder Than...

2007-02-09T10:01:00.000-08:00

Krauthammer on "The War and the Words"--excellent. That every member of Congress would read it and take Krauthammer's words to heart.

Candor on the Campaign Trail

2007-02-09T09:36:00.000-08:00

In today's Wall Street Journal Debby Applegate, author of The Most Famous Man in America: The Biography of Henry Ward Beecher, uses the presidential election of 1884 as a case study in the virtue of candor on the campaign trail.

Hugh Hewitt's Advice to the Los Angeles Times

2007-02-08T18:03:00.000-08:00

When you read an opinion piece that moves you along effortlessly, like running with wind at your back, you cherish it only because it is so rare. Hugh Hewitt's masterful advice to the Los Angeles Times is today's must-read article.

Will Mitt Romney's Mormonism Sink Him?

2007-02-08T08:55:00.000-08:00

The New York Times runs a good profile piece on Mitt Romney continuing to wonder if evangelicals and social conservatives will vote for him. I can't help but think the NYT would like Romney's Mormonism to be more controversial to the Republican base than it appears to be.

An Arab-American Defends '24'

2007-02-07T17:36:00.001-08:00

Emilio Karim Dabul offers a defense of '24' in today's Wall Street Journal. Dabul, himself an Arab-American, recognizes how the show has come under increased criticism for its depiction of Arab-Muslims as Islamic terrorists. In response, Dabul makes this salient point:

Most of the terrorists represented in "24" through the years have been Arab Muslims. Why? Well, probably because most terrorists today are, in fact, Arab Muslims. As a descendant of Syrian Muslims, I am very well aware that the majority of Muslims world-wide are peaceful, hard working, and law abiding. That still does not change the fact that the greatest terrorist threat to the U.S. today comes not from the ETA, the IRA, etc., but from one group: Islamic terrorists.

Dabul proceeds to uncover one of the more disturbing features of today's opinion landscape:

There is a dangerous trend in the U.S. today that involves skirting the truth at the risk of offending any individual or group. When Bill Cosby talks to African-Americans about self-respect and responsibility, and says publicly what many have been saying privately for years, he's branded a "reactionary," "misinformed," "judgmental," and so on. When "24" confronts America's worst fears about al Qaeda--whose goal remains to kill as many Americans as possible whenever possible--the show is said to be guilty of fueling anti-Muslim and anti-Arab prejudice.

Dabul's op-ed is one of today's must reads and '24' is arguably the only show on television that is a must see.

Now, if I could just get my co-workers to get on the '24' bandwagon...

Josh LaBelle: YouTube Rock Star

2007-02-07T09:05:00.001-08:00

My Brother-in-Law Josh LaBelle rocks with Sam Phillips and T-Bone Burnett on the Conan O'Brien Show years ago--he's the drummer.

The 'Army of Davids' Strikes Again

2007-02-07T08:45:00.000-08:00

Writing for The New Republic, Rick Perlstein chronicles the journalistic debacle of TIME magazine's Jay Carney. In "Reality Bytes," Perlstein argues that "bloggers have upstaged the mainstream press yet again." The event, according to Perlstein, was another signal that we are no longer in the era of mainstream media dominance:

It marked one more step in the arrival of our new, more uncomfortable media world--one in which, to judge a piece of writing, we must gauge not the status of the writer, but his or her words themselves, unattached to the author's worldly rank.

Perlstein concludes by comparing the bloggers that exposed Carney to our nation's Founding Fathers--a comparison that should hearten those of us who have embraced the New Media:

Like "jjcomet," "dmbeaster," and "Newton Minnow," our Founding Fathers had only their words to rely on for their authority. Every day, I find faceless netroots citizens reprising their wisdom, as against gentlemen and gentleladies of the press who sometimes seem more interested saving face than doing sound work.

Retrieving the Tradition

2007-02-06T15:44:00.000-08:00

J. Todd Billings, Assistant Professor of Reformed Theology at Western Theological Seminary, takes up "The Problem with Mere Christianity" at Christianity Today Online. Prof. Billings is concerned that in Evangelicalism's efforts to advance a "mere Christianity"--a least common denominator approach to the Faith that severs our ties to theological traditions--we are forsaking a "fully orbed scriptural theology."

