Mel Gibson, Image, and Character

With the recent allegations against actor Mel Gibson, there's been a number of responses to his situation that cry out for an eternal perspective. (When Gibson released his movie The Passion of the Christ in 2004, I wrote a review of the movie for our quarterly newsletter, and a follow-up response based on some of the things I said in my first article about Gibson. In both articles, I wrote, "Pray for him, absolutely, selectively agree with and support him, yes, but don't make him—or anyone else—Christianity's poster boy or spokesperson...Every time Christians get mesmerized by and try to capitalize on fame and celebrity, it ends up hurting them, biting us and undermines rather than elevates our Lord.")

Although these following principles about image and character are pulled from an article I wrote years ago about O.J. Simpson, they still prove just as true today as they did then.

Why Are We So Offended All the Time?

What follows is a spot-on article by Kevin DeYoung, a pastor and writer. While it was written after the flap about Brit Hume, making that aspect of it dated, it is timeless at its core, and I just “happened” upon it (in the providence of God). I met Kevin a couple of years ago and had only a brief conversation and an email exchange. But I love his books, Why We're Not Emergent (By Two Guys Who Should Be), and Why We Love the Church: In Praise of Institutions and Organized Religion, both written with Ted Kluck, as well as Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God's Will and The Good News We Almost Forgot: Rediscovering the Gospel in a 16th-Century Catechism.

The Manhattan Declaration, Christians, and Politics

In light of the Fourth of July celebration of the founding of our country, I wanted to again bring attention to The Manhattan Declaration and encourage you to check out their website, manhattandeclaration.org. As I wrote in the blog I posted last year about the Declaration, I do not participate in many things like this, but both the content and the tone of this statement is something I wish to affirm. It expresses truth, but I believe it does so with grace. I especially appreciate the section of the Declaration that affirms the sanctity of human life, at any age.

Journalist Brit Hume's Response to Critics

I don’t recall watching a Sunday morning news or commentary program for years, but in God’s providence I turned on the television four weeks ago, just a few minutes before Brit Hume made his now famous comments about Tiger Woods. I was amazed and grateful for what he said.

Dockers asks men to "Wear the Pants"

Last week I got an email about Dockers pants from The Rebelution (a site I highly recommend), which I've quoted in this blog. After you read it, check out the picture below, part of Dockers' new advertising campaign. I'd like to know, what do you think about the ad?

Dockers, the khaki brand of Levi Strauss & Co., is asking men to man up and wear the pants. In a world of advertising that constantly buffets men (and women) with distorted views of manhood and womanhood, the campaign seems like a breath of fresh air. Yes, they are trying ...

Visiting America's Wounded Warriors

Todd DuBord, my friend and Chuck Norris’s chaplain, linked me to Chuck’s column to let me know he’d referred to If God is Good. I want to convey part of Chuck’s touching story below, then if you wish you can read the whole column here.

… a couple days later we went out to Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston to visit with America's wounded warriors. How can one put into words the pride one feels around these brave men and women? Despite the loss of limbs or suffering from some other sacrifice in ...

Did You Know: the Changing World of Technology

The video in this blog is an incredible look at how far technology has advanced and is changing, even just within the past year. As you watch it, remember that technology is a part of society or culture, which is the creative accomplishment of God’s image-bearers. Human creations are an extension of God’s own creative works because he created us to reflect him by being creators.

Mankind glorifies God by taking what God made from nothing and shaping it into what is for mankind’s good and God’s glory. The entire universe—including angels and living creatures ...

Facebook and Twitter: Are They Worth It?

As many of you know, I am on both Facebook and Twitter, where I frequently post short updates and devotional thoughts. Some people may ask if as a Christian, being on Facebook and Twitter and other social networking sites is really worth it, or just a waste of time.

John Piper addressed this in an article called Why and How I Am Tweeting:

A Perspective on Halloween

The following letter, written from the perspective of the demon Ishbane, is from my novel The Ishbane Conspiracy, which I wrote with my daughters, Karina and Angela. In the book's context, one of the characters, Ian, is dabbling in the occult.

Building a Biblical Worldview

Acts 17:11 says that "Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." We should come to God's Word with "great eagerness." If we're more eager to watch a sitcom or the evening news than to read God's Word, inevitably our worldview will be more influenced by sitcoms and the evening news than by God.

We should "search" the Scriptures—we must probe deeply, not just skim the surface and quote verses ...