Good morning!  I’m really excited to be having an early breakfast with my good friend Matt, who is in from out of state!  But before we slurp down our coffee, here are a few stories from the week to check out, and an update on books I’ve been reading that you might enjoy…

First, in case you hadn’t seen this, Chip and Joanna Gaines have come under increasing heat for being members of a church that believes in traditional marriage (as if that has anything to do with remodeling homes). Al Mohler responds here in his daily podcast. 

Politics: Trump picks retired Marine Gen. James Mattis for secretary of defense.  Excerpt:

Mattis, 66, served more than four decades in the Marine Corps and is known as one of the most influential military leaders of his generation, a strategic thinker who occasionally drew rebukes for his aggressive talk. Since retiring, he has served as a consultant and as a visiting fellow with the Hoover Institution, a think tank at Stanford University.

Like Trump, Mattis favors a tougher stance against U.S. adversaries abroad, especially Iran. The general, speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in April, said that while security discussions often focus on terrorist groups such as the Islamic State or al-Qaeda, the Iranian regime is “the single most enduring threat to stability and peace in the Middle East.”

TECH: Apparently Apple is working hard to catch up to Google Maps, and they’re using drones to do it. Good for them – they need to do something, their maps stink (hows that for an straight forward opinion ha!)

In sadder news, the city and surrounding area of Gatlinburg TN was ravaged by a terrible fire.  Our family and friends have enjoyed several vacations in this area, and our prayers are with those having to rebuild.

BACK TO POLITICS...Politico has a story called ‘The New Rules for Covering Trump’ that does a pretty good job of providing a window into the mindset of Washington media types.  I almost typed “media elites”, but what is deserving of this monogram? Are they well read, brilliant writers or savvy journalists with zeal and integrity?  I’m literally laughing aloud writing that!  I’m not posting this to make you angry, and I couldn’t care less about their strategy for covering the President-elect.  But I point it out because a few things are notable to me: 1. The media is writing stories about itself (in their world they think readers give a rip) as if they are the story (THIS ISN’T JOURNALISM!) and 2. They feel like they have to reevaluate how they cover this President. What leads them to that conclusion?  I bet there isn’t just one answer, but at the essence, its because more than any other candidate or political, Trump uses them to his own ends.  They haven’t been owned or manipulated this much in years and it bothers them…its pretty funny to watch.

NERD ALERT!!!

BOOKS!!!  Tony Reinke has his top 16 books for 2016.  Several are pretty cool – I’ve given a few to others, and own others myself or am looking forward to buying. Enjoy!

As we all get into the gift-giving season, I’m always interested in the new geeky kind of things.  What are people pushing that is cutting edge? So I stumbled on this – I don’t think its going to be on my purchase list this year (my kids aren’t old enough), but it was still cool!

Continuing the theme, my buddy Brad S. acquired one of these beauties and is raving about it.  Like me, he’s a gadget guy.  Super cool.

Lastly, if you run across one of these, you darn well better buy it and sell it on eBay, because they are IMPOSSIBLE to find (trust me, I’ve looked). Fortunately there’s hope! (so they say).

WHAT AM I READING?  The update is that I’m slowing down a bit on the reading. The Election (obviously) put a cramp in my style, but I’m back on the horse, and have been enjoying the poetry of Emily Dickinson, Samuel Johnson, and Horace while plowing through David McCullough’s Path Between the Seas (just finished) and John Adams (almost done!).  I’ve tremendously enjoyed The Hunt for Red October – I’ve seen the movie a million times, but the book has been extremely enjoyable. Clancy is a good writer, and extremely well researched, so reading this classic has been a pleasure! Another pleasure has been perusing the diaries of George Washington.  I stumbled on a four volume edition from a hundred years ago or so, and have been enjoying the President’s entries.  He did a lot of fox hunting and car playing in his spare time! haha!

I just started Susan Wise Bauer’s history of the ancient world.  I read the introduction, which is really good. I like her philosophy of history, more specifically, I like her philosophy of how a historian ought to write. It should be a fascinating look at ancient history through the fall of Rome.

CONFESSION: I’m still stuck on volume 5 of Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.  The first four I plowed through with a good mind, and volume five is good, but I think I’ve been distracted with other good reads.  This volume is chalked full of good stuff, so I just need to refocus I guess. Hope to report back from a more accomplished aspect in the near future.  What I can report is that for anyone desiring to listen/read to the best writer in the English language, you need go no further. Gibbon tops Dickens and Austen by a just a hair. His prose is so good that sometimes you find humorous strains laced in places where a serious comment ought to be but don’t realize it until all the big words are digested – then you die laughing because he totally made fun of some general or prince using million dollar words in such precision that you can’t believe “he just said that!”  Poor souls, didn’t even know what hit them!  haha!  Anyway, if you enjoy that sort of thing, its worth a run.

It’s Advent!

A few years ago, my friend Matt Parker and I wrote an Advent devotional for our families and friends.  The focus on this is Christ, and how we can see Him anticipated even from the beginning of creation. There are so many great advent books and reading plans out there – my own church put out a great devotional!  You can download our devotional for free and enjoy it with your family by clicking on this link: The Anticipation of Christ

That’s it!  I know I was a bit light on the newsy stuff, and I think its because I find myself reading more books than articles during the holidays.  I hope you get that same time to shift into a more relaxed reading mode!

Enjoy the weekend!

PJW

Good morning and Happy Thanksgiving weekend!  Since you likely have football to watch and leftovers to eat (as I do too), I’ll keep this post brief. There are a three important stories you might have missed in the holiday rush, that I wanted to make sure you saw.

Let’s start down south, where Cuban dictator Fidel Castro has died.  It’s a  stark reminder that all kings of the earth will eventually go down to the grave.

The New York Times gave us a flavor for Castro’s personal abilities: 

Over many years Mr. Castro gave hundreds of interviews and retained the ability to twist the most compromising question to his favor. In a 1985 interview in Playboy magazine, he was asked how he would respond to President Ronald Reagan’s description of him as a ruthless military dictator. “Let’s think about your question,” Mr. Castro said, toying with his interviewer. “If being a dictator means governing by decree, then you might use that argument to accuse the pope of being a dictator.”

Now Castro will meet his Maker and face an interview even he may not be prepared for…

However, the people of Miami were ready for it, and celebrated accordingly. 

The second big story was that Pope Francis (temporarily?) extended Catholic priests’ power to forgive abortion.  This story deserves some comment, and I was really grateful to have been sent the link from Kate, because as we head into the 500th year of the Protestant Reformation the world is reminded why there needed to be a reformation in the first place.

The papal decree was probably received by millions as a mercy, but let me tell you, I read it and my heart simply ached, because it begs the question: why would anyone seeking forgiveness from ANY past sin not be granted that forgiveness? God’s forgiveness is not a magical power, neither is it a bureaucratic order to be dispensed from any living man. God’s forgiveness is God’s to dispense at His leisure and according to His heart and mind. The very reason Christ came to earth was to dispense the gracious forgiveness of a loving God to all who sought it, without need for any human mediators. As Scripture says:

For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. (1 Timothy 2:5-6 ESV)

Of course it is the church that preaches that good news (The “gospel”) and the church leaders can remind us of this truth – one way the Catholic church does this is through “absolution.” But we aren’t talking about absolution, which began as simply a reminder that God (not man) had forgiven their sins. Anyway, it ought to be “He absolves you” not “I absolve you.”

The point is this: Men know they are sinful – we know wrong and right from an early age. And forgiveness forms not only the central point of doctrine for the church, but the central need of all men and women. If a church gets something so fundamental and basic as this wrong, and on such a scale, then we have to ask ourselves why they have the right to be called a church of Jesus Christ at all.  What then is necessary for forgiveness? To confess our sins to God Himself, who is listening and ready to forgive.

