Paul Mirengoff of the Power Line sums up the Sotomayor hearings thus far. Upshot: She is not doing well on the stand, and thus will not get much GOP support from the committee or from the full Senate. Also, Byron York reports on why Republicans don't believe Sotomayor's stories. … [Read more...] about Status on the Sotomayor Hearings
Filling Up the Afflictions of Christ – John Piper
John Piper's has a new book available called Filling Up the Afflictions of Christ: The Cost of Bringing the Gospel to the Nations in the Lives of William Tyndale, Adoniram Judson, and John Paton (Swans Are Not Silent). This book is the fifth installment in the Swans Are Not Silent series. The product description: Jesus' words in John 12 are sobering: unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it will bear little fruit. The history of Christianity's expansion proves that God's strategy for reaching unreached peoples with the gospel includes the sufferings of his frontline … [Read more...] about Filling Up the Afflictions of Christ – John Piper
Tights Are Not Pants
True and Funny. HT: Josh Harris … [Read more...] about Tights Are Not Pants
Two Views on The Permissibility of Deaconesses
Recently, the Presbyterian Church of America held a friendly, in-house discussion on the commissioning (not ordaining) of female deacons (i.e., deaconesses). Dr. Ligon Duncan maintained the position that: "There are better-attested ways of encouraging our women in the diaconal ministry of the church than creating a class of female deacons (and there are already helpful suggestions toward that better way in our [denominational] standards)." And Dr. Tim Keller defended the view that:"The biblical evidence is strong that women were examined for and appointed to do diaconal work in the local … [Read more...] about Two Views on The Permissibility of Deaconesses
Time Cover Story on Marriage
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
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