By Rick Pearcey
"The joyous Christmas season has become increasingly secular, religious, and fragmented, helping make the most wonderful time of the year perhaps also the most manipulative. We celebrate, and that is good, even healing. And given the hectic pace of life in America, there is much to admire in our ability to rise to the occasion of Christmas festivity every December.
"But on a deeper level, the awe and cheer that attend a Holy Night and a Christmas Day seem more than ever to rest upon cultural understandings weak and eroding. Consider how fact today is alienated from meaning, “faith” from life, spirit from matter, and wonder from the real things of life in a searching, troubled world. The optimism of a new beginning in a New Year fades when we lose touch with secure points of reference by which to measure hope and find comfort in progress. Power elites employ malleable symbols of religion and politics to manipulate money and masses towards results that overturn the original content of words and action rooted in history.
"There is a remedy for this, and it is found in the humane and concrete realities of the events that started it all some 2,000 years ago. . ."
For more, please see my "Christmas Spirit in the Dirt Means Good News for New Year," at The Pearcey Report.
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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (archives).
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Groothuis Reviews "Crazy for God" at The Pearcey Report
By Rick Pearcey
"Those of us deeply touched by the life and writings of Francis and Edith Schaeffer may be interested in Crazy for God, a memoir by their son and youngest child, Frank (formerly Franky), who is now in his mid-fifties," writes Douglas Groothuis in a review of the new book. Groothuis is professor of philosophy at Denver Seminary.
"Given my interest in all things Schaeffer," Groothuis continues, "I found the book in turn fascinating and infuriating. I first learned of it by reading a cynical and sneering review in The Nation, a secular leftwing publication. The reviewer took the book to be a repudiation of evangelical faith, the Christian Right, and an expose of the hypocrisy of many Christian leaders, most notably, Francis and Edith Schaeffer.
"That review outraged me, but also piqued my curiosity. What had become of Franky Schaeffer, the producer of two significant film series featuring the ideas of his father -- How Should We Then Live? and Whatever Happened to the Human Race? -- and a man whose own books I had read in the early 1980s? Could Frank offer some insights into the life of his family and about the evangelical world he left behind?"
To see how Groothuis answers these questions, read the entire review of Crazy for God here.
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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (archives).
"Those of us deeply touched by the life and writings of Francis and Edith Schaeffer may be interested in Crazy for God, a memoir by their son and youngest child, Frank (formerly Franky), who is now in his mid-fifties," writes Douglas Groothuis in a review of the new book. Groothuis is professor of philosophy at Denver Seminary.
"Given my interest in all things Schaeffer," Groothuis continues, "I found the book in turn fascinating and infuriating. I first learned of it by reading a cynical and sneering review in The Nation, a secular leftwing publication. The reviewer took the book to be a repudiation of evangelical faith, the Christian Right, and an expose of the hypocrisy of many Christian leaders, most notably, Francis and Edith Schaeffer.
"That review outraged me, but also piqued my curiosity. What had become of Franky Schaeffer, the producer of two significant film series featuring the ideas of his father -- How Should We Then Live? and Whatever Happened to the Human Race? -- and a man whose own books I had read in the early 1980s? Could Frank offer some insights into the life of his family and about the evangelical world he left behind?"
To see how Groothuis answers these questions, read the entire review of Crazy for God here.
__________
Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (archives).
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Nancy Speaking at Princeton
By Rick Pearcey
Nancy is speaking at Princeton University this Saturday, November 10, at a conference on "The Christian Worldview and the Academy."
Here is the schedule and lineup of speakers. The conference is hosted by the Witherspoon Institute.
For more information, please contact Partrick Hough at 609-688-8779, ext. 310 (email: worldview.conference@gmail.com).
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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (archives).
Nancy is speaking at Princeton University this Saturday, November 10, at a conference on "The Christian Worldview and the Academy."
Here is the schedule and lineup of speakers. The conference is hosted by the Witherspoon Institute.
For more information, please contact Partrick Hough at 609-688-8779, ext. 310 (email: worldview.conference@gmail.com).
_______________
Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (archives).
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Guinness Blasts "Crazy" Journalism in "New Statesman" Schaeffer Article
By Rick Pearcey
In "Holy Fools," New Statesman writer Jeff Sharlet describes Francis Schaeffer and L'Abri Fellowship in ways that are perhaps unrecognizable to many. You might even say "crazy," to borrow a word from the title of a new book, Crazy for God, by Schaeffer's son, Frank (aka Franky).
"I lived with Francis and Edith Schaeffer in their home for five years, and with Frank too for much of that time," says author and lecturer Os Guinness in a reader comment at the end of the article.
"What you have written is a tissue of falseness, distortion, and unchecked allegations -- in short of shoddy journalism. Write if you want a more accurate account."
The New Statesman article is here. It contains vulgar language. Also, don't miss the reader comments by "JimBerkley" and "mmarc."
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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (archives).
In "Holy Fools," New Statesman writer Jeff Sharlet describes Francis Schaeffer and L'Abri Fellowship in ways that are perhaps unrecognizable to many. You might even say "crazy," to borrow a word from the title of a new book, Crazy for God, by Schaeffer's son, Frank (aka Franky).
"I lived with Francis and Edith Schaeffer in their home for five years, and with Frank too for much of that time," says author and lecturer Os Guinness in a reader comment at the end of the article.
"What you have written is a tissue of falseness, distortion, and unchecked allegations -- in short of shoddy journalism. Write if you want a more accurate account."
The New Statesman article is here. It contains vulgar language. Also, don't miss the reader comments by "JimBerkley" and "mmarc."
______________
Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (archives).
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Chattanooga Nancy at Bryan College
By Rick Pearcey
Nancy is honored to participate in the Distinguished Speaker series this Friday, October 26, under the auspices of Chattanooga Matters.
Here's the announcement from the Chattanooga Matters website:
"Nancy Pearcey, the acclaimed author of Total Truth, is the next in our Distinguished Speaker Series.
"She will appear at a Chattanooga Matters event being held on Friday, October 26th at 12 Noon on the campus of Bryan College in Dayton, Tennessee. Nancy will speak and then take questions over lunch.
"The cost is $12 per person so please join us for this rare opportunity to hear from one of the leading Biblical Worldview speakers in the nation today. Seating is limited so make your reservations today at: info@chattanoogamatters.org."
For more information, contact Chattanooga Matters at 423-756-0410. Or visit the website.
Speaking of Bryan College, Nancy will also deliver remarks this Friday at the college chapel (11:00 a.m.) as part of the International Leadership Forum.
Go here for a review of Total Truth that appears on the Bryan College website. The main Bryan phone number is 423-775-2041.
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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (archives).
