My relationship with comic book films is sort of like my relationship with science fiction novels–it’s complicated. There are some that rise to the level of art (The Dark Knight), while others are less than drivel (Iron Man 3). I find it hard to be truly a fan when the cycle swings so dramatically. In […]
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Recently, we have witnessed two high-profile instances of how different communities have mobilized their supporters to produce conformity over the issue of gay marriage. World Vision, a Christian ministry that assists refugees, decided to change their employee policies regarding homosexuality. The ministry said it was leaving theological disagreements to churches while attempting to remain focused […]
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As Dr. Haymond noted in a previous post, the Supreme Court handed down McCutcheon v. F.E.C. today, which, in spirit, is a companion case to Citizens United v. F.E.C. in 2010. Both cases deal with the conflict between campaign finance reforms and Free Speech. We have a long history of campaign reform, including limits on […]
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Hobby Lobby and Religious Freedom
25 Mar 2014
Today, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments for two cases that involve the Affordable Care Act, contraceptives, and religious freedom. Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Woods, combined by the Court, examine the extent to which the federal government’s mandates can infringe on the free exercise rights of religious business owners. According to early reports, the Court is, […]
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Fetal Remains Used as Energy Source
24 Mar 2014
According to The Telegraph, in some of Great Britain’s leading hospitals The bodies of thousands of aborted and miscarried babies were incinerated as clinical waste, with some even used to heat hospitals, an investigation has found. I am not sure commenting is necessary.
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Crime and a New Kind of Punishment
17 Mar 2014
Perhaps my mind turns by nature toward the morbid, but I found a recent article in the Daily Mail (UK) to be utterly fascinating. Scientists and ethicists appear to be considering the possibility of using drugs and/or altered states of biological reality to redefine punishment. Dr. Rebecca Roache, who is at the center of this […]
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If you would like the background information on this post, go to Part 1. If you are more interested in the theological issue, see Part 2.) Though I think the theological difference between Jim Crow discrimination and the same-sex debate is important, the comparison also makes constitutional assumptions that are troubling and misguided. There was, […]
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Let Them Bake Cakes (Part 2)?
26 Feb 2014
(In Part 1, I talked a bit about the controversy surrounding gay marriage as it relates to providing public accommodations or services from Christians.) For me at least, there is one other question that few seem willing to address directly. Is the current homosexual rights movement analogous to the civil rights struggle of the 1950s […]
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Let Them Bake Cakes (Part 1)?
25 Feb 2014
To bake the cake or not to bake the cake? That is the question. It seems simple, but this query is generating a fair amount of controversy within the Christian community. The question is not really about whether our cakes should be from scratch or a box, but it is about gay marriage and the […]
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FCC Wants to Study Editorial Choices?
20 Feb 2014
Ajit Pai, an F.C.C. (Federal Communications Commission) commissioner dropped a media bomb in The Wall Street Journal. Pai revealed the F.C.C.’s plans to conduct an intrusive study of broadcast newsrooms throughout the country, primarily by interviewing owners, editors, and reporters about their story choices. The stated purpose is to find out whether or not the stations […]
Bert Wheeler
Jeff Haymond
Marc Clauson
Mark Caleb Smith
Tom Mach