NO, Mr. President.

Obama on Jay Leno

Obama’s conversation on Leno last night. Interesting…

Obama on Jay Leno

Obama’s conversation on Leno last night. Interesting…

Did Obama Cause the Stock Slide?

From Business Week:

It’s never easy to determine exactly why the stock market moves in a particular direction. Plenty of other factors have influenced stock prices since November. For example, the global economy has slowed further and the outlook for corporate profits has worsened.

But BusinessWeek interviewed a wide array of investment professionals, and many said the first six weeks of the Obama Administration have soured their outlook on the stock market.

Did Obama Cause the Stock Slide?

From Business Week:

It’s never easy to determine exactly why the stock market moves in a particular direction. Plenty of other factors have influenced stock prices since November. For example, the global economy has slowed further and the outlook for corporate profits has worsened.

But BusinessWeek interviewed a wide array of investment professionals, and many said the first six weeks of the Obama Administration have soured their outlook on the stock market.

A Caricature of Republicans

There have been many times where I’ve been on one side of a discussion, where I feel I am completely in the right and that the other side has no leg to stand on, and I wonder what things look like from their perspective. Do they really believe as strongly as I do that they are right? How do they view my ideas? How can they answer my arguments?

Frank Schaeffer (yes, Francis Schaeffer’s son) gave me this look this morning when I read his letter to Obama about the Republicans. Now, to be fair, Republicans are just as guilty as Democrats of portraying the other side in an extremely unflattering, and in many cases, flat out false view. Rush Limbaugh, although espousing many of the values of conservatives, does not speak with the tone or tact that most would desire.

That being said, I thought the article was astounding for it’s slanted view of a very large, diverse group of people. Sure, Schaeffer has some experience with some of the “conservative leaders,” but to say some of these things about an entire group of people like this is flat wrong.

Here’s a sample from his letter:

“[T]he Republican Party is controlled by two ideological groups. First, is the Religious Right. Second, are the neoconservatives. Both groups share one thing in common: they are driven by fear and paranoia. Between them there is no Republican “center” for you to appeal to, just two versions of hate-filled extremes.”

“You will never be able to work with the Republicans because they hate you. Believe me, Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter are the norm not the exception [My voice: Again, the conservatives ideas, yes. The tone and tact, no]. James Dobson and the rest are praying for you to fail [Flat out untrue. Many conservatives are Christians and follow God's command to pray for those in leadership and respect their authority, something democrats failed to do at all during George W. Bush's administration]. The neoconservatives are gnashing their teeth and waiting for you to “sell out Israel” or “show weakness” in Afghanistan, whatever, so they can declare you a traitor.”

“Their loyalty is to a fundamentalist Christian ideology on the one hand and American exceptionalism of perpetual warfare and hatred and fear of the “other” on the other hand. Between the neoconservatives and evangelical Religious Right Republicans you have no friends.”

“As you showed us again at your press conference of Feb 9, you are a brilliant, articulate and decent man. Your Republican opponents are not decent people but ideologues bent on destroying you. To quote the biblical adage sir, don’t cast your pearls before swine.”

Wow. So much anger, hatred, vitriol. It’s almost like holding up a mirror to Rush when he’s in a bad mood. It is interesting to see what people who hold conservative values are up against, though. This is the picture most liberals have of us. It’s false. For me, though, it’s a good warning not to do the same thing to them. Schaeffer does not speak for all liberals just like Rush does not speak for all conservatives. This country is a little more interesting and complicated than that.

HT : Challies

A Caricature of Republicans

There have been many times where I’ve been on one side of a discussion, where I feel I am completely in the right and that the other side has no leg to stand on, and I wonder what things look like from their perspective. Do they really believe as strongly as I do that they are right? How do they view my ideas? How can they answer my arguments?

Frank Schaeffer (yes, Francis Schaeffer’s son) gave me this look this morning when I read his letter to Obama about the Republicans. Now, to be fair, Republicans are just as guilty as Democrats of portraying the other side in an extremely unflattering, and in many cases, flat out false view. Rush Limbaugh, although espousing many of the values of conservatives, does not speak with the tone or tact that most would desire.

That being said, I thought the article was astounding for it’s slanted view of a very large, diverse group of people. Sure, Schaeffer has some experience with some of the “conservative leaders,” but to say some of these things about an entire group of people like this is flat wrong.