Nancy is honored to participate in the Distinguished Speaker series this Friday, October 26, under the auspices of Chattanooga Matters.
Here's the announcement from the Chattanooga Matters website:
"Nancy Pearcey, the acclaimed author of Total Truth, is the next in our Distinguished Speaker Series.
"She will appear at a Chattanooga Matters event being held on Friday, October 26th at 12 Noon on the campus of Bryan College in Dayton, Tennessee. Nancy will speak and then take questions over lunch.
"The cost is $12 per person so please join us for this rare opportunity to hear from one of the leading Biblical Worldview speakers in the nation today. Seating is limited so make your reservations today at: info@chattanoogamatters.org."
For more information, contact Chattanooga Matters at 423-756-0410. Or visit the website.
Speaking of Bryan College, Nancy will also deliver remarks this Friday at the college chapel (11:00 a.m.) as part of the International Leadership Forum.
Go here for a review of Total Truth that appears on the Bryan College website. The main Bryan phone number is 423-775-2041.
_______________
Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (archives).
Saturday, October 13, 2007
New Chancellor, President at PBU
By Rick Pearcey
On Sept. 5, 2007, we announced Nancy's new position as scholar for worldview studies at Philadelphia Biblical University (PBU).
There are continuing developments at PBU, which now announces the appointments of a new chancellor and president.
"The Board of Trustees of Philadelphia Biblical University is pleased to announce the appointment of President W. Sherrill Babb as Chancellor effective January 1, 2008. Succeeding Dr. Babb as President will be Dr. Todd J. Williams, Sr. Vice President and Provost of the University since 2005," says the university.
“The appointments of Dr. Babb as Chancellor and Dr. Williams as President were confirmed by the Board in recognition of the gifts, experience, and leadership acumen they will each bring to their new roles,” says Mel Nace, who is chairman of the board.
“These transitions are very timely and appropriate as the University seeks to further define and establish itself as a premier institution offering a distinctive biblical worldview education,” says Nace (emphasis added).
"Dr. W. Sherrill Babb served as President of PBU for 28 years," says PBU. "He became the University’s 4th President, assuming the role when the institution moved from Center City Philadelphia to Langhorne in September 1979 . . . . During his tenure as President, Dr. Babb conferred degrees upon 5,823 graduates. One of those was Todd J. Williams, a cum laude graduate of the Class of 1992. . . .
"Dr. Williams has inspired students and faculty with his passion for an enlarged academic vision that includes scholarly endeavors such as the newly established Center for University Studies and appointment of Worldview Scholar Dr. Nancy Pearcey, graduates who demonstrate an ability to engage in the cultural discourse of the day, and pursuit of academic rigor and curriculum that will establish PBU as a premier institution of Christian higher education that is distinctly and intentionally biblical in its approach."
The full announcement is here.
______________
Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (archives).
On Sept. 5, 2007, we announced Nancy's new position as scholar for worldview studies at Philadelphia Biblical University (PBU).
There are continuing developments at PBU, which now announces the appointments of a new chancellor and president.
"The Board of Trustees of Philadelphia Biblical University is pleased to announce the appointment of President W. Sherrill Babb as Chancellor effective January 1, 2008. Succeeding Dr. Babb as President will be Dr. Todd J. Williams, Sr. Vice President and Provost of the University since 2005," says the university.
“The appointments of Dr. Babb as Chancellor and Dr. Williams as President were confirmed by the Board in recognition of the gifts, experience, and leadership acumen they will each bring to their new roles,” says Mel Nace, who is chairman of the board.
“These transitions are very timely and appropriate as the University seeks to further define and establish itself as a premier institution offering a distinctive biblical worldview education,” says Nace (emphasis added).
"Dr. W. Sherrill Babb served as President of PBU for 28 years," says PBU. "He became the University’s 4th President, assuming the role when the institution moved from Center City Philadelphia to Langhorne in September 1979 . . . . During his tenure as President, Dr. Babb conferred degrees upon 5,823 graduates. One of those was Todd J. Williams, a cum laude graduate of the Class of 1992. . . .
"Dr. Williams has inspired students and faculty with his passion for an enlarged academic vision that includes scholarly endeavors such as the newly established Center for University Studies and appointment of Worldview Scholar Dr. Nancy Pearcey, graduates who demonstrate an ability to engage in the cultural discourse of the day, and pursuit of academic rigor and curriculum that will establish PBU as a premier institution of Christian higher education that is distinctly and intentionally biblical in its approach."
The full announcement is here.
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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (archives).
Monday, October 1, 2007
Generation Next: BBC Interviews Young Co-Authors of "Conspiracy of Calaspia"
By Rick PearceyThere's a delightful "Generation Next" BBC radio interview with the two young co-authors of a new work of fantasy titled Conspiracy of Calaspia. This is Book One in a planned series of six called the Insanity Saga. The BBC program includes readings, an overview of the book, and background on the co-authors.
Speaking of which, they are Suresh and Jyoti Guptara, a set of twins from Zurich. Their collaboration is a 21st century phenomenon, with Suresh attending school in England (with designs on Oxford), and Jyoti a freelance journalist in Switzerland.
I read aloud a portion of the book last night to our son Michael -- and we both look forward to completing it. Michael's review: "It's good."
Readers of The Pearcey Report may recall "Koran Does Not Forbid Images of Muhammad -- What's Really Going On?," by the twins' father Prabhu (website).
I read aloud a portion of the book last night to our son Michael -- and we both look forward to completing it. Michael's review: "It's good."
Readers of The Pearcey Report may recall "Koran Does Not Forbid Images of Muhammad -- What's Really Going On?," by the twins' father Prabhu (website).
To learn about a writing contest based on the book, go to the Conspiracy of Calaspia Literary Competition.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
PBU Releases Nancy Pearcey News Advisory Via ChristianNewsWire
By Rick Pearcey
ChristianNewsWire has published a media advisory from Philadelphia Biblical University regarding Nancy's new position as professor of worldview studies at the school's Center for University Studies.
"Over 900 public policy groups, government agencies, PR firms, religious organizations, think-tanks, watchdog groups, advocacy groups, coalitions, foundations, colleges, universities, activists, politicians, and candidates use Christian Newswire to distribute their press releases," says the newswire's website.
Here's the announcement.
For a list of search engines and news outlets reached by ChristianNewsWire, go here.
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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (archives).
ChristianNewsWire has published a media advisory from Philadelphia Biblical University regarding Nancy's new position as professor of worldview studies at the school's Center for University Studies.
"Over 900 public policy groups, government agencies, PR firms, religious organizations, think-tanks, watchdog groups, advocacy groups, coalitions, foundations, colleges, universities, activists, politicians, and candidates use Christian Newswire to distribute their press releases," says the newswire's website.