Billings outlines how attention to Christianity's traditions can protect believers from "the spirit of the age":

Yet even as tradition helps theology address contemporary issues, it also prevents us from succumbing to "the spirit of the age." Insights from other times, cultures, and places can bolster our fight against superficial belief. C. S. Lewis diagnosed the problem of eschewing tradition as "chronological snobbery," "the uncritical acceptance of the intellectual climate common to our own age." In its place, theological traditions open up the wisdom and possibilities of the "cloud of witnesses." Like us, these witnesses faced dire challenges in trying to teach and live out the gospel in an inhospitable world. Many of their challenges are bound to appear again and again: Is Jesus Christ a prophet (like Muhammad) or the eternal Son of God? What is the relationship between Israel and the church?

Furthermore, counter to conventional wisdom in evangelical circles, Billings argues that the rich traditions of the Church can actually promote a more pure biblical Christianity:

Not only that, but creeds and traditions can be ways to protect our fidelity to the Bible rather than subvert it. This is how Reformers like Calvin regarded the extrabiblical Trinitarian language in the Nicene Creed.

Billings closes with this timely exhortation:

Yet for many, fear of divisiveness has cut them off from the riches of the church's cloud of witnesses. Rather than providing a path to church unity, avoiding theological distinctives often just leads to superficiality. Voices drawing upon the wisdom of the past help the church bring the gospel into our complex world. If we are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, we need to remember that we read the Bible through the illumination of the Spirit who has actively worked in the church for 2,000 years.

Amen.

Snickers - Mechanic

2007-02-05T15:01:00.001-08:00

This does not make me want to buy a Snickers.

Super Ads?

2007-02-05T11:44:00.000-08:00

TNR's Sacha Zimmerman was less than impressed with yesterday's Super Bowl ads. Zimmerman concludes: "It figures, doesn't it? Just when YouTube gives you the power to watch all those commercials you missed during your bathroom breaks last night, it turns out there just aren't any worth watching."

Check out Zimmerman's commentary replete with YouTube clips.

Peyton Manning, Nerd?

2007-02-02T17:04:00.000-08:00

Nerd or not, it's time to stop talking about Manning not being able to win the big game. This Sunday should quiet the naysayers.

Mass Media Religion

2006-09-15T06:06:00.000-07:00

Philip Kevin Goff, director of the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, asks in today's Wall Street Journal, "What ever happened to the televangelists of the 1980s?"

Goff argues that the superstar televangelists of the 80s (i.e. Oral Roberts, Jim Bakker, et. al.) have faded for two reasons. For one, "the novelty is long gone":

Maybe a preacher can heal the lame with an audience looking on. But flip the channel and you can probably see real surgery being performed to accomplish the same thing (including follow-up visits, something faith healers never offered). Or something stranger still: the regular prime-time lineup of most of the networks.

The second reason Goff suggests gets to the heart of contemporary evangelicalism. After observing that Americans have "moved closer to evangelicals in their focus on the interior world" (just watch 'Survivor' or any of the popular "reality shows" and listen to the constant airing of one's "inner feelings"), Goff notes that "religion has moved in the direction of the broader culture."

In this movement, evangelicalism has become mass media religion:

If American culture has moved toward evangelicals' practice of making the personal public, so religion has moved in the direction of the broader culture. The way worship is conducted in growing numbers of evangelical congregations now replicates what once was confined to the TV screen. Sitting in your living room, you may feel just as close to the pastor as you would at the 5,000-person megachurch down the street. Unless you join one of the megachurch's cell groups, these institutions can be as impersonal as mass media. Moreover, a visit to your local megachurch--including Starbuck's coffee, entertaining music and drama, and a short talk that seems less like a sermon than an inspiring self-help lesson--will not seem much different than a trip to the mall.

In all of this, Goff seems to find a mixed blessing:

Those who worried during the advent of Christian radio in the 1920s and the dawn of television in the 1950s that church attendance would drop were dead wrong. What these things did change was the way church is done. In their attempt to transform culture, evangelical Christians found they had to imitate it in order to attract an audience.