Here’s a sample from his letter:

“[T]he Republican Party is controlled by two ideological groups. First, is the Religious Right. Second, are the neoconservatives. Both groups share one thing in common: they are driven by fear and paranoia. Between them there is no Republican “center” for you to appeal to, just two versions of hate-filled extremes.”

“You will never be able to work with the Republicans because they hate you. Believe me, Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter are the norm not the exception [My voice: Again, the conservatives ideas, yes. The tone and tact, no]. James Dobson and the rest are praying for you to fail [Flat out untrue. Many conservatives are Christians and follow God's command to pray for those in leadership and respect their authority, something democrats failed to do at all during George W. Bush's administration]. The neoconservatives are gnashing their teeth and waiting for you to “sell out Israel” or “show weakness” in Afghanistan, whatever, so they can declare you a traitor.”

“Their loyalty is to a fundamentalist Christian ideology on the one hand and American exceptionalism of perpetual warfare and hatred and fear of the “other” on the other hand. Between the neoconservatives and evangelical Religious Right Republicans you have no friends.”

“As you showed us again at your press conference of Feb 9, you are a brilliant, articulate and decent man. Your Republican opponents are not decent people but ideologues bent on destroying you. To quote the biblical adage sir, don’t cast your pearls before swine.”

Wow. So much anger, hatred, vitriol. It’s almost like holding up a mirror to Rush when he’s in a bad mood. It is interesting to see what people who hold conservative values are up against, though. This is the picture most liberals have of us. It’s false. For me, though, it’s a good warning not to do the same thing to them. Schaeffer does not speak for all liberals just like Rush does not speak for all conservatives. This country is a little more interesting and complicated than that.

HT : Challies

300th Post – Piper on Abortion

This is my 300th post since I started this blog last April. Never thought I would make it to a 300th post back then. But here we are.

Anyway, found this video from John Piper’s sermon last Sunday responding to Obama’s statement on Roe v. Wade. Very powerful. I pray that Obama would see this and stop to let any of it sink it.

300th Post – Piper on Abortion

This is my 300th post since I started this blog last April. Never thought I would make it to a 300th post back then. But here we are.

Anyway, found this video from John Piper’s sermon last Sunday responding to Obama’s statement on Roe v. Wade. Very powerful. I pray that Obama would see this and stop to let any of it sink it.

300th Post – Piper on Abortion

This is my 300th post since I started this blog last April. Never thought I would make it to a 300th post back then. But here we are.

Anyway, found this video from John Piper’s sermon last Sunday responding to Obama’s statement on Roe v. Wade. Very powerful. I pray that Obama would see this and stop to let any of it sink it.

Imagine…

And then he grew up…

And here we go…

Imagine…

And then he grew up…

And here we go…

Rick Warren’s Prayer at the Inauguration

I thought Rick Warren did an outstanding job during his prayer at the inauguration. He didn’t shy away from actually praying to God (as opposed to a generic prayer aimed at gods – See Bishop Robinson). It was also decidedly Christian. Head to Justin Taylor’s blog for a full transcript.

HT: JT

For an interesting discussion of the differences between Warren’s and Robinson’s prayers, check out this post by the iMonk.

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1/21/09 UPDATE:

Mark Driscoll has some further comments about Warren’s prayer.

A Prayer for Obama

Al Mohler with a great prayer for Obama on this historic day:

Our Father, Lord of all creation, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ: We pray today with a sense of special urgency and responsibility. We come before you to pray for our new President, Barack Obama, and for all those in this new administration who now assume roles of such high responsibility.

We know that you and you alone are sovereign; that you rule over all, and that you alone are able to keep and defend us. We know that our times are in your hands, and that “the king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord” [Proverbs 21:1]. Our confidence is in you and in you alone. We come before you as a people who acknowledge our constant need for your provision, wisdom, and protection.

Father, we pray today for Barack Obama as he takes office as President of the United States. We pray that you will show the glory of your name in our times and in these days, confounding the wisdom of the wise, thwarting the plans of the arrogant, and vindicating those who do justice and practice righteousness.

