From Law to Grace » Archive
B-ball & Blogging: It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World!
Let the madness begin! Well, it already has begun. March Madness, otherwise known as the NCAA Basketball Tournament, started earlier today. With some spare time on my hands this morning, much like all the spare time that the leader of the free world President of the United States has in the midst of worldwide crises, I too found time to fill out my tournament brackets. In the first day of play, I have won some and lost some. I originally picked Morehead State to win its game, but then I realized I had misread the pairing, thinking that they were playing Georgetown. As an alumnus of George Washington University, I will not under any circumstances cheer for Georgetown. However, when I quickly realized Morehead was actually playing Louisville, I had to go with the team from … Read entire article »
Filed under: Blogging, Southern Baptist Convention, Sports
Vikings’ Peterson: The $10 Million “Slave”
Are you ready for some football? Depending on the actions of a Minnesota court and the N.F.L. owners and players in settling the current labor dispute, there may not be any football this fall to be ready for. And, that would be a sad turn of events. Of course, this dispute between the ultra-rich (owners) and the merely rich (players) comes down to one thing — MONEY! Who wins the battle for more money may be decided by the courts. However, even more importantly for the future of the game, the court of public opinion will ultimately decide who should be the real victor. My brother-in-law and I were discussing just last week the lock-out and who currently has the upper hand in terms of public relations. If you would have asked us … Read entire article »
Re-Framing the Debate About the Future of SBC
“He didn’t say it, but I think that traditionalists feel as if we are committing denominational suicide by promoting to prominence those who do not have much denominational loyalty or commitment. We are hiring entity heads who showed little commitment to the denomination in their pastorates. The podium at our conferences and conventions are largely filled with people whose Cooperative Program giving and denominational commitment are either minimal or non-existent. Are we turning our denomination over to people who don’t care about the future of our denomination?” (From “It’s Deja Vu All Over Again — The Contemporary/Traditional Battle Flares Again!) Give that man a gold star! In one succinct paragraph, Dave Miller, commenting at SBCVoices on a recent article by Brad Whitt, “Young, Southern Baptist . . . and Irrelevant,” has summed … Read entire article »
Filed under: Great Commission Resurgence, Religion, Southern Baptist Convention
Westboro’s Free Speech Win: Repugnant Yet Right
“Speech is powerful. It can stir people to action, move them to tears of both joy and sorrow, and—as it did here—inflict great pain. On the facts before us, we cannot react to that pain by punishing the speaker. As a Nation we have chosen a different course—to protect even hurtful speech on public issues to ensure that we do not stifle public debate. That choice requires that we shield Westboro from tort liability for its picketing in this case.” (Majority Opinion of the Court, delivered by Chief Justice John Roberts, in ALBERT SNYDER, PETITIONER v. FRED W. PHELPS, SR., ET AL., March 2, 2011) In an opinion delivered by Chief Justice John Roberts, an 8-1 majority of the United States Supreme Court handed Westboro ”Baptist Church” a victory in a much-anticipated First Amendment ruling … Read entire article »
Filed under: Freedom of Religion, Freedom of Speech, Freedoms, Law
The “Young & Hip” (Oscars) a Bust
With the fresh faces of James Franco and Anne Hathaway co-hosting the 2011 Academy Awards, this was the year for the Oscars to rebound with the viewing public. Wrong. What some have described as one of the worst Oscar telecasts in history seems to be accurate, if the Neilson Ratings are any indication. In the coveted 18-49 demographic, the Oscars were off by 11% from last year and were the next-to-last watched since Neilson began tracking the demographic in 1992. So much for “hip and cool” to attract a bigger audience! When Hollywood elites — increasingly out-of-touch with mainstream America — continue to produce drivel like this past Sunday’s show, the American public will stop watching — at the theaters and in their homes. Does anyone in Hollywood have a clue or even care? … Read entire article »