the evangelical outpost
the evangelical outpost
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Recent Posts
You know you've missed your calling... - The evangelical outpost May 6, 2009, 2:08 am
... when you start to sound like this guy: This guy clearly missed his calling... whatever it was... by over-specializing in his field. So what do you think - is it better to know a lot about a few things,...
Coming Soon to the Evangelical Outpost... - The evangelical outpost May 5, 2009, 1:26 pm
We are very excited to announce that big improvements are coming to the Evangelical Outpost. Fear not friends for Rachel, Robin, and I are not going anywhere. All I can say is that we will be joined by an exciting...
Guest Post: Blood Diamonds - The evangelical outpost May 4, 2009, 12:38 pm
Diamonds are forever. Diamonds are a girl's best friend. Diamonds also fuel a $9 billion industry annually. These precious stones are used as symbols of status, affection, or unending love. However, I recently saw diamonds in a new light: as...
Les Miserables meets Wal Mart: A review of Chris Fabry's "June Bug" - The evangelical outpost Apr 30, 2009, 8:09 pm
It has been said that there are only seven different stories in existence - the books you enjoy are all just variations on these seven different themes. I don't know whether this is true, but I do know that it's...
In Celeberation of Dirty Jobs - Lunch w/ TED - The evangelical outpost Apr 29, 2009, 1:42 pm
This week's lunch w/ TED is published in honor of the tens of thousands of students who will graduate from university in the coming weeks and begin looking for work. Well done university graduates! Don't be ashamed of working the...
A Tale of Two Politicians: The Celebrity and the Statesmen - The evangelical outpost Apr 23, 2009, 3:00 pm
At the Wall Street Journal, Karl Rove reminded us all that great leaders are not defined by consensus. Read it. Never have truer words been written about the problem of America's political class, especially on the Left. It seems that...
Earth Day Reading - The evangelical outpost Apr 22, 2009, 7:34 pm
Are you doing anything to celebrate Earth Day today? I've never paid much attention to the the day before, but this year I'm determined to change that. I'm reading through Francis Schaeffer's book, Pollution and the Death of Man, and...
Magic Shows are Mind Games - Lunch w/ TED - The evangelical outpost Apr 22, 2009, 1:57 pm
I've always been fascinated by really good magic tricks. There's just something about witnessing unbelievable events that is exciting. I love puzzling over the tricks and attempting to figure them out. If you are like me, then you'll find today's...
*Sebelius and Tiller: What could be worse? Plenty. - The evangelical outpost Apr 21, 2009, 7:52 pm
Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius won Senate Finance Committee approval today as she moves closer to becoming the next Secretary of Health and Human Services. The full Senate is expected to vote on her confirmation within the week. Unfortunately, despite her...
The Media Manifesto - The evangelical outpost Apr 20, 2009, 12:37 am
In Sunday's edition of the New York Times, an editorial with the pretense of being yet another rant on the Bush administration's torture policies appeared with the eye-catching and eyebrow-raising title, "The Torturers' Manifesto." Granted, the article was sparked by...
Tea Party Pictures from Yorba Linda, CA - The evangelical outpost Apr 17, 2009, 6:42 pm
By Joi Weaver Wednesday, reports came in from across the country of citizens gathering in crowds by the thousands, protesting increasing governmental intrusion into their lives, protesting the use of excessive tax to pay for wasteful programs created by representatives...
*America Is Not A Christian Nation - The evangelical outpost Apr 17, 2009, 3:31 pm
I hold strongly to the notion that America is a Christian nation. So when John Mark Reynolds remarked that President Obama was correct in stating that America is not a Christian nation, I took immediate notice. Recently President Obama made...
Party Like It's 1773: A Report from a Tax Day Tea Party - The evangelical outpost Apr 16, 2009, 12:32 am
It's not clear how many attended the hundreds of "Tax Day Tea Party" events held throughout the nation today. The estimates are pouring in, but we'll never really know for sure how many showed up to protest. That's the...
The Difference Between Winning and Success - Lunch w/ TED - The evangelical outpost Apr 15, 2009, 5:21 pm
This week's (late) lunch with TED features John Wooden, legendary former basketball coach for UCLA. If our schools tried to educate children to become good, as Coach Wooden is good, this country would be a better place. John is not...
The Kingdom of Heaven is Like a Sourdough Starter - The evangelical outpost Apr 14, 2009, 8:23 pm
By Elena Johnston I've been doing a lot of sourdough baking lately. It's become something of an obsession. I tend to do that. I'll latch onto an idea, and go a little crazy with it. The idea just grows and...
Not your average tea party - The evangelical outpost Apr 14, 2009, 8:35 pm
You've probably heard by now that tomorrow, April 15, thousands of activists will gather in meeting places all over the country to protest today's quickly rising tax rates. I'll be at one of these events, and will discuss it afterward...