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:8-9 ESV)

Story number three comes from Bloomberg: Cheer Up, America: 1,700 Millionaires Are Minted Every Day.  I’ve been noodling on this for a while now, and I think that the recent election results here in America have a lot to do with personal economics, and how people view their personal financial situation.

It is my belief that the growing disparity in income (what the liberals call “income inequality”) is coming about for two main reasons. First, the liberals in the media aren’t wrong that there’s a lot of greed on Wall Street. We see it every day – corporate executives getting huge bonuses (a good thin if they did good work) while exploiting workers (an inhumane and unethical thing if the company is doing well).

Making it seemingly worse is that you certainly have a class of Americans who inherit millions, get into the right schools, and meet the ruling elites from an early age. This isn’t bad on the surface – good schools and inheritance money is a blessing. But when a mindset is perpetuated and is uncharitable, unethical, and sometimes downright evil, then things continue to be run as they always have been.

That’s the corporate side of things.  But, I think the second source of this growing income gap is due to the government and it’s tied directly to the mindset and economic situation of the middle and lower class American individual. Americans of many stripes are becoming more and more dependent upon our government, and increasingly held back by it as well. Many don’t pay taxes, many received food subsidies, and many can’t afford to go to college. But one rung up, there is a newer, and perhaps a more serious issue. Men and women in the workforce are underemployed, lacking access to affordable healthcare – and when they get it, they’re dropped months later.  They simply can’t cobble together enough of a career to get ahead. If the economic recklessness of corporate elites crashed our economy in the first place, it is the legacy of Barak Obama’s policies which have used healthcare to keep the job market stagnate. Millions upon millions of people remain underemployed because of him.

Greed from healthcare companies, and politicians (on the right and the left – but I blame GOP leaders in congress in the 90’s who didn’t properly regulate the industry) set us on a course where it became harder and harder for sick Americans who needed care to get it. Now, no matter who you are you can’t get care because the companies themselves are going out of business, and people aren’t qualified because employers are keeping their hours low enough to avoid paying for mandated (and terrible) healthcare.

So what is the solution? The first steps were taken on Election Day by a populace who knew instinctively that we have to dismantle and reorganize some things. But the real solution is in the people.  We need ethical people in our corporations, and we need less people in our government. We need small businesses who aren’t punished for growing past a certain point. We need morality to reign in the hearts of our businessmen and women. Government involvement in the lives of the middle and lower class has corrupted our education, has squashed the traditional American work ethic, and isolated people by replacing their need for neighbors and church with a need for government checks and a second or third job due to underemployment.  Of course, even the best forms of government are only as strong as the morals of their people.  So we can work on structures all we want, but ethics are just as crucial.

This is still the land of opportunity – I believe that. I’m not a pessimist. But we have a lot of work to do, and it can only be done successfully in community, with adherence to the ethical standards and ideals which made our country tick in the first place.  We need strong churches, and strong relationships with our neighbors. We need giving hearts, and open doors, and lives that are accountable to one another.

I’m so thankful for this country, and it hurts to see it hurting. Yet I praise God that I was born here, and that I have the privilege to live and worship and work here.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend – and enjoy the time with family and friends!

PJW

Good morning, and welcome to the weekend!  It’s been a few days now since Donald Trump’s electoral victory shocked the media, the beltway elites, and pretty much anyone not living in “flyover country.”  Yet, life goes on, and the peaceful transition of power in our country looks to be well underway.  This transition is a heritage of our forefathers – men like George Washington who surrendered power when he could have made himself a king.

This week President Obama was magnanimous in his speech, though he did not offer up the traditional photograph between incoming and outgoing presidents. He did pose for this dandy in the Oval Office though (captioning provided by one Conan O’Brien):

Haven’t seen this much warmth since Lord Voldemort shook hands with Bill Belichick. pic.twitter.com/vaiP4ZsBsT

— Conan O’Brien (@ConanOBrien) November 11, 2016

I saw a few interesting stories on the new First Lady here and here, and here is her bio from the transition site. 

The initial AP Headline: AMERICANS REGISTER ANGER, DESIRE FOR CHANGE WITH THEIR VOTES

Satisfying Media Headline: WE WERE ALL WRONG

Meanwhile, Dems are in soul-searching mode.  One liberal piece says the current party deserves to die for being so arrogant and ignoring large swaths of the electorate.  Other reactions included rioting and even top liberals in Cali discussion session – something that, if it were to happen, might actually help the American economy. Remember, California is one of the world’s largest economies (as these libs point out in the article), yet that economy has been an economic nightmare and a drag on the rest of the country due to the ineptitude with which that state has been run.

Almost all the analysis stories I’ve read point out that Trump won because his populism appealed to lower and middle class Americans in the Midwestern states of Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa and Pennsylvania.  These are people that Clinton ignored – despite Bill Clinton’s warnings (apparently).  The Post has a pretty good rundown here that will give you the flavor of what media types are thinking. National Review has an interesting post: Obama 2012 Would’ve Beaten Trump 2016.  This is actually a corrective on their initial post which said the opposite, and the conclusion is that Trump got a smaller share of the vote in several Midwestern states than Obama. Well, yes, and who is surprised? This election was a race to the bottom between two candidates who inspired very few people en masse. And while this 2012/2016 comparison is notable, it is not of significant note to me because stepping back, one realizes that different times and different candidates are very difficult to fairly measure against each other.

There are other factors to keep in mind. For instance, Trump won in parts of Florida, New Hampshire and North Carolina in margins that Gov. Romney never came close to achieving. This wasn’t just a rust-belt revolt. While his coalition might have been technically smaller in the midwest and nationally, it was also larger in key NC and FL counties, and in those states as a whole (where he would have probably beaten Obama). This also means his demographic victory was likely more diverse than only middle income uneducated white women and white men.

Our founders (especially Adams, as I am reading), relished the system of checks and balances in government’s power.  One of those checks is a check on the power of the mob mentality, and everything that went wrong during the French Revolution – we aren’t a pure democracy for a reason. To that end, a friend posted this during the week, and made me chuckle:

Now…from a messaging standpoint, Trump’s populistic message struck an effective chord.  Without much specific policy detail, and with a great deal of passion (bluster?), this message has ushered in a mixture of hope and uncertainty. But this could be said of any new president’s term, as one Christian brother recently reminded me. And, on the positive side, certainly the defeat of Hillary Clinton was a major blow to corruption in American politics and the influence of foreign money on our leaders. Indeed, it always struck me as ironic that Democrats (and the FBI) investigated and decried the relationship between Russian leaders and Donald Trump, when Clinton was directly tied to, and benefited financially from, foreign leaders and governments via the Clinton Foundation. So in this respect, we ought to be very glad indeed. Let us now hope and pray for peace, and wisdom for our new President-elect. No matter whether you voted for him or not, his success ought to be our hope and our prayer.

Odds and Ends…

In the aftermath of the election, fellow Weekend Reader David Clementson was interviewed by Quartz re: his analysis of the Trump victory speech. Dave has made himself a sort of niche out of liguistics, and had some good analysis of the Trump speech.

Notable: George W. & Laura Bush didn’t vote for Trump or Clinton — AND —- Peter Thiel To Join Trump Transition Team

Transition: Trump shakes up his power structure

WaPo: ‘Please clap’: The funniest moments you already forgot from the 2016 campaign trail

A good reminder from Ravi Zacharias:

“The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord,
Like the rivers of water;
He turns it wherever He wishes.”
— Proverbs 21:1

— Ravi Zacharias (@RaviZacharias) November 11, 2016

On a similar note, check out this picture from Getty Images of Hillary Clinton prematurely signing a mocked up version of Newsweek – it reminded me of the famous Truman/Dewey photograph:

Something the new President will need to deal with: Iran Breaks Nuclear Deal, But the Obama Administration Won’t Say It’s a ‘Formal Violation’

On to other things of interest…

Check this out: Inside the New York Public Library’s Last, Secret Apartments

This new series from Ligonier is on my watch list: Marks of a Healthy Church

BOOK UPDATE: I’m currently enjoying John Adams by John McCullough, Hero of the Empire, and the Classic Bunyan work, Pilgrim’s Progress. The Adams book is definitely enjoyable – I read it 14 years ago, and its just as good as I remember it. With the election over, I’m looking forward to spending more time with my books (and, of course my family!).