These changes indicate something important. First, American culture, even in its most secular forms, may be quite religious in its growing focus on the interior life. Second, because of mass media, religion in America is increasingly tied to secular culture in its presentation. Looking back, the '80s slicked-up televangelists don't look as strange as they do prescient.

Church attendance up, but at the cost of religion in America "increasingly tied to secular culture in its presentation." Goff's article raises the critical question: Is the church reaching the world, or the world reaching the church?

In our day of "mass media religion" the answer seems clear.

Subscribe to the 'Link List'

2006-08-30T07:46:00.000-07:00

Instead of posting the daily link list to 'Production Notes' I am enouraging all who would like to receive the list to subscribe at AlbertMohler.com.

Who Cares About Right And Wrong, Anyway?

2006-07-31T06:52:00.000-07:00

The Times of London reports that under a new proposal for Great Britain's schools, no longer would educators need to teach students the difference between right and wrong:

Schools would no longer be required to teach children the difference between right and wrong under plans to revise the core aims of the National Curriculum.

Instead, under a new wording that reflects a world of relative rather than absolute values, teachers would be asked to encourage pupils to develop “secure values and beliefs”.

The draft also purges references to promoting leadership skills and deletes the requirement to teach children about Britain’s cultural heritage.

Now this is just plain wrong.

Hezbollah's Love-Affair With Death

2006-07-28T06:03:00.000-07:00

Jonathan Chait argues in The New Republic that the criticism against Israel--that they are using "disproportionate force" in its counteroffensive against Hezbollah--is "just silly." In "Asymmetric Warfare" Chait offers two reasons:

First of all, Israel is responding not just to those recent killings but to a long string of attacks since it withdrew from Lebanon in 2000. The kidnapping was just the straw that broke the camel's back.

Second, as the Israeli government rightly points out, no country operates on the principle of responding to aggression with no more force than was originally used against it. During World War II, Germany sunk a lot of American ships and declared war on us, and in return we flattened its cities, killed or captured hundreds of thousands of its solders and occupied its land. That was hardly a proportionate response.

Many of the voices of protest against Israel's response to terrorist aggression have centered on the civilian deaths that have occurred as "collateral damage." Chait reminds readers that Hezbollah's greatest weapon is civilian deaths and that for Israel to resist terrorist attacks it cannot possibly avoid this most unfortunate consequence:

But the brutal fact is that civilian deaths are Hezbollah's strongest weapon. As Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, once said: "We have discovered how to hit the Jews where they are the most vulnerable. The Jews love life, so that is what we shall take away from them. We are going to win because they love life and we love death."

Thus, Hezbollah places its rockets and other potential targets in homes, knowing that Israel cannot hit back without creating collateral damage. This does not relieve Israel of the burden of minimizing civilian casualties as best it can. The point is that if Israel has to operate under a code of ethics that renders civilian deaths unacceptable, then it automatically loses. The ramifications would be dire and ultimately aid the cause of Islamic radicals in such a way as to bring about many more innocent deaths over the long run.

Given Hezbollah's love-affair with death, Israel's counteroffensive hardly seems "disproportionate."

See, also, Charles Krauthammer's must-read article today in the Washington Post, "'Disproportionate' In What Moral Universe?" A sample:

To hear the world pass judgment on the Israel-Hezbollah war as it unfolds is to live in an Orwellian moral universe. With a few significant exceptions (the leadership of the United States, Britain, Australia, Canada and a very few others), the world -- governments, the media, U.N. bureaucrats -- has completely lost its moral bearings.

Say It Isn't So, Floyd

2006-07-27T08:35:00.000-07:00

The New York Times reports that Tour de France winner Floyd Landis has tested positive for a banned substance after winning stage 17 of the race. A confirmation test is pending. Say it isn't so, Floyd!

The Offence of the Cross

2006-07-21T06:34:00.000-07:00

Rarely is an article so simultaneously hopeful and hopeless. Pamela Winnick, writing for the Wall Street Journal, has accomplished this in "How Faith Saved the Atheist." This is today's must read article.

Birkenstocked Burkeans and the "Albert Mohler Program"

2006-07-20T05:16:00.000-07:00

Be sure to tune in to today's Albert Mohler Program as our ever-capable guest host, Russell Moore, has Rod Dreher of "Crunchy Con" fame as his guest. I wonder if Moore has purchased a pair of Birkenstocks for the occasion?