Guest Post-- To all the Honest Ballplayers: "Our Nation Turns Its Lonely Eyes to You" - The evangelical outpost Apr 13, 2009, 8:36 am
Forty years ago, Simon and Garfunkel wrote the lyrics, "Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio?" to reference the mysterious disappearance of one of baseball's greatest stars to ever play the game. Today, the popularity of baseball is not mysteriously disappearing,...
*Jesus, the Righteous, Was Crucified at Calvary - The evangelical outpost Apr 10, 2009, 2:26 pm
Today the Church remembers the historical crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth. If one is to believe the historicity of any ancient event, one must believe in the historic crucifixion of Jesus, called the Christ. Oral accounts became written accounts, and...
Wasinger: Why so silent? - The evangelical outpost Apr 9, 2009, 1:22 am
The recent discovery of Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius' tax problems will probably not obstruct her confirmation as secretary of health and human services. Perhaps her tax indiscretions really were unimportant... or perhaps they are now considered business as usual. After...
"Classical Music with Shining Eyes" - Lunch with TED - The evangelical outpost Apr 8, 2009, 3:11 pm
I don't know about you, but Wednesday is the longest day of my week. There is something about Wednesday that I feel accomplished simply by having made it through the day. Once Thursday hits, my spirits are up because the...
Guest Post: Jail-Cell Security - The evangelical outpost Apr 8, 2009, 1:09 pm
In an 'Opinions' piece printed in the L.A. Times last week, conservative writer Andrew Klavan authored a challenge to liberals. First, he claimed that liberals who criticized Rush Limbaugh do not listen to Rush Limbaugh. While this was a controversial...
*...When in Doubt, Just Assume - The evangelical outpost Apr 5, 2009, 11:33 pm
Last Saturday night, April 4th, Biola University sponsored a debate between prominent atheist writer Christopher Hitchens and Biola's own Dr. William Lane Craig, one of the world's foremost philosophers of religion. Not only were the Biola gym, three overflow sites...
*Twitter: Narcissism Meets Networking - The evangelical outpost Apr 2, 2009, 1:45 am
Is twitter the next best marketing and networking tool, or merely another way for that annoying guy at work to brag about his mundane life? It's really up to you. Dustin's post about the iphone-skype marriage reminded me of...
Virtual as Reality - The evangelical outpost Apr 1, 2009, 1:43 pm
My friend, Dave, and I have been debating whether video games will soon become the "common text" of our culture. I initially rejected the idea because I felt that games are just that, games. They aren't meant to be taken...
Evangelicals Curbed Housing Bubble - The evangelical outpost Mar 31, 2009, 1:28 pm
Sorry Chris Hitchens, but God is pretty great for the economy. At least, that's what the New York Times is saying. According to New York Times reporter Zubin Jelveh, there is good reason to think Evangelicals curbed the housing bubble....
Evangelicals Curbed Housing Bubble - The evangelical outpost Mar 31, 2009, 1:28 pm
Sorry Chris Hitchens, but God is pretty great for the economy. At least, that's what the New York Times is saying. According to New York Times reporter Zubin Jelveh, there is good reason to think Evangelicals curbed the housing bubble....
*Skype Hits the iPhone - Values are at War - The evangelical outpost Mar 30, 2009, 2:03 pm
"When media make war against each other, it is a case of world-views in collision." - Neil Postman, Technopoly. Christians need to think about the value sets and assumptions packaged in their digital technology. Sure, values sets and assumptions may...
Rachel on The Crawford Stand.... - The evangelical outpost Mar 28, 2009, 7:42 pm
I'll be talking about Rush Limbaugh and young conservatives on The Crawford Stand at 3:54 PM PST today or at 7:53 AM, 9:05 AM, 11:54 AM, 2:45 PM & 6:26 PM Sunday on KBRT Radio. My piece will also be...
Useful Revulsion - The evangelical outpost Mar 25, 2009, 11:11 pm
Flannery O'Connor's short stories are not for the faint of heart. I've only read two or three of them. They were short, but jam-packed with lots to think about. Months later, I'm still digesting. She somehow manages to create a...
*Village Green: A Proper Understanding of Mere Christian Evangelicialism (Guest Post) - The evangelical outpost Mar 25, 2009, 3:05 pm
In a 2001 issue of Christian Scholar's Review Dr. Michael Horton asks the question, "Is Evangelicalism Reformed or Wesleyan?" This question may seem strange to some, especially those who would not think to identify Evangelicalism solely with either tradition. This...
*In the End, Christianity Wins - The evangelical outpost Mar 24, 2009, 2:41 pm
A few weeks ago, Chris Munekawa encouraged Christians to be innovators, not imitators. His essay prompted a comment from one of our regulars - the gist of the comment was that Christians ought to be concerned with their own demise...