Speaking of books – this was pretty funny: Protect Your Library the Medieval Way, With Horrifying Book Curses.

This might have some small part to do with why we have so many problems economically in America: Government Workers Now Outnumber Manufacturing Workers by 9,977,000.

Ummm…what??? Eavesdrop on Ultrasonic Rat Giggles

Enjoyed this one from gawking Brits: Americans go to the polls in the strangest places – in pictures

INTERESTING: World’s Richest People Add $35 Billion in Wealth After Monday’s Market Surge….ya, this is why they are rich and we are not!  hahaha

PERSPECTIVE: Even though this is post-election now, I thought this video had some very salient points. It’s John MacArthur talking logically through how Christians should consider voting – apparently a lot of people listened to him. (h/t Steve L.). Bookmark this one to refer back to later…

In Jest:  CIA Realizes It’s Been Using Black Highlighters All These Years

Once you get past what this family does for a living, you’ll shake your head at the brazenness of our governement – even the local governments: The Government Seized $100K From This California Family’s Bank Accounts, College Savings.  By the way, think local elections don’t matter? This is why they matter and why we have to do as much due dilligence before voting as possible. It is a local elected official who will likely have to clean up this mess, and who that will be depends on who voted him/her into office.

How did I miss this earlier in the year??? Nintendo NES Classic Edition review

Two articles I haven’t read but look forward to reading are 1. Jon Bloom: Talk to God About Your Anxiety (which I started but didn’t finish), and 2. My friend Fred Barnes’s piece from Friday: The Little Guy and the Billionaire.

A concluding thought:  I recognize what a great privlege it is to work in the political sphere. Upon personal reflection, my own impact on an election cycle – or even a single campaign I’m involved in – does not always seem tangible. A campaign plan here or there, strategic advice (sometimes rejected), and then the usual advertising through online or telephone mediums. Does it help? Sure – its part of the larger messaging aparatus, and its how voters learn about candidates in the first place. But I’ve come to find that impact and influence for God’s honor and our country’s good doesn’t come simply from the advertising or messaging strategies employed during the fall campaign. Rather, it is the individual relationships which forge themselves through the adversity of a political campaign, and strengthen over years of fighting for a cause and candidates you feel will serve our country and community well, which are lasting and worth the effort. For those of you who work with me in this arena, I thank God for you, and the privlege of completing another cycle together.

Enjoy your weekend!

PJW

Welcome to the weekend!  As you might imagine, I’ve been pretty slammed with election work, but still wanted to take a moment and share a few stories and thoughts about the election season and other items going on.

I want to begin by saying “thank you” to all my friends who have taken time to share thoughts and hopes about the election. I’m so grateful for all the prayers as well. It’s a stressful business, elections, and also a great honor to play a small part in campaigns across the country.

What many of you may not realize is that your texts and emails and phone calls help shape my own thinking, and in turn the advice and wisdom I give candidates and use to interpret the political landscape. So thank you for the input!

Now for stories…

Here’s a thoughtful article from Kevin DeYoung on his approach to the election.  Key excerpt:

Elections have consequences. Yet I’m much more interested in the church—my church and the Church. Our fidelity to biblical truth, our personal holiness, our sincerity, our consistency, our ability to speak with grace and truth, our unwillingness to confuse the kingdom of this world with the kingdom of Christ, our realism in the midst of utopian promises, our hope in the midst of fear and loathing, our winsome witness to the gospel—to embody these realities week after week is more important than what happens on the second Tuesday in November.

The big news still continues to be the FBI’s role in the election, and how much more are might learn about the emails found on Anthony Weiner’s laptop. It doesn’t seem that we’ll know if these are duplicates of the emails previously examined, or if they are new ones, prior to the election. This has led several people to start talking (prematurely) about impeaching Clinton…and she’s not even elected yet!

For their part, the Clinton world seemed to be in full damage control mode this week. The best they had to hit back with seemed to be the “Donald is tied to the Russians!” line. But when even the New York Times seems to dismiss this, its not good news for HRC.

So here at the end of the week, Trump seemed to be closing in on Clinton, but I’m not sure it really changes the odds that Clinton will win this election – mostly because of how the electoral college is looking (Trump isn’t winning enough populous states).  The key to watch on election night is Pennsylvania. If Trump can pull off an upset there, then you’ll know he’s about to have a very good night (he’ll also have to win NH, FL, NC, NV, AZ, IA and OH among others…).

Speaking of the map – here’s a website you can fiddle around with to come up with your own electoral college result. Lots of fun!

I honestly didn’t know what to make of this one, not having heard much more about it: State Dept. Emails: Clinton White House Data Stolen from National Archives.  It seems highly nefarious, but its hard to tell if this is just a sensationalized accident, or part of the larger Clinton corruption machine.

What that Archives story reminded me of was Orwell’s ‘1984.’ In that book, the main character, Winston, has a job in which his sole function is to change old archived newspaper (and other) data in order to fit with the reality created by state politicians (namely ‘Big Brother’) at the time.  Since that reality was constantly needing to be shifted, Winston was continually editing. I will allow your imagination to complete my analogy and what the future might look like if this kind of thing persists.

Along similar lines? The FBI is investigating one of its own Twitter accounts. This account, one which I had never even heard of before a few days ago, has been posting all kinds of interesting stuff. Seemingly random dumps of information. I’m unsure what the public benefit is here, but I suspect more will come out in the coming weeks.  Of course, if Clinton is elected, maybe not…

Some more follow up on the Jen Hatmaker from Rosaria Butterfield. This was an immensely powerful column. Dr. Mohler also had a follow up podcast as well, which would be worth taking a listen to.

John Piper looks at our desires, and says “your desires want to kill you.” This is an older post, but I had it bookmarked because I thought it would be interesting, and I wasn’t disappointed.

I found this an interesting one to scroll through: How a $600,000+ 3D printer works.  What struck me was how God has given us this innate desire to create. We love the arts, we love to write, draw, build, design and invent new things.  The most significant difference between all of our creativity and the One who made us this way is that He started from nothing. When He created he never copied another man’s idea. He didn’t build from another’s genius. No one ever taught Him how to balance color and shading and weave into his creation the laws of physics and engineering. We are contingent beings, and He simply IS, and WAS, and ALWAYS will be.  As Isaiah says:

Who has measured the Spirit of the LORD, or what man shows him his counsel? Whom did he consult, and who made him understand? Who taught him the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding? (Isaiah 40:13-14 ESV)

Paul Bedard reports that gun sales are at an all time high. The headline: Gun sales set to break 18-year record, 28M.  Things happen for a reason – people are purchasing guns because they’re concerned that their right to do so will very soon either be curtailed, or taken away altogether. I personally believe that Clinton is being disingenuous when she says she believes in the 2nd amendment, because in the very next breath comes a “but”…the founding fathers never breathed a “but” after those thoughts. Of course, tyrants never seem to think in the same way as men and and women who love liberty.  Too harsh? Maybe.  Or maybe I’m simply mentally preparing for the worst.  Either way, I’m seriously concerned that a Clinton Presidency will attack – not simply erode – the freedoms we enjoy today.

Some Humor (h/t Alex): Unitarian Universalist Church Changes Logo To ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

An interesting opinion piece over at Foreign Policy Mag: Facebook’s Free Basics Is an African Dictator’s Dream.

This was pretty funny – from Dana Perino: How My Husband Ended Up in Jail After Walking Our Dog. TEASER:

Here’s an excerpt from my new book, “Let Me Tell You About Jasper.” This story is written by Peter, explaining how he ended up in jail while I was working at the White House. When he was given his “one phone call” from jail, I was in the Oval Office briefing the president. True story.