Check out Moore's review of "Crunchy Cons" here. A sample:

I just finished Rod Dreher's Crunchy Cons while traveling this past week. It's a book I've been anticipating for some time. I found myself murmuring "Amen" while highlighting and book flagging huge swatches of text. The book serves as something of a manifesto for traditionalist conservatives, who chafe at consumerism and globalization as much as we do at the moral coarsening of society. Dreher, a traditionalist Catholic from Louisiana, laments what is happening to our culture from both contraceptives and the Super Wal-Mart pharmacies they're sold in.

What Dreher is suggesting isn't new at all. It is rooted in the Burkean/agrarian/communitarian conservatism of Russell Kirk, Richard Weaver, and Robert Nisbet. What is different here is that, unlike so much of what passes for "paleoconservative" these days, Dreher actually sounds like Kirk, Weaver, or Nisbet rather than like an anti-Semitic, xenophobic, or McGovernite conspiracy theorist. He also doesn't surrender to nostalgic utopianism. Dreher recognizes we live in a world of Target stores and iPods, and we aren't likely to reverse all or even most of that.

What he does is to remind those of us who are conservatives that it is not just the Left that seeks to sift us like wheat. The devil watches "Fox News" too. "The undeniable fact is that free market technology-driven capitalism, for all its benefits, tends to pull families and communities apart by empowering individuals and encouraging, even mandating individualism," Dreher writes. "And both the political left and the political right exploit that sentiment in their own ways; there is no easier way to sell a product, even if the product is a politician, than to position its acquisition as choosing 'freedom.'"

Is there any doubt that Dreher is right about this, when an entire generation of conservative Republican children is growing up reared by nannies and daycare workers, while both parents pursue the corporate ladder? The problem here is not just Gloria Steinem.

Don't Miss Church

2006-07-19T19:27:00.000-07:00

I just downloaded the debut album from Eric Church, "Sinners Like Me." Even if you're not a country music fan you will have a hard time not enjoying these utterly honest tracks about the human condition. Here's a recent review in USA Today:

Judging from his defiantly blue-collar single How ’Bout You, Church could be just another of Nashville’s New Rednecks, but a few things about the rest of his debut suggest he’s not. First, there’s the subject matter: Who else in country music besides Steve Earle writes from the viewpoint of condemned prisoners these days? Then, there’s the eclectic assembly of musicians, which ranges from Nickel Creek mandolinist Chris Thile to Willie Nelson’s harmonica player Michael Raphael. And if Church sings a lot about such familiar country fare as cowboy boots, high school football and how much he loves Merle Haggard, he certainly does it with flair. In fact, Two Pink Lines just might be the most thrilling country song ever written about a pregnancy scare, a poignant mix of fear, anxious energy and anticipation.

Then there's the glowing review of "Sinners Like Me" from New York Times music critic Kelefa Sanneh. In "If You're Looking at Eric Church, You're Looking at New Country," Sanneh appears genuinely impressed with Church as a singer/songwriter:

It was Friday afternoon, and Mr. Church was slumped in the back of his tour bus, sipping Diet Coke and Jack Daniels from a plastic cup. The bus was parked in downtown Minneapolis, behind the outdoor stage where he was about to play for a crowd of young country fans, many of whom were diligently attending to their own plastic cups. Mr. Church commands a stage as if there’s nothing he would rather be doing. But maybe there is one thing. “If you gave me a choice two years ago, I would’ve been a songwriter instead of a singer,” he said. “I’m a craft guy.”

That’s clear from “Sinners Like Me,” an extraordinarily well-written album for which Mr. Church composed all 12 songs. He collaborated with Nashville songwriters who are as obsessed with craft as he is. The songs they made are highly quotable, packed with wry observations and well-turned punch lines, and the tunes are as elegant as the words.

Such praise--and from a "Yankee" newspaper! Now you know the album is good.

From "Bowling Alone" to "Camping Alone"

2006-07-19T06:38:00.000-07:00

Ruth Marcus, writing for the Washington Post, has an insightful article today dedicated to the new trends in summer camps. She begins by wondering what happened to the camping of her youth:

I know children this summer who are going to horseback-riding camp, rafting camp, caving camp, science camp and something called "rock star day jam camp" -- and that's just two kids (not mine!) for part of the summer. A tae kwon do camp may be added to the mix.