Markets, Morality, and the Problem of Fractured Thinking - The evangelical outpost Mar 23, 2009, 1:39 pm
In two recent posts, Julia Kiewit and Robin Dembroff remarked on the free market. At a glance, it may not seem like the two were remarking on the same thing, but they were. Julia engaged the free market in the...
On the Importance of Advancing Liberty and Free Markets - The evangelical outpost Mar 20, 2009, 2:05 pm
My good friend Julia Kiewit recently submitted the following to a fellowship. I thought it was a concise, accurate view of the relationship between liberty and free markets. There is much more that could be said about liberty and free...
Better Than Fiction - The evangelical outpost Mar 19, 2009, 12:26 am
Has our culture lost the ability to foster honest public discourse? Sometimes it appears so. One blogger had this to say after one of the campaign debates last fall: What is it about politics that tends to reduce normal, presumably...
The Whole World in its Plans - The evangelical outpost Mar 18, 2009, 1:39 pm
(watch the video in high quality) "And in an age when technology and immigration are 'flattening' the world and bringing diverse cultures together more than ever, the [Cook school of Intercultural Studies at Biola University] is playing an increasingly...
What is to be Done? - The evangelical outpost Mar 17, 2009, 2:12 pm
America is, perhaps now more than ever, facing difficult decisions regarding a close neighbor. The country of Mexico is, to be frank, a mess. Cartels are gaining control of entire cities, police forces, and local economies. In some of the...
*Guest Post: Tradition! - The evangelical outpost Mar 16, 2009, 4:50 am
A man who forgets his history.... Is like a man who loses his birth certificate: he's not legally alive. Problem: As Americans and specifically as Evangelicals we believe whole-heartedly in making our own traditions when we disagree with or dislike...
*The Next Web - The evangelical outpost Mar 13, 2009, 4:49 pm
20 years ago, Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web. He now shares with us his vision for its future. Based on my work at GodblogCon and my conversations with Christians who are web thought leaders, I'd say Mr. Berners-Lee...
The Collapse of Evangelicalism and its Renaissance - The evangelical outpost Mar 12, 2009, 2:09 pm
Recently I have been thinking much about Evangelicalism. I call myself an evangelical. I was born into an evangelical family, raised at an evangelical church and attended a (mostly) evangelical school. I've been to the camps, read a lot of...
*At-A-Glance: "Bible Study Anywhere" w/ Mark Driscoll - The evangelical outpost Mar 10, 2009, 2:45 pm
Summary Bible Study Magazine's most recent feature article "Bible Study Anywhere" is an easy read with some good insights for people wanting to develop good bible study habits.* Like George Whitefield preaching in the fields of New England, Mark Driscoll...
*Guest Post: Innovators, not Imitators! - The evangelical outpost Mar 9, 2009, 12:35 pm
Let's face it. Recently, Christians are not known for being great innovators. Before you dismisses this apparent controversial statement, I would ask what it means to be an innovator. Innovation can mean anything from idea generation to product output. Lately,...
*At-A-Glance: How To Argue Like Jesus - The evangelical outpost Feb 19, 2009, 1:21 pm
Summary: How To Argue Like Jesus is an excellent, quick review of the persuasive tactics employed by history's greatest communicator, Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is not typically someone with whom people associate the word "argument." However, authors John Coleman and...
*The Invisible Abortion - The evangelical outpost Feb 9, 2009, 12:12 pm
For years, I've been involved in pro-life activities and organizations. The debate flies fast and furiously, and never ends. I've been considering this problem recently, especially in light of the vast amount of new dialogue FOCA (Freedom of Choice Act)...
*Moral Accountability.com - Pro-Lifer's Review of President Obama - The evangelical outpost Jan 23, 2009, 12:21 pm
Yesterday Rachel posted a great essay to help rally pro-life hope in the face of the Freedom of Choice Act. In response to her essay, several readers claimed that President Obama was not "staunchly pro-abortion" and one even posited that...
*Americans "Born Again" Under President Obama - The evangelical outpost Jan 22, 2009, 12:59 pm
Apparently, we are "born again" as Americans through the redemptive work of President Barack Obama. Left unanswered, however, was the question of righteousness. It is clear to me that President Obama, by his merely assuming the office of the president,...
*Hope in the midst of FOCA - The evangelical outpost Jan 22, 2009, 12:37 am
It's well known that President Obama is staunchly pro-abortion, despite his claim that questions about the issue are 'above his pay grade.' His pledge that "the first thing I'd do as president is to sign the Freedom of Choice...
*RIP: Fr. Richard John Neuhaus - The evangelical outpost Jan 8, 2009, 7:35 pm
Sad news today, Fr. Richard John Neuhaus has died. I read many of Fr. Neuhaus' essay at First Things and appreciated his thoughtful arguments and winsome tone. One such essay was titled "Born Toward Dying" and was written by Fr....
