Twenty Items of Interest (v. 13)

Well to make up for missing last week, I’m posting a second Twenty Items.

1.  Minnesota has a publicly-funded Islamic school.  Katherine Kersten of the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune reports:

TIZA has many characteristics that suggest a religious school. It shares the headquarters building of the Muslim American Society of Minnesota, whose mission is “establishing Islam in Minnesota.” The building also houses a mosque. TIZA’s executive director, Asad Zaman, is a Muslim imam, or religious leader, and its sponsor is an organization called Islamic Relief.

Students pray daily, the cafeteria serves halal food – permissible under Islamic law — and “Islamic Studies” is offered at the end of the school day.

Complete craziness.

HT: Matt Riesetter

2. The new sexual revolution going on at Harvard – abstinence.

HT: Family Research Council

3. Continuing with the education theme.  Madness once again seen in public schools with one Wisconsin elementary school encouraging students to participate in a cross-dressing day.

HT: Kevin McCullough

4.  Just so Senator Obama doesn’t feel like I only pick on him (like his campaign staff would read this blog).  David C. Innes ponders whether or not Senator Hillary Clinton is insane.

5.  Catholic-run University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN is ok with transgender lecturers and Al Franken coming to address their student body.  But if you are Black and pro-life you are evidently not welcome.

6.  John Hawkins on liberal insanity when it comes to terrorists.

7.  Rich Lowry says that President Bush should boycott the Olympic opening ceremonies in Beijing over China’s brutal crackdown in Tibet.  What do you think?  I think I’m in agreement.

8.  By the way, I still don’t like Mitt Romney.  There is an online petition sponsored by Government is Not God to let John McCain know that Romney is not wanted on the ticket.  I already signed it.  I will not vote for a McCain/Romney ticket. 

HT: Carl Cameron

9.  Inspiring video over at Hot Air about a Marine who lost his leg fighting in Iraq, returns to duty… in Iraq.

10.  Oprah is a theological mess.

HT: Brent Thomas

11.  On the left is one example of “Christian” consumerism run amok.  Can I throw up now?  I guess I would need one of those mints if I do.

HT: Steve Randall

12.  LifeChurch.tv is going to launch it’s “One Prayer” initiative.  Interesting concept.  What do you think?

13.  The Olympic Torch leaves a huge carbon footprint.  Where’s Al Gore when we need him?

HT: Janice Dean

14.  News flash! Husbands benefit more than wives when it comes to the amount of housework the couples has compared to what they had before they were married.  According to a recent University of Michigan study:

Having a husband creates an extra seven hours a week of housework for women, according to a University of Michigan study of a nationally representative sample of U.S. families.

For men, the picture is very different: A wife saves men from about an hour of housework a week.

Does this really surprise anybody?

HT: Joe Carter

15.  Google doesn’t allow anti-abortion advertisements.  Another reason why I Goodsearch (that and if you designate Serve Our Youth Network as your charity we get $.01 every time you do).

16.  Here’s a college trend I’d like to see discontinued.

In the Woodstock era, the advent of coed dorms caused a stir, with Life magazine proclaiming the development “an intimate revolution on campus.” Coed floors came along over the next two decades, giving college students immediate proximity to each other. The next step, coed suites and bathrooms, brought the sexes even closer together.

Now, some colleges are crossing the final threshold, allowing men and women to share rooms. At the urging of student activists, more than 30 campuses across the country have adopted what colleges call gender-neutral rooming assignments, almost half of them within the past two years.

HT: Catherine Claire

17.  John Mark Reynolds shares a list of 12 books that Christians should read to gain better insight on how to do “cultural apologetics.”

• “Abolition of Man” (Lewis)
• “Descent into Hell” (Williams)
• “On Fairy Stories” (Tolkien)
• “Closing of the American Mind” (Bloom)
• “Christianity and the Nature of Science” (Moreland)
• “How Now Should We Live” (Pearcey and Colson)
• “Liberty or Equality” (von Kuehnelt-Leddihn)
• “The City and Man” (Strauss)
• “Heaven the Hearts Deepest Longing” (Kreeft)
• “Reason in the Balance” (Johnson)
• “For the Life of the World” (Schmemann)
• “The Birth of the Modern World” (Johnson)
• “A Francis A. Schaeffer Trilogy” (Schaeffer)

18.  R.C. Sproul interviews Ben Stein on his movie Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed.  Listen to Part 1 and Part 2.