That’s all I have for you today, as I need to get back at it!  But I do want to leave you with some encouragement. The election is coming up on Tuesday, and if you’re an American citizen (not everyone of my readers is), then its your right and privilege to vote. Even if you have to skip voting on a race (or two) for lack of knowledge or conscience.  Participating in the process is something that men and women have died safeguarding, and for me that’s enough to take it seriously and fill in a ballot.

Lastly, remember that God is sovereign over the affairs of men.  I know that’s what we always say shortly after wincing at the news, but I want you to think about it this way – He doesn’t just allow Trump and Clinton to be the major party nominees, He decrees it.  He controls everything. That’s what sovereignty means. Nothing happens accidentally.  Nothing happens that He simply “allows” – He’s not in damage control mode right now! God, who made all that lives and breathes, and all that doesn’t, has brought about all aspects of this life for a reason. That reason is that ultimately He desires to have glory from those He created. He will not be denied, He will not be thwarted in His purposes. He will continue to work things (all things) together for those whom He loves, but not ultimately because its about us, rather because its about Him.

Therefore, think on how the God of the universe is working all of these evil times to His ends and His glory. Think of how you will reflect His wisdom and radiance and glory to others (however imperfectly). This of how the gospel gives us a new perspective on politics: we have not been ransomed to be wealthy, comfortable American Christians. We have been ransomed in order to proclaim the excellencies of Jesus Christ – in the midst of turbulent political times or otherwise. This is a world that needs ransoming, that needs saving – not from any outside tyranny, but from itself. And this election cycle reminds us that our biggest problems in life are not global warming, war, or even famine. Our biggest problem is more familiar and more essential; it is us. Our nation’s political leaders are probably an accurate reflection of the culture, and the people it represents, even if it happens to be the worst part of that culture. There is hope, however, but it isn’t found in political leadership or social engagement or “better education.”

These were the same things people looked for 2,000 years ago, but instead the hope they got was not political, but more fundamental, more essential. It was more individual, and yet also more univesal than a political system revamp. When Christ appeared on the scene, the people of Israel had been suffering under tyrants worse than Obama or Clinton. You think you’re concerned about Clinton or Trump? Try living under Nero and Herod. At the time, they desparately needed a political leader who would bring justice, and restore fairness to their land. But instead, they (and we!) got the Son of God who brought them grace and mercy, and who will one day consumate this world with the flaming sword of justice.

For now…enjoy the rest of your weekend, placing your hope for this world and your life, and your children’s lives, in the hands of the One who has sovereignly controlled all of life from its inception, and who alone can bring peace to our lives and our country.

PJW

Welcome to the weekend everyone! Here’s the latest in what I read, listened to, or watched this week. Every week there are new people on the list, so a quick note to newbies: this email is originally posted on my blog here. Also, I don’t cover all the major stories every week. Some stuff I just assume you’ve seen, and so this isn’t an effort to give you the major headlines, rather its more of an effort to send along stuff you probably never saw, or didn’t have time for until just this moment. Some of what I post comes from friends in and out of politics, and I try my best to read everything you send – so thanks for that!

Let’s get to it…

Let’s start with the breaking news from the end of the week that the FBI is opening up further investigation into additional emails from Hillary Clinton. The new emails actually came to light during an FBI investigation of Anthony Weiner. Weiner, as you might recall, is a disgraced ex-congressman and husband of top Clinton aide Huma Abedin. Here’s my paper this morning:

Obviously Clinton campaign Chairman, John Podesta (whose wiki-leaked email hits are collected here for your edification) was quick to respond, saying, “it is extraordinary that we would see something like this just 11 days out from a presidential election.”  He is inferring that the FBI has acted out of political inspiration. Keep in mind that it was the Clinton who received an unbelievably favorable assist from FBI Director James Comey earlier in the summer. Comey’s explanations for not prosecuting HRC at the time basically boiled down to the fact that she’s Hillary Clinton, and that if she was anyone else (any average citizen), it would be different. It was one of the most lawless and unjust statements ever made by a top member of the American justice system. And its why Podesta’s faux outrage at an official whose clear double standard was so helpful to him and HRC only months prior, is laughable.

I hate to say it, but if Hillary Clinton is elected, you can expect more of this. For those of you who didn’t really “live through” the 90’s, get ready for a wild ride. It will be one scandal after another. Truth and integrity will be so rare that you won’t even remember the days when doublespeak didn’t exist. Americans will long for the time when their President was only arrogant and a liberal who flaunted the constitution. The days will come when the constitution will not be ignored, it will be preached against, and all but relegated to a backseat in the seared consciences of America’s power elite.

I hate to start so gloomy. But it used to be that when these kinds of scandals broke, careers were ended. People were ruined. Repentance and reflection by even the most powerful men and women would eventually be forthcoming. No such resolution is in the offing, I’m afraid. Stay tuned…

Now let’s zoom out a bit….

Al Mohler has an excellent little article that looks back at the legacy and impact of Francis Schaeffer.  He says, “The collision between Kenneth Clark and Francis Schaeffer, confronted in my first reading of How Should We Then Live?, introduced me to the great collision of worldviews that became such a central interest and urgency of my life.”

Speaking of generational impact, Dana Milbank over at WaPo wrote a excoriating piece aimed at Baby Boomers: Baby boomers have been a disaster for America, and Trump is their biggest mistake yet. 

They gave us the financial collapse of 2008, the worst economy since the Great Depression, a crushing federal debt and worse inequality. They devoured fossil fuels and did little about global warming while allowing infrastructure and research to deteriorate. They expanded entitlement programs and are now poised to bankrupt those programs. Their leadership has led to declining confidence in religion, the presidency, Congress, the Supreme Court, banks and big business, schools, the media and the police. They may leave their children (the millennials) worse off than they were.

Ouch!!!  While Milbank probably goes too far, I have heard similar arguments about this generation for years. Sometimes the complaints are couched in pithy statements like “the greatest generation gave birth to the worst generation” and so forth. Interesting to hear thoughts on this from others.

Let me follow up the Milbank article with somewhat of a corrective.  All generations are sinful, fallen, and (I think largely) ignorant of the mistakes of previous generations, and the latest one isn’t any exception: This Is the Percentage of Millennials Who Believe George W. Bush Killed More People Than Stalin

Staying on the theme of culture and theology, Ray Penngings over at Cardus has a thoughtful post called ‘What to do in Post-Truth Politics?’ Here’s one of the questions he’s asking himself (and us by extension):

And if a candidate who went too far down the post-truth road were to win, and if my vote were to be part of that win, would I not be enabling a willful campaign to make language meaningless and bald-faced lying the new norm for civil discourse?

TECH: Uber is looking at the feasibility of helicopter aircraft.  Pretty cool stuff. (h/t Parris P.)

MORE TECH: The New York Times has a fascinating look at the future of data storage – and it involves diamonds.  Here’s an excerpt:

This storage would also work differently than a magnetic hard drive, because diamonds, as they say, are forever. Every time you access or rewrite your hard drive, the material it’s made of degrades, and after five or 10 years, it’s dead. But the defects in the diamonds don’t change, and if you do nothing, your data could last as long as your diamond.

CREEPY TECH (this could be a continuing theme I’m afraid): A Matrix-like hallucinogenic pill may be the future of entertainment, says Netflix’s CEO.

Tim Challies linked over to a blog by one Steven Kryger on the topic of spiritual health. He asks a provoking question “What’s Your Budget For Staying Spiritually Healthy?”

ICYMI: Ammon Bundy, 6 others acquitted in Oregon standoff trial. What really shocked me was that after the verdict was given, the attorney for the Bundy’s began to argue that the judge should give his clients immediate release. Then, for whatever reason, the U.S. Marshals thought it would be a good idea to taser the man – the attorney!  No matter what you think of the Bundy’s and what they did in OR, it just seems a bit out of control. Perhaps it was the attorney who was out of control or disrespectful in making his case, but tasering him? This is the kind of incident that has people on edge in America, asking themselves just how far lawlessness has extended in this country. If those charged with upholding the law aren’t going to respect the citizens they are charged with defending, then we’re in a very bad place. It will be interesting to see if any additional video surfaces on this front.