*How to Argue Like Jesus - by Joe Carter and John Coleman - The evangelical outpost Jan 6, 2009, 5:33 pm
Joe has written a book!How to Argue like Jesus: Learning Persuasion from History's Greatest Communicatorby Joe Carter and John ColemanJoe sent me a note about the book in which he said: "Argue Like Jesus, which was written for both Christians...
*Newsweek on Homosexuality and the Bible: A Response - The evangelical outpost Dec 16, 2008, 5:36 pm
According to Newsweek's senior editor and religion commentator Lisa Miller: More basic than theology, though, is human need. We want, as Abraham did, to grow old surrounded by friends and family and to be buried at last peacefully among them....
*Tolerance - The evangelical outpost Nov 12, 2008, 4:23 pm
Tolerance: "A fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward opinions and practices that differ from one's own." From the Desert Sun: The woman at the center of a disturbance that erupted at a protest against the gay marriage ban on Friday...
*God Save the President Elect - The evangelical outpost Nov 5, 2008, 5:01 pm
By Robert Stevenson Last night, for the first time, a black man accepted his election as the next President of the United States. In that sense, today is a glorious and redemptive day in American history. As I look forward...
*Proposition 8: The Same-Sex Marriage Debate - The evangelical outpost Oct 30, 2008, 8:24 pm
Recently, I posted a number of posts about California Proposition 8. This is an emotionally charged issue with good thoughts on both sides. Not surprisingly, my posts sparked debate in the comment sections where a number of excellent questions were...
*Prayers for Madelyn Dunham - The evangelical outpost Oct 22, 2008, 10:00 am
Sen. Barack Obama's grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, is seriously ill. No doubt many of you are aware of the senator's plans to cancel campaign stops this weekend in order to visit her. Though I am not an Obama supporter, I believe...
*Obama Praises William Ayers' Book - The evangelical outpost Oct 20, 2008, 8:06 pm
According to Fox News, while he was a state senator in Illinois, Barack Obama endorsed William Ayers' book A Kind and Just Parent: Children of the Juvenile Court . In the endorsement, state senator Obama praised the book as "searing...
*Liveblogging the McCain / Obama Debate #3. - The evangelical outpost Oct 15, 2008, 9:59 pm
6:01 PM - Contrary to what Charlie Gibson just said, McCain is not double digets behind, he has actually gained ground and is only down by 5 according to Rassmuessen. 6:04 PM - McCain: 'We need to buy bad home...
*NOW for Sarah Palin? - The evangelical outpost Oct 10, 2008, 1:15 am
Shelley Mandell, President of the National Organization for Women, heartily endorsed Sarah Palin at the October 4th rally in Carson, CA. NOW has very clearly distanced itself from Ms. Mandell with a strongly worded statement in favor of Barack...
*Prop 8 Video by the Family Research Council - The evangelical outpost Oct 9, 2008, 2:05 pm
While speaking with people about the issue of same-sex marriage, I often hear people claim that they see no harm in voting to allow same-sex couples to marry since they, the voter, will not be affected. When I hear this,...
*Who won the debate? - The evangelical outpost Oct 7, 2008, 11:48 pm
It all depends on who you ask. Democrats will say that Obama won. Republicans will probably tell you that McCain dominated. Radio audiences will have a different take than TV audiences, etc. Then there's Drudge, who just says it was...
*A few quick thoughts on the debate - The evangelical outpost Oct 2, 2008, 11:38 pm
* Biden frequently addressed the moderator, while Palin stared steadily at the TV audience. This worked well with Palin's repeated assertion that she and John McCain want to put government back on the side of the people; she appeared...
*Liveblogging the Palin/Biden Vice Presidential Debate - The evangelical outpost Oct 2, 2008, 8:45 pm
* 6:00 PM PST - Watching ABC *6:01 PM - Stephenopolis: "6 out of 10 Americans wonder if Gov. Palin has what it takes to be the VP. " How many Americans wonder the same about Joe Biden? This is...
*Our very own Iron Lady - The evangelical outpost Sep 30, 2008, 5:15 pm
Sarah Palin is the first woman to run in this Presidential election cycle. That is, she's the first major candidate to run as a woman. Some female candidates are successful in spite of their femininity. Others, like Hilary Clinton, are...
*John McCain: Plain Spoken Heroism - The evangelical outpost Sep 5, 2008, 1:16 pm
By John Mark Reynolds John McCain cannot give a great speech, but he has lived a great life. He has done great things, but he wants to do more. Tonight John McCain did well, but Sarah Palin gave the speech...