Here's the announcement.
For a list of search engines and news outlets reached by ChristianNewsWire, go here.
_______________
Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (archives).
Monday, September 24, 2007
Does God Ordain Evil?
By Rick Pearcey
Udo Middelmann's new book The Innocence of God: Does God Ordain Evil? is due to go on sale Oct. 10, 2007, at Amazon.com.
Having read through most of an uncorrected proof of the manuscript, I would highly recommend this book as a creative and thoughtful engagement of issues such as the sovereignty of God, the significance of man, and resistance to evil, with special attention to the kinds of determinism that emerge from secularism, paganism, Islam, and hyper-Calvinism.
Amazon lists the publisher as Paternoster, which is a division of STL (Send the Light). What follows is from the publisher's website:
*About the Book: "The Bible teaches us that God is sovereign over all. Does that mean in his sovereignty and foreknowledge, all events are determined? What about evil and the choices of man to disobey God or not to believe in him at all?
"What a choice! Between a good but weak, or bad but strong, God. The sovereignty of God, the existence of evil, the responsibility of man: How do these work together to explain human history and the reality of the world around us?
"Belief in the sovereignty of God has led to extreme forms of determinism, while a rejection of God's sovereignty has resulted in an openness view of history, which assumes the idea of a God with limited power and knowledge.
"In The Innocence of God Udo Middelmann critiques both positions and demonstrates the continuing battle of a good and powerful God for his creation. God admonishes us to seek justice, goodness, and mercy in the continuing struggle against evil. The truth of God's patient, yet powerful battle for redemption is absent when everything has already been determined."
* About the Author: "Udo Middelmann was born in Germany and has lived in Switzerland for over thirty years. He is a university lecturer by special invitation in various countries, a consultant, and principal speaker on 'Ethics for a Civil Society' for the Russian Ministry of Education, and is currently president of the Francis Schaeffer Foundation in New York and Switzerland."
_______________
Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (archives).
Udo Middelmann's new book The Innocence of God: Does God Ordain Evil? is due to go on sale Oct. 10, 2007, at Amazon.com.
Having read through most of an uncorrected proof of the manuscript, I would highly recommend this book as a creative and thoughtful engagement of issues such as the sovereignty of God, the significance of man, and resistance to evil, with special attention to the kinds of determinism that emerge from secularism, paganism, Islam, and hyper-Calvinism.
Amazon lists the publisher as Paternoster, which is a division of STL (Send the Light). What follows is from the publisher's website:
*About the Book: "The Bible teaches us that God is sovereign over all. Does that mean in his sovereignty and foreknowledge, all events are determined? What about evil and the choices of man to disobey God or not to believe in him at all?
"What a choice! Between a good but weak, or bad but strong, God. The sovereignty of God, the existence of evil, the responsibility of man: How do these work together to explain human history and the reality of the world around us?
"Belief in the sovereignty of God has led to extreme forms of determinism, while a rejection of God's sovereignty has resulted in an openness view of history, which assumes the idea of a God with limited power and knowledge.
"In The Innocence of God Udo Middelmann critiques both positions and demonstrates the continuing battle of a good and powerful God for his creation. God admonishes us to seek justice, goodness, and mercy in the continuing struggle against evil. The truth of God's patient, yet powerful battle for redemption is absent when everything has already been determined."
* About the Author: "Udo Middelmann was born in Germany and has lived in Switzerland for over thirty years. He is a university lecturer by special invitation in various countries, a consultant, and principal speaker on 'Ethics for a Civil Society' for the Russian Ministry of Education, and is currently president of the Francis Schaeffer Foundation in New York and Switzerland."
_______________
Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (archives).
Monday, September 17, 2007
Humane Truth: Trinity as Model for Human Social Life
By Rick Pearcey
A blog entry over at "Hanz" is titled "Christian Social Theory: The Trinity as a Model for Human Social Life."
First sentence: "Nancy Pearcey's Total Truth is to today as Francis Schaeffer's books were to 20 years ago."
What follows at "Hanz" is a brief excerpt from Total Truth, here.
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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (archives).
A blog entry over at "Hanz" is titled "Christian Social Theory: The Trinity as a Model for Human Social Life."
First sentence: "Nancy Pearcey's Total Truth is to today as Francis Schaeffer's books were to 20 years ago."
What follows at "Hanz" is a brief excerpt from Total Truth, here.
_____________
Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (archives).
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Nancy Pearcey Speaking in Tampa Area
PBU Professor of Worldview Studies Dr. Nancy Pearcey will speak next week at the Cambridge Study Center, Lakeland Christian School, and Berean Academy, all three located in the Tampa, Fla., area.
* Cambridge Study Center: She will speak under the auspices of the center in Lakeland, Fla., Thursday and Friday, September 20-21. For more information, see the website here or phone 863-686-4862. The Cambridge announcement is here.
* Lakeland Christian School: The venue of the Thursday evening September 20th event is provided by cohost LCS (website). For additional details, see the school announcement "Award-Winning Author and Speaker to Appear at LCS"; phone: 863-688-2771.
* Berean Academy: Nancy will speak at the academy in Tampa, Fla., Friday and Saturday, September 21-22 (website). For more information, see the academy announcement page here or call 813-932-0552.
An updated bio on Nancy is available here. Press announcements concerning Nancy's recent academic appointment are located at The Pearcey Report and this PBU "News and Events" page.
* Cambridge Study Center: She will speak under the auspices of the center in Lakeland, Fla., Thursday and Friday, September 20-21. For more information, see the website here or phone 863-686-4862. The Cambridge announcement is here.
* Lakeland Christian School: The venue of the Thursday evening September 20th event is provided by cohost LCS (website). For additional details, see the school announcement "Award-Winning Author and Speaker to Appear at LCS"; phone: 863-688-2771.
* Berean Academy: Nancy will speak at the academy in Tampa, Fla., Friday and Saturday, September 21-22 (website). For more information, see the academy announcement page here or call 813-932-0552.
An updated bio on Nancy is available here. Press announcements concerning Nancy's recent academic appointment are located at The Pearcey Report and this PBU "News and Events" page.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Warning -- Fascist Robots Reading Nancy Pearcey, C.S. Lewis
By Rick Pearcey
A website alerts readers that the Minnesota Family Council (MFC) is up to no good.
The first paragraph sets the tone: "The Minnesota Family Council is a spawn of Dobson (it's got 'family' in the title, so you know it's got to be evil), and it's usually one of those organizations that lobbies to get legislative support for their hatred of women and gays. They are not nice people. If you're ever in this state and want to see some splendid examples of calcified brains, this is the group you want to track down."