Moving on…We can’t get enough of articles like this one from Jon Bloom: Lord, Align My Heart with Yours.  Bloom is getting at the fact that all of our decisions spring from our desires, and those desires are the controlling factor for our ambitions.  If you’re interested in exploring this topic in more depth, you ought to dive into some Jonathan Edwards, or take an excellent half-step there by reading our friend Dave Harvey’s primer ‘Rescuing Ambition.’ 

Speaking of theology, Ligonier has a neat resource available for free – its an audio reading of the Westminster Shorter Confession by Sinclair Ferguson. Very cool stuff here!

POLITICS: Here’s the latest look at the polling averages and how that affects the electoral college voting. And here’s a look at the inside thinking of the Trump data folks. Politico guys reported on this on Thursday with the headline ‘BOMBSHELL: Trump’s own data team has him losing.’  Obviously that headline is a bit deceiving, and it actually does a disservice to the story, which provides outsiders a (perhaps) fascinating look inside how a campaign digital operation functions during debates.  I think by now everyone knows Trump is trailing in key battleground states, but one thing that might surprise some folks is the level of strategic sophistication from some of the head Trump honchoes who are regularly depicted by media types as only a half-step above troglodytes.

THEOLOGY IN PUBLIC LIFE: LifeWay Stops Selling Jen Hatmaker Books over LGBT Beliefs. I know this is going to be a big deal for a lot of ladies I know who really enjoy Hatmaker’s commentary and previous writing. That said, if you follow some of her recent statements, she’s been dancing closer and closer to heterodoxy, and it seems like she’s finally crossed the line to a point that LifeWay would rather surrender profits from her books in order to stay on the side of theological orthodoxy. As the CT story sums up:

In an interview published Tuesday, the Austin-based author and pastor’s wife told Religion News Service columnist Jonathan Merritt that she supports same-sex marriage and believes that LGBT relationships can be holy

The original interview with Hatmaker was conducted by Religious News Service and has been posted here.

COMIC BREAK: how in the world is this guy doing this???? (h/t my Kate)

Continuing the theme of how popular evangelical luminaries interact with the culture, I want to point out some insightful and important articles re: Andy Stanley.  Stanley has come under increasing fire for a recent sermon he preached (and subsequent interviews he gave) that describe his philosophy of preaching – a philosophy that seemingly has moved beyond relying on the Bible as the sole source of infallibility in his preaching to what he terms a “post-Christian” audience.

However, like many things in life, what’s going on here with Stanley is not that simple. This week Stanley very helpfully laid out his thinking in a VERY long article here.  I read the whole thing…for which I think I deserve a medal!  You can certainly see the man’s heart here, even if his reasoning is flawed. After this, I read an equally long article from John Piper who wrote in response to Stanley’s article. Piper also  had correspondence with Stanley which helped him understand the man’s perspective.

Even though they are both long articles, I would encourage them to be read and thought through – carefully.  Even if you just read Piper, you’ll get the context presented fairly, and you will be edified by the thoughtful and kind way he works through Stanley’s propositions. In the meantime, you can get a taste for the essence of the discussion in a few graphs near the close of Piper’s post:

I think Stanley is only half right when he says, “Appealing to post-Christian people on the basis of the authority of Scripture has essentially the same effect as a Muslim imam appealing to you on the basis of the authority of the Quran.” He is right in that this happens. God’s inspired word is sometimes heard with no effect. But not always, and not usually. It is different from the Quran. It is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16). It is not preached in vain — especially not when, in the hands of a Spirit-filled preacher, the truth and beauty of its depths and heights are spoken with clarity and conviction for what they really are.

He then concludes as follows:

So my concluding suggestion is this: join Andy Stanley in caring deeply about winning “post-Christians”; join him in moving beyond simplistic and naïve-sounding shibboleths; join him in cultural awareness and insight into your audience; join him in the excellence of his teaching and communication skills; and join him in his belief in the complete truthfulness of the Bible. And then spend eight years blowing your people’s post-Christian circuits by connecting the voltage of every line in the book of Romans with their brains.

When it comes to preaching, nothing is more powerful and self-authenticating than the Spirit-anointed, passionate, expository exultation over the inspired text of Scripture. If you don’t believe that, perhaps you have never seen such preaching.

That’s powerful and poignant writing. And these things are really important, for the sake of the church in America and for future generations. The discussion itself is also important because it reminds us of why its so very valuable to have wise leaders thoughtfully responding and interacting with the spirit of the age.That’s why I sometimes spend extended periods of writing time discussing religious leaders who interact in the public arena.  While Stanley’s heart certainly seems to be completely in the right spot, like some of the short-sided well-meaning heretics of the last 2,000 years, sometimes good intentions don’t equal good theology.

I want to close with a reminder that came to be in a round about way from a good friend in politics. Sometimes it can feel as though we are reeds just blowing in the wind, with no one else seeing or feeling the momentous changes we are experiencing. This election will likely end badly no matter who wins. The country is in a world of hurt for numerous reasons. But I was encouraged by the words of Matthew as he recorded something from Isaiah 42 about Jesus, and his care for his people. I’m not speaking about Americans – but the church, those whom he’s saved.  He says this:

Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. He will not quarrel or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets; a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory; and in his name the Gentiles will hope.

Jesus is unlike any other king, or president. He didn’t come in the same way, full of pomp and ceremony and fighting his way to the top. His justice will be and is perfect. He doesn’t create mass media spectacles, or surround himself with corrupt advisors. He does not overlook the needy or the smallest and most insignificant among us. He will protect the suffering church from being extinguished. He will not break the bruised reed. Indeed, he was broken for us so that we could be healed and enjoy a life that will one day undue all the hurt and the sin and corruption we see around us – especially what dwells in our own hearts.

My prayer this weekend is for my fellow Christians. Don’t be discouraged – we know in whom we have placed our hope!

Have a great weekend!

PJW

Good morning from sunny Orlando!  I’m at a series of meetings this weekend for Ligonier Ministries, where some amazing work is being done, and planned.  Therefore I’m going to have to keep today’s blog/email really really really short.  Nonetheless, here are a few things you may want to take a peak at…

Scientists Wonder If the Common Cold May at Last Be Beatable – boy oh boy wouldn’t THIS be a good one to figure out!  I remember playing the game of Life growing up, and one of the things you could win major money for was “curing the common cold”!

Here’s one I didn’t get to read but am looking forward to….9 Things You Should Know About Planned Parenthood Founder Margaret Sanger (good follow up to the abortion discussion from this week’s final Presidential debate).

Speaking of the Presidential debate, Al Mohler had a very good podcast summing it all up.  I highly recommend listening and thinking about what he says and how he says it. You can always learn something from Al Mohler!

Red State has 5 takeaways from the debate. I don’t always agree with these guys, but its interesting to read their perspective.

There’s no doubt in my mind that Chris Wallace was an amazing debate moderator. The other previous moderators were simply terrible.  Wallace deserves all the praise that’s coming his way. 

Politics is changing – here’s another sign of that change: How 10 mega-donors already helped pour a record $1.1 billion into super PACs. Keep in mind this is written by the Post, which means that they won’t even consider the way Union money affected elections for the liberals prior to the Citizens United ruling. The only mention of unions at all is in a blurb about how liberal activist Tom Steyer is giving them millions to turn out the vote.

TECH ALERT: Switch Is the Dream Console Nintendo’s Been Working Toward for Years

MORE TECH: Fact checking is coming to Google News (h/t Marty G.)

VIDEO: Last week I finished reading David McCullough’s ‘The Wright Brothers’ (h/t Rod K.), and boy was it good. Very enjoyable – especially for someone from Ohio!  Anyway, I stumbled on this old sound-less video this week when during further research into the brothers, and its really cool!

