This edition of strolling the links is brought to you by Uri Brito, pastor in Pensacola, FL.
First a snippet from a longer conversation - but this on counseling.
"Pastoral counseling habits require a re-orientation. We are too quick to offer solutions and Bible verses without listening to our counselees’ concerns and contexts. While there are occasions where direct (nouthetic) confrontation is needed, it ought not to be the paradigm for counseling. As Dr. Field notes, “Some conservative pastors get restless after ten or twenty minutes of listening.” "
And here's something I've been trying to articulate for years, now.
"The Bible is not just about solving our sin problem. It has a more foundational purpose. It begins with the creation account. Creation is the fundamental starting point of missions. In the creation, we learn to answer the questions, “Who owns this world?” and “What is our mission in it?” These questions only find an answer in the first pages of recorded revelation. If you skip this part, everything about the way you view the world will be thwarted. You can’t begin with creation fallen. You must begin with creation as it was intended and then move from there."
2.11.2019
Superheroes // Homeschooling High School // New York Times bias
Romans Road puts out Digressio, an excellent compilation of articles.
Here's one from their 2017 issue on what's good about superheroes.
Circe Institute does a podcast on homeschooling in the Charlotte Mason stream.
Here's one on the high school years. Helpful perspective here.
Marvin Olasky does good journalistic work. Here's a short article detailing New York Times bias in three separate stories, on one day!
Here's one from their 2017 issue on what's good about superheroes.
Circe Institute does a podcast on homeschooling in the Charlotte Mason stream.
Here's one on the high school years. Helpful perspective here.
Marvin Olasky does good journalistic work. Here's a short article detailing New York Times bias in three separate stories, on one day!
2.07.2019
The State of Our President
It has been cliche for quite some time now to bemoan the evangelical Christian's mindless support of the Presidency of Donald Trump. What hypocrisy to call for Clinton's impeachment, while turning a blind eye to Trump's infidelities!
There is of course some truth to the charge. Trump historically has been (arguably) an admirable entrepreneur, but an amoral figure. It's sad that any support of our president needs to be qualified with separating oneself from his immoral past. I'll never forget the picture of Jerry Falwell, Jr. posing for a picture in Trump's office with a Playboy cover in the background.
This is what made the State of the Union speech so striking. For the first hour I was mildly disappointed. Our president said good and true things, but it was all oriented to money and jobs and our economy. It reminded me of arguments I had with friends during the primaries when I was against him. He might be fine as a fiscal conservative, I said, but I couldn't see him advocating for biblical morality in the public square.
I am gladly eating my words now. So happy to be wrong.
The speech was well put together rhetorically. Trump was restrained and mature given the current political climate against him. He started with economic issues but he didn't stay there.
The wall and border he framed as a moral issue, rightly so. His biggest blunder of the night was here, neglecting to qualify his position with the reality that many seeking entrance to our country are not nefarious folks. But raising the issue of sex trafficking, and having present family of victims murdered by illegals, was rhetorically effective against the derision from his opponents who think he is just bigoted against brown people.
How do you speak against the fiscally insane policies of socialists like Bernie Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez and Kamala Harris, who are sitting in the room as you speak? You start with the chaos those policies have wreaked on Venezuela. Excellent.
And how do you work up to speaking against abortion to a room full of feminists? Paid family leave and the evoking the experience of holding your new-born baby, that's how. Trump outed the campaign against Virginia Governor Northam for what it really is: the Democrat party removing its own, when he spoke too plainly about what they really advocate regarding late-term abortion.
Now, is it weird to hear a philanderer and moral scoundrel speak to the nation about children in the mother's womb being made in the holy image of God? Yes. Should we work against him because of that awkwardness? I don't think so. It reminds me of Jesus' line to the Pharisees that the Gentiles, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the Kingdom of God before them.
Don't get me wrong. I don't naively assume Trump has entered the Kingdom. But he is singing some of the songs of the Kingdom of God.
By the most cynical political calculation, Trump is pandering to his conservative base and not really believing what he says regarding abortion. Even assuming this is true, I'll take and support it over the far more tepid Republican alternatives we could have had, who likely would have cowered at the culture war onslaught that has gone on for the last few years, and said nothing in defense of the babies, or toned it down. No. We are letting "doctors" kill the babies, and taking advantage of vulnerable women. It is demonic to convince women that they are gaining freedom and more choices for their lives by ending the life inside them. We need a warrior for this truth in the Oval Office right now, not a prudent pragmatician. It seems perhaps that our vice-President is convincing our president of the urgency of this issue.
Whatever Trump's real motives or personal standing before His Creator, I'm giving thanks today for his stand for the unborn and against socialism before a watching world.
There is of course some truth to the charge. Trump historically has been (arguably) an admirable entrepreneur, but an amoral figure. It's sad that any support of our president needs to be qualified with separating oneself from his immoral past. I'll never forget the picture of Jerry Falwell, Jr. posing for a picture in Trump's office with a Playboy cover in the background.
This is what made the State of the Union speech so striking. For the first hour I was mildly disappointed. Our president said good and true things, but it was all oriented to money and jobs and our economy. It reminded me of arguments I had with friends during the primaries when I was against him. He might be fine as a fiscal conservative, I said, but I couldn't see him advocating for biblical morality in the public square.
I am gladly eating my words now. So happy to be wrong.
The speech was well put together rhetorically. Trump was restrained and mature given the current political climate against him. He started with economic issues but he didn't stay there.
The wall and border he framed as a moral issue, rightly so. His biggest blunder of the night was here, neglecting to qualify his position with the reality that many seeking entrance to our country are not nefarious folks. But raising the issue of sex trafficking, and having present family of victims murdered by illegals, was rhetorically effective against the derision from his opponents who think he is just bigoted against brown people.
How do you speak against the fiscally insane policies of socialists like Bernie Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez and Kamala Harris, who are sitting in the room as you speak? You start with the chaos those policies have wreaked on Venezuela. Excellent.
And how do you work up to speaking against abortion to a room full of feminists? Paid family leave and the evoking the experience of holding your new-born baby, that's how. Trump outed the campaign against Virginia Governor Northam for what it really is: the Democrat party removing its own, when he spoke too plainly about what they really advocate regarding late-term abortion.
Now, is it weird to hear a philanderer and moral scoundrel speak to the nation about children in the mother's womb being made in the holy image of God? Yes. Should we work against him because of that awkwardness? I don't think so. It reminds me of Jesus' line to the Pharisees that the Gentiles, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the Kingdom of God before them.
Don't get me wrong. I don't naively assume Trump has entered the Kingdom. But he is singing some of the songs of the Kingdom of God.
By the most cynical political calculation, Trump is pandering to his conservative base and not really believing what he says regarding abortion. Even assuming this is true, I'll take and support it over the far more tepid Republican alternatives we could have had, who likely would have cowered at the culture war onslaught that has gone on for the last few years, and said nothing in defense of the babies, or toned it down. No. We are letting "doctors" kill the babies, and taking advantage of vulnerable women. It is demonic to convince women that they are gaining freedom and more choices for their lives by ending the life inside them. We need a warrior for this truth in the Oval Office right now, not a prudent pragmatician. It seems perhaps that our vice-President is convincing our president of the urgency of this issue.
Whatever Trump's real motives or personal standing before His Creator, I'm giving thanks today for his stand for the unborn and against socialism before a watching world.
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