December 31, 2008
Interview (Part II) with Justin Reimer of The Elisha Foundation
This is part II of an interview with Mr. Justin Reimer about a ministry he and his wife launched called The Elisha Foundation. Part I of the interview can be found here.
Describe your ministry a bit. What is your vision? Scope? Mission?
Our overriding mission is to encourage families of people with special needs (kids and adults) to a more intimate faith in Christ, lived out with passion and love. In our experience we have seen that relational intimacy, faith, passion and real love all commonly suffer in the lives of those affected by a disability or other complication. As the focus shifts from a mate or child to a disability, so goes the intimacy of those relationships. Focus goes from Christ for strength, to self. Focus goes from love to duty and passion for life can be lost altogether. We want to encourage that those focuses be redirected so that much is made of Christ in all things.
Our primary vehicle for this, at this point, is through hosting Family Retreats for these special families. We are also working on developing more of a community presence as it relates to providing child care once a month for families so they can go out, plug families in with churches in their area, provide counseling resources,etc. Working with the local churches to help meet the needs of these families is our immediate concern and is beginning to take shape.
Our vision is to provide resources for the local churches to build awareness of the special needs community and to be a supporting organization to that. Never far from our hearts is providing some international outreach opportunities as well, be that through orphan ministries or family ministries but all orchestrated through indigenous churches.
Our Board and counsel ultimately want to keep the brevity of life in mind (Eccles. 12), making much of Christ through all things (John 9) while being faithful to and purposed for and by the Gospel (1 Cor 9).
What forms does The Elisha Foundation's partnership with local churches take? Do you partner with ministries like Joni and Friends, or do you see your venture as somewhat different?
Our goal is to simply have a point of contact at the local churches so that we can reference them specifically if we have a family that is seeking a fellowship or is in the area of that church. We want to know that a person will be enfolded when they walk in the door of the church; whatever we can do to facilitate a church in doing that, we will.
Prior to our first couple of Retreats the director of our region for JAF stayed in touch with me about what we are doing and was very helpful in providing resources and encouragement. The small and intimate environment is different than the conferences they hold and JAF appreciated and encouraged the differences. Joni and Friends is an excellent ministry and Joni has impacted our lives greatly - we would love to partner with them!
What suggestions might you have for how Christians could assist your ministry and/or people in their midst who have special needs, particularly children? What mistakes do Christians commonly make in this regard?
The most common mistake Christians make is that since they don’t know what to say or are uncomfortable upon seeing someone with special needs they chose to do nothing at all. These days we do this with “normal” people and pass on opportunities to share the gospel even. I would challenge Christians, even urge them, to simply approach that child or adult or their parents and ask what they can do to help. That’s it, just ask! They may or may not tell you but it means a lot to them to even be asked.
As for how Christians can assist us, the best and most affective assistance for our ministry is prayer. We are in the midst of some very important steps for the ministry and could use some prayers concentrated on our behalf.
Describe for us a typical Family Retreat. Where do these retreats occur?
A typical Family Retreat consists of a balanced schedule of teaching/worship, resources and free time for the families running over three days and three nights. We aim for a small intimate environment where we serve 6-8 families at a time with around 20+ full time volunteers tending to their needs - each family has at least one volunteer completely designated to them.
Each evening and morning we have a time of teaching and worship along with a program for the kids. The teaching at our last Retreat was on the book of Job and was excellent. The kids had an international missions theme.
Some of the resources we have had are educational consultants, music therapy and round table discussions for parents. We also arrange for a tea for the moms, we have the kids and dads do flower arrangements for the moms, a candle light dinner for the parents, a treasure hunt for the kids and other enjoyable activities. In an effort to keep the family focus going we allow for a lot of free time with nothing on the “schedule” to encourage the families to interact with each other or grow in that regard.
We utilize a corporate guest ranch here in Central Oregon for our Retreats. The ranch has private cabins for each family and sits on 40 acres of beautiful country with the Cascade mountains as a backdrop. A full complement of chef prepared meals each day and snacks in between is a favorite of the kids - and adults. On the grounds of the ranch you can fish, hike, play tennis, volleyball, basketball, ping-pong, etc.