Here’s another one I didn’t finish all the way but really look forward to thinking more about:  Use Anxiety to Your Advantage

Probably the most infuriating news of the week: Duterte aligns Philippines with China, says U.S. has lost.  Douglass MacArthur would be spinning in his grave!

THEOLOGY: If No One Is Lost, Then the Mission of Christ Was a Waste of Time

Finally, Jon Bloom eloquently says some things about judging that are helpful – especially as it concerns the election.  A nice follow up to my post from last week.

That’s it!  I hope you enjoy your Saturday!

PJW

 

Good morning, and welcome to your weekend reading!  It’s a beautiful Fall day, and I have a few articles, videos, blogs and books that you might enjoy.

Let’s get started…

Since I last wrote in this space, we’ve seen some extraordinary changes to the Presidential race. I don’t like to devote a lot of time in my writing to the stories that you’ve already seen though.  So let me do some bullet points of items that you may not have seen since the Trump sex scandal, and the Clinton WikiLeaks revelations…

Details of a past speech from Clinton surfaced in which she said those with religious beliefs that ran contrary to her conviction that reproductive rights (read “ability to kill babies whenever its convenient”) needed to have their beliefs “changed” to fit her contemporary vision.   The speech video here.  I can’t emphasize enough the importance of this video and the worldview from which these sentiments sprang. These were carefully chosen and thoughtfully delivered words. They aren’t words from the ancient past, but rather very recent sentiments from a speech given before she launched her Presidential bid.

Make no mistake about it, if you are a Christian, if (when?) Hillary Clinton is elected you will not have a friend of religious liberty in the White House.

Because I want to address another matter in length, here is a quick summary of a few articles/videos you might enjoy:

Interesting: Russian Government Officials Told To Immediately Bring Back Children Studying Abroad………

Federal Courts actually doing their job for once: The Unconstitutional Mr. Cordray

A few good points here: The Cheapest Way to Score E-Books and More

Challies this week: You, Me, and the ESV

New Star Wars Rogue 1 Trailer…looking good!

James K.A. Smith says we need to think more clearly about all this “revolutionism” going on in America.  He asks the question, “…what if unbelief is precisely the problem? What if it is precisely the secularization and naturalization of our political life that ends up absolutizing it, engendering an intolerance and reign of terror for any who violate its orthodoxy?”  There’s a lot of stuff in here, but I think he has some thoughtful points we ought to consider – even if he does hide them amongst some pretty thick intellectualism! (h/t Nick N. who urged me to check these guys out).

This was awesome: 4 Reasons Spurgeon Died Poor. 

Stephen Nichols: Does Even the Smallest Sin Deserve Eternal Damnation?

Just…Odd: Charlie Rose interviews…a robot?

In case you missed it: GARY JOHNSON SAYS HIS FAVORITE FOREIGN LEADER IS OBI-WAN KENOBI

Also – FYI – Wayne Grudem rescinded his endorsement of Trump. 

Now, I want to depart from the news links for a moment and conclude with some thoughts about what has been occurring at Liberty University, and how this might inform the way we think and talk about the difficult choices we face in November. 

Jerry Falwell, Jr., an ardent Trump supporter and defender, was dealing with dissenting students at the university this week who were tired of having their institution associated with Falwell’s personal (though very public) endorsement and now DEFENSE of Donald Trump. Let’s discuss this by examining a few excerpts from the article.  First, what the students are saying:

“Donald Trump does not represent our values and we want nothing to do with him,” the statement said. “… He has made his name by maligning others and bragging about his sins. Not only is Donald Trump a bad candidate for president, he is actively promoting the very things that we as Christians ought to oppose.”

Further, the students explain their reasoning for why they’re speaking out:

“Because our president has led the world to believe that Liberty University supports Donald Trump, we students must take it upon ourselves to make clear that Donald Trump is absolutely opposed to what we believe, and does not have our support,” the Liberty students wrote. “We are not proclaiming our opposition to Donald Trump out of bitterness, but out of a desire to regain the integrity of our school.”

I am struck by the humility and clarity of purpose from their statement. But I am not mainly concerned about the students here, but of the University’s leader.

Now, here is Falwell’s (condescending) response:

“I am proud of these few students for speaking their minds but I’m afraid the statement is incoherent and false,” Falwell said in a statement. “I am not ‘touring the country’ or associating Liberty University with any candidate. I am only fulfilling my obligation as a citizen to ‘render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s’ by expressing my personal opinion about who I believe is best suited to lead our nation in a time of crisis. This student statement seems to ignore the teachings of Jesus not to judge others but they are young and still learning.”

I want to set aside the man it issue, Donald Trump, and focus on Falwell for a moment – and for good reason. After all, this is one of the largest (if not the largest) institutions of higher learning in the country – certainly if enrollment is any guide.  It’s leader is a powerful figure in Christian circles, in political circles, and in academic circles. That makes this worth examining closely.  After all, many people have thought of Liberty University as a special and safe place to ensure their children get a quality education, and my belief is that’s quite still possible. That being said, it is worth considering that any school who has for its head such an ignoramus, might be lacking the moral courage and intellectual firepower to execute its high calling successfully.

Falwell’s response tells us two things about himself. First it shows his arrogance, and second it shows he is not a great biblical scholar (or perhaps worse, someone willing to twist Scripture to fits his own means). Unfortunately arrogance and ignorance usually go together, and produce a odious stench that is off-putting to those curious about the truth claims of Christianity, not to mention it dulls the ears and pains the hearts of The Faithful.

Falwell’s arrogance is seen in the statement “This student statement seems to ignore the teachings of Jesus not to judge others but they are young and still learning.”  He makes it seem as though the student who wrote the statement was a single voice crying in the wilderness, when that is obviously not the case. Second, he hasn’t listened to the humility in which the students’ (note where that apostrophe is located) presented their case or the reason for their concern. Instead he chalks it up to their immaturity – “they are young and still learning.”  There is nothing in the student’s statement that hints at immaturity, and I’m reminded of what Paul said to Timothy in the midst of his urges that Timothy focus on holding fast to the gospel and good doctrine:

Command and teach these things. Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. (1 Timothy 4:11-12 ESV)

Next, Falwell shows himself either a poor interpreter of Scripture, or someone willing to twist Scripture to fit his own means. I’ll let you be the judge.  He seems to be sticking with an earlier line of reasoning, which was posted in an editorial for WaPo earlier in the year:

Jesus said “Judge not, lest ye be judged.” Let’s stop trying to choose the political leaders who we believe are the most godly because, in reality, only God knows people’s hearts. You and I don’t, and we are all sinners.

Falwell is quoting from the Sermon on the Mount, the beginning of the 7th chapter of Matthew where Jesus is coming to the final stretch of his teaching.  Martyn Lloyd-Jones, the great English preacher of the 60’s has long been thought of as one of the most insightful preachers of the 20th century – especially when as it regards the Sermon on the Mount. In his day he was speaking to a culture not unlike our own – a culture that says “the truly Christian man should never express an opinion about others.”  Further, “This is not a time for these particular judgments , they say; what is needed today is unity and fellowship. We must all be one together.”

But as Llyod-Jones points out, this is a misinterpretation of the text. You can’t even make sense of verses which come shortly after with this mindset – as in verse 6, how can you not “cast your pearls before swine” without making a judgment as to who the “swine” are?! And how can you beware of false prophets (vs. 15) without exercising judgment?  You can’t; its impossible. The reason is that Falwell misunderstands the way in which Jesus is using the word “judgment.”  

Lloyd-Jones even says, “We must go further and put it like this: the Scripture itself teaches us that judgment has to be exercised in connection with the affairs of the State. It is Scripture which teaches us that judges and magistrates are appointed of God and that a magistrate is called upon to deliver and pronounce judgment, that it is his duty to do so.” He goes on to say judgment must also be used in the church and also in matters of doctrine.