Celestial Teapots, Flying Spaghetti Monsters, and Other Silly Atheist Arguments - The evangelical outpost Jun 25, 2008, 3:26 am
You have to pity the modern atheist who attempts to present arguments for her cause. Unmoored from any respectable intellectual tradition, each generation is forced to recreate anti-theistic arguments from scratch. The result is that the claims which they believe...
Thirty Three Things (v. 67) - The evangelical outpost Jun 23, 2008, 1:51 am
1. The Last Traffic Jam The average U.S. citizen completely ignores the regularity with which the automobile kills him, maims him, embroils him with the law and provides mobile shelter for rakes intent on seducing his daughters. He takes it...
The Gospel of Juneteenth - The evangelical outpost Jun 20, 2008, 11:07 am
Although bad news travels fast, good news often takes the scenic route. That appears to have been especially true during the Civil War. Although Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation became official on the first day of January 1863, word didn't arrive in...
Six Thoughts About Jesus - The evangelical outpost Jun 19, 2008, 3:36 am
Over the years people have asked me why, since this is an evangelical blog, I don't mention Jesus more often. My usual glib answer is that I prefer not to name-drop just because I'm on a first name basis with...
Don't Marry a Proverbs 31 Woman - The evangelical outpost Jun 13, 2008, 1:58 am
[Note: I originally wrote this post in 2006 with the intention that it would be provocative. On reflection I see that it is a bit overstated and certainly less nuanced than it needs to be. "Career woman", for instance, has...
*The Infanticide Shibboleth - The evangelical outpost Jun 5, 2008, 2:43 am
The Book of Judges has a curious story about a fight between the men of Gilead and the men of Ephraim. After the battle the fugitives of Ephraim attempted to cross the fords of the Jordan River but were stopped...
*Brown and the Blight of British Bioethics - The evangelical outpost May 22, 2008, 1:16 am
Back in 2006, I provided testimony before a committee of the Illinois state legislature on research involving embryo-destructive research and "therapeutic" cloning. At the time I was shocked by the complete unfamiliarity these legislators had with the basic concepts underlying...
*The Monogamous Male Marriage:Fidelity, Promiscuity, and Gay Marriage - The evangelical outpost May 20, 2008, 1:37 am
[Note: I haven't had a chance to process the recent same-sex marriage decision in California. But in the meantime I thought it was worth pointing out why few gay men in that state will be taking advantage of their new...
*A Herd of Unicorns:The Myth of Evangelical Political Engagement - The evangelical outpost May 1, 2008, 2:00 am
Yesterday Phil Johnson, of the aptly named Pyromanics blog, threw gasoline on the flames of the debate about Christian involvement in politics with his provocatively titled post, "How Evangelicals Traded Their Spiritual Authority for a Mess of Political Pottage." Near...
What are the Essential (Non-Obvious)Albums of the '80s? - The evangelical outpost Apr 29, 2008, 1:17 am
I hail from Generation X while my fifteen-year-old daughter is a member of Generation Y. Yet while our generations are alphabetically close, there is a vast chasm between us musically. She's grown up in the American Idol-era of Kelly Clarkson,...
Thirty Three Things (v. 60) - The evangelical outpost Apr 28, 2008, 1:32 am
1. David Kuo on God and suffering: I was in Uganda last month. While there I saw, if not hell, some of its suburbs. The stories are familiar to us all -- dying children, slums beyond description, systemic brokenness that...
Outtakes Video:Summer of Superheroes - The evangelical outpost Apr 25, 2008, 1:51 am
Hancock Release Date: July 2 (Note: This video loads slow but looks great (its in Super HD).) °°°°°° Iron Man Release Date: May 2 °°°°°° The Dark Knight Release Date: July 18 °°°°°°...
Chappe's Progeny:In Praise of Linkers - The evangelical outpost Apr 24, 2008, 1:36 am
[Note: A version of this post originally aired in April 2005.] The towers looked like legless stick figures, waving to the neighbors across the French landscape. Spaced six miles apart and stretching between the major cities of France, the optical...
Ad Hoc Review #3 - The evangelical outpost Apr 23, 2008, 1:14 am
Expelled {Documentary} - Ben Stein's new documentary Expelled is a Rorschach test for revealing people's true feelings about intellectual freedom. Not surprising, many people--especially academic and media elites--loathe the film. While these groups often claim to value freedom of...
The 2008 EO/Wheatstone Academy Symposium - The evangelical outpost Apr 23, 2008, 1:47 am
One of my original hopes for blogging was that it would foster constructive and thoughtful dialogue on the challenges facing the Christian worldview. While that has happened, there has been surprisingly little attention paid to the means by which that...
10 Ways Darwinists Help Intelligent Design (Part I) - The evangelical outpost Apr 22, 2008, 1:22 am
Why do so many people have such difficulty accepting the theory of Darwinian (or more precisely, neo-Darwinian) evolution? Is it due to a resurgence of religious-based creationism? Or is it that the Discovery Institute and other advocates of Intelligent Design...