Father, we pray with thanksgiving for the gift of government and the grace of civic order. Thank you for giving us rulers and for knowing our need for laws and ordered life together. Thank you for this nation and the blessings we know as its citizens. Thank you for freedoms unprecedented in human history. We understand that these freedoms come with unprecedented opportunities.

Lord, we pray with thanksgiving for the joy and celebration reflected on millions of faces who never expected to look to the President of the United States and see a person who looks like themselves. Father, thank you for preserving this nation to the moment when an African-American citizen will take the oath of office and become our President. Thank you for the hope this has given to so many, the pride emerging in hearts that had known no such hope, and the pride that comes to a people who have experienced such pain at the hands of fellow citizens, simply because of the color of their skin. Father, we rejoice in every elderly face that reflects such long-sought satisfaction and in every young face that expresses such unrestrained joy. May this become an open door for a vision of race and human dignity that reflects your glory in our differences, and not our corruption of your gift.

Father, protect this president, we pray. We pray that you will surround this president and his family, along with all our leaders, with your protection and sustenance. May he be protected from evil acts and evil intentions, and may his family be protected from all evil and harm.

We pray that the Obama family will be drawn together as they move into the White House, and that they will know great joy in their family life. We are thankful for the example Barack and Michelle Obama have set as parents. Father, protect those precious girls in every way — including the protection of their hearts as they see their father often criticized and as he is away from them on business of state. May their years in the White House bring them all even closer together.

Father, we pray for the safety and security of this nation, even as our new president settles into his role as Commander in Chief. We know that you and you alone can be our defense. We do not place our trust in horses or chariots, and we pray that you will give this president wisdom as he fulfills this vital responsibility.

Father, grant him wisdom in every dimension of his vast responsibility. Grant him wisdom to deal with a global financial crisis and with the swirling complex of vexing problems and challenges at home and abroad. May he inspire this nation to a higher vision for our common life together, to a higher standard of justice, righteousness, unity, and the tasks of citizenship.

Father, we pray that you will change this president’s heart and mind on issues of urgent concern. We are so thankful for his gifts and talents, for his intellect and power of influence. Father, bend his heart to see the dignity and sanctity of every single human life, from the moment of conception until natural death. Father, lead him to see abortion, not as a matter of misconstrued rights, but as a murderous violation of the right to life. May he come to see every aborted life as a violation of human dignity and every abortion as an abhorrent blight upon this nation’s moral witness. May he pledge himself to protect every human life at every stage of development. He has declared himself as an energetic defender of abortion rights, and we fear that his election will lead directly to the deaths of countless unborn human beings. Protect us from this unspeakable evil, we pray. Most urgently, we pray that you will bring the reign of abortion to an end, even as you are the defender of the defenseless.

Father, may this new president see that human dignity is undermined when human embryos are destroyed in the name of medical progress, and may he see marriage as an institution that is vital to the very survival of civilization. May he protect all that is right and good. Father, change his heart where it must be changed, and give him resolve where his heart is right before you.

Father, when we face hard days ahead — when we find ourselves required by conscience to oppose this president within the bounds of our roles as citizens — may we be granted your guidance to do so with a proper spirit, with a proper demeanor, and with persuasive arguments. May we learn anew how to confront without demonizing, and to oppose without abandoning hope.

Father, we are aware that our future is in your hands, and we are fully aware that you and you alone will judge the nations. Much responsibility is now invested in President Barack Obama, and much will be required. May we, as Christian citizens, also fulfill what you would require of us. Even as we pray for you to protect this president and change his heart, we also pray that your church will be protected and that you will conform our hearts to your perfect will.

Father, we pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, the ever-reigning once and future King, the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. He and he alone can save, and his kingdom is forever. Above all, may your great name be praised. Amen.

Yes, amen.

Rick Warren’s Prayer at the Inauguration

I thought Rick Warren did an outstanding job during his prayer at the inauguration. He didn’t shy away from actually praying to God (as opposed to a generic prayer aimed at gods – See Bishop Robinson). It was also decidedly Christian. Head to Justin Taylor’s blog for a full transcript.

HT: JT

For an interesting discussion of the differences between Warren’s and Robinson’s prayers, check out this post by the iMonk.

——————————————————————–

1/21/09 UPDATE:

Mark Driscoll has some further comments about Warren’s prayer.