2nd paragraph: "They're starting a new training program: the Minnesota Worldview Leadership Project. It's the weirdest thing. Apparently, it's a seminar and discussion series that is supposed to turn you into an even more fervent theocrat, ready to shape the United States into a more Christian nation. And, as you might guess, they don't like evolution."
To make matters worse: "They're reading Nancy Pearcey" (formerly an agnostic and still a free-thinker) and, next paragraph, C.S. Lewis (formerly an atheist and still a free-thinker).
I know nothing about this MFC program, but I highly recommend the writings of Nancy and Jack. Some secularists know whom to fear.
The Minnesota Family Council website is here. More insights from a self-described "godless liberal" are here.
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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (archives).
A website alerts readers that the Minnesota Family Council (MFC) is up to no good.
The first paragraph sets the tone: "The Minnesota Family Council is a spawn of Dobson (it's got 'family' in the title, so you know it's got to be evil), and it's usually one of those organizations that lobbies to get legislative support for their hatred of women and gays. They are not nice people. If you're ever in this state and want to see some splendid examples of calcified brains, this is the group you want to track down."
2nd paragraph: "They're starting a new training program: the Minnesota Worldview Leadership Project. It's the weirdest thing. Apparently, it's a seminar and discussion series that is supposed to turn you into an even more fervent theocrat, ready to shape the United States into a more Christian nation. And, as you might guess, they don't like evolution."
To make matters worse: "They're reading Nancy Pearcey" (formerly an agnostic and still a free-thinker) and, next paragraph, C.S. Lewis (formerly an atheist and still a free-thinker).
I know nothing about this MFC program, but I highly recommend the writings of Nancy and Jack. Some secularists know whom to fear.
The Minnesota Family Council website is here. More insights from a self-described "godless liberal" are here.
_______________
Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (archives).
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Nancy Pearcey Accepts Scholar for Worldview Studies Position at PBU
By Rick Pearcey
We thought you might enjoy hearing about the latest in Nancy's work. What follows is from the press statement, released today, on her new position as "Scholar for Worldview Studies":
The entire press release appears here. PBU's website is here.
Updates:
* "Dr. Nancy Pearcey Named Worldview Scholar at PBU's Center for University Studies" (PBU)
* "Hats Off to Nancy Pearcey" (Alex Chediak)
_______________
Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (archives).
We thought you might enjoy hearing about the latest in Nancy's work. What follows is from the press statement, released today, on her new position as "Scholar for Worldview Studies":
Sept. 5, 2007 -- The Pearcey Report is pleased to announce that editor-at-large Dr. Nancy R. Pearcey has accepted a position as Scholar for Worldview Studies with the rank of professor at the Center for University Studies at Philadelphia Biblical University (PBU), based in Langhorne, Pa.
Dr. Pearcey is the “first-ever faculty scholar to be appointed to the Center for University Studies, which PBU established to advance scholarship and cultural engagement,” says a soon-to-be-released press statement by the university. She will teach, speak, and write on the relevance of the Judeo-Christian worldview as a humane and verifiably true alternative to secular, pagan, and humanistic philosophies set forth in the academy, politics, society, and popular culture of today.
“Her distinguished education – which includes studying under the late Dr. Francis A. Schaeffer of L’Abri Fellowship in Switzerland – and her extensive work in bringing Christian worldview perspective to important issues of the day make Dr. Pearcey uniquely qualified for this position,” says PBU Provost Todd Williams.
The entire press release appears here. PBU's website is here.
Updates:
* "Dr. Nancy Pearcey Named Worldview Scholar at PBU's Center for University Studies" (PBU)
* "Hats Off to Nancy Pearcey" (Alex Chediak)
_______________
Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (archives).
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Kick Mayor Off the Board for Anti-"Gay" Remarks?
By Rick Pearcey
"The mayor of Fort Lauderdale has been removed from the local tourism board because local officials feel his comments regarding homosexual activity in the area threaten the tourism industry and the billions of dollars it brings to Broward County," reports OneNewsNow today.
"Earlier this summer, Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle apologized to parents for not realizing the extent of homosexual sex in public restrooms. He also said a pro-homosexual library should not be housed in a city building because it included pornography."
Comment: One is mystified as to why Mayor Naugle was kicked off the tourism board. Perhaps he was simply (though admittedly awkwardly) pointing out ways in which homosexuals are just like everyone else, including parents with vacation dollars.
"Sameness" has been a major theme in reimagining America according to the pro-homosexual songbook, and it'd be a shame if the board balked at singing this time around.
First, am I wrong, or doesn't world know that both homosexuals and heterosexuals are always having sex in public restrooms -- airports, train stations, McDonald's, etc., all conveniently located close to your local theme park with special days for special people? This basic human right is what the Founding Fathers and Mothers fought for, along with the right to abortion.
Second, am I wrong, or doesn't the world know that both homosexuals and heterosexuals have no problem in allowing city buildings to house pornography? Just ask any mayor of any city. Any parent of any child.
Just like there's no problem with that long line curving around the block for access to the kiddie porn stash in your local mayor's and tourist board's offices.
It's free expression. It's creating a safe place for the recognition of basic human needs. Take a picture of that curvy line, and you could call it art.
The Broward County Tourism Development Council should relax. Vive la sameness.
The report at OneNewsNow is here.
_______________
Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (archives).
"The mayor of Fort Lauderdale has been removed from the local tourism board because local officials feel his comments regarding homosexual activity in the area threaten the tourism industry and the billions of dollars it brings to Broward County," reports OneNewsNow today.
"Earlier this summer, Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle apologized to parents for not realizing the extent of homosexual sex in public restrooms. He also said a pro-homosexual library should not be housed in a city building because it included pornography."
Comment: One is mystified as to why Mayor Naugle was kicked off the tourism board. Perhaps he was simply (though admittedly awkwardly) pointing out ways in which homosexuals are just like everyone else, including parents with vacation dollars.
"Sameness" has been a major theme in reimagining America according to the pro-homosexual songbook, and it'd be a shame if the board balked at singing this time around.
First, am I wrong, or doesn't world know that both homosexuals and heterosexuals are always having sex in public restrooms -- airports, train stations, McDonald's, etc., all conveniently located close to your local theme park with special days for special people? This basic human right is what the Founding Fathers and Mothers fought for, along with the right to abortion.
Second, am I wrong, or doesn't the world know that both homosexuals and heterosexuals have no problem in allowing city buildings to house pornography? Just ask any mayor of any city. Any parent of any child.
Just like there's no problem with that long line curving around the block for access to the kiddie porn stash in your local mayor's and tourist board's offices.
It's free expression. It's creating a safe place for the recognition of basic human needs. Take a picture of that curvy line, and you could call it art.
The Broward County Tourism Development Council should relax. Vive la sameness.