HT: A-Team Blog

19.  Muslims leaving Islam in droves.  Interesting.

20.  Pro-Life Doctors, are they a new oxymoron?

In November 2007, the Committee on Ethics of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) published Committee Opinion # 385 entitled, “The Limits of Conscientious Refusal in Reproductive Medicine.” The committee opinion sought to “maximize accommodation of an individual’s religious or moral beliefs while avoiding imposition of these beliefs on others or interfering with the safe, timely, and financially feasible access to reproductive health care that all women deserve.”

Unfortunately, the balance struck by the committee between the right of conscience of physicians and the reproductive health care of women so emphasizes patient autonomy that it turns physicians into medical automatons forced to act against their best ethical and medical judgment. As pointed out on March 14, 2008, by Health and Human Services secretary Mike Leavitt: “The ACOG ethics report would force physicians to violate their conscience by referring patients for abortions or taking other objectionable actions, or risk losing their board certification.” Put simply, committee Opinion 385 could be the end of the pro-life doctor.

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Reflections on the GOP Race

  I have to admit, though I suspected this would be outcome for sometime, that I am disappointed by Tuesday’s outcome.  I really felt, and still feel, that Governor Mike Huckabee is the best candidate for President of the United States.  I also thought that after having a good Super Tuesday sweeping the South that he would have picked up traction.  This was a great race and had a couple of things went differently, well then… who knows?

Like if Fred Thompson dropped out before South Carolina – that likely would have been a Huckabee win.  Would that have given him momentum in Florida?  Who knows?  On Super Tuesday had he won Missouri.  Perhaps Tuesday would have been a lot different.  But those things didn’t happen and Tuesday wasn’t different.  It is what it is.  Mike Huckabee pledged to stay in it until the delegates needed to secure the nomination was achieved by somebody.  Until then he wanted people to have a choice, and that is something I believe many conservatives wanted.  They still wanted a voice.  Values voters want to be heard, and if nothing else Mike Huckabee staying in the race made Senator McCain listen.

I became somewhat disillusioned with the process with the vitriol conservative pundits dished out toward Huckabee.  I hated, absolutely hated, how Mitt Romney launched attack ads and then was dishonest about his record and current believes.  Negative ads and campaigning is one of the reasons I withdrew my support of Senator Sam Brownback back in June and then endorsed Huckabee.  It turns me off.  I expect better.

I am also disappointed with the Louisiana GOP for not awarding Mike Huckabee most of the delegates even though he won the popular vote in that state’s primary.  I think the chairman of the Washington GOP needs to resign for stopping the counting of votes in their primary when there was only 500 votes separating McCain from Huckabee.  Shame on them.

While I disagree with Rudy Giuliani’s positions on several issues that are important to me I did appreciate his honesty and consistency.  I didn’t think he had much of a chance to win the nomination, and I’m glad his campaign strategy was a non-starter.

I am thankful for the campaign that Mike Huckabee ran.  I liked his message.  I liked that he talked about the issues.  I liked that he stayed positive when he could have easily gone negative.  I liked where he stood on the issues.  I liked his humor and his communication style.  Most importantly I liked his values and where he stood on issues that I care about.  I would have loved to see him debate Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton.  Thank you Governor Huckabee for such a great campaign!  You proved that money doesn’t equal might.

Now our eyes turn to Senator John McCain.  McCain likely will have my vote… he is going to have to earn my endorsement.  He has some weaknesses that need to be addressed with me and other conservatives.

• He is wrong on embryonic stem cell research.   He is wrong on the  Right to  Life Amendment.  Governor Huckabee is solidly pro-life.  McCain has some gaps.  I appreciate that his voting record for the most part is good, but it doesn’t seem to be an issue that is of great concern to the Senator.  He followed rather than led the pro-life movement in the Senate.
• McCain-Finegold… enough said, and it is probably going to end up biting you in the butt during the general election.
• You need to support a Federal Marriage Amendment.
• While I’m not absolutely hard-line on immigration, he needs to further refine his immigration policy and focus on border security.  He is starting to do that.
• His domestic policies, not his strong suit.  I don’t think the tax code needs to be tweaked… it needs to be overhauled.  I also believe he needs to spend more time speaking on the economy.
• He also needs to stop talking about global warming… talk climate change, talk fuel economy and conservation, but drop global warming.

I do not have to be convinced, however, that he will be anything less that an excellent commander-in-chief.  I think he is strong on national security, Iraq, and War on Terror issues.  There is a definite contrast between him and whoever will be the Democratic nominee.

He also needs to be careful about who he chooses as a running mate.  That person needs a solid, impeccable record when it comes what values voters hold dear.  It also would be a good idea to have a running mate who is strong domestically.  My top pick?  I would like to see Mike Huckabee as his running mate.  Pundits would hate that, but I don’t think they are in touch with mainstream Americans anyway.  I could definitely go beyond just voting for him to endorsing and campaigning for him if Huckabee is on the ticket.  Another name I’ve heard circulated around is Former Oklahoma Congressman J.C. Watts.  He would also be an excellent choice.

