The Staff of America’s “First Lady”

Last updated on: August 6, 2009 at 9:07 pm By Owen Strachan

From the Canada Free Press website comes a strange and surprising bit of information concerning the staff of America’s first lady, Michelle Obama. The following makes up her staff (HT: American Vision blog): $172,2000 – Sher, Susan (CHIEF OF STAFF) $140,000 – Frye, Jocelyn C. (DEPUTY ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT AND DIRECTOR OF POLICY AND PROJECTS FOR THE FIRST LADY) $113,000 – Rogers, Desiree G. (SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT AND WHITE HOUSE SOCIAL SECRETARY) $102,000 – Johnston, Camille Y.... Read more

Democracy Fights for its Life: Profile of Hamid Karzai

Last updated on: August 5, 2009 at 8:41 pm By Owen Strachan

Elizabeth Rubin of the New York Times magazine has an engrossing story on Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai that is worth reading. Here’s the intro paragraph: On a sunny June morning in Kabul, I sat among hundreds of turbaned men from Afghanistan’s Helmand and Kandahar provinces in a chandeliered wedding hall where they had gathered for a campaign rally to re-elect President Hamid Karzai. War was raging in Helmand and Kandahar. And yet there was an atmosphere of burlesque about the... Read more

Want Country Music Stardom? Upload a Video

Last updated on: August 4, 2009 at 7:38 pm By Owen Strachan

Seeking worldwide musical fame? Upload a video to YouTube. Actually, please don’t. Veronica Ballestrini, budding country music star, didn’t take my advice, and she’s on her way to a record deal: In a video posted to YouTube in January 2008, Veronica Ballestrini — then 16, blond, precocious — sits on a wrinkled couch wearing a pink Abercrombie & Fitch zip-up hoodie and clutching a guitar. “Today one of my fans messaged me, and he thought I should do a Taylor... Read more

X Games Bad Boys Turned Christians

Last updated on: August 3, 2009 at 7:52 pm By Owen Strachan

A recent NYT article chronicled an encouraging if unexpected development: a bunch of professional skateboarders and bike riders are boldly witnessing to their faith in Christ. (Photo: Victor Decolongon/Getty Images) Here’s what one of the guys has to say for his new calling: “Today, Hosoi is an associate pastor at a church in Huntington Beach, Calif., and he travels the world as an evangelist. “I’m using my popularity, the history, my image and my accomplishments to preach the gospel,” he... Read more

The Link 8.1.09: Horrible Athlete Rappers, Good Christian Rappers, and Kindles

Last updated on: August 1, 2009 at 4:02 pm By Owen Strachan

1. From ESPN Page 2’s DJ Gallo, a hilarious rundown of some of the worst rap lyrics written by athletes. Said one Shaquille O’Neal: “Forget Tony Danza, I’m the boss/When it comes to money, I’m like Dick Butkus”. Huh? 2. Meanwhile, at the Legacy conference being held at Chicago’s Moody Bible Institute, there’s some legit rapping going on (still going on tonight–check it out). I should know–I was there last night and heard Trip Lee, Flame, and Lecrae. I also met Odd... Read more

Are Small Churches Better than Large Churches?

Last updated on: July 30, 2009 at 11:03 pm By Owen Strachan

In the midst of a stimulating article in the new issue of Themelios on how to handle the decision to do a PhD, Westminster’s always provocative Carl Trueman offers a comment about church size that caught my attention: “Second, church involvement brings with it a natural accountability at a very practical level. Here I guess I show my strong preference for smaller churches. I cannot prove from Scripture that a church should never consist of more than three hundred or... Read more

Carl Henry: Ethics Proceed from Atonement

Last updated on: July 29, 2009 at 9:51 pm By Owen Strachan

Sometimes we hear Christianity spoken of as a system of salvation, a means by which we find God. At other times we hear Christianity spoken of as a way of life, a code of conduct. Carl F. H. Henry, dean of twentieth-century evangelical theologians, shows how the two are bound by a cord that one cannot cut. Copy and paste this text–you’ll want to save it for future reference. “Christianity is a religion of redemption, and it is equally an... Read more

Texting While Driving: Dying Made Easy

Last updated on: July 28, 2009 at 9:24 pm By Owen Strachan

The NYT reports that, among truckers, texting while driving increased the possibility of an accident by 23 times. In other words, if you’re texting while you drive, you are 23 times more likely to get into an accident than you are if you do not text while driving. This according to a new six million dollar study. (Photo: ABC News) The rate lowered to eight times more likely to crash among college students. That should give you great confidence. If... Read more

People Worth Listening to: NYC’s Eric Metaxas

Last updated on: July 27, 2009 at 9:30 pm By Owen Strachan

One does not come across too many bona fide evangelical members of the cultural intelligentsia. Eric Metaxas of New York City is one of the few. I’ve come into contact with Metaxas’s writing and speaking through a variety of venues. For those who are not familiar with him, here’s a snatch from his website bio: “In a decidedly eclectic career, Eric Metaxas has written for VeggieTales, Chuck Colson, and the New York Times, three things not ordinarily in the same... Read more

The Link 7.24.09: Mark Driscoll’s Book, Tim Tebow’s Faith, and Martha’s Vineyard

Last updated on: July 24, 2009 at 9:26 pm By Owen Strachan

1. Have you seen the new Sports Illustrated profile of University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow? If not, here it is. This guy seems to be the real deal. An outspoken Christian who loves preaching the gospel. Encouraging. 2. That street vendor selling hot dogs? According to the NYT, he’s on Twitter. 3. For those of us New Englanders currently living in exile, a brief look at Martha’s Vineyard makes the heart grow fonder… 4. The Baptist Messenger of Oklahoma, a Southern... Read more