Bracketing Morality — The Marginalization of Moral Argument in the Same-Sex Marriage Debate
And yet, what makes this moral revolution so vast in consequences and importance is this: the moral dimension has virtually disappeared from the cultural conversation. This is true, we must note, even among the defenders of heterosexual marriage.
Let me offer a reason that I have not seen discussed much: people in Western culture instinctively yearn to see marriage succeed. People intuitively understand that the preservation of marriage offers society stability and hope. Unfortunately, the unofficial consensus is heterosexual marriage has failed and will never succeed; therefore, gay marriage should be given its chance.
A Different Kind of Easter Morning
This Easter, before assembling with other believers, I did something that I had never done before.
I visited Joshua’s grave.
The Haddon Robinson Principle: How to Burn your Sermon into the Brains of Your Audience
This is where our friend Haddon Robinson comes in, most famous for his emphasis on “Big Idea” preaching. Here’s what he says: “Ideally, each sermon is the explanation, interpretation, or application of a single dominant idea supported by other ideas, all drawn from one passage or several passages of Scripture.” How many points was that? Three? Five? No. One point. One single point. So here’s our principle: Preach with a pin, not with a hammer. A pin is a narrow, focused point designed to penetrate through surfaces. A hammer has a wide, flat surface, and its designed to bat around and flatten the outer layers. If we want preaching that penetrates the heart, we must preach with a pin.
God rested from his work (Gen. 2:2), setting both an example and precedent that it is appropriate for us to do the same. The person in relationship with God can pray with expectation the words of Psalm 62:5, “Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.”
Why Most Twenty Somethings are Delusional
And yet, they are also delusional. And here’s why:
- They believe they are special.
- They believe the work their parents did is the work they did.
- They believe passion displaces work.
All of the wisdom in Proverbs, in James, in the Gospels, and in the Epistles is equally applicable to words typed into Twitter as to words spoken verbally. One of the issues we face is that online interactions are mediated interactions, and in the mediation—in the screen that separates one person from another—we are prone to lose some of our humanity. We do well to remind ourselves continually that “pixels are people,” which is to say that the rules that govern offline communication also need to govern what we say through our mobile phones or across the Internet.
Poll: 13 percent of American voters think President Obama is the Antichrist
Seven percent of American voters believe the moon landing was faked, 6 percent say Osama bin Laden is still alive, and 13 percent think President Barack Obama is the Antichrist.
Easter Egg Hunt At Seattle Zoo Turns Violent
A statement on the Seattle Police Department blotter Monday says the “hard-boiled tale” began Sunday afternoon, “when one woman reportedly pushed a child aside as her own child was scrambling toward some brightly colored eggs.”
The kind of basketball team you can bring home to mom
ESPN’s Jeremy Schaap recently caught up with the Spurs and did a feature on the team’s continued success over the years and why they aren’t talked about more. There are a lot of things we’ve heard over the years about how they like it that way, they just go to work and then go home, and how small of a market San Antonio is.
Nonetheless, it’s the type of piece that confirms a lot of the reasons you’re already rooting for this team.