Does your ministry currently serve primarily Christian families? Is there an explicit evangelistic component to your ministry, and if so, what does it look like?
Christian families are definitely more drawn to what we provide but we do not want to be exclusively Christian in our servicing these families. This is a major challenge to achieve balance on. At each of our Retreats we have had at least one family of non-Christians. We put up flyers in varying locations in our area and we are clear that we are “faith-based” but that we encourage anyone to come and be a part of what we are doing.
The teaching times are an obvious evangelistic component but we feel that our staff of volunteers are a very strong “component” as well. Our volunteers that are assigned to specific families are in a unique position to really bond with these families and it has been very rewarding to hear of the conversations that have taken place or to hear non-Christian families comment on the unity of our team. Or even hear things like “I don’t know about all this Jesus stuff?” I love to hear that as they are encountered with the Gospel.
Looking at the broader culture for a moment, many of us are concerned at indications that unborn children diagnosed with Down Syndrome are more likely to be aborted. What do you think is happening here, and is this a specific concern for your ministry?
Al Mohler covered this topic well as did Joni Erickson Tada last year. I don’t fully have the capacity to restrain emotive discussion on these developments but will try.
It is a concern of ours to understand what we can do to be used to counter this type of “medicine” and be used more directly. We have had discussions about how we could help the local Crisis Pregnancy Centers or even on how we could be an influence in the local/state medical community. Our local health care professionals have very little experience with pediatric or neonatal disabilities, as experienced by our friends recently. Could that be because the latest tests are being utilized more frequently in our state to prevent these births? I don’t know but it does concern me deeply.
Spend just 5 minutes with Elisha and you will wonder why they don’t have children like him part of their genetic counseling teams in the medical community. He lights up the room and is full of love for most anyone he meets, especially an uncanny and deep love for Jesus. A love that now, unfortunately, many parents will never experience from their own child with special needs because of the advice of these professionals.
Interview with Justin Reimer of The Elisha Foundation
The Elisha Foundation is an outstanding ministry that I am honored to serve as a current sponsor. To help readers get a better understanding of this ministry, I'm re-posting an interview with Justin Reimer, who together with his wife Tamara established The Elisha Foundation in December 2005. Here is part I of our interview:
Can you please tell us how the Lord called you to Himself?
I grew up in a Christian home with two parents who love the Lord and raised us in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. We were immersed in Christianity. I remember kneeling next to my bed at the age of 4 full of fear that hell was real and asking Jesus to save me. At the age of 16 I found myself really challenged to evaluate what exactly I believed and why. My oldest brother, Matt, would have me visit him while he attended The Master’s College and inevitably I would end up cornered by 4 or 5 youth ministry majors “encouraging” me to read the Word and know Jesus more intimately. By the age of 18, through much time in the Word, there was a turning point in my life of going from some form of uninformed yet convicted obedience to a joyful, Christ-enamored intimate obedience as an act of worship and delight.
To answer your question, I don’t have a specific event/experience to look back to but a present and supremely sweet reality of Christ in my life moved by the Holy Spirit.
How did you come to meet your wife?
Here is the short version...
Although I never officially attended The Master’s College I spent enough time there to apparently warrant being afforded the opportunity to be part of a summer missions trip to Provideniya, Russia. My bride to be attended Master’s and was on that trip but I hadn’t met her prior to the trip. We met in Alaska on the way to Russia and 14 months and one more trip to Russia later we were married and moved to Alaska.
Before your son Elisha was born, did you ever think you would work with a ministry for special needs children?
I didn’t but Tamara had an “inkling” we would as she was a special education major in college and worked in the special needs Sunday school program at Grace Community Church in California. I grew up as a missionary kid in Africa and always thought I would end up back on the mission field. Tamara and I had our sights set on going back to Russia as missionaries in some capacity.
What work were you pursuing when Elisha was born? Talk to us a bit about any redirecting God did in your lives.