The report at OneNewsNow is here.
_______________
Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (archives).
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Believe Not Thine Own Press Release
By Rick Pearcey
A OneNewsNow report on divorcing televangelists makes clear that bad things happen when certain Christian leaders begin believing their own press releases.
Of course, many people secular or otherwise achieve great heights (thinking of "greatness" superficially) by methods less than honest. So practiced are these personalities, so successful, so rewarded in this life, that it comes as a great shock to them and their enablers when reality hits, the fruit is examined, and they are exposed as frauds.
One can almost imagine some of these movers-and-shakers first in line on Judgment Day, telling the Lord, "Did we not cast out demons in your name, hug AIDS victims, and author awarding-winning best-sellers setting the Christian world on fire?" (see Matt. 7:22,23)
Jesus answers: "That may work on the ga-ga crowd. But No. The exorcisms were faked, the hugs were for PR, and the books where ghosted. I don't know you."
"But Lord, we took you at your word when you said, 'I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, except of course in matters regarding PR, book sales, image creation, legacy enhancement, damage control, and marketing.'" (quote from The Celebrity-Driven Bible)
"Depart from me, you worker of lawlessness." (see Matt. 7:23)
The report in OneNewsNow is titled "TV Ministry Watchdog Calls Televangelists' Divorce Terrible Testimony." It's here.
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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (archives).
A OneNewsNow report on divorcing televangelists makes clear that bad things happen when certain Christian leaders begin believing their own press releases.
Of course, many people secular or otherwise achieve great heights (thinking of "greatness" superficially) by methods less than honest. So practiced are these personalities, so successful, so rewarded in this life, that it comes as a great shock to them and their enablers when reality hits, the fruit is examined, and they are exposed as frauds.
One can almost imagine some of these movers-and-shakers first in line on Judgment Day, telling the Lord, "Did we not cast out demons in your name, hug AIDS victims, and author awarding-winning best-sellers setting the Christian world on fire?" (see Matt. 7:22,23)
Jesus answers: "That may work on the ga-ga crowd. But No. The exorcisms were faked, the hugs were for PR, and the books where ghosted. I don't know you."
"But Lord, we took you at your word when you said, 'I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, except of course in matters regarding PR, book sales, image creation, legacy enhancement, damage control, and marketing.'" (quote from The Celebrity-Driven Bible)
"Depart from me, you worker of lawlessness." (see Matt. 7:23)
The report in OneNewsNow is titled "TV Ministry Watchdog Calls Televangelists' Divorce Terrible Testimony." It's here.
_______________
Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (archives).
Monday, August 27, 2007
If Diversity Is King
By Rick Pearcey
"Diversity" is one of secularized America's favorite pretended absolutes. God has been declared dead to public life, including learning, so something has to take His place. Human beings and human societies, atheist or otherwise, cannot operate without a center of gravity.
"Diversity" is making a go of it. A host of freethinking worshippers have bowed the knee, in the name of education, the group, "my truth," tolerance, and humility. Some apparently do not realize that diversity without unity leads to chaos. It is anything but a strength.
For one thing, it ontologizes evil in all its multiplicity. Moral categories disappear in the diversity of bare existence with its impersonal particles, compounds, heat, cold, solar systems, and galaxies. As such, it is impossible, on the basis of sheer diversity, to make morally humane discriminations that protect civilization from barbarism and destruction.
The PR for this approach offers comforting words about "tolerance." Enlightened people, it is said, can relax in "safe" places where differences can be explored. We can live at peace knowing that what's true for "my morality" may not be true for yours. There is no judgment in the bliss of ethical humility.
Except that if diversity is king, there is no way to discern morally sporting activity from terror activity; football or soccer from abortion and dogfighting; Vince Lombardi from Saddam Hussein. The moral element of crime also disappears. Every loophole in court is technical only.
In such a setting, who are we to impose our diversity of feelings on the private inter-species canine entertainment activities of Michael Vick and company? Diversity is a weak god. It protects neither Man nor Man's Best Friend.
This brings us to "Multiculturalism's War on Education," an article that appears in today's Frontpage magazine.
The article begins: "Back to school nowadays means back to classrooms, lessons and textbooks permeated by multiculturalism and its championing of 'diversity.' Many parents and teachers regard multiculturalism as an indispensable educational supplement, a salutary influence that 'enriches' the curriculum. But is it?"
Education should be about questioning, including questions regarding the pedestal upon which multiculturalism now rests in the public schools and elsewhere. The article makes several good points, and I am happy to recommend it.
But it stumbles, it seems to me, when it asserts: "The American republic, with an elected government limited by individual rights, was born not of stone-age peoples, but primarily of the European Enlightenment."
It is true that the American republic was not born of stone-age peoples. But it was born of peoples rooted in the concept of the Judeo-Christian Creator, not in the secular Enlightenment per se, which rejected the Creator for a naturalism that founded human rights in, among other things, the secular state. (Put differently, there is a continuity from Reformation freedoms and the English Revolution of 1688 to the American colonies of 1776, but a real difference in worldview between the French and American Revolutions.)
I touch on this here: "On one side of the culture war are people who understand that this nation is founded upon the governing principle of independence under God. This position is clearly set forth in the Declaration of Independence, which is based on a framework in which there is a Creator from whom all human beings, by virtue of creation, are endowed with inalienable rights. This particular worldview orientation is what dramatically sets the American experiment apart from ancient Greece, classical Rome, the French Revolution, National Socialism, Marxism, and the anti-Christian secularism that rose up in America in the 1960s.
"On the other side of the culture war are people who reject this founding framework in favor of a concept of independence apart from God. This view emerged on the Western political landscape during the French Revolution. Instead of a Creator God as the basis for human rights, people on this side of the struggle have come to see humanity as the product of an impersonal nature that has produced autonomous human beings who look to themselves (their choice, power, genes) or their groups (race, class, gender, party) or the impersonal natural order itself as the final reference point for human rights and identity."
The entire Frontpage article by Elan Journo is here.
_______________
Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (archives).
"Diversity" is one of secularized America's favorite pretended absolutes. God has been declared dead to public life, including learning, so something has to take His place. Human beings and human societies, atheist or otherwise, cannot operate without a center of gravity.
"Diversity" is making a go of it. A host of freethinking worshippers have bowed the knee, in the name of education, the group, "my truth," tolerance, and humility. Some apparently do not realize that diversity without unity leads to chaos. It is anything but a strength.
For one thing, it ontologizes evil in all its multiplicity. Moral categories disappear in the diversity of bare existence with its impersonal particles, compounds, heat, cold, solar systems, and galaxies. As such, it is impossible, on the basis of sheer diversity, to make morally humane discriminations that protect civilization from barbarism and destruction.
