Millennials and the Future of Political Engagement (Audio & Transcript)

Last updated on: October 17, 2012 at 2:22 pm By Owen Strachan

I recently had the chance to be part of an exciting panel on “Millennials and the Future of Political Engagement” at Values Voters Summit. The panel featured young evangelical thinkers like Matthew Anderson of Mere Orthodoxy; Andrew Walker, Kentucky policy analyst; and Eric Teetsel of the Manhattan Declaration. Chris Marlink, Jeremy Renner look-alike, moderated the 40-minute discussion. This from Chris Marlink of the Family Research Council: I had the pleasure of playing something like the intellectual equivalent of John Stockton... Read more

Exceptional Leaders: David Petraeus’s Four Big Rules of Leadership

Last updated on: October 17, 2012 at 2:23 pm By Owen Strachan

Anytime a general has successfully led military efforts in both Iraq and Afghanistan, you sit up and take notice when they speak about leadership. I’m reading Paula Broadwell’s new All In: The Education of General David Petraeus (Penguin, 2012) and am really enjoying it. Petraeus is a pretty unusual human being and leader. Paraphrasing Broadwell, here’s how Petraeus sees his four major responsibilities as a leader (13): 1. Get the big ideas right 2. Effectively communicate the big ideas 3. Oversee... Read more

A Debate with Rachel Held Evans on Gender Roles

Last updated on: September 29, 2012 at 1:26 pm By Owen Strachan

I recently debated the hotly contested theology of gender roles with Rachel Held Evans, a talented writer and speaker. The forum for the debate is the UK radio show Unbelievable, which has hosted some memorable discussions in the past: Mark Driscoll on British Christianity and Rob Bell on Love Wins, to name two. Adrian Warnock also joined the conversation and has released a chart on the differences on this matter among evangelicals. Here’s the program info. Click the “Listen Now” button to,... Read more

The Monumentally Inspiring Example of Wilberforce

Last updated on: October 17, 2012 at 2:24 pm By Owen Strachan

I don’t know about you, but if you’re involved in some way in the fight against abortion, it can be easy to get discouraged. Usually I blog about a more current matter, but today I feel the need to go back and read a really encouraging story. William Wilberforce labored for decades to see the slave trade–and slavery–abolished. As many will know, his efforts proved monumentally successful. I’m hoping that the Lord will raise up a Wilberforce in our day... Read more

Dear Christian: Making Money Is Good (So Is Workplace Dignity)

Last updated on: October 17, 2012 at 2:25 pm By Owen Strachan

Do you ever think about the dignity of work, and the humanity of workers? Christians have a powerful stake in this conversation. The saving gospel transforms all of our lives, including the way we work, we are employed, we employ. This article, “Productivity and Grace: Management and Labor at a Denver Manufacturer,” is about a Denver manufacturer whose leaders treat their employees with kindness and dignity. From Christianity Today‘s This Is Our City project, it’s an inspiring piece by Chris... Read more

Reflecting on Propaganda’s Fiery “Precious Puritans” Rap Song

Last updated on: October 17, 2012 at 2:27 pm By Owen Strachan

The talented Christian rapper Propaganda just released “Excellent,” a strong new album on the Humble Beast label (buy it here). Humble Beast is the home of Beautiful Eulogy, the group from Portland, Oregon that put out an excellent album this summer. Propaganda is equal parts slam poet and rapper. He hits hard in his content and is one of the most provocative rappers around. I’ve listened to him since his Tunnel Rats days, and I’ve always enjoyed him. His skill... Read more

Audio from the Moody Radio “Dad Mom” Debate Is Here

Last updated on: October 17, 2012 at 2:28 pm By Owen Strachan

A good number of folks have asked about audio from my recent debate on stay-at-home dads on Moody Radio. Click on this link to hear the debate: Listen. Info on the conversation, hosted by the dexterous Julie Roys and joined by the good-hearted Matt Peregoy, is below. I appreciated this discussion, even as I continue to view the trend of “stay-at-home dads” or “dad moms” as generally unbiblical and unhealthy. Are Stay-at-Home Dads Violating God’s Design for Men and Women?... Read more

The Power of Forgiveness & the NFL Star Who Almost Killed His Son

Last updated on: October 17, 2012 at 2:28 pm By Owen Strachan

I want you to know that as I am writing this, I am burning. I have read this spellbinding, hard-to-read essay from Thomas Lake of Sports Illustrated about how a famous football player named Rae Carruth killed his baby’s mother, Cherica Adams. I have watched the video above which shows you the people involved (HT: JT). There is nothing left to do now but smolder. You see that boy’s beatific smile; you hear his mother’s dying words; you watch the father... Read more

The Crisis of the Trinity in Early Modern England

Last updated on: October 17, 2012 at 2:29 pm By Owen Strachan

I just received a brand-new book in the prestigious Oxford Studies of Historical Theology series. It’s by an accomplished young historian by the name of Paul C. H. Lim. At Vanderbilt University, Lim is Associate Professor of the History of Christianity in the Divinity School, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, and Affiliated Faculty in the Department of History. His scholarship is animated in many cases by the intersection of Christianity and rationalism, a subject I find myself regularly pondering (though my ponderings have... Read more

Scorching New Flame Song: “Trap Money”

Last updated on: September 21, 2012 at 4:57 am By Owen Strachan

This one goes very, very hard, as the rappers say. Flame and his colleagues tear this song up. Good to see Young Noah get some shine. Believe it or not, I have rapped–in public, no less–with Flame and Young Noah. And that is all we shall say about that. Read more