We were living in a remote Alaskan village where I was working as an apprentice aircraft mechanic and we helped with the ministry that took us to Russia as opportunities presented themselves.
About 45 minutes after Elisha was born he was diagnosed with Down Syndrome and a couple hours later he was admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit due to medical complications. During the early hours of this new and blessed addition to our family we were overcome with the moment. God saw fit to make us stewards of such a wondrous and enigmatic blessing of a special needs child. The enormity of this responsibility was only made more sweet by the grace of God. The only tears we shed that morning were brief and were solely tears of experiencing the rich blessing of this stewardship all through His Grace.
This was a defining moment in our young lives with profound impact on our faith, goals and dreams. He redirected us in such a tangible way - a child. We knew in a very short period of time that this blessing was purposeful and that our calling was to a new field, that of the special needs community. It has not been without challenge and real lessons of patience but it has been a merciful bounty of spiritual lessons.
What has God taught you personally through having a special needs child in your family?
That is an excellent question that is hard to succinctly answer. It has brought more reality to those attributes of God we hold so dear, sovereignty being the key to our comfort. The most immediate affect on me personally has been patience. I have always tended to be a really on-time and ready-to-go kind of person but with Elisha things happen more slowly. He learns at a different rate. He moves at a different pace. His body, early on, was very fragile and travel was difficult. It slowed me down and caused me to see some sin in my life and to invest that nervous energy in Eli’s growth and development or to just simply sit still and listen. There have been many other things the Lord has taught us as well that are deep and treasured.
How would you comfort and/or counsel someone who has just learned their child has a severe disability?
It depends on the situation, sometimes you simply listen while other times you speak to the specifics of the disability. But at some point it should always come back to the Word and prayer and usually a combination of all these things. A foundational principle to understanding the scope of any disability/need is to understand that that person is no less created in the image of God than you or I. It is a difficult concept but is essential to a God-honoring perspective. Equally important is that whatever the situation, circumstance, challenge, need, etc. much is to be made of Christ in and through them. John 9 is particularly helpful with this as a quick reference.
Let me share this brief story. Just a couple of months ago I received a call late at night from a friend whose wife just gave birth to a baby girl with Down Syndrome that morning and the familiar voice on the other end said, ”I don’t understand what is going on and why God would do this to us? I would run away if I could right now. I am angry at God, why would he do this?!”
I will tell you that no matter how close you are to understanding the plight of a person with special needs you are never prepared for how it affects people so deeply and how suffering can so spiritually distract and reek havoc on a soul that is under attack. I was taken aback for a second but the Lord gave me the words to say as I talked with this Brother while driving to the hospital to be with he and his wife. Our home Bible study had just started going through 2 Corinthians and Chapter 1:3-7 came alive and I was able to share the God of ALL comfort and purposeful comfort with this Brother. Three hours and a lot of Psalms and prayer later this Brother embraced me and had been encouraged and strengthened to what extent he could be in his exhausted state - all by the Word and soul searching/baring prayer.
December 30, 2008
Mark Driscoll Interviews D.A. Carson
The book Dr. Carson spends the first few minutes discussing, Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor: The Life and Reflections of Tom Carson, is absolutely outstanding.
HT: Andy Naselli via JT via Thabiti
December 29, 2008
Making Men Moral: Conference on Morality and Public Life
Union University is offering a very interesting conference on morality and public life. The conference title, Making Men Moral: The Public Square and the Role of Moral Judgment, appears to be taken from the highly regarded book Making Men Moral: Civil Liberties and Public Morality
The full speaker list includes Robert P. George (Princeton University), Jean Bethke Elshtain (University of Chicago), Richard John Neuhaus (Editor-in-Chief, First Things), Russell D. Moore (Southern Baptist Theological Seminary), Harry L. Poe (Union University), Gregory A. Thornbury (Union University), David Novak (University of Toronto), James Stoner (Louisiana State University), Christopher Tollefsen (University of South Carolina), Paul Kerry (Brigham Young University).
The Conference runs from February 25-27, 2009 and the cost is $75.