Another suggestion I’ve heard is Michael Steele, the former Lt. Governor of Maryland, and I wouldn’t be surprised to hear former Speaker Newt Gingrich’s name come up as well.  I’ve even seen Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal’s name mentioned, but he just took the oath of office so I don’t think the voters of Louisiana would be very happy with that.  Besides, I’m not even sure he’s old enough.

I will likely vote third party (no, not Ralph Nader)  if he chooses Mitt Romney as a running mate.  That would be an extremely bad choice.  Giuliani as well for reasons mentioned above.  Quite frankly I don’t see any scenario where having two current senators running on the ticket would be a good thing.

It will be interesting to see what happens next.

Technorati Tags: GOP Presidential Nomination,Presidential Race ’08,Mike Huckabee,John McCain,Mitt Romney,Rudy Giuliani,Fred Thompson,J.C. Watts,Newt Gingrich,Bobby Jindal,Michael Steele,McCain running mate options

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Thoughts on Super Tuesday (Update)

The pundits were wrong.  Well there’s a surprise!  Huckabee is not dead.  I loved it that they were surprised to see him win West Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama (all of which he wasn’t leading according to the latest polls).  He also won Arkansas convincingly which isn’t a surprise.

McCain barely beat him in Missouri and in Oklahoma.  Had Huckabee won those two states, it would have been a three-way tie with each candidate winning seven a piece.

McCain won 9 states: California, New York, Illinois, New Jersey, Missouri, Arizona, Connecticut, Oklahoma, and Delaware.

Romney won: Massachusetts, Minnesota, Colorado, Utah, North Dakota, Montana, and Alaska.

Here is the thing… Romney came in third in every southern state.  Those states are crucial to the GOP.  Kevin Tracy had a good post on that topic here.  If a GOP candidate loses a southern state he is toast, and it was obvious that their first choice is Huckabee, and then their second choice is McCain.  They do not want a Romney nomination.

Super Tuesday Delegate Count:

1.  McCain – 604  2. Romney – 167  3.  Huckabee – 147

Overall Delagates:

1.  McCain – 697  2.  Romney – 244  3.  Huckabee – 187

(Courtesy of Real Clear Politics)

Some thoughts – if Huckabee were not treated as though he were dead, he may have done better.  Romney did not prove his front runner status by winning key red states, and even though he won two more states than Huckabee on Tuesday, he only won 20 more delegates.

Looking ahead … Next states that vote Louisiana (2/9), Washington (2/9), Kansas (2/9), Maryland (2/12), Virginia (2/12), and the District of Columbia (2/12).  I see Mike Huckabee being very strong in Louisiana and Virginia.  He should also be competitive in Kansas and possibly Maryland.   I don’t know where else Romney can win this Saturday and next week Tuesday… maybe Washington, but more likely that will go to McCain.  If there are any Republicans in the District of Columbia it is unlikely they will vote for Romney either.

Then later on comes Texas (3/4) where Huckabee has been very strong.  He could also do very well in Mississippi (3/10), North Carolina (5/6), Indiana (5/6), and Kentucky (5/20).  I think he will also be competitive in Wisconsin (2/19)… does anybody know if Governor Tommy Thompson has endorsed anybody yet?  Nebraska (5/13), and South Dakota (6/3).

I think the only states that Romney has a shot at winning are Vermont (3/4), but they will likely go for McCain.  Wisconsin (2/19) he will be competitive and I think he led the latest polls there.  Coming up I think the only state left that will likely be a Romney lock is Idaho (5/27).  Not looking good for him.

A McCain nomination looks pretty certain, but I think really the two man race rhetoric should mention McCain and Huckabee.  Romney has pretty much done all that he will be able to do, and who knows why Ron Paul is still in this with only 14 delegates to his name.  Should Romney get out of the race that should sway social conservatives Huckabee’s way.  And he should before he bankrupts his personal fortune.  It is amazing to me how much money has produced so few results.

Update:  I called it last night saying Mitt Romney was done and today he officially withdrew from the race.

Technorati Tags: Super Tuesday,Mike Huckabee,Mitt Romney,John McCain,Ron Paul,Republicans,Texas Primary,Virginia Primary,Kansas Primary,Louisiana Primary,Washington Primary,Maryland Primary,District of Columbia Primary,Chesapeake Primary

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Twenty Items of Interest (v.5)

1.  What do you think of the United Methodist Church’s policy goals for 2008?

2.  Latino evangelicals question loyalty to the GOP over the immigration issue.

3.  Pretty cool story – a 92-year-old legally blind golfer makes a hole-in-one.  Considering how many people with perfect 20/20 vision can’t do this it is pretty amazing.

