A great word from Andrew Peach (on First Things) in advance of Father's Day this Sunday. An excerpt: Most fathers-to-be suppose that their old ego-centered lives will continue more or less unabated after the child arrives. With the exception of a few more obstacles and demands on their time, their involvement with their children is envisioned as being something manageable and marginal. Nothing like a complete transformation—an abrupt end to their former life—really enters men’s minds. But then the onslaught begins, and a man begins to realize that these people, his wife and children, are … [Read more...] about On the Demise of Fatherhood
Archives for 2009
U.S. State Department Calls on Twitter For Help
The NY Times reports: On Monday afternoon, a 27-year-old State Department official, Jared Cohen, e-mailed the social-networking site Twitter with an unusual request: delay scheduled maintenance of its global network, which would have cut off service while Iranians were using Twitter to swap information and inform the outside world about the mushrooming protests around Tehran. The request, made to a Twitter co-founder, Jack Dorsey, is yet another new-media milestone: the recognition by the United States government that an Internet blogging service that did not exist four years ago has the … [Read more...] about U.S. State Department Calls on Twitter For Help
Iran Supreme Leader Orders Vote Fraud Probe
Here are a few blogs that are following the story of the massive protests in Iran over the recent presidential election, in which Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared the winner by a 2-1 margin within hours of the polls closing. Today, Iran's supreme leader (Ayatollah Ali Khamenei), who had already congratulated Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, ordered a vote fraud probe. Andrew Sullivan (with the Atlantic) is following the unfolding events closely, the Power Line authors have a series of videos (the first of which appears to show police riot officers breaking into a home a beating someone senseless), and the … [Read more...] about Iran Supreme Leader Orders Vote Fraud Probe
Sacred Marriage (Gary Thomas)
Some quotes from this very helpful book: "If you want to be free to serve Jesus, there's no question -- stay single. Marriage takes a lot of time. But if you want to become like Jesus, I can't imagine any better thing to do than to get married. Being married forces you to face some character issues you'd never have to face otherwise." -p. 21 "Any situation that calls me to confront my selfishness has enormous spiritual value, and I slowly began to understand that the real purpose of marriage may not be happiness as much as it is holiness. Not that God has anything against happiness, or that … [Read more...] about Sacred Marriage (Gary Thomas)
Southern Baptist Identity: An Evangelical Denomination Faces the Future
This new book edited by Dr. David Dockery, President of Union University in Jackson, TN, should be a very interesting for all of us associated with the SBC in one way or another (and everyone else wondering where this large group of churches is headed). Dr. Dockery is an articulate spokesman on Christian higher education and one who has a great influence on my own pursuit of academic excellence (for myself and my students). He is also a great theologian, historian, and cultural observer, particularly on issues within the Southern Baptist Convention. So I highly recommend this book. (It is … [Read more...] about Southern Baptist Identity: An Evangelical Denomination Faces the Future
Preaching in Bakersfield, CA on With One Voice
I'd cover your prayers for my message this Sunday at Sovereign Grace Church of Bakersfield on the topic of With One Voice. It has been an unusually challenging week in some ways and I feel drained. I was pulling up some data related to attitudes toward marriage, and the last two slides of this 2008 report from the National Marriage Project stood out. 1. A majority (~56%) of high school seniors believe that having a child without being married is "experimenting with a worthwhile lifestyle or not affecting anyone else." 2. About 60% of high school seniors “Agreed” or “Mostly Agreed” with the … [Read more...] about Preaching in Bakersfield, CA on With One Voice