* Wednesday, February 25, 2009
o 5:30, Reception and dinner, with an address by Paul Kerry.
o 7:30, Address by Russell D. Moore.
* Thursday, February 26, 2009
o 8:00-8:45, Continental breakfast
o 9:00-10:30, Session 1: James Stoner
o 10:45-12:15, Session 2: David Novak
o 12:15, Lunch
o 1:30-3:00, Session 3: Jean Bethke Elshtain
o 3:15-4:45, Session 4: Christopher Tollefsen
o 6:00, Dinner
o 7:30, Evening conversation with Robert P. George and Harry L. Poe
* Friday, February 27, 2009
o 8:00, Continental breakfast
o 8:30-9:45, Session 5: Gregory A. Thornbury
o 10:00-11:00, Robert P. George in chapel
o 12:00, Closing Luncheon with remarks by Richard John Neuhaus
On-line registration is available.
John Piper on John Calvin
John Piper has written a short new book called John Calvin and His Passion for the Majesty of God. From the publisher's description:
God rests lightly on the church’s mind in our time. We are obsessed with ourselves and God takes second place, if that. The experience of his majesty sometimes seems to have disappeared from the modern evangelical world.Check it out.John Calvin saw a similar thing in his day. His aim was to “set before [man], as the prime motive of his existence, zeal to illustrate the glory of God”—a fitting banner over all of his life and work.
(HT: Abraham Piper)
December 24, 2008
Tim Keller: The Advent of Humility
Pastor Tim Keller explains why Jesus is the reason for self-forgetfulness:
There are two basic narrative identities at work among professing Christians. The first is what I will call the moral-performance narrative identity. These are people who in their heart of hearts say, I obey; therefore I am accepted by God. The second is what I will call the grace narrative identity. This basic operating principle is, I am accepted by God through Christ; therefore I obey.Read the whole thing. Keller unpacks this theme more fully in his excellent book released earlier this year, The Prodigal God.People living their lives on the basis of these two different principles may superficially look alike. They may sit right beside one another in the church pew, both striving to obey the law of God, to pray, to give money generously, to be good family members. But they are doing so out of radically different motives, in radically different spirits, resulting in radically different personal characters.
Albert Mohler: Can a Christian Deny the Virgin Birth?
Dr. Albert Mohler gives an outstanding answer to this important question, and traces the history of significant liberal theologians who have chipped away at the biblical position. Excerpt:
Can a true Christian deny the virgin birth? The answer to that question must be a decisive No. Those who deny the virgin birth reject the authority of Scripture, deny the supernatural birth of the Savior, undermine the very foundations of the Gospel, and have no way of explaining the deity of Christ.Read the whole thing.Anyone who claims that the virgin birth can be discarded even as the deity of Christ is affirmed is either intellectually dishonest or theological incompetent.
December 20, 2008
Southern Seminary and the History of American Christianity
This conference at Southern Seminary looks very interesting.
Southern Seminary and the History of American Christianity
February 18th - 19th, 2009
Speakers:
Dr. Mark Dever
Dr. Gary Dorrien
Dr. Timothy George
Dr. Darryl Hart
Dr. R. Albert Mohler Jr.
