Caitlin Flanagan has written an absolutely outstanding cover story for Time Magazine entitled, Is There Hope for the American Marriage? I do not think I have ever seen a better treatment by a main stream media publication on the institution of marriage. Flanagan writes in the context of the high-profile affairs of Governor Sanford and Senator Ensign, as well as the "Jon and Kate" fallout. After noting that the children of lower-income single-parent homes do worse on every metric (drug abuse, school performance and dropout rates, teen pregnancy, criminal behavior and incarceration, etc.), … [Read more...] about Time Cover Story on Marriage
Archives for 2009
A Praying Life – Paul Miller
I've been reading this outstanding book by Paul Miller, A Praying Life: Connecting With God in a Distracting World. Miller is perceptive of the many hindrances to regular prayer and he writes winsomely. Here is an insightful section where he traces the movement from God-grounded optimism in life to naive optimism to cynicism (which hinders prayer): No culture is more optimistic than ours. America's can-do spirit comes from the Judeo-Christian confidence in the goodness of God acting on our behalf. Knowing that the Good Shepherd is watching and protecting me gives me courage to go through the … [Read more...] about A Praying Life – Paul Miller
Minimim Wage Hike Comes At a Bad Time
On July 24, less than two weeks from now, the minimum wage will increase to $7.25 an hour from $6.55, an 11% jump. The WSJ explores the implications of the wage increase: The national wage floor will have increased 41% since the three-step hike was approved by the Democratic Congress in May 2007. Then the economy was humming, with an overall jobless rate of 4.5% and many entry-level jobs paying more than the minimum. That's a hard case to make now, with a 9.5% national jobless rate and thousands of employers facing razor-thin profit margins.In a nutshell: In a 2006 National Bureau of Economic … [Read more...] about Minimim Wage Hike Comes At a Bad Time
More on Francis Collins and Abortion
Justin D. Barnard, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Carl F.H. Henry Institute for Intellectual Discipleship at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee, writes for Public Discourse (Witherspoon Institute) today on the theme: Many are pointing to Obama’s pick of an Evangelical to head the National Institutes of Health as a sign of the president's willingness to reach out to those with differing viewpoints. But his pick holds conflicted views about the human embryo and will oversee a department that, under new rules, is outsourcing the destruction of human life.Read the whole … [Read more...] about More on Francis Collins and Abortion
Happy Birthday, John Calvin
July 10, 2009 is the 500th birthday of John Calvin, a man whose life produced remarkable, far-reaching influence. I'll just point to a few posts that sing his praises better than I can. Marvin Olasky offers an extended look at a new biography by Dutch scholar Herman Selderhuis, John Calvin: A Pilgrim's Life. Ligonier Ministries has a series of blog posts on Calvin's legacy. Desiring God has a first installment of nine-part biographical sketch of Calvin's life and a post on celebrating Calvin for Christ's sake. Collin Hansen at Christianity Today weighs in Calvin's diverse cast of admirers. … [Read more...] about Happy Birthday, John Calvin
Marvin Olasky on Francis Collins
Marvin Olasky, writing on World Magazine's website: Collins, 59, is best known for directing the successful effort to sequence the humane genome, the DNA that makes up the human physical blueprint. But there’s more: Earlier this year, I heard him before a sophisticated New York audience speak of his personal faith in Christ, and he did so credibly and winsomely. He said it would require more faith not to believe in “a designed universe” than to see it as God-made. So, is Collins a proponent of Intelligent Design (ID)? Perish the thought! Yes, he speaks of “pointers to God from nature,” … [Read more...] about Marvin Olasky on Francis Collins