12: Wonder; 50 Shades of Gray and Evangelical Sexuality; St. Nicholas Was a Beast

Last updated on: December 3, 2012 at 12:59 am By Timothy Dalrymple

BREAKFAST LINKS 12/03/12: Christine Jeske, Patheos/This Ordinary Adventure: “Wonder, above all, is not having to ask if it’s by chance. Wonder is believing that none of this is ever by chance.” Albert R. Hunt, Bloomberg View: Swing Counties Tell Tale of Republican Defeat Tim Dalrymple, Patheos/Philosophical Fragments: “ Christians should always seek to shape the culture and impact the marketplace of ideas. But I don’t think there’s anything inherently contradictory in Christians professing their convictions but understanding that we live in... Read more

Breakfast Links for 12/04/12: Build-a-Bear Theology; Eucharist Promise; Animals in the Kingdom; Porn Stars and Self-Esteem

Last updated on: December 3, 2012 at 11:12 pm By Timothy Dalrymple

BREAKFAST LINKS 12/04/12: J. E. Dyer, Patheos/The Optimistic Christian: “I have an urgent sense that it is time for Christians to stop nagging each other over the kinds of differences among us that require academic studies to define and unearth. The situation of our world is not so stable that we can behave as if the Body of Christ is a sort of current-affairs debating society, in which people form interest groups and the point is to criticize the others’... Read more

How Gay Marriage Really Theatens Religious Freedom

Last updated on: December 3, 2012 at 9:23 pm By Timothy Dalrymple

Recently I asked whether evangelicals should consider, while holding fast to their views on God’s design for human sexuality and marriage, dropping their insistence that the American legal system should reflect our Judeo-Christian convictions and exclude same-sex marriages. I followed with Ten Things I Believe About Evangelicals and Gay Marriage — and a fantastic conversation ensued in the comments boxes as well as other blogs. I invited friends of various persuasions to engage the issue, including Greg Scott of the Alliance Defending... Read more

Ten Things I Believe About Evangelicals and Same-Sex Marriage

Last updated on: November 30, 2012 at 2:43 pm By Timothy Dalrymple

Let me make several things clear, in response to all the conversation that’s erupted over my Question of the Week on Monday: Is it Time for Evangelicals to Stop Opposing Gay Marriage?: I believe that the sexual union for which we were created is the union of male and female in the context of the marital covenant. This is not merely a moral but also a theological conviction, profoundly rooted not only in my understanding of human nature and the... Read more

Breakfast Links for 11/30/12: Armageddon 2.0; Sex and God at Yale; Same-Sex Marriage and Slippery Slopes

Last updated on: November 29, 2012 at 8:00 pm By Timothy Dalrymple

BREAKFAST LINKS 11/30/12: Mark D. Roberts, Patheos/Mark D. Roberts: “In Advent, we prepare for the coming of Christ. In fact, we are actually getting our hearts ready for two advents: the first which happened 2,000 years ago in a stable near Bethlehem, the second which is yet to come, when Christ returns to establish fully the kingdom of God.” Debra Saunders, Real Clear Politics: Dem’s Unwritten No-Cuts Tax Pledge Jaweed Kaleem, Huff Post Religion: Rick Warren on Obama and Religious... Read more

Breakfast Links for 11/29/12: Marijuana Myths; The One-Word You; Missing Spending Cuts

Last updated on: November 28, 2012 at 8:31 pm By Timothy Dalrymple

BREAKFAST LINKS 11/29/12: Adrian Warnock, Patheos/Adrian Warnock: “Entitlement is really another word for pride. It simply means “I deserve better.” Peter Suderman, Reason.com: Fiscal Cliff Leverage Owen Strachan, Patheos/Idea Life: Marijuana Myths Michael Tanner, National Review Online: The Missing Spending Cuts Eric Teetsel, Patheos/Manhattan Project: “Tim vacillated between acceptance of his sexual inclinations and the greater calling of his faith for years before finally finding rest in the decision to let Jesus be enough. That arduous journey was made much,... Read more

Breakfast Links for 11/28/12: American Hunger Games; Why Christians Suffer; You Can Dress Up a Cow, But…

Last updated on: November 27, 2012 at 11:17 pm By Timothy Dalrymple

BREAKFAST LINKS 11/28/12: Bill Blankschaen, Patheos/Bill in the Blank: “…I noted the jarring disparity between record retail sales for Black Friday, record Cyber Monday sales, and record movie box office receipts last weekend on the one hand and record food stamps doled out on the other.” Glenn Harlan Reynolds, USA Opinion: America and the Hunger Games Karen Spears Zacharias, Patheos/Karen Spears Zacharias: “You can dress a cow in a hat and high heels and send her to church but underneath... Read more

Sex, God and Politics

Last updated on: November 27, 2012 at 3:06 pm By Timothy Dalrymple

Is sex more satisfying for conservative women? Or are liberal women just making an idol out of sex? The always-stimulating (no pun intended) Mark Regnerus, a Patheos blogger and one of the most significant sociologists of religion practicing the craft today (and Mark is a gadfly in the most salutary sense, but far more controversial than he should be), points to a very interesting correlation between political liberalism amongst women and the desire for more sex. The New Family Structures Study... Read more

Breakfast Links for 11/27/12 – Liberal Women and Sex; Marriage and Greener Pastures; Hobby Lobby’s Objection

Last updated on: November 27, 2012 at 10:20 am By Timothy Dalrymple

BREAKFAST LINKS 11/26/12: Richard Florida, Patheos/The Jesus Creed: “The math is terrifying. Add the ranks of the unemployed, the displaced, and the disconnected to these tens of millions of low-wage service workers, and the population of post-industrialism’s left-behinds surges to as many as two-thirds of all Americans.” The Guardian: Supreme Court Allows Challenge to Obamacare on Religious Freedom Grounds Kyle Roberts, Patheos/Cultivare: “It’s healthy to be detached from possessions and consumption if that detachment is because we are more securely... Read more

Is it Time for Evangelicals to Stop Opposing Gay Marriage?

Last updated on: November 26, 2012 at 8:18 pm By Timothy Dalrymple

I will begin posting a Question of the Week here on each Monday. This is intended as a way of inviting Patheos bloggers, or other bloggers for that matter, and all of our readers collectively, to address a question together and offer different viewpoints. But it’s hoped that we will go beyond offering an array of opinions. It’s hoped that there will be an actual conversation, and perhaps sometimes the emergence of a consensus. The question this week is a... Read more