Dr. Russell D. Moore
Dr. Thomas Nettles
Dr. Stephen Nichols
Dr. Grant Wacker
Dr. Greg Wills
Session One: Legacy and Meaning
* The Meaning of Theological Education – Dr. Timothy George
* The Meaning of Southern Seminary – Dr. Mark Dever
Session Two: Evangelicalism and Confessionalism
* American Religion (in Search of Itself) in the Age of D.L. Moody – Dr. Stephen Nichols
* James P. Boyce's Vision for Southern Seminary – Dr. Thomas Nettles
Session Three: Southern Seminary and Progressive Religion
* Liberal Theology, the Social Gospel, and the Invention of Social Ethics – Dr. Gary Dorrien
* Liberalism and Orthodoxy at Southern Seminary 1870-1910 – Dr. Greg Wills
Session Four: Modernism, Fundamentalism, and Progressive Conservatives
* J. Gresham Machen, E.Y. Mullins, and the American Religion – Dr. Darryl Hart
* E.Y. Mullins, Pragmatism, and Experiential Religion – Dr. Albert Mohler
Session Five: Religion and American Culture in the Twentieth Century
* Billy Graham's America – Dr. Grant Wacker
* American Culture and the Reshaping of Southern Seminary – Dr. Russell Moore
HT: JT
December 17, 2008
Ligonier Ministries Music: The Word Became Flesh
I'm jamming to this great musical and narrative blend of the redemption story (creation, fall, redemption) as I get ready to finish grading my final exams (might be a late night). The album weaves together nineteen Christmas songs and short Scripture reading from Dr. R.C. Sproul highlighting how The Word Became Flesh so that the Second Adam could undo the work of sin. The recording is exceptionally professional, and the songs include classic Christmas tunes (Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus, Angels We Have Heard On High, Hark The Herald Angels Sing) as well as lesser-known numbers (Good News of Great Joy, We Have Seen His Glory).
Narrated by R.C. Sproul, the album is created by Dan & Heidi Goeller. Goeller's numerous arrangements, compositions and orchestrations have been published by Word Music, LifeWay Music Group, Brentwood-Benson Music, Augsburg Fortress, Lillenas, and others. Heidi Goeller is a vocalist and violinist.
Listen to audio samples or order the album.
Don't Waste Your Sexuality
HT: Desiring God
Thomas Sowell: No Bailout For Detroit Automakers
Thomas Sowell, with typical brilliance:
Some of us were raised to believe that reality is inescapable. But that just shows how far behind the times we are. Today, reality is optional. At the very least, it can be postponed.He goes on to compare the difficulty of the Big Three US automakers to the conundrum once faced by those in the horse-and-carriage industry:Kids in school are not learning? Not a problem. Just promote them on to the next grade anyway. Call it "compassion," so as not to hurt their "self-esteem."
Can't meet college admissions standards after they graduate from high school? Denounce those standards as just arbitrary barriers to favor the privileged, and demand that exceptions be made.
Can't do math or science after they are in college? Denounce those courses for their rigidity and insensitivity, and create softer courses that the students can pass to get their degrees.
For thousands of years, horses had been the way to go, whether in buggies or royal coaches, whether pulling trolleys in the cities or plows on the farms. People had bet their futures on something with a track record of reliable success going back many centuries.Read the whole thing.Were all these people to be left high and dry? What about all the other people who supplied the things used with horses-- oats, saddles, horse shoes and buggies? Wouldn't they all go falling like dominoes when horses were replaced by cars?
December 16, 2008
Gary Haugen: Just Courage
I was glad to catch an interview that Marvin Olasky did with Gary Haugen, president and CEO of International Justice Mission -- a group I don't know much about, but greatly appreciate their cause: securing justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression. Haugen is the author of the recent book Just Courage: God's Great Expedition for the Restless Christian
Question: The term "social justice" is often used by the left. How can conservative Christians recapture that term without abandoning their political principles?Check it out (the entire interview may only be available to World Magazine subscribers).Haugen: We must return to the basics. The pursuit of a just society is a very fundamental biblical calling and has always been a bedrock commitment of thoughtful conservatism. We are not talking about nuanced social engineering projects. We are talking about protecting the most basic liberties of poor people made in the image of God—the right not to be raped, illegally detained, assaulted, dispossessed, and enslaved. This is still a great struggle and Christians are called in this generation to fight as they always have in history.
Albert Mohler Takes on Gay "Marriage" and Newsweek
Though I've not commented, many have critiqued Lisa Miller's journalistic standards in her recent Newsweek cover story The Religious Case for Gay Marriage. Yesterday, Dr. Albert Mohler was a guest on National Public Radio's Talk of The Nation, along with Ms. Miller, discussing this issue. Mohler had previously written an initial response to Miller's article. Running time for the program is 30-minutes long.