Llyod-Jones concludes with several pages of explanation which could be summed up this way: Jesus is not saying not to use judgment in the selection of our leaders, but to avoid a spirit of condemnation, of delivering in our hearts and subsequently by our mouths, a “final” sentence of condemnation. This final sentence is one we arrogate to ourselves, but which in fact only belongs to God.  Put more succinctly, when we say “go to hell!”, we are doing what Jesus told us not to do.  Those three words sum up the heart attitude Jesus was preaching against.

Let’s also take a moment to note that the second part of Falwell’s statement, sandwiched in between the statements on judging, is that we shouldn’t try and choose political leaders who are “godly.” This is a logical absurdity. We all know that we aren’t voting for a priest or a pastor. However, this statement betrays a lack of intellect and/or thoughtfulness. We all have a worldview, and the Christian worldview is shaped by the idea that there are ultimate moral rights and wrongs. These ideas find their basis in the character or person of God Himself. They are revealed in the Word of God, the Scriptures. From this Word we can see the moral shape of God’s character, and His desire for man to be holy as he is holy. We are called “image-bearers”, after all.  Therefore, we don’t need to give up realism about the nature and general character of political leaders in order to be informed by how we measure their character. We measure all men by the yardstick of Christ, so to speak. And though we all fall woefully short, that doesn’t mean we chuck the yardstick, and therefore dispense with all forms of rational and coherent thought!

Unfortunately, the student’s seemed to have come to the scriptures with a much clearer head. Their logic is hard to deny, and the Post concludes its’ story by including the end of the student statement:

The students at Liberty University ended their statement by noting that “while everyone is a sinner and everyone can be forgiven, a man who constantly and proudly speaks evil does not deserve our support for the nation’s highest office.”

In summary,  Christians are called to look at the character of a man, and how he measures up and what he says with his mouth, and make decisions (judgments) based on what we see.  But we are not to condemn any man as if we were the final arbiters of that man’s soul.  Falwell jumps to this second use of the word “judgment”, misapplying our Lord’s words in order to condescendingly dismisses the critical thinking of his students, and those working to make an informed decision.

Why did I spend so much time discussing this?  Because I want to show that we have to be thoughtful about the choices we have to make in November. There is a solid, and fair case to be made that voting for Donald Trump is a vote to protect religious liberty (as seen above). But an equally fair argument is that Donald Trump is a pervert and sexual miscreant who has said he doesn’t need forgiveness, and seems to have been drunk on power more than once in his life – is that the kind of leader we want making decisions for the country?  The choice isn’t easy – and it isn’t as though Americans aren’t (for the most part) aware of 1. what’s at stake and 2. the lackluster nature of our choices.  That is why I want us to examine what religious leaders like Falwell say very closely. It is during such times as we’re living in, that the minds of leaders are revealed to us, and we can discern better who they are and what they are about.

That’s all I have for this week, I know that a longer-form discussion on this seems off the beaten path for me, and I appreciate your patience. These are big issues of our day and they take discernment and prayer and discussion within community. I certainly have my own opinions – I’m not trying to be unbiased. But I also hope you understand my heart, and that I don’t want to steer anyone in the wrong direction. Rather it is my goal to illuminate issues of concern and provoke thoughtfulness and discussion.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

PJW

Good morning and welcome to the weekend!  I apologize for missing last week, and hope you weren’t too disappointed.  I did receive a few emails, but here’s the situation – I blog every week mainly because its fun and gives me a good outlet to write some thoughts down. If you don’t get an email, its not because you were taken off the list or because anything is wrong.  I am not a professional writer, so from time to time I take a break and don’t post anything.  Today’s blog will actually be pretty short. I’m supposed to be taking in the Word at my church’s men’s retreat, but instead find myself sidelined by illness.

So, a brief post now follows about the week, what I read, saw, heard and what’s worth passing along…

The biggest “news” of the week hit yesterday when old (recordings?) of Donald Trump leaked out to the press.  They feature extremely lewd comments (probably not endorsed by Jerry Falwell, Jr….we think).  I get the question on a regular basis “have you decided whether you’ll vote for Trump yet?”  Just when I think I’ve convinced myself, and I’m around 95% read to pull the trigger and “safeguard our supreme court” (hahaha), something like this happens and makes it all the more odious to even enter the voting booth. He isn’t making it easy, is he?!

Shifting gears, this is a bit of philosophical mumbo-jumbo, but in an interesting piece posted on the American Conservative, and reposted by Mohler later in the week, you can see some intramural outrage among liberal (communist?) philosophers over one man’s opinion on homosexuality. I think the point here is not that the guy they’re denouncing is correct as much as it is that whenever someone argues anything opposing the liberal dogma on homosexual behavior, they are denounced violently and not simply argued with in an academic manner. The merits of an argument are no longer considered or dealt with, they are simply denounced as hate-filled homophobes who must be tossed from their philosophy chairs. It is intolerance in the name of tolerance.  Of course I saw this in my own undergrad days in many a philosophy course. So nothing surprising, but here we’re seeing it spill over into the public discourse, and its not simply a professor shouting down an intelligent student, its prof. vs. prof.   The response by the left is seen as possibly communist because of the manner in which rationality and true arguments are tossed to the wind. Two legs bad, four legs good! 

This is a perfect segue: France plans ban on pro-life websites.

From the Wall Street Journal: Ohio State Is Showing a Historic Lack of Mercy. Pretty interesting stuff here statistically.  I’m not even a big football guy, but as a sports fan in general, stuff like this is fascinating to me.

Speaking of fascinating, this one caught my attention for you weekend readers: Younger adults prefer to get their news in text, not video, according to new data from Pew Research.

In what was probably one of the best blogs of the week, Ray Ortland is blunt: Sunday Soccer and Small Christianity.  Here’s an excerpt:

Christian conversion is not God sprinkling his pixie-dust blessing on our typical routines. It is a paradigm shift for the whole of our lives, with new categories and new capacities. We see this throughout the New Testament.

Book Reviews: Tim Challies looks at Sarah Young’s new sequel to Jesus Calling. 

Tomorrow night is debate number two between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Here’s the SNL from last time. People seem to think Mike Pence won the VP debate, and since no one really cares, the libs in the media were fine conceding that one. They did not, however, concede it based on the principle of arguments and what the men expressed – it was all about how they expressed it.  Kaine was said to have interrupted so much that he shot himself in the proverbial foot. Pence was said to have dodged all the questions that would have forced a defense of the indefensible GOP nominee.

From the Twitters:  A century of presidential elections, in one GIF

And, because I missed the week where I’d get to blog on the Ryder Cup, check this one out (ICYMI): Ryder Cup heckler makes putt to win $100 bet – video

Also ICYMI: Glenn Beck apologizes for endorsing Ted Cruz

NOSTALGIA: Photos: BlackBerry Over the Years: Smartphone maker will stop making its own phones as sales dwindle

Last week Ligonier released their ‘STATE OF THEOLOGY’ (in America).  It’s a very well put together large sample of people’s opinions and thoughts on theology and doctrine in America. Of course there are a few shocking things in here, and others not so shocking. For those of you who think we’re basically a Christian nation, well, you might have a hard time getting through it.  This basically shows that not only are we not basically a Christian nation, but that most of those who are self-proclaimed evangelicals don’t know the first thing about what they believe.

Sometimes its good to keep in touch with what some of these movie/tv stars say and do, as a reminder of what worldview is behind their behavior. Such is the case here: Andy Richter Is ‘Eternally Grateful’ His Wife Aborted His Child.

Gosh darn it – why are those Honeycrisp Apples so expensive???!!  Basic economics, Watson!

For you book lovers: 13 Ways Book Lovers Make More Time for Reading.

Tim Challies defends video games – no really! 

In the past week, two prominent men died. Shimon Peres, the former Israeli PM, and Arnold Palmer, one of Golf’s greatest heroes.  You’ve likely read and watched videos all about this, but a few linked stories above in honor of their passing seemed fitting.