Whatever happened to camp camp?

In fact, even camp camp isn't what it used to be. My 9-year-old daughter is attending one that lets campers sign up for activities as if they were so many college electives; the campers trudge individually to their daily activities, schedule in hand.

My daughter received hers in the mail the other day, and it included indoor soccer, "pom-poms" and yoga. She had managed to create for herself the world's first fully air-conditioned summer camp.

Marcus laments camping's current state of affairs: "The modern camp is specialized and short-term; the modern camper spends a week at tennis camp and a week at computer camp, a week at baseball camp and a week at art camp. Think of it as Attention Deficit Disorder Goes to Camp."

How do we account for this phenomenon? Ruth explains: "The Camping Alone phenomenon reflects a number of strands of 21st-century childhood: not only the atomized nature of the modern condition but also the frantic pace of life today, the pressure to specialize early and the indulgent, child-centered nature of the contemporary family."

For those of us who appreciate a type of camping that appears to be lost today, Marcus's article may be a small step toward recovery. And not just recovery for merely nostalgic reasons. Rather, a recovery based on the conviction that it may be good for our children to be removed from the modern "tyranny of the urgent" and exposed to a more contemplative life.

Then again, 'contemplation' doesn't look very impressive on a college admissions application.

Getting Serious About Evangelicalism

2006-07-17T11:55:00.000-07:00

"Evangelicalism, now much absorbed by the arts and tricks of marketing, is simply not very serious anymore." (David Wells, Above All Earthly Pow'rs: Christ in a Postmodern World, 4.)

See Ligon Duncan's review of Above All Earthly Pow'rs at the 'reformation21' blog.

Are the Suburbs Killing Your Soul?

2006-07-16T14:25:00.000-07:00

On Friday's Albert Mohler Program we had David Goetz, author of "Death by Suburb: How to Keep the Suburbs From Killing Your Soul," as our guest. I think Goetz is definitely on to something with this little book. He identifies eight "toxins" that are inherent to the suburbs and offers helpful advice on how to combat them.

Here are the eight "toxins" Goetz identifies:

"I am in control of my life."
"I am what I do and what I own."
"I want my neighbor's life."
"My life should be easier than it is."
"I need to make a difference with my life."
"My church is the problem."
"What will this relationship do for me?"
"I need to get more done in less time."

Sadly, I think many people are dying a slow death on their own Wisteria Lane.

On The Road To Damascus

2006-07-14T11:57:00.000-07:00

As the Middle East continues to erupt with violence and the threat of war, Syria's role in the conflict is getting increased attention. For example, Michael Young in a New York Times op-ed, "Israel's Invasion, Syria's War," warns:

Israeli officials have left Syria out of their condemnations, in jarring contrast to the Bush administration’s statements that have rightly highlighted Iranian and Syrian responsibility for Hezbollah’s behavior.

Iran, of course, has long bankrolled Hezbollah, and the Israeli government said yesterday it feared the two kidnapped soldiers were being taken to Tehran. But Syria is the nexus of regional instability, giving shelter to several of the most intransigent Palestinian militants, transferring arms to Hezbollah, and undermining Lebanon’s frail sovereignty.

Israel can brutalize Lebanon all it wants, but unless something is done to stop Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, from exporting instability to buttress his despotic regime, little will change.

Likewise, a Washington Post editorial recognizes that Iran and Syria are behind much of the current crisis:

But even if Hezbollah is punished politically at home for its wild irresponsibility, the underlying problem -- its benefactors in Iran and Syria -- remains. That's where American and allied diplomacy and influence should be focused. Tehran should be called to account in the U.N. Security Council not only for its program to enrich uranium but also for its support of Hezbollah. Damascus, which hosts Hezbollah and Hamas, should also come under renewed international pressure, including sanctions. In all the diplomacy, the false lure of "evenhandedness" must not be allowed to obscure the fact that Hezbollah and its backers have instigated the current fighting and should be held responsible for the consequences.

These articles are an ominous reminder of the magnitude of the situation.