Blog Archive
for January, 2007
The Strong Sixteen
— Saturday, January 13th, 2007 —
These included my old boss, U.S. Rep. Gene Taylor (D-Miss.), who has kept his promise (to his constitutents and to his conscience) to always vote against the taking of innocent human life. Also casting a pro-life vote were some new Democratic Members of Congress including U.S. Rep. Brad Ellsworth (D-Ind.) who joined me Thursday on the “Albert Mohler Program.” U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler (D-N.C.), a former Fellowship of Christian Athletes leader, also voted pro-life. Democrats for Life of America hails the sixteen consistent pro-lifers in a press release here. And, if the votes hold the way they did in this roll call, the House won’t be able to override the President’s veto of this legislation.
That’s the good news.
Keep Reading...More on the Clinton/Carter Baptists
— Friday, January 12th, 2007 —
Focus on the Family’s Family News in Focus reports on the “New Baptist Covenant” confab of former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. At the same time, Chuck Todd and John Mercurio of Hotline TV find the place and timing of the gathering to be rather suspect: in South Carolina right between the state’s Democratic and Republican primaries. Todd and Mercurio seem to think this has less to do with the prospects of Lottie Moon than with the prospects of Hillary Rodham Clinton. Tune in here.
Speaker Pelosi’s Daughter Joins the Culture War
— Thursday, January 11th, 2007 —
Alexandra Pelosi is a filmmaker, set to debut her newest documentary on evangelical Christianity on HBO January 25th. She is also the daughter of the first female Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. And she, halfway anyway, thinks conservative Christians are on the right side of the so-called “culture wars.”
Pelosi, who previously made waves with her 2000 Bush campaign documentary “Journeys with George,” describes herself, according to the New York Times, as a “lapsed Catholic who dislikes church.” Nonetheless, the Times reports, she makes sure her new baby will be brought up in church so he will have “more than himself and capitalism to believe in.”
According to the Times article, Pelosi fears that many evangelicals won’t watch her documentary, simply because she’s the Speaker’s daughter. Nonetheless, she feels a strange pull toward some of the concerns of conservative Christians.
Keep Reading...Cremation Nation
— Wednesday, January 10th, 2007 —
Sara, a caller to the “Ask Anything Wednesday” segment of the Albert Mohler Program, which I’m guest-hosting as I type this, just asked a question about cremation, and whether it is ever right for a Christian to be cremated. It is a complicated question, but one that Christians should ask. I just wrote an article on this subject for Touchstone magazine. The article, entitled “Grave Signs” can be accessed online here.
Bill Clinton and Baptist Unity
— Wednesday, January 10th, 2007 —
For years former President Jimmy Carter has sought to mobilize moderate and liberal Baptists toward an alternative to Southern Baptist conservatism. It’s easy to see why Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF) Baptists would want to be aligned with President Carter. He’s a man of integrity who served with dignity in the White House, and he’s someone who seems genuinely committed to following Jesus.
It’s not news then that President Carter is at the center of yet another attempt at fostering “Baptist unity,” a “Celebration of a New Baptist Covenant” for various representatives of the Baptist left. But Bill Clinton? According to Associated Baptist Press, the unity convocation is sponsored by not one but two former United States Presidents, and the other one’s from Arkansas.
Do the Baptist liberals really want to go in this direction? Do they really wish to pick up Clinton’s language of a “new covenant with the American people,” from his 1992 Democratic convention nomination acceptance speech, language that was deemed by many Christians to be insulting and later abandoned by the Clinton-Gore campaign?
Keep Reading...Mr. Jefferson’s Koran
— Tuesday, January 9th, 2007 —
I find few contemporary essayists to be as obnoxious as Christopher Hitchens. I find him equally nasty whether he is writing from the Left (as he did for many years as a columnist for The Nation) or whether he is writing from the so-called Right (as he does now for The Weekly Standard and other conservative magazines from time to time). Hitchens has an interesting take on the recent controversy over U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) being sworn in on a copy of Thomas Jefferson’s translation of the Koran.
In Slate magazine, Hitchens notes that Jefferson was no friend of Islam. He didn’t consider it a “religion of peace.” And yet, Hitchens notes, Jefferson was also no friend of revealed religion in general.
Keep Reading...RAM Recovery, Saturday Night
— Saturday, January 6th, 2007 —
I was at the hospital this afternoon with President Mohler. His first question was, “What is going on in the world?” I briefly entertained the possibility of smuggling his dog Baxter into the hospital to see him, but I doubt the resulting hospital restraining order against me would be worth it.
RAM is looking stronger than he did yesterday. The doctors report that the situation is under control and they are pleased with his progress. He is thankful to all of you for your prayers. I know many churches and families have had special prayer meetings in recent days for him. He and all of us here are deeply appreciative for that.
Please continue to pray. God has been gracious. RAM is ready to be back in his study, behind his microphone, and in the pulpit. Pray that his recovery is quick and that he is home soon.
Keep Reading...Albert Mohler Update
— Friday, January 5th, 2007 —
I just left from visiting Albert Mohler at the intensive care unit of Baptist East Hosptial here in Louisville. I am glad to report that he is doing much better than he was when I spoke to the radio audience of the program about this at 5:05 PM.
While his situation is still very serious, it seems that the doctors have his treatment well underway and he is recuperating well. Pulmonary emboli represent a serious concern under any circumstances but it seems that RAM is responding excellently to the treatment. We can all be grateful the doctors found this development so quickly.
The President is talking and in good spirits. Despite his incredible pain and having just lived through the scare of his life, he was actually able to discuss a book I brought to him the other day about, of all things, the life of Wendell Willkie.
Dr. Mohler still needs your prayers, as do Mary, Katie, and Christopher, so please don’t stop them. But I am happy to say that I think his treatment is going well and I expect that he will be back to his routine sooner rather than later.
Keep Reading...
