R. Albert Mohler Jr.'s Blog, page 434

Gore Vidal and the Sky God

The death of author and controversialist Gore Vidal last week brought an end to one of America’s most gifted and flamboyantly offensive literary voices. Eugene Luther Gore Vidal was born in 1925 on the campus of the United States Military Academy at West Point. For decades, Vidal was one of America’s most outrageous men of letters. His life was marked by a long series of confrontations and he died as one of the nation’s most famous and infamous literary figures.

Like many in his literary generation, Vidal was born to privilege, but suffered from an unhappy childhood. His father, an aviation pioneer, was the head of civilian aviation in the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and later became a founder of TWA. His mother was a deeply troubled socialite who was the daughter of U.S. Senator Thomas P. Gore of Oklahoma. Most of Vidal’s childhood was spent in the Gore home in Washington, D.C. Vidal’s mother later married Hugh D. Auchincloss, stepfather to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and the young Vidal lived for some time on the Auchincloss estate in northern Virginia. He attended prominent private schools including St. Albans School in Washington and Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire, from which he graduated. Keep Reading

The Briefing 08-03-12

Olympic Ideal Takes Beating in Badminton… Will You Still Medal In The Morning?… A Day For Chicken Sandwiches As Proxy In A Cultural Debate… I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do Keep Reading

The Briefing 08-02-12

Federal Reserve’s Statement After Its Meeting Wednesday… Author Gore Vidal Dies… Partisan Divide Growing On Gay Marriage… Michael Phelps: Most Decorated Olympian In History Keep Reading

The Briefing 08-01-12

2nd Day of Power Failures Cripples Wide Swath of India… Chick-Fil-A Controversy Reveals Religious Liberty Under Threat… Democrats Draft Gay Marriage Platform… Gay Marriage Plank Will Be In Democratic Party Platform At Convention… Watergate at 40 Keep Reading

The Dark Night in Denver — Groping for Answers

The news hit the airwaves like a sudden onslaught, and the truth began to sink in. It has happened again. This time, 50 people shot while attending the midnight premier of the last in the Batman sequence, “The Dark Knight Rises.” According to press reports, a 24-year-old man burst into the crowded theater, wearing a gas mask and carrying an arsenal. After deploying what is believed to be tear gas, he opened fire with a shotgun, a rifle, and two handguns. At least 12 people are dead, and dozens are injured, many critically. Keep Reading

Have Our Children Forgotten How to Play Outdoors?

Author Richard Louv believes that America’s children are now suffering from a syndrome he identifies as “nature-deficit disorder.” In his recent book, Last Child in the Woods, Louv suggests that the current generation of American children knows the Discovery Channel better than their own backyards–and that this loss of contact with nature leads to impoverished lives and stunted imagination. Keep Reading

Has God Called You? The Calling of the Christian Minister

Has God called you to ministry? Though all Christians are called to serve the cause of Christ, God calls certain persons to serve the Church as pastors and other ministers. Writing to young Timothy, the Apostle Paul confirmed that if a man aspires to be a pastor, “it is a fine work he aspires to do.” [I Timothy 3:1, NASB] Likewise, it is a high honor to be called of God into the ministry of the Church. How do you know if God is calling you? Keep Reading

The Briefing 06-29-12

Supreme Court Upholds Obama’s Heath-Care Law… Sentencing Ruling Reflects Rethinking On Juvenile Justice… The New Republic Of Porn… Most Of America’s Largest Cities Are Growing… The iPhone Turns Five Keep Reading

The Briefing 06-28-12

Wildfire Victims Crowd Shelters As Fight Continues… Debby Threatens More Floods, Tornadoes In Florida… Rangel As Resilient As Harlem-Area District He Represents… Chinese Couple Forced To Get Abortion Report Harassment… Justice For A Predator… The News On Abuse… In North Korea, Learning To Hate U.S. Starts With Children Keep Reading

The Briefing 06-27-12

Court Won’t Rule On San Diego Cross… U.S. Supreme Court Declines Case Over Mountaintop Cross… Arkansas Supreme Court Strikes Down Execution Law… Critic’s Notebook: FCC vs. Fox, The Supreme Court Decides… ‘Big Brother’? No, It’s Parents Keep Reading