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What are we prepared to do to do to cling to what is good? Protect innocent life? Hold onto to freedom? Teach our children?
Today we are deeply concerned over the rise of authoritarian rule that makes us choose between political mandates or our jobs. That may soon require us to use our tax money to dismember or poison babies. We are troubled about the confusion over calling gender fluidity good, and God’s commands for sexual morality evil. We wonder especially how to help our children reject the lies and embrace the truth. But things could get much worse. They did get far worse when the communists took over Eastern Europe. And yet in Hungary there were boys and girls and teens and college students who helped to lead a revolt against the Soviets.…
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Critical Race Theory: A worldview critique (part 2)
In my last post I discussed the “definitional mess” that is Critical Race Theory and offered a worldview critique. Job one in this racially charged moment is to seek to understand, “What do we really mean by ‘Critical Race Theory’”? And then, seek to understand the longings for justice in the hearts of our Black neighbors and friends. We can agree with the CRT experts that understanding and pursuing justice for the poor and oppressed should be a high priority for us. The Bible speaks more about that than about freedom from high taxation, forbidding gay marriage or many other conservative political and social goals. Paul tells us we are…
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Critical Race Theory: a worldview critique
Critical Race Theory is in a definitional mess. When President Biden’s press secretary Jen Pasaki was asked what her boss thought about it recently, she responded, “The president believes that in our history, there are so many dark moments, and there is not just slavery and racism in our history. There is systemic racism that is still impacting society today…And he believes, as I believe as a parent of children, that kids should learn about our history.” The message from the White House is that Critical Race Theory (CRT) is mainly about teaching the hard truth about slavery in our schools. But this is only one small aspect of of…
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Marvel Comics v. Jordan Peterson: one of the world’s most dangerous profs podcasts his journey to faith and draws heavy fire
Imagine if C.S. Lewis had podcast his journey to faith, and millions of unbelievers had listened in. Imagine if the forces of secular universities, progressive politics and media had conspired to take him out before he could cross the line of faith and bring thousands with him. A similar journey by a similarly brilliant academic is taking place right now. In the last month over a million and a half people have listened to his remarkable recent podcast discussing his wrestling with conscience, suffering, meaning, and is Jesus really the Son of God? And Marvel Comics has taken the lead to destroy him. Why Marvel Comics? Because he has a…
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How can we be angry about culture or politics and not sin?
Raise your hand if you feel like you live in a time where people love empty words and seek after lies. Where the honor of seeking to follow Jesus and listen to his Word is turned to shame. That’s exactly how King David felt in Psalm 4. So he gives himself some good advice: “Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent.” David urges himself to begin with deep reflection alone on his bed in silence. We can benefit from the same advice. Here’s a prompt for our reflection: What does it mean to be a person of truth and grace…
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Equality Act passes. Tough week. Romantic realism.
This past week we hit the post-2020 election wall of reality pretty hard— Amazon banned the thoughtful and science-based When Harry Became Sally, singer Demi Lovato declared that gender-reveal parties were transphobic, and Mr. Potato Head came out as gender fluid. To cap it off, at the confirmation hearing for Biden’s nominee to be #2 at the Department of Health and Human Services, Sen. Rand Paul could not get him/her to admit that children should not be able to make their own decisions to make sex changes with hormone blockers or surgery without parental involvement. The outrage has lit up social media. It reminded me of my own onset of rheumatoid arthritis.…
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How To Have a Sorrowful Yet Always Rejoicing Christmas
We will be alone this Christmas. Eleven hundred miles from any family. Distanced from friends who will take the risk to be with their grandchildren (as I would if we had them), but it means we won’t be visiting them either. Ah, Covid. You are such a joy stealer. Such a prime example of the curse of sin in a fallen world. Often I wake up thinking of the distance and the empty calendar ahead. Today, as I play my Christmas music, I’m fighting back a few tears. Maybe you’re fighting for joy too. How can we reclaim the joy of this Advent season? I’ve been surprised how our fall…
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Why the Media has Never Been More Dangerous (and how you can find more trustworthy news, especially about the election)
In his essay, “The Weight of Glory,” C.S. Lewis went on record snorting at “the cataract of nonsense that pours from the press and the microphone” of his own age. And yet, if a Christian felt called to journalism and broadcasting, I think he would say, as he said of philosophy, “Good [journalism] must exist [because] bad [journalism] needs to be answered.” And bad journalism is multiplying exponentially, er, algorhithmically, out there. The election of 2016 changed journalism. The line between reporting and advocacy has all but disappeared. The New York Times vs the Truth Not long after the 2016 election The New York Times launched a new subscription campaign…
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Hard Questions about Worldview and Character and our Vote
When Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton ran for president in 2016, I could hardly believe that I would to have to choose one of them in order to make my vote count. I know, many people made a vote in principle for a third party candidate. But I couldn’t do that. I believe that casting a vote that helps determine the outcome is being the best steward of my citizenship and my vote. Even now, in 2020, I know people who will not vote for either candidate on principle. And yet the candidate they are backing is not even on the ballot in my state. That is a political statement.…
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Hard Questions about the LGBT Community and Our Vote
The LBGT community has asked hard questions of us in its struggle for acceptance: “Why do you care what we do in our own bedrooms?” So state courts struck down laws against sodomy. “Why can’t we have the civil right to marry whom we please?” In 2014 the Supreme Court ruled in favor of gay marriage. “Why should any employer be able to fire us because of our sexual orientation or gender identity?” In June 2020 the Supreme Court ruled they cannot. One of the cases litigated was that of a funeral home whose biological male employee transitioned to a woman. The court insists that the funeral home may not…