On a related note, Albert Mohler, Leith Anderson, and Charles Colson all respond to this issue in the On Faith religious dialogue sponsored by Newsweek and the Washington Post. (HT: Denny Burk)
Modern Parables - Online For Free
For a limited time only. I think this one on the Prodigal Sons is the best. [The theme of it is similar to Tim Keller's great book, The Prodigal God.]
HT: JT
Related: Review of Modern Parables.
December 15, 2008
Kirk Cameron and John MacArthur on TBN
MacArthur gives a razor-sharp, articulate, succinct explanation of the Gospel:
It gets better:
HT: Thabiti
December 12, 2008
Chuck Colson On Gov. Rod Blagojevich: I've Been There
In a CNN commentary, Chuck Colson gives a taste of his own fall from power due to similar misdeeds:
"I now realize that every human being has an infinite capacity for self-rationalization and self-delusion. Those who serve in public life are faced with enormous peer pressure and don't always take time to stop and think carefully about what they're doing.In the short article, Colson also recounts the night of his conversion, and explains:Sometimes -- absorbed in accumulating political power -- they're not interested in stopping to think. But as I learned firsthand, self-obsession destroys character. It has to."
"Pride is a spiritual cancer. And the only cure, for any of us, is to stop looking down and to look up. The cure can only be brought about in someone who has come to realize that the will and power to do good and not evil comes from God alone."Check it out.
(HT: Tullian Tchividjian)
Ray Boltz's Hunger For Community
Three months ago, popular Christian singer Ray Boltz (known for songs such as "Thank You" among many others) publicly announced he was gay. As Mark Moring of Christianity Today explained at the time:
One reason Boltz decided to come out now might be because he's performing Sunday at Jesus Metropolitan Community Church in Indianapolis, and then next Sunday, Sept. 21, at the Metropolitan Community Church of Washington, D.C. Both congregations are a part of a denomination that embraces the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) community.Today, Mike Ensley, who serves in Exodus International's Student Ministry, published an outstanding and convicting reflection on the tendency of Christians and churches to shun those that struggle with same-sex attraction. An excerpt:
In one of his initial statements concerning his "coming out," Ray mentioned trying to overcome his same-sex struggle by reading books on the issue. Books — that's all he felt he had. I know there are many other people the world over who only have that much to turn to, at least for now. Exodus hears from people every day asking for help that we are simply too small to provide. And that's just the people who struggle with this unpopular issue.Read the whole thing.Would this be true if the Church were what Jesus intended it to be? Are people perceived to be of "ill repute" and sinful reputation drawn to us the way they were drawn to Him? Do we show them His grace and compassion that was so radical and unwavering that He was able, in the midst of it, to call out their sin and transform their hearts?
Or do we shoot our wounded?
December 09, 2008
Questions Arise Over Obama/Blagojevich Relationship
The $64MM question: To what extent, if at all, was President-Elect Obama connected to or aware of IL Gov. Rod Blagojevich's corrupt activities? Obama is seeking to distance himself from the Governor, but ABC Correspondent Jack Tapper recalls a November 23 appearance on Fox News Chicago in which Obama's senior advisor David Axelrod was asked whether Obama had any preferences for his Senate replacement, a decision that lies solely with the Governor of IL. Axelrod's answer: "I know he's talked to the governor and there are a whole range of names many of which have surfaced, and I think he has a fondness for a lot of them."
Axelrod issued a statement this evening: "I was mistaken when I told an interviewer last month that the President-elect has spoken directly to Governor Blagojevich about the Senate vacancy. They did not then or at any time discuss the subject." Hmm. Sounds a little odd that a senior advisor would be mistaken about something he said he "knew."
The indications that Obama refused to participate in a pay-to-play scheme are in Obama's favor: On an intercepted phone call, Gov. Blagojevich mused with chagrin that he was only being offered "gratitude" were he to appoint Obama's friend Valerie Jarrett to the vacated Senate seat. Still, it makes you wonder: How did Blagojevich know that he was only being offered gratitude?
