R. Albert Mohler Jr.'s Blog, page 300

Precious in the Sight of the Lord is the Death of His Saints

The Briefing 09-23-15

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1) Overtly political nature of Pope's visit celebrated by 'cafeteria progressives'

Pope Francis Lands in U.S. for Historic First Visit, Wall Street Journal (Byron Tau)

The Politics of Pope Francis, Wall Street Journal (Editorial Board)

2) Justice Scalia critiques judicial activism of courts, relativization of Constitutional text

Scalia addresses Constitution, same-sex marriage in speech, Associated Press (Adrian Sainz)

3) Single-issue politics, Doritos, and national park proposal reveal success of moral revolution

Wall Street Money Dries Up for Lawmaker After Anti-Gay Remarks, Bloomberg Businessweek (Robert Schmidt)

Doritos supports LGBT community with rainbow chips, USA Today (WTSP-TV)

Lawmakers Seek National Park in Honor of Stonewall, New York Times (Alexander Burns)

4) Liberal synagogue hosts Planned Parenthood fundraiser illustrating worldview divide between liberal and conservative parts of religion

Synagogue takes Planned Parenthood event in need of a home, The Tennesseean (Joey Garrison)

The Briefing 09-22-15

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1) Pope's caution in Cuba exposes tension between roles as religious leader and head of state

Pope Takes Cautious Stance in Cuba on Dissidents, Wall Street Journal (Francis X. Rocca)

2) Pope sets pattern of liberalizing Catholicism's effect without formally adjusting teaching

How the Pope Might Renew the Church, New York Times (Francis Quinn)

The Pope’s Marriage Endgame, New York Times (Ross Douthat)

3) Tennnessean schools instruct students on Islam, separating religious facts from beliefs

Islam in schools: What parents should know, USA Today (Melanie Balakit and Jason Gonzales)

Genesis 42:1-45:9

The Briefing 09-21-15

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1) Impending papal visit evokes efforts to utilize Pope for political gain and agendas

Pope Francis will face a fractured U.S. Catholic Church, USA Today (Rick Hampson)

Vatican Disputes White House Guest List for Papal Visit, Wall Street Journal (Francis X Rocca)

The White House is more afraid of offending China’s president than the pope, Washington Post (Editorial Board)

2) House Bill to defund Planned Parenthood passes but faces trouble in Senate, opposition in White House

House Approves Bill To Cease Funding Planned Parenthood, NPR (Bill Chappell)

House passes bill banning abortions after 20 weeks, CNN (Deirdre Walsh)

3) Desire for authenticity in presidential candidates reflects priority of sincerity

‘Authenticity’ in the 2016 Campaign, Wall Street Journal (Ben Zimmer)

The Briefing 09-18-15

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1) Appeals court ruling sets up Obamacare religious freedom clash in Supreme Court

Ruling sets up new review of religious objections to contraceptive mandate, Washington Post (Robert Barnes)

2) Obama defends Planned Parenthood, furthers culture of personal autonomy idolatry

Obama Threatens To Veto Planned Parenthood Defunding Bill, Huffington Post (Laura Bassett)

3) NFL teams profit from gambling in guise of fantasy football even as it denounces gambling

An Ad Blitz for Fantasy Sports Games, but Some See Plain Old Gambling, New York Times (Joe Drape and Ken Belsen)

N.F.L.’s Unsteady Stance on a Tricky Gambling Landscape, New York Times (Ken Belsen)

4) Self-inflicted wound of marijuana on Colorado not a laughing matter

Day Without Marijuana Tax Draws Mixed Reactions in Colorado, New York Times (Julie Terkewitz)

Colorado unleashes tax-free pot, Colorado Spring Gazette (Editorial Board)

The Briefing 09-17-15

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1) Archbishop of Canterbury to formalize rift in Anglican Communion to preserve some unity

Archbishop of Canterbury plans to loosen ties of divided Anglican communion, The Guardian (Andrew Brown)

Justin Welby launches ‘last throw of the dice’ to avert worldwide Anglican split, The Telegraph (John Bingham)

2) Shocking racial disparity evident in abortion unaddressed by abortionists must not be avoided

Let’s Talk About the Racial Disparity in Abortions, Wall Street Journal (Jason L. Riley)

3) Workaholic culture in Japan pressures women to abort child for sake of career

We’re busy. Get an abortion, The Economist

4) Non-Christians rebuke Christian understanding of doctrine over FBC Greenville

Letter: Reader saddened by condemnation of church, Greenville News (Jennifer Horton)

The Briefing 09-16-15

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1) Bernie Sanders addressing Liberty University encounter collision between two worldviews

Bernie Sanders Makes Rare Appeal to Evangelicals at Liberty University, New York Times (Nick Corasaniti)

5 faith facts about Bernie Sanders: unabashedly irreligious, Religion News Service (Lauren Markoe)

Price Tag of Bernie Sanders’s Proposals: $18 Trillion, Wall Street Journal (Laura Meckler)

No, Bernie Sanders is not going to bankrupt America to the tune of $18 trillion, Washington Post (Paul Waldman)

2) New leader of British Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn presents a radical shift to the left

Election of Jeremy Corbyn as Labour Leader Sets Up British Politics for Bigger Divisions, Wall Street Journal (Simon Nixon)

Britain’s Unsettling Omen, Wall Street Journal (Brett Stephens)

3) Queen Elizabeth's long reign represents global era of radical secularization, decline of Britain

Queen Elizabeth II Becomes Britain’s Longest-Reigning Monarch, New York Times (Steven Erlanger and Stephen Castle)

A queen's riches aren't what they used to be, Chicago Tribune (Tom Metcalf)

Queen Elizabeth II Isn’t as Rich as You Think, Bloomberg Businessweek (Tom Metcalf)

The Briefing 09-15-15

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1) Study links homophobia to mental illness, using therapeutic worldview to further moral shift

Homophobic people 'more likely to display other undesirable psychological traits', The Telegraph (Jonathan Wells)

Psychoticism, Immature Defense Mechanisms and a Fearful Attachment Style are Associated with a Higher Homophobic Attitude, Journal of Sexual Medicine (Giacoma Ciocca, et. al.)

2) Justice Breyer presents European courts as moral standard for US decisions

Justice Breyer Sees Value in a Global View of Law, New York Times (Adam Liptak)

3) First legal crop of pot in DC sows moral confusion as cannot be legally sold

First legal harvest of marijuana fueling gray market for pot in U.S. capital, Washington Post (Aaron C Davis)

4) Power of images to shape our feelings important factor in how we view world as Christians

Aylan Kurdi and the Photos That Change History, Wall Street Journal (Karen Miller Pensiero)

There’s Always More to the Story: A Conversation With Mark Oppenheimer of the New York Times