R. Albert Mohler Jr.'s Blog, page 252

The Briefing 05-03-17

Trump expected to sign executive order on Thursday protecting religious liberty, our first freedomPolitico (Timothy Alberta and Shane Goldmacher) — White House aims for Thursday signing of religious liberty executive order

United Methodists to hold council on LGBT questions in 2019 after high court rejects openly gay bishopReligion News Service (Emily McFarlan Miller) — United Methodists to hold special session on LGBTQ inclusion in 2019

Church of Scotland report considering same-sex marriage sets Jesus and Scripture at odds Church of Scotland — Latest report from Theological Forum published

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The Briefing 05-02-17

Teen suicide, the sanctity of life, and the dangerous new Netflix show '13 Reasons Why'New York Times (Mike Hale) — Review: ‘13 Reasons Why’ She Killed Herself, Drawn Out on NetflixNew York Times (Katherine Rosman) — Netflix Triggers Online Debate With a Show About Teen Suicide, ‘13 Reasons Why’Washington Post (Bethany Butler) — ‘13 Reasons Why’ depicts a graphic suicide. Experts say there’s a problem with that.The Guardian (Eleanor Ainge Roy) — 13 Reasons Why: New Zealand bans under-18s from watching suicide drama without adult

The moral importance of language: Why are politicians beginning to use more profanity?NPR (Scott Simon) — What The H***'s Behind All This Cursing?

The sexual revolution on display: British Museum offers sex exhibit targeted at school childrenThe Times of London (David Sanderson) — British Museum offers a lesson in sex

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The Briefing 05-01-17

Can a secular West recognize theologically motivated terrorism? Terror suspects arrested in LondonThe Telegraph (Robert Mendick, Martin Evans, and Ben Farmer) — Armed police swooped on terror suspect as he headed for Downing Street with bag packed with knivesThe Times of London (Sean O'Neill and John Simpson) — Westminster knife suspect volunteered for Gaza aid convoy

Britain's Prime Minster has called for a snap election: Why it matters and what to watch forThe Guardian — How to make the world a better place

Tim Farron, religious conviction, and the gatekeepers of secular doctrineThe Times of London (Rod Liddle) — Dear God, Tim can’t take your calls any more — he’s got five seats to winNew Statesman (Stephen Bush) — Tim Farron: Theresa May is "the prisoner of the Ukip wing of her party"The Spectator (Rod Liddle) — Tim Farron is a Christian, so of course he’s not allowed an opinion

How one UK divorce law led to an entire generation of women, now in their 50's, who never marriedThe Telegraph (Olivia Rudgard) — Rise of 'silver singles' after hike in divorce rates in 70s put them off marriage

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The Briefing 04-28-17

Abortion, the central sacrament of the secular left, is challenging the unity of the Democratic PartyNew York Times (Jonathan Martin) — At a ‘Unity’ Stop in Nebraska, Democrats Find Anything But

Religion and the necessary foundation of morality: Will Democrats seek to "reclaim religious ground"?Louisville Courier-Journal (Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons) — Democrats must reclaim religious groundLouisville Courier-Journal (Linda Allewalt) — Don't need “old-time religion” in politics

Human hatcheries and the end of pregnancy? Artificial womb raises huge ethical questionsThe Verge (Rachel Becker) — An artificial womb successfully grew baby sheep — and humans could be next

"Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" Brandenburg Gate, the Berlin Wall, and the cost of liberty

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The Briefing 04-27-17

The prophets of secularization miscalculated: Religious people have more children than secular peopleJournal of Evolutionary Psychological Science (Lee Ellis, Anthony W. Hoskin, Edward Dutton, and Helmuth Nyborg) — The Future of Secularism: a Biologically Informed Theory Supplemented with Cross-Cultural Evidence

ISIS, Cubs of the Caliphate, and the importance of capturing the hearts of our children with the truthThe Telegraph (Josie Ensor) — Inside the underground 'Cubs of the Caliphate' training camp where brainwashed Iraqi children are taught to fight and die for Isil

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The Briefing 04-26-17

Two candidates, two worldviews, two futures: Why the French presidential election mattersWall Street Journal (William Horobin and Stacy Meichtry) — French Presidential Runoff Heralds New Political EraWall Street Journal (Christopher Caldwell) — France’s Choice: Le Divorce?

When socialism becomes fascism: Political unrest compounds economic disaster unfolding in VenezuelaReuters (Andrew Cawthorne and Diego Oré) — Death toll in Venezuela's unrest rises to 26

Is the March for Science "apolitical"? The important difference between Science and ScientismUSA Today (Doug Stanglin and Gregory Korte) — Marchers for Science protest 'alarming' anti-science trends

Ideas have consequences: Communism, atheism, and the dark history of East Germany

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The Briefing 04-25-17

Siege warfare and the Syrian civil war: Why the Christian understanding of Just War Theory mattersNew York Times (Russell Goldman) — Assad’s History of Chemical Attacks, and Other Atrocities

Shouldn't we just ban the bomb? Nuclear weapons and the problem of sin and knowledgeProspect Magazine (Matthew Harries) — Banning the bomb: we’ll all go together

Canadian military tackles the soul-destroying question of when to shoot a child soldierThe Economist — When is it OK to shoot a child soldier?

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The Briefing 04-24-17

How should evangelicals respond to Russia's ban of Jehovah's Witnesses as "extremist group"?New York Times (Andrew Higgins) — Russia Moves to Ban Jehovah’s Witnesses as ‘Extremist’New York Times (Andrew Higgins) — Russia Bans Jehovah’s Witnesses, Calling It an Extremist Group

Why is the atheistic regime in communist China concerned about the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama?Wall Street Journal (Gordon Fairclough and Niharika Mandhana) — High Stakes as the Dalai Lama Hints at Being ‘Reborn’ Outside ChinaWall Street Journal (Hugo Restall) — China’s Great Awakening

Theology matters: TIME reports Mormon leader is urging more baptisms on behalf of the deadTIME — Mormon Leader: More Dead People Should be Baptized

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The Briefing 04-21-17

Money, morality, and the media: Bill O'Reilly out at Fox News amidst accusations of sexual harassmentWall Street Journal (Joe Flint) — Bill O’Reilly Won’t Return to Fox News, Company Says

New York Governor Cuomo mandates insurers cover infertility treatment for singles, same-sex couplesNew York Magazine (Rebecca Traister) — Andrew Cuomo’s New Promise to Women: Infertility Protection

New York's latest offer of tuition-free college at state schools: A government takeover of higher ed? Wall Street Journal (Leslie Brody) — New York State Says Students Who Get Tuition-Free College Must Stay in State Afterward

Is the Bible's position on women in ministry sexist? Complementarianism in the New York TimesNew York Times (Julia Baird) — Is Your Pastor Sexist?

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The Briefing 04-20-17

In oral arguments on church-state relations, SCOTUS Justices appear to side with Trinity LutheranWashington Post (Robert Barnes) — Justices express sympathy with Missouri church at Supreme Court hearingNew York Times (Adam Liptak) — Supreme Court Weighs State Aid to Church Programs

Parental rights and the role of government: Homeschooling in America and abroadWashington Post (Lisa Grace Lednicer) — These activists want greater home-school monitoring. Parent groups say no way.Baptist Press (Kiley Crossland) — German family continues fight to homeschool

Are our kids' toys spying on us? Germany isn't taking any chancesWall Street Journal (Andrea Thomas) — Germany Issues Kill Order for a Domestic Spy—Cayla the Toy Doll

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