HAHAHAHA!  To save their sinking city, Venetians are dressing like pirates and chasing cruise ships

Interesting final bits……new bible series without anything but the text……uber is researching vertical takeoff vehicles……new archeological discoveries dating back to the reign of Hezekiah…that whole water thing on Europa……Similarly silly questions……the Weiner-in-Law (what a messed up family!)……Obama’s fancy headgear……cool interactive map of middle earth.

That’s it!  Go enjoy the weekend!

PJW

 

Good morning and welcome to your weekend reading, a summing up of my favorite blogs, stories, videos and books from the past week.

NOTE: There are newer weekend readers, and by way of explanation, I don’t always just post the big stories from the week here. That does seem to work out most of the time, but I sort of assume that you’ve seen or heard some of the obvious stuff.  So if I post something its because I felt it relevant to comment on, or worthy of your attention.  Many stories happened in the last week that everyone heard about (i.e. Brad and Angelina breaking up) but I don’t really care about all of them (i.e. Brad and Angelina breaking up).

Let’s start on the lighter side.  Challies reposted something from a popular grammar blog exploring the origin of the phrase “Roger That”.  I really enjoyed it because its a phrase I use pretty much every week.

And I finally got a chance to read ‘Dilbert Explains Donald Trump’ (h/t Dave B.) and enjoyed it.  Pretty funny stuff. If you’ve ever read Dave Barry, I read this interview in the same was I would if I were reading a Barry column. You pick up its flavors here and there.  Like when Adams (the Dilbert writer) says that he endorsed Hillary out of safety concerns:

He notes that detractors “have literally been comparing Trump to Hitler—an actual comparison to Hitler. . . . That is a call for assassination. There’s no other way you can [expletive] interpret that. . . . And you’ve seen how many Trump people have been beaten by crowbars for wearing his shirt, or beaten up [outside a rally] in San Jose, my backyard.”

Next up is a story sent to me by my Kate from the New York Post: It’s ‘digital heroin’: How screens turn kids into psychotic junkies.  This was a pretty startling, yet completely believable, article. Worth the read parents.

And a nasty little segue here: A Family Affair: How Incest will Expose the Philosophical Inadequacy of Contemporary Sexual Ethics.  I don’t care about the story itself, but rather wanted you to check out Trueman’s point about how the word/concept of “consent” isn’t strong enough to bear the weight of an entire county’s law on marriage and sexual relationships.

Candice Millard’s new book about Winston Churchill is out (my copy arrived this week!). The link above is to the Wall Street Journal book review.

Speaking of WSJ weekend reads, they had one that I have not yet read but intend to because it appeals to my sense of rebellion against the new normal: Get Your Children Good and Dirty.

In case you hadn’t heard, there’s a Presidential Debate on Monday evening. National Review’s Rich Lowry thinks that the Dems have set themselves up for failure.  Maybe he’s right.  All I know is that it ought to be most entertaining…

Maybe I read too many alarmist kinds of stories this week, but this one simply confirmed why its good to have a water filter – from CNN: New report finds ‘Erin Brockovich’ chemical in US drinking water. From the story:

“Whether it is chromium-6, PFOA or lead, the public is looking down the barrel of a serious water crisis across the country that has been building for decades,” Brockovich said in a written statement Tuesday, blaming it on “corruption, complacency and utter incompetence.”

Incompetence, corruption, complacency…yup, sounds like the government to me.

And in another h/t to Challies for the able curation of cool content: Collecting the World: Inside the Smithsonian. 

Switching Gears: Has Rome Really Changed Its Tune?  This is a slightly long post from a former professor of mine about the Catholic Church, and whether they’ve really changed since the Reformation. It’s the 500th anniversary of the Reformation next year, and Allison (the author) looks at several key points where reformers had taken exception to the church’s teaching…have they changed?  Unfortunately, I think the answer is clearly “no”.  This is the kind of thing that I think is worth really pondering for my Catholic friends.  I understand the draw of the church, I really do.  Stability, beauty, community – and the knowledge that its not simply local but worldwide community. You can step into a parish anywhere in the world and hear the same mass, and feel at home. You’re part of a worldwide community.  The issue is that at its core, the Catholic Faith is broken, and broken badly. We see the results of this every day as the Pope flails about as he deals with the culture – sometimes adeptly, and sometimes very poorly.  The problem is there is no anchor to his teaching – the Bible, the truth of God’s Word, is no longer the only thing he must contend with. The church has elevated church leader’s words to the authoritative level of the Scripture, and now these Popes must navigate a hundred differing and evolving opinions from past ages. Therefore, the church has abandoned the fundamental principles which made it Christian years ago. The outward beauty and its forms of community remain, but they are a shell which covers a rotten core – a core without the gospel, and the absolute truth of the Word to govern everyday life.

My heart aches as I write this because I know how difficult it is to leave a church. To leave friends and familiarity and the warmth of community isn’t an etherial concept to me. But when the core principles which bond that community together are perverted beyond recognition, and men’s writing and traditions have stollen away all semblance of cogency from the initial Biblical designs, then a break must occur. Community and fellowship can only go so far when not rooted in absolute truth. As our Lord said the night before He died on our behalf:

I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. (John 17:14-17 ESV)

This sanctifying Word is no longer taught as singularly authoritative in the Catholic Church. It’s power has been covertly denied when the church subverts its authority with its’ own traditions, councils, and writings.

They say that people hate congress and yet love their congressman. I can equally say that I detest the Catholic Church, while loving my Catholic friends – each emotion strongly springing from a worldview shaped by Scripture, and a sinful heart transformed by Grace alone, through faith alone, by Christ alone, and for God’s glory.

Along similar lines, R.C. Sproul and Al Mohler did a question and answer session about the nature of Luther’s conversion, his affect on the church, and the coming anniversary of the Reformation.

This was pretty nifty: Archeologists are virtually unraveling ancient hidden texts that could rewrite biblical history. NOTE: I published this having read the story without seriously considering the headline. The headline is a bit deceptive. This story isn’t about re-writing Biblical history, its about technology. I’ve read enough to know that archeology has time and again proven, rather than disproven the history we’ve read about in Scripture. So don’t get the wrong idea!

The Chinese may hate individual liberty and freedom, but they love wine: The red planet: China sends vines into space in quest for perfect wine.

You can form your own opinion about Donald Trump, but Erick Erickson has lost his marbles...have others?

War Zone Chicago: Homicides are spiking again in some big U.S. cities. Chicago has seen nearly half the increase.

Olive Oil can come in handy when your beach trip goes south…

The Daily Signal has a story on how more people are using medical sharing plans to take care of catastrophic health care coverage while avoiding Obamacare penalties. I can attest that this works pretty darn well if you don’t have a lot of reoccurring medical costs and simply need catastrophic coverage.

Sinclair Ferguson from a few weeks back: Endless, Bottomless, Boundless Grace and Compassion.

Books: This past week or so, I read: The Prince (old Niccolo) , Tolkien and the Lord of the Rings: A Guide to Middle Earth (Duriez), True Community (Bridges), Man’s Search for Meaning (Frankl).   I’m almost done with Ayn Rand’s ‘The Fountainhead’ which has taken up a lot of my time, and have been enjoying a dozen other books, including the poetry of Samuel Taylor Coleridge.  Last night Chloe and I read ‘The Ancient Mariner’ and found it a little creepy, and yet still enjoyable!

That’s it!  I am especially thankful for the gospel this morning, and the fact that no confirmation or sunday school class, no sprinkling, no works, no words of mine will save me. Only the grace of God working through faith He gave me will save me and keep me. I am thankful that the Bible is both available for me to read, and transformative when I do read it. I’m glad it serves as a solid truth upon which I can base my morals, ethics, and daily decisions. These are reassurances which I treasure as we head into another crazy election season!

Go enjoy your weekend!

PJW