10 Ways Darwinists Help Intelligent Design (Part II) - The evangelical outpost Apr 22, 2008, 1:32 am
[Note: This is the second part in the list of ways in which critics of Expelled and other neo-Darwinist apologists are helping to promote the theory of intelligent design. Click here to read Part I]...
10 Ways Darwinists Help Intelligent Design (Part III) - The evangelical outpost Apr 22, 2008, 1:36 am
[Note: This is the third part in the list of ways in which critics of Expelled and other neo-Darwinist apologists are helping to promote the theory of intelligent design. Click here to read Part I]...
*Thirty Three Things (v. 59) - The evangelical outpost Apr 21, 2008, 1:21 am
1. n + 1 on Dating: Dating presents itself as an education in human relationships. In fact it's an anti-education. You could invent no worse preparation for love, for marriage, than the tireless pursuit of the perfect partner. Keep Looking,...
Outtakes04.18.08 - The evangelical outpost Apr 18, 2008, 2:05 am
Blurb Meme -- Ten years ago Rob Suggs wrote a humorous article for Christianity Today that mentions the (entirely fictional) book, "The Collected Blurbs of J. I. Packer. Any book worth reading has a short dust-jacket recommendation from J. I....
*Rainbows and Electric Chairs:A Christian View on Capital Punishment - The evangelical outpost Apr 17, 2008, 1:31 am
Earlier this week the Supreme Court debated whether the rape of children should be punishable by execution. In deciding the case of Patrick Kennedy, a Louisiana man who raped his 8-year-old stepdaughter, the Court could determine whether the death penalty...
Ad Hoc Review #2 - The evangelical outpost Apr 16, 2008, 3:06 am
Os Guinness, The Case for Civility {Nonfiction} - In his latest book, Os Guinness offers a modest proposal for restoring civility in America as a way to foster civility around the world. For decades, the China-born British expatriate has...
Thirty Three Things (v. 58) - The evangelical outpost Apr 15, 2008, 12:43 am
1. 110 best books: The perfect library °°°°°° 2. When Christians think about themselves, a different pattern of activity is observed in their brains compared with when non-religious people think about themselves. From the abstract of the paper Neural consequences...
The 2008 EO/Wheatstone Academy Symposium - The evangelical outpost Apr 14, 2008, 1:15 am
While the current political cycle has sharpened our focus on the role of religion in the public square, we often fail to reflect on the role of the public square upon religion. Increasingly, when Christians engage others in public forums,...
How to Pick a Preacher - The evangelical outpost Apr 11, 2008, 1:56 am
Dear Joe, Lately I've wanted to become a better Christian (like you) and decided that I needed to go back to church. Shopping around for a church isn't exactly easy, though. I know I shouldn't choose a church based solely...
Ad Hoc Review #1 - The evangelical outpost Apr 10, 2008, 3:08 am
N. T. Wright, The Last Word [books] -- N.T. Wright, the Bishop of Durham in the Church of England, is one of the most brilliant and prolific New Testament scholars in the world. Unfortunately, he is also viewed as...
Who I Am - The evangelical outpost Apr 9, 2008, 1:13 am
[Note: What? Another recycled post? Yes, that's right. What do you people expect from me. I've been blogging for almost four and half years so cut me some slack. Some days (like today) I just can't think of anything original...
The Patriot's Asterisk:Why We Shouldn't be Ashamed to be Patriots - The evangelical outpost Apr 8, 2008, 1:13 am
Recently a number of intellectual bloggers have been debating the concept of patriotism (see here, here, here, and here.) The conflict over such a mundane and seemingly uncontroversial term highlights the fact that we Americans have conflicted feelings about the...
Thirty Three Things (v. 57) - The evangelical outpost Apr 7, 2008, 1:17 am
1. Is it permissible for God to kill people? Many people have difficulty with God's acts in the Bible because God seems to be committing or commanding immoral acts (e.g., when God commands the Israelites to wipe out certain people-groups,...
So Say We All:Battlestar Galactica Is the Best Show on Television - The evangelical outpost Apr 4, 2008, 3:12 am
A shockingly large segment of the population suffers from the delusion that all artistic judgments are subjective. For instance, when confronted with a claim such as 'John Singer Sargent is the greatest painter of the 20th century”, they believe that...
Between Smirks and Silence:Ignoring the Epidemic of Prison Rape - The evangelical outpost Apr 2, 2008, 2:28 am
'Prison rape occupies a fairly odd space in our culture,” writes Ezra Klein, bringing to the fore a subject that is often ignored. 'It is, all at once, a cherished source of humor, a tacitly accepted form of punishment and...