AP reporters observe that "both Obama and Blagojevich got extensive money and support from Chicago businessman Antoin "Tony" Rezko, who is now under federal indictment. And Obama is close to Illinois Senate President Emil Jones, who has been the governor's staunchest legislative ally."
Bear in mind that Blagojevich has been under investigation since before Obama endorsed his Gubernatorial reelection campaign in 2006. Jack Tapper gives some background on Obama's history with Blagojevich:
Mr. Obama has a relationship with Mr. Blagojevich, having not only endorsed Blagojevich in 2002 and 2006, but having served as a top adviser to the Illinois governor in his first 2002 run for the state house.In the Democratic gubernatorial primary that year, then-state sen. Obama endorsed former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris. But after Blagojevich won, Obama came around enthusiastically. At the same time, meanwhile, Axelrod had such serious concerns about whether Blagojevich was ready for governing he refused to work for his one-time client.
According to Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill., Mr. Obama's incoming White House chief of staff, Emanuel, then-state senator Obama, a third Blagojevich aide, and Blagojevich's campaign co-chair, David Wilhelm, were the top strategists of Blagojevich's 2002 gubernatorial victory.
Update: Hats-off to President-Elect Obama for calling upon Gov. Blagojevich to resign immediately.
Update #2: Massimo Calabresi of Time Magazine has a helpful article with potentially troubling details about interactions between Blagojevich and the Obama Transition Team.
IL Gov. Blagojevich's Political Corruption Crime Spree
What a disgrace for my home state.
The text of U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald's remarks.
The criminal complaint (affidavit).
Erin Zorn of the Chicago Tribune summarizes Fitzgerald's remarks:
"The breadth of corruption laid out in these charges is staggering. They allege that (Ill. Gov. Rod) Blagojevich put a "for sale" sign on the naming of a United States Senator; involved himself personally in pay-to-play schemes with the urgency of a salesman meeting his annual sales target; and corruptly used his office in an effort to trample editorial voices of criticism...."Read the whole thing.
December 08, 2008
Outliars (Malcolm Gladwell) - New Bestseller
The best-selling author of The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
Anyway, thought I'd pass it along FWIW since it seems I'm mainly mentioning books these days (trying to get the politics addiction out of my system).
December 07, 2008
Pro-Life Folks to Blame for GOP Debacle?
One line of explanation for the GOP's woes is summed up by folks like Kathleen Parker. In an op-ed piece in yesterday's NY Times, Ross Douthat explains:
Pro-choice Republicans, in particular, know exactly whom to blame for their party’s showing. As Christie Whitman, the former New Jersey governor and Bush administration E.P.A. chief, explained after the election, it lost because “the party was taken hostage by ‘social fundamentalists,’ the people who base their votes on such social issues as abortion.”Douthat goes on to explain the fallacy of this argument. Basically, pro-lifers are already applying a "winning hearts and minds" strategy even as they remain unflinching on the priority of candidates who support strict constructionist judges. Ultimately, Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey must be overturned for any serious abortion restrictions to ever be realizable. Douthat's conclusion:The conservative columnist Kathleen Parker made the same point more vividly: “The evangelical, right-wing, oogedy-boogedy branch of the G.O.P. is what ails the erstwhile conservative party.” The neoconservative writer Max Boot was diffident about the matter (“I don’t think Republicans need to panic,” he wrote, but “one area where I do see some room for adjustment is on the issue of abortion”) and the right-wing humorist P. J. O’Rourke was blunt (pro-lifers should “give the issue a rest”). The message is clear: If the Republican Party would only jettison its position on abortion, it would be back on its feet in no time.
Overturning Roe and Casey has never been an easy task, and the election of Barack Obama will make it that much more difficult. Facing a hostile governing majority, pro-lifers can and should talk more about the possibility of compromise: They should explain, more often and more cogently, that if Americans want laws that better reflect their muddled sentiments on abortion, it is pro-choice maximalism, not the pro-life movement, that’s really standing in the way.Read the whole thing.But so long as the Supreme Court remains closely divided, and a post-Roe world remains in reach, the movement’s basic political task must remain the same. Not because pro-lifers are absolutists who reject compromise, but because any real compromise will always depend on overturning Roe. Giving up on this goal would mean giving up the movement’s very purpose, while gaining nothing in return.
