BreakPoint Columns

Republican Gridlock, Ultrasounds, Defunding Planned Parenthood, and the Day the Music Died

Tue, 07 Feb 2017 14:29:48 EST

How Ya Like Me Now? For a decade, Republican leaders have complained that the reason they can't get anything done was because Democrats controlled either the White House or one of the houses of Congress. However, now we have a Republican President, a Republican House of Representatives, and a Republican Senate. So are we seeing fast and furious legislative action? Not so much. In the first month of the legislative session, Congress has delivered just three pieces of legislation for the president's signature: a waiver allowing retired Marine Gen. James Mattis to serve as defense secretary, a joint resolution repealing the Obama administration's stream protection rule, and another resolution reversing a Securities and Exchange Commission rule pertaining to energy companies. So far we've seen a lot of talk but no action regarding repealing Obamacare or defunding Planned Parenthood. It's hard to know where to assign blame. There's no doubt that Democrats have adopted a strategy of obstructionism, but it's also obvious that President Trump so far has few friends in Congress—even on the Republican side.

'How to Pray': A Review

Fri, 03 Feb 2017 13:52:09 EST

Today I want to examine what I think is a tragically neglected topic in the Christian life: prayer. I think most Christians realize the amazing privilege we have as believers to be invited to pray to our heavenly Father, and the incredible power available to us in prayer. As James tells us, "The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working" (James 5:16b, ESV).Yet too often we settle for a lot less than is possible in our prayer lives. Maybe it's partly because we're affluent when compared with the rest of the world and don't really understand how to rely upon God. We think we can handle it—whatever "it" happens to be—pretty much by ourselves. Perhaps it's because we're thoroughly modern in our worldview and don't really expect God to work outside of the mechanistic process of cause and effect that we see every day.Often when I pray and don't get what I desire, I'll simply shrug my shoulders, say something about my request probably not being God's will, and quickly move on, wanting to protect God's honor, secretly wondering why He let me down. Yet perhaps the problem lies not in God but in me—or in my understanding of the purpose of prayer.

My Answer Is â��Nothingâ��

Wed, 01 Feb 2017 17:15:01 EST

I have a confession to make: I am, at most, a reluctant culture warrior. Like Rex in "Toy Story," I don't like confrontation, and, as a general rule, I try not to have strong opinions, much less strong feelings, about people whom I have never met. Add the fact that too many people seem to take the "war," which is itself an imprecise translation of the German word Kampf, which is means "struggle" or "fight," in "culture war" a bit too literally, and the whole megillah quickly loses what little appeal it had. Still, some issues, most notably, the sanctity and dignity of human life, leave me no choice but to join the struggle, no matter my temperament or misgivings about German-to-English translations. As Will Kane told his new Quaker bride in "High Noon," "I've got to. That's the whole thing."

Trumpâ��s Executive Order, Boy Scouts Accept Transgender Youth, Serviceman Dies in Yemen

Tue, 31 Jan 2017 14:18:54 EST

Unintended Consequences. Supporters of President Trump's executive order restricting immigration say it will make America safer. However, it is likely that it won't help persecuted Christians around the world, or so says Matthew Soerens, U.S. director of church mobilization for World Relief. World Relief is one of nine refugee resettlement agencies working with the State Department. According to an article in WORLD, "Soerens . . . believes the methodology of the executive order actually will lower the number of Christian refugees allowed into the United States." Soerens concludes: "For a lot of reasons, we don't think this order will help protect persecuted Christians, and our Christian faith compels us to help others as well." Others have noted that America's actions could motivate other countries to expel Christian missionaries from their country.

Mexico City Policy, Christian Persecution, and the Intolerance of the Tolerant at Women's Marches

Tue, 24 Jan 2017 15:42:34 EST

Mexico City Policy. President Trump has reinstated a policy that stops U.S. taxpayer funding of abortion overseas. The Mexico City policy was first put in place by Ronald Reagan, and it has been a political ping-pong ball ever since. One of the first acts of a Democratic president is usually to rescind the policy, and Republican presidents reinstate it. Pro-life groups were quick to praise Trump for doing so, with Marjorie Dannenfelser of the Susan B. Anthony List saying that Trump was "continuing Ronald Reagan's legacy." However, it's important to note that this was an easy step to take. It will be much more difficult for Trump to defund Planned Parenthood and fulfill other promises he's made to the pro-life movement. Still, though a baby step, this was at least a baby step in the right direction.

Sea World is a Victim of Its Own Success, and So Is Christianity

Mon, 23 Jan 2017 16:52:28 EST

What can the slow-motion death of Sea World teach us about the state of our culture? A lot, if you have an eye for key similarities. Let me tell you a whale of a tale.The recent death of Tilikum the orca, the subject of the flashpoint documentary "Blackfish," has the online animal rights community in a frenzy. Over at Salon, former trainer and "Blackfish" interviewee John Hargrove calls the bull killer whale's death another "cry for help" from captive members of its species, which the producers of "Blackfish" and other activists insist are incompatible with captivity. The piece is as schmaltzy as it is devoid of substance, with laments for Tilikum's separation from his "family" at age two, his "sterile confinement," and the "suffering" he endured (as if wild orcas live carefree lives). Hargrove offers every anthropomorphism we've grown accustomed to, without giving any indication that he ever personally worked with Tilikum (I could find no evidence that he had).