The Last Evangelical in America - The evangelical outpost Apr 1, 2008, 2:03 am
'That's a cop-out,” I said mockingly, when a friend told me that he prefers to call himself 'just a Christian” rather than an evangelical. My rude comment was out-of-place in our amiable discussion and I regret not apologizing at the...
Thirty Three Things (v. 56) - The evangelical outpost Mar 31, 2008, 12:16 am
1. Jerry Bower on how the "last week of [Jesus'] life was driven by clashes pertaining to wealth and poverty - freedom and tyranny." Rome needed money to buy off the urban mob, and Herod needed Rome to keep down...
Bailey and the Bioconservatives - The evangelical outpost Mar 28, 2008, 1:33 am
The American Spectator has published an article I wrote on transhumanism, biotechnology, and Reason science correspondent Ronald Bailey. An excerpt: Bailey makes a similar sneaky acknowledgement using carefully selected language. "It is true that the proposed human animal cybrids would...
An Open Letter to the Religious Right - The evangelical outpost Mar 26, 2008, 12:16 am
[Note: This post is an adaptation of an address I recently gave for a conference of pre-law advisors at Regent University Law School which itself was originally based...on a previous blog post.] I'm honored to be able to speak to...
Thirty Three Things (v. 55) - The evangelical outpost Mar 24, 2008, 3:32 am
1. "Wikihistory" is an intriguing, very brief science fiction short story by Desmond Warzel. As BoingBoing notes, the form is "a series of messages posted to a time-travelers' forum -- it's basically a Wikipedia edit war, where the old hands...
The Greatest Speech on Race (Ever Written By a White Guy?) - The evangelical outpost Mar 19, 2008, 1:36 am
Yesterday Senator Barack Obama gave an impassioned and heartfelt speech on race in America. After reading the text online my first reaction was, "Great speech...I wonder who wrote it." Now if that wasn't your first thought it's probably a sign...
The Condom Conspiracy:Sex, Lies, STIs, and Teenage Girls - The evangelical outpost Mar 13, 2008, 1:41 am
A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds that one in four (26%) female adolescents in the United States has at least one of the most common sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The teens were tested for...
Popular Posts
*The Bioethics of Therapeutic Cloning:A Brief Primer on the Issues (249 hits)- The evangelical outpost May 23, 2005, 4:37 am
"Humankind has now embarked into the 'Age of Therapeutic Cloning, announced Bernard Siegel, executive director of pro-embryonic stem cell research at the Genetics Policy Institute, This is a huge step forward on a par with the first isolation of human...
*Field Report:AUL's Annual Chicago Gala (166 hits)- The evangelical outpost Sep 28, 2005, 4:29 am
What happens when Roe v. Wade is overturned? For over thirty years pro-lifers have been praying for that day to come while abortion rights advocates have worked tirelessly to prevent the death of choice. While the answer to the question...
*Till Death (or Sleep-talking) Do Us Part:Aftab Ansari, Terri Schiavo, and the Absurdity of Marriage Laws (160 hits)- The evangelical outpost Apr 3, 2006, 4:34 am
While talking in his sleep, a Muslim man in eastern India accidentally divorced his wife. Under Islamic law, a husband need only say "I divorce you" three times to secure a permanent end to his marriage. Aftab Ansari made the...
*The Issue at Hand:IVF and the Obligations to Embryos (135 hits)- The evangelical outpost Jun 14, 2005, 2:32 am
In a recent press conference President Bush was asked a question that was intended to clarify his position on the moral status of embryos: If I understood you correctly, the embryos put together for in vitro fertilization do contain life....
*Defining Dignity:Worldviews and the Fate of Bioethics (121 hits)- The evangelical outpost Jul 15, 2005, 1:48 am
[Note: Commitments at the CBHD bioethics conference prevent me from being able to write any original posts tonight. So in honor of the conference I've decided to recyle this post from last summer.] Abortion. Euthanasia. Embryonic stem cell research. Some...
*The Cost of Beliefs:Economics and Embryonic Stem Cell Research (101 hits)- The evangelical outpost Jun 7, 2005, 4:07 am
Men willingly believe what they wish. -- Julius Caesar Stress causes ulcers. Until a few decades ago, almost everyone even medical experts considered that simple claim to be true. Even after Drs. J. Robin Warren and Barry J....
*Ticking Bombs and Hurricanes:The Economics of Torture and Euthanasia (63 hits)- The evangelical outpost Nov 17, 2005, 2:05 am
Recently there has been widespread discussion and news coverage on two seemingly unrelated topics euthanasia and torture. Taken together, though, they reveal our peculiar attitudes and moral reasoning on suffering and death. The first story concerns the ethical requirements...
*Should the Wages of Sin Be Taxed? (59 hits)- The evangelical outpost Oct 25, 2005, 3:32 am
As the only two certainties in life, we shouldn't be surprised to find that both death and taxes share a mutual connection: Sin. While death usually make for more interesting reading, Fr. Robert Sirico, president and co-founder of the The...