Finally Alive - New Book From John Piper
Christian Focus publishers is releasing a new title by John Piper in the UK sometime after Christmas, but the book is available for pre-order now. The title is Finally Alive
Why is the church so ineffectual and characterised by the mosaic generation as unchristian? The term born again has been devalued both in society and in the church. Recent social studies surveys have shown that those who regard themselves as born again Christians have the same tendency to divorce as people who arent Christians at all! In these surveys, being born again is defined by what people say they believe. The New Testament defines Christians very differently. Piper defines new birth biblically and helps us to embrace the reality of it.Check it out.
Adrian Warnock previews the book.
Update: This title can now be pre-ordered at Desiring God by phone (1-888-346-4700).
December 04, 2008
Steve Wright - ApParent Privilege
My friend Steve Wright and author of reThink
December 03, 2008
John Calvin: A Heart for Devotion, Doctrine, Doxology
This incredible team of contributors brought together by Burk Parsons have assembled what looks like an outstanding introduction to the life, ministry, and heart of John Calvin.
"To my knowledge there never has been a collection of authors of any edited volume under whose ministry I would rather sit than these...This a good way to meet John Calvin: in the holy hearts of humble servants of Christ. The only better way would be to read the man himself."
- John Piper
Contributors: Jay E. Adams, Eric J. Alexander, Thabiti Anyabwile, Thomas K. Ascol, Joel R. Beeke, Jerry Bridges, Sinclair B. Ferguson, W. Robert Godfrey, D. G. Hart, Michael Horton, Phillip R. Johnson, Steven J. Lawson, John MacArthur, Keith A. Mathison, Iain H. Murray, Burk Parsons, Richard D. Phillips, Harry L. Reeder, Philip Graham Ryken, Derek W. H. Thomas
The Desiring God blog features a helpful interview with Burk Parsons.
(HT: JT)
Returning From Blog Hiatus
I've had a long break from posting. My wife and I had a very restful time visiting her family in northern California over Thanksgiving (discounting two brutal road trips with a few hours of heavy traffic and two children in tow). While up there I slept about 10 hours a day. Upon our return I was immediately thrown into the end of the semester push (Final Exams less than two weeks away). To my regret, I was not as enterprising as this guy who sold ads on his tests. A few odds and ends:
In other news, I've been really enjoying The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression
I also enjoyed reading about half of one of Dr. Albert Mohler's recent books, Desire and Deceit: The Real Cost of the New Sexual Tolerance. For the sake of full disclosure, much of the book's content will seem familiar if you subscribe to Mohler's blog. But it is nice to have it all together in one place, and in a logical chapter-by-chapter flow. With incision and nuance, Mohler tackles tough topics like lust, pornography, homosexuality (and the homosexual political movement), lesbians raising sons, and more.
I noticed that Mark Dever has conducted a 73 minute interview with Dr. Don Carson on observing evangelicalism. Speaking of interviews, the November 30 broadcast of the White Horse Inn features an interview of Collin Hansen by Michael Horton. Hansen is the author of Young, Restless, Reformed: A Journalist's Journey with the New Calvinists, which I happily commend. (HT: JT, James Grant)
Albert Mohler is right to commend Mrs. Obama for prioritizing her children over professional globetrotting and the like.
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Recent Posts
- Interview (Part II) with Justin Reimer of The Elisha Foundation
- Interview with Justin Reimer of The Elisha Foundation
- Mark Driscoll Interviews D.A. Carson
- Making Men Moral: Conference on Morality and Public Life
- John Piper on John Calvin
- Tim Keller: The Advent of Humility
- Albert Mohler: Can a Christian Deny the Virgin Birth?
- Southern Seminary and the History of American Christianity
- Ligonier Ministries Music: The Word Became Flesh
- Don't Waste Your Sexuality