The PR for this approach offers comforting words about "tolerance." Enlightened people, it is said, can relax in "safe" places where differences can be explored. We can live at peace knowing that what's true for "my morality" may not be true for yours. There is no judgment in the bliss of ethical humility.
Except that if diversity is king, there is no way to discern morally sporting activity from terror activity; football or soccer from abortion and dogfighting; Vince Lombardi from Saddam Hussein. The moral element of crime also disappears. Every loophole in court is technical only.
In such a setting, who are we to impose our diversity of feelings on the private inter-species canine entertainment activities of Michael Vick and company? Diversity is a weak god. It protects neither Man nor Man's Best Friend.
This brings us to "Multiculturalism's War on Education," an article that appears in today's Frontpage magazine.
The article begins: "Back to school nowadays means back to classrooms, lessons and textbooks permeated by multiculturalism and its championing of 'diversity.' Many parents and teachers regard multiculturalism as an indispensable educational supplement, a salutary influence that 'enriches' the curriculum. But is it?"
Education should be about questioning, including questions regarding the pedestal upon which multiculturalism now rests in the public schools and elsewhere. The article makes several good points, and I am happy to recommend it.
But it stumbles, it seems to me, when it asserts: "The American republic, with an elected government limited by individual rights, was born not of stone-age peoples, but primarily of the European Enlightenment."
It is true that the American republic was not born of stone-age peoples. But it was born of peoples rooted in the concept of the Judeo-Christian Creator, not in the secular Enlightenment per se, which rejected the Creator for a naturalism that founded human rights in, among other things, the secular state. (Put differently, there is a continuity from Reformation freedoms and the English Revolution of 1688 to the American colonies of 1776, but a real difference in worldview between the French and American Revolutions.)
I touch on this here: "On one side of the culture war are people who understand that this nation is founded upon the governing principle of independence under God. This position is clearly set forth in the Declaration of Independence, which is based on a framework in which there is a Creator from whom all human beings, by virtue of creation, are endowed with inalienable rights. This particular worldview orientation is what dramatically sets the American experiment apart from ancient Greece, classical Rome, the French Revolution, National Socialism, Marxism, and the anti-Christian secularism that rose up in America in the 1960s.
"On the other side of the culture war are people who reject this founding framework in favor of a concept of independence apart from God. This view emerged on the Western political landscape during the French Revolution. Instead of a Creator God as the basis for human rights, people on this side of the struggle have come to see humanity as the product of an impersonal nature that has produced autonomous human beings who look to themselves (their choice, power, genes) or their groups (race, class, gender, party) or the impersonal natural order itself as the final reference point for human rights and identity."
The entire Frontpage article by Elan Journo is here.
_______________
Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (archives).
Monday, August 13, 2007
Dock the Pay of Obese Politicians
By Rick Pearcey
"Companies seeking to cut rising health care costs are starting to dock the pay of overweight and unhealthy workers," reports the Washington Times.
Among these companies is "Clarian Health, an Indiana hospital chain, [which] will require workers who smoke to pay $5 out of each paycheck starting in 2009. For workers deemed obese, as much as $30 will be taken out each paycheck until they meet certain weight, cholesterol and blood pressure standards."
Should companies impose their business policies on the private lives of workers? I have my doubts. Americans suffer already from too much corporatism.
However, there may be a lesson here for the federal government, which is immensely overweight and unhealthy, due largely to acts of unconstitutional gluttony performed on the pocketbooks and freedoms of American citizens.
What to do? Try docking the pay of politicians and cutting the budgets of programs -- and even programs themselves -- until political health is achieved, as measured by the scales of constitutional standards.
Some on Capitol Hill may scoff, you say.
We can fix that, too. Fatcat scoffers of constitutional government should be sentenced to unending appearances and gnashing of teeth on NBC's "The Biggest Loser."
Finally, a program they disapprove of.
"Firms Dock Pay of Obese, Smokers," by reporter Gregory Lopes, appears here.
_______________
Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (archives).
"Companies seeking to cut rising health care costs are starting to dock the pay of overweight and unhealthy workers," reports the Washington Times.
Among these companies is "Clarian Health, an Indiana hospital chain, [which] will require workers who smoke to pay $5 out of each paycheck starting in 2009. For workers deemed obese, as much as $30 will be taken out each paycheck until they meet certain weight, cholesterol and blood pressure standards."
Should companies impose their business policies on the private lives of workers? I have my doubts. Americans suffer already from too much corporatism.
However, there may be a lesson here for the federal government, which is immensely overweight and unhealthy, due largely to acts of unconstitutional gluttony performed on the pocketbooks and freedoms of American citizens.
What to do? Try docking the pay of politicians and cutting the budgets of programs -- and even programs themselves -- until political health is achieved, as measured by the scales of constitutional standards.
Some on Capitol Hill may scoff, you say.
We can fix that, too. Fatcat scoffers of constitutional government should be sentenced to unending appearances and gnashing of teeth on NBC's "The Biggest Loser."
Finally, a program they disapprove of.
"Firms Dock Pay of Obese, Smokers," by reporter Gregory Lopes, appears here.
_______________
Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (archives).
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Congratulations! University Position for Nancy Pearcey
By Rick Pearcey
Congratulations to Nancy on accepting a new position in higher education. A few administrative details have yet to be worked out, so we'll hold off on a fuller announcement until then (stay tuned).
Meanwhile, we thought you'd like a kind of minimalist sneak preview of recent developments. The new position allows Nancy to teach and write in a university context. There are smiles all around.
Nancy has enjoyed her tenure as the Francis A. Schaeffer Scholar at World Journalism Institute and now looks forward with thankfulness to this new challenge.
_______________
Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (archives).
Congratulations to Nancy on accepting a new position in higher education. A few administrative details have yet to be worked out, so we'll hold off on a fuller announcement until then (stay tuned).
Meanwhile, we thought you'd like a kind of minimalist sneak preview of recent developments. The new position allows Nancy to teach and write in a university context. There are smiles all around.
Nancy has enjoyed her tenure as the Francis A. Schaeffer Scholar at World Journalism Institute and now looks forward with thankfulness to this new challenge.
_______________
Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (archives).
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Rupert Murdoch: Satan or Savior?
By Rick Pearcey
"Before Fox News Channel was born," writes Cal Thomas in his latest column ("Rupert Murdoch: Satan or Savior?"), "I met with several network news presidents, telling them that someone was going to go after a demographic that felt shutout by the mainstream media.
"These people, I said, go to church, fly the flag, respect the nation's traditions and institutions and hate the liberal media. They feel censored, or stereotyped, by the media elites. I told them the person who recognizes that demographic and gives them a voice would reap a huge reward.