4.  It seems like we are not well prepared against a cyber-attack.

5.  It seems like we are in the twilight zone.  I watched this on Hannity & Colmes, and am still shaking my head in amazement.  I would vote for McCain over Clinton everyday of the week and twice on Sunday.  Crazy talk!  I looked out my window to see if pigs were flying.

HT for Video: Hot Air – Also, Jeremy over at Parableman weighs in as does John Mark Reynolds.

6.  A focus group put together by Politico consisting of 11 Republican women who before the debate were undecided.  Good results for Mike Huckabee with this group.

HT: One Mom

7.  Pistol Pete answers the question “Why Go to Church?“  Great post considering that church has been getting a bad rap in the blogosphere (some deserved, some not).

8.  Seth Barnes posts on “Parents who don’t disciple their kids“

Here’s where many parents miss the boat: discipling is a process that usually is attended by pain and discomfort – things that parents work hard to protect their children from all their lives. They seem blind to the fact that their kids will never get to greatness without diving headlong into uncomfortable, stressful, ambiguous situations. And because of that, many parents are at odds with discipling ministries like AIM right off the bat.

That is a frustrating thing that I have experienced as a youth pastor.  Seth hits the nail on the head with this post.

9.  Greg Stier lists seven sentences that should be fighting words for Christians.

• “Christians shouldn’t debate theology.”
• “Every religion ultimately leads to God.”
• If a person lives a good life God will probably let them into heaven.”
• “We can’t really ‘know’ anything for sure, especially when it comes to spiritual truth.”
• “I follow the red letters of the Bible more than the black ones.”
• “I refuse to believe that a God of love would send people to hell.”
• “The gospel of Jesus is not a set of propositions.”

Read his entire post and let me know what you think.

10.  Tim Schmoyer in his last post of the “Navigating the church system” series discusses common mistakes by youth pastors based on material from Tiger McLuen.  I wished I had known this earlier on in my youth ministry career.

11.  Great quote on the Word of God

Indeed the Word of God is like the sun, shining upon all those to whom it is proclaimed, but with no effect among the blind. Now, all of us are blind by nature in this respect… Accordingly, it cannot penetrate into our minds unless the Spirit, as the inner teacher, through his illumination makes entry for it.

- John Calvin Institutes 3.2.34

12.  Jim Clark wrote a great post on church growth relating lessons learned from a turnaround strategy that Starbucks is employing.  Pretty interesting.

13.  Are multi-campus churches biblical?  J.D. Greear shares some insights on the Church in Jerusalem gleaned from John Piper.  HT: The Gospel Conversation

14.  My friend Eric had a great post on the doctrine of the atonement.  Great post and he is considering a series on the topic.

15.  New York Giants 17  New England Patriots 14 – I am thrilled not because I am a Giants fan.  This was more of a case of rooting against the Patriots.  With spy-gate, Tom Brady controversies and continual bad behavior from Randy Moss I would rather see a class team go undefeated.

16.  My friend Noah addresses an issue that I’ve seen quite a lot of – isolation of Christians from the Body of Christ due to a variety of reasons – sin, dislike of direction, relational conflict, you fill in the blank.  Great post.

17.  There is an interesting review of Gary Thomas’ book Sacred Marriage over at Mere Orthodoxy.

18.  The military prepares for Hillary (or any Democrat) as President.  These made me laugh out loud.

 

HT: C. Michael Patton

19.  Joe Carter made a case against Mitt Romney.

20.  Is the evangelical left rejecting reality?  David C. Innes thinks so.  I would for the most part agree.

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Reagan Library GOP Debate

I was irritated by the lack of time that Mike Huckabee got during Wednesday night’s CNN debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

I think Governor Huckabee gave a superb answer to the question “who do you think that Ronald Reagan would endorse?”

I don’t think this was a helpful debate in that it seemed to be fixated between McCain and Romney bludgeoning each other rather than actually dealing with actual issues.  McCain came across as petty.  He also mischaracterized Romney’s record on the troop surge in Iraq.  Too much time was spent bickering about semantics.

Ultimately I think McCain lost, Romney didn’t hurt himself or help himself.  Huckabee did the best, but likely won’t get much help from it due to a lack of air time.  Ron Paul shouldn’t be in this still, but he still has money to run so let him run.  His involvement in the debate was more of a distraction than a help.

I give Anderson Cooper an F for his moderation.

Technorati Tags: Mike Huckabee,Mitt Romney,John McCain,Ron Paul,Anderson Cooper,CNN Reagan Library Debate,Super Tuesday

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