*Outtakes10.26.05 (56 hits)- The evangelical outpost Oct 26, 2005, 3:00 am
The Pearcey Report -- Total Truth author Nancy Pearcey and her husband J. Richard have launched The Pearcey Report, a website of news, comment, information, and worldview. ****** Loving our (Southern) Neighbors -- Charlie Lehardy, my favorite "pro-life Democrat", has...
*Future Killing:What Makes Abortion Immoral? (53 hits)- The evangelical outpost May 9, 2005, 2:31 am
In the latest edition of Planned Parenthood's webzine choice! magazine, a reader asks Dr. Vanessa Cullins to resolve a dispute about whether life begins at conception or when a baby takes its first breath. Dr. Cullins, an obstetrician/gynecologist and vice...
*She's Having a Fetus (53 hits)- The evangelical outpost Oct 12, 2005, 4:01 am
[Note: This is post #6 in the Blogiversary II series.] Overheard at a local shopping mall: Jan: Marsha! How are you girl? I haven't seen you in ages. Marsha: Hey Jan, you're looking great. How've you been? Jan: Just peachy....
*The Value of Life in Brownies and Milk:Pascal's Wager for the Rational Gambler (53 hits)- The evangelical outpost Oct 17, 2005, 3:32 am
[Note: I had hoped to be able to post my thoughts on the GodBlogCon for today but got sidetracked while working on other projects (a short article about the conference for World magazine and prepping for an interview for ">BBC...
*Outtakes03.23.05 (48 hits)- The evangelical outpost Mar 24, 2005, 1:34 am
ADA to the Rescue? -- After reading (and writing) thousands of words about Terri Schiavo, I thought I had heard every possible argument that could be made. But Slate has a great article by a disability-rights lawyer that brings in...
Button Your Lip, MilBlogger:Why the Army is Right - and Conservative Bloggers are Wrong (48 hits)- The evangelical outpost May 3, 2007, 2:43 am
After Noah Shachtman, of the excellent Danger Room blog, about the Army's stringent new regulations for online communications, the conservative blogosphere exploded in protest against the order. I propose that these bloggers consider how they would react upon hearing the...
*Defending the Wisdom of Repugnance:Part 3 of 3 -- Science and the Need for Intellectual Humility (47 hits)- The evangelical outpost Mar 4, 2005, 2:40 am
In 1997, bioethicist Leon Kass wrote an article for The New Republic entitled “The Wisdom of Repugnance” in which he proposed a ban on human cloning. Though the article is rarely read by critics of Dr. Kass, the title lives...
*The Price of Eggs:Therapeutic Cloning and the Economics of Egg Donation (47 hits)- The evangelical outpost Nov 29, 2005, 2:42 am
Last week the South Korean stem cell pioneer Hwang Woo-Suk publicly apologized after an official investigation found two female scientists in his laboratory donated their own eggs for his research on cloning. Woo-Suk was not in violation of any legal...
*Overheard (v. 7) (47 hits)- The evangelical outpost Jan 13, 2006, 2:06 am
"When Mr. Biden says things like, "Try to follow me, Judge Alito," as he goes on one of his long, sterile journeys, I wonder if Judge Alito has to control himself with an act of will. I wonder if he...
*Outtakes10.05.05 (45 hits)- The evangelical outpost Oct 5, 2005, 2:38 am
Was Dolly the Sheep Really a Clone? -- In the latest embarrassment for the peer-review process, the Journal of the American Medical Association has an unbelievably sloppy article in which Irving Weissman invents new terms (pseudozygote?) and tries to claim...
*Who's to Blame?Reflections on the Miers Nomination (45 hits)- The evangelical outpost Oct 4, 2005, 3:53 am
The news that President Bush had nominated Harriet Miers to replace Justice Sandra Day O'Connor was met with reactions normally reserved for natural disasters. The right side of the blogosphere was shocked and dismayed, befuddled that Bush could betray them...
*The Embryo Eaters:A Bioethical Thought Experiment (44 hits)- The evangelical outpost Apr 28, 2005, 2:18 am
The following thought experiment is used to explore some basic assumptions currenly held in the field of bioethics. As with any such hypothetical scenario, a certain degree of liberty is taken with what is considered within the realm of possibility....
Recent Comments
Prachi: "My son , 25 yrs old is an ..."
Anon: "Thanks for explaining that, I appreciate it. I ..."
ELyse Miriam: "Dear Anon, you raise a very important question ..."
Ed: "Joanne, you might not have seen evidence spelled ..."
Anon.: "PLEASE READ!!! This doesn't actually have anything to ..."
Joanne: "The heading "ARTL questions Palin's pro-life credentials" led ..."
Matt: "I am a veteran. Though I've been in ..."