"That person is Rupert Murdoch. He is not the media Satan, as the left likes to portray him. Some of the offensive (to me) tabloid stuff notwithstanding, he just may be the media's savior. The elites hate him, but growing numbers of people are buying his products."
Murdoch may not be the "media Satan," but who today would place him on the side of the angels, given his deep involvement in broadcasting pornography (See "Murdoch Pastor Gets Heat for Mogul's Porn Channels," WorldNetDaily)?
The point here is not a simplistic moralism. One can appreciate the competition in news and opinion that Murdoch brings to the table. This is very hard work and should be respected. Not to mention the creativity and risk-taking that reflects so much of what it means to be a human being. This is for the good, even though the product can stand improvement.
How unfortunate, however, that Murdoch also trafficks in unloving entertainment offerings so barren in thought, humiliating to the human person, and harmful to the family. It reflects a profound alienation from a nation whose ethos is rooted in verifiable information given by the Creator as a map to humane living in a broken world in all spheres of life.
Let me suggest two marks that will attend a structural reformation of journalism and entertainment: 1) respect for the objectivity of truth, 2) respect for the dignity of the individual.
This kind of reformation won't yield a perfect society, people, or media, but the core principles won't be corrupt and it will be a hedge against fascism and nihilism. That would be a good beginning.
Neither Man, news, or entertainment lives by market share alone.
The entire Cal Thomas column is here.
_______________
Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (archives).
"Before Fox News Channel was born," writes Cal Thomas in his latest column ("Rupert Murdoch: Satan or Savior?"), "I met with several network news presidents, telling them that someone was going to go after a demographic that felt shutout by the mainstream media.
"These people, I said, go to church, fly the flag, respect the nation's traditions and institutions and hate the liberal media. They feel censored, or stereotyped, by the media elites. I told them the person who recognizes that demographic and gives them a voice would reap a huge reward.
"That person is Rupert Murdoch. He is not the media Satan, as the left likes to portray him. Some of the offensive (to me) tabloid stuff notwithstanding, he just may be the media's savior. The elites hate him, but growing numbers of people are buying his products."
Murdoch may not be the "media Satan," but who today would place him on the side of the angels, given his deep involvement in broadcasting pornography (See "Murdoch Pastor Gets Heat for Mogul's Porn Channels," WorldNetDaily)?
The point here is not a simplistic moralism. One can appreciate the competition in news and opinion that Murdoch brings to the table. This is very hard work and should be respected. Not to mention the creativity and risk-taking that reflects so much of what it means to be a human being. This is for the good, even though the product can stand improvement.
How unfortunate, however, that Murdoch also trafficks in unloving entertainment offerings so barren in thought, humiliating to the human person, and harmful to the family. It reflects a profound alienation from a nation whose ethos is rooted in verifiable information given by the Creator as a map to humane living in a broken world in all spheres of life.
Let me suggest two marks that will attend a structural reformation of journalism and entertainment: 1) respect for the objectivity of truth, 2) respect for the dignity of the individual.
This kind of reformation won't yield a perfect society, people, or media, but the core principles won't be corrupt and it will be a hedge against fascism and nihilism. That would be a good beginning.
Neither Man, news, or entertainment lives by market share alone.
The entire Cal Thomas column is here.
_______________
Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (archives).
Monday, June 4, 2007
Pearcey Report Website Update
The Pearcey Report website is down and will return online as soon as possible.
Update: Thanks for your inquiries regarding The Pearcey Report.
When accessing the main page of the website, you may see an older page, or in some cases, no page at all.
There is no need to adjust your computers. We are working on a solution to this challenge and will publish again as soon as possible.
Update: We expect to publish again Thursday, June 7, 2007.
Update: Thanks for your inquiries regarding The Pearcey Report.
When accessing the main page of the website, you may see an older page, or in some cases, no page at all.
There is no need to adjust your computers. We are working on a solution to this challenge and will publish again as soon as possible.
Update: We expect to publish again Thursday, June 7, 2007.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Warren, Murdoch, Porn, and WND
By Rick Pearcey
In a post titled "Rick Warren's & Rupert Murdoch's Porn Problem," Kevin McCullough, author of Musclehead Revolution, writes at his Townhall blog, "One thing is certain, [WND Editor] Joseph Farah and Rick Warren will never be buddies."
Should the two Christians be "buddies"?
McCullough's comment is occasioned by today's story at WND, titled "Murdoch pastor gets heat for mogul's porn channels."
"Mega-pastor Rick Warren is being challenged by other Christian leaders for not disciplining a prominent member of his California Saddleback Church flock for being one of the world's leading pornographers," the WND report begins.
The "prominent member" at Saddleback "would be Rupert Murdoch, chairman of News Corp., which, in addition to building a media empire on the chests of topless models and edgy, pushing-the-envelope Fox TV network shows, recently began building a stable of hard-core porn channels for its BSkyB subsidiary."
Comment: As Christians move out into the culture and into "full-time ministry" as reporters in newsrooms (as they should), it is important to understand that the Christian journalist has an obligation to report the news objectively and factually.
If being a "buddy" means you are someone who can be trusted to shave the truth to protect a powerful figure or a celebrity minister's image, then, of course, that kind of friendship is out of bounds both ethically and professionally. Neither ministry staffers nor reporters should corrupt themselves in this way.
Instead, there is to be a critical distance from personalities in the news (even likeable ones), and the coverage must be rooted in facts and evidence. Just as the Judeo-Christian worldview gives a philosophic basis for rationality, evidence, and objectivity, even so the biblical information calls for a journalism committed to rationality, evidence, and objectivity.
The primary challenge is to report truth. The aim is not to become buddies with the rich, famous, influential, or powerful. It certainly is not to cultivate friendships among the celebrities of Evangelicaldom who can then endorse your media product. Or help sell your books.
That kind of inbred corruption of vision, whether applied to personalities or issues, is part of what is leading to the decline of so-called mainstream journalism. Of all people, Christians in journalism should avoid it like the plague.
Friendship for journalists and nonjournalists alike should always be on the basis of truth. Genuine love and friendship always operate within the circle of truth. Unfortunately, there are other kinds of relationships and other kinds of reporting.
_______________
Rick Pearcey is editor & publisher of The Pearcey Report (archives).
In a post titled "Rick Warren's & Rupert Murdoch's Porn Problem," Kevin McCullough, author of Musclehead Revolution, writes at his Townhall blog, "One thing is certain, [WND Editor] Joseph Farah and Rick Warren will never be buddies."
Should the two Christians be "buddies"?
McCullough's comment is occasioned by today's story at WND, titled "Murdoch pastor gets heat for mogul's porn channels."
