First Kermit Gosnell–Now Douglas Karpen
Warning: the video above has some graphic discussion and content. Watch with care. This is a very, very, very bad season if you are an enthusiastic supporter of abortion. The lid is off on the reality of abortion, and it's getting harder and harder to admit that the practice isn't savage. Not all clinics look medieval, of course. Some abortions happen in nice, shiny, well-staffed places. Babies are murdered by people who smile warmly and dress nicely. Let's be clear: this is still … [Read More...]
Willie Nelson, Jewish Moms, and the New Deadbeat Dads
In 1978, Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson covered one of the classic songs of recent decades. Performed first by Ed Bruce, "Mammas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys" hit number 1 on the charts and touched a cultural chord. No doubt there were a few aspiring cowboys who were diverted to new career paths due to the tongue-in-cheek song. So much for the backyard reenactments of the Wild West. Mothers, in aggregate, were likely pleased; sons were likely aggravated, at least for a … [Read More...]
Eric Metaxas: “We Need Heroes Very Desperately”
Just yesterday I caught sight of a great National Review interview with Eric Metaxas on men. You should read the whole (very funny) thing, and you should buy his new book, 7MEN. Here's a swatch from the interview: LOPEZ: What was your goal and what do you think you accomplished in Seven Men? METAXAS: I wanted to begin a cultural conversation on what men are and what they ought to be. We’ve gotten so confused on this subject that we’ve shrunk from it, and that’s been tremendously … [Read More...]
Journalist Covering Gosnell Abortion Trial Becomes Pro-Life
I just saw this on Twitter (HT: Tom Peters). Apparently, an unnamed pro-choice reporter covering the trial of abortionist Kermit Gosnell has become pro-life during the proceedings. The grisly testimony, documented with insight and excellence by World magazine, has--it seems--deeply impacted at least one journalist. Here's the report: May 8, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A pro-choice reporter who has been present in the courtroom listening to testimony in the Gosnell trial has changed his mind … [Read More...]
CBMW and Thoughts on “New Wave Complementarianism”
Over at CBMW, I just wrote in response to a new and interesting development in complementarian theology. Below you'll get a sense for what's brewing: Recently a brand-new conversation began among complementarians. Wendy Alsup wrote a post called “A New Wave of Complementarianism” that met with an enthusiastic online response. Many took note, and key leaders weighed in, including Kevin DeYoung and Thabiti Anyabwile. Any discussion on complementarianism is inherently interesting and … [Read More...]
The Story of Mikio Okada, Who Protected His Daughter
A few months ago, my friend Bart Gingerich passed on a story that stopped me in my tracks. It gave account of Japanese father Mikio Okada, who died while protecting his nine-year-old daughter from a ferocious snow storm. I just wrote about the story for Desiring God. Here's a swatch: Sometimes in life, there is a moment that crystallizes the deepest realities of this world, that brings, as the novelist Wendell Berry has said, a revelation. Sometimes ordinary people have an unwitting chance, … [Read More...]
A Deeper Beauty: On the Fragility and Promise of Daughters
This post is cross-posted from CBMW's Manual channel (Twitter feed here). Earlier this week I wrote a piece for CBMW's Manual on the "smokin' hot wife" references you sometimes hear in evangelical churches. I realized today that I should have addressed another dimension of this trend: the daughters who hear this language in churches. Let me first say this: many of the men who would use "smokin' hot" language to describe their wives love the women in their lives, whether their wife or … [Read More...]
Should Christian Men Call Their Wives “Smokin’ Hot”?
I just wrote my first piece for the CBMW Men's blog, Manual (see the brand-new Twitter feed here). It's an interaction with the fairly common practice among younger evangelical men of saying that their wives are "hot" or, if you're really going all out, "smoking hot." Below is an excerpt. I try to pull out the helpful and less-helpful in this conversation: [F]or one man to take a decided, indeed lifelong, interest in one woman is a grand and holy reality. Adam seemed to exult in Eve when … [Read More...]
Know Your Christian Rappers: a Christianity Today Breakdown
Just had the opportunity to tackle a fun assignment for Christianity Today: profile several of the most prolific gospel rap artists. Cat, meet catnip. CT just published the piece, which is a sidebar to Russ Moore's cover story on the Christian hip hop movement (presently behind the paywall). My shorter piece covers Lecrae, Trip Lee (photo), Shai Linne, Propaganda, Beautiful Eulogy, Alex Medina, and Tyshane. Here's an excerpt: Lecrae's versatility is reminiscent of Jay-Z's, though like much … [Read More...]
The 23-Year Game of Tag
Sometimes you read things that defy the ordinary nature of life. Here's one: a group of friends has played a game of tag for the last 23 years. It's regulated--I kid you not--by a legal document. Please, avail yourself: Mr. Dennehy and nine of his friends have spent the past 23 years locked in a game of "Tag." It started in high school when they spent their morning break darting around the campus of Gonzaga Preparatory School in Spokane, Wash. Then they moved on—to college, careers, … [Read More...]
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