"Mega-pastor Rick Warren is being challenged by other Christian leaders for not disciplining a prominent member of his California Saddleback Church flock for being one of the world's leading pornographers," the WND report begins.
The "prominent member" at Saddleback "would be Rupert Murdoch, chairman of News Corp., which, in addition to building a media empire on the chests of topless models and edgy, pushing-the-envelope Fox TV network shows, recently began building a stable of hard-core porn channels for its BSkyB subsidiary."
Comment: As Christians move out into the culture and into "full-time ministry" as reporters in newsrooms (as they should), it is important to understand that the Christian journalist has an obligation to report the news objectively and factually.
If being a "buddy" means you are someone who can be trusted to shave the truth to protect a powerful figure or a celebrity minister's image, then, of course, that kind of friendship is out of bounds both ethically and professionally. Neither ministry staffers nor reporters should corrupt themselves in this way.
Instead, there is to be a critical distance from personalities in the news (even likeable ones), and the coverage must be rooted in facts and evidence. Just as the Judeo-Christian worldview gives a philosophic basis for rationality, evidence, and objectivity, even so the biblical information calls for a journalism committed to rationality, evidence, and objectivity.
The primary challenge is to report truth. The aim is not to become buddies with the rich, famous, influential, or powerful. It certainly is not to cultivate friendships among the celebrities of Evangelicaldom who can then endorse your media product. Or help sell your books.
That kind of inbred corruption of vision, whether applied to personalities or issues, is part of what is leading to the decline of so-called mainstream journalism. Of all people, Christians in journalism should avoid it like the plague.
Friendship for journalists and nonjournalists alike should always be on the basis of truth. Genuine love and friendship always operate within the circle of truth. Unfortunately, there are other kinds of relationships and other kinds of reporting.
_______________
Rick Pearcey is editor & publisher of The Pearcey Report (archives).
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Oxford, Cambridge, Plagiarism, and Christian Worldview
By Rick Pearcey
Those who care about authentic living and the life of the mind may want to consult a report in today's Guardian. (See Pearcey Report link here.)
In a story titled "Their Dark Materials," readers will learn that the universities of Oxford and Cambridge are attacking plagiarism, ghostwriting, and "essay mills." Among other things, the universities condemn the practice of students who buy from -- or work for -- services such as Oxbridge Essays.
Sensitive people are concerned about the presence of this sort of unfortunate behavior not just on the so-called secular campus, but also in Christian circles (as has been reported on from time to time).
One might consider what would happen if one day the Bible-affirming world woke up and all the pretend authors, columnists, "thinkers," publishers, etc., and their staffs of enablers had disappeared. One wonders who in "Celebrianity" might be suddenly missing and how many real books and articles would be left on shelves if works by these "authors" departed along with them.
Imagine also that Jesus of Nazareth said, "OK, people -- from here on only real work by real people is acceptable. Anything else and you get a one-way ticket to AnaniasandSapphiraville." See the unhappy outcome of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5.
One way you know the flesh-and-blood Jesus meant business is that he applied truth to both the ends and the means of his methods of ministry. Even if that meant dying painfully and nakedly on the cross as a common criminal and apparent failure.
Nevertheless, he didn't cut corners to win influence, gain a wider audience, achieve access to power, protect his image, or enhance his resume to shape future biographies and the opinions of posterity. He practiced the truth the right way and was killed for it. It was ugly. It was right. And he won.
In contrast, how many books, essays, speeches, blurbs, magnum opuses, and so on would disappear if that same Jesus applied that principle of authentic living retroactively? "Lord, Lord, did we not 'write' wonderful, quiet-time inspired worldview books for you?," might protest the high and mighty after receiving a rejection slip from the Living God.
It's a sobering thought, but there may be some in this world who've so long succeeded at conning others that they even try it out on the Son of God. After all, the well-honed techniques of manipulation and PR have worked on just about everybody else (not really, of course, but in the tiny world of tin-horn celebrity, it may seem that way). "Dysfunctional systems are well-defended," says a book on abuse.
Perhaps the better path is to pull the plug on pretend authorship. Yes, the anti-intellectual money machine may grind to a halt, but a door necessary to a renaissance of authentic thinking (not to mention living) would be opened. The current strategy raises money in the millions, but it's misdirected and loses the spiritual-cultural battle.
What's especially interesting is that similar doors need to be opened in the face of similar challenges in so many other areas of life in this broken world. That doesn't mean we can't enjoy ourselves along the way, even if honest growth encounters big shots who resist change and try to redefine Biblical challenges and accountability as personal squabbles.
Publishing is just one area among many. In electoral politics, public policy, the arts, philanthropy, and many spheres of life and ministry, authentic Christian worldview remains in its infancy. One hopes it needn't run away from home to survive childhood. Oxford and Cambridge could be just the place for those kind of people.
Additional Resources
Pizza With Michelangelo, by Rick Pearcey
A Review of The Da Vinci Code, by Rick Pearcey
Francis Schaeffer: A Student's Appreciation of a Distinct Approach, by Rick Pearcey
_______________
Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report.
Those who care about authentic living and the life of the mind may want to consult a report in today's Guardian. (See Pearcey Report link here.)
In a story titled "Their Dark Materials," readers will learn that the universities of Oxford and Cambridge are attacking plagiarism, ghostwriting, and "essay mills." Among other things, the universities condemn the practice of students who buy from -- or work for -- services such as Oxbridge Essays.
Sensitive people are concerned about the presence of this sort of unfortunate behavior not just on the so-called secular campus, but also in Christian circles (as has been reported on from time to time).
One might consider what would happen if one day the Bible-affirming world woke up and all the pretend authors, columnists, "thinkers," publishers, etc., and their staffs of enablers had disappeared. One wonders who in "Celebrianity" might be suddenly missing and how many real books and articles would be left on shelves if works by these "authors" departed along with them.
Imagine also that Jesus of Nazareth said, "OK, people -- from here on only real work by real people is acceptable. Anything else and you get a one-way ticket to AnaniasandSapphiraville." See the unhappy outcome of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5.
One way you know the flesh-and-blood Jesus meant business is that he applied truth to both the ends and the means of his methods of ministry. Even if that meant dying painfully and nakedly on the cross as a common criminal and apparent failure.
Nevertheless, he didn't cut corners to win influence, gain a wider audience, achieve access to power, protect his image, or enhance his resume to shape future biographies and the opinions of posterity. He practiced the truth the right way and was killed for it. It was ugly. It was right. And he won.
In contrast, how many books, essays, speeches, blurbs, magnum opuses, and so on would disappear if that same Jesus applied that principle of authentic living retroactively? "Lord, Lord, did we not 'write' wonderful, quiet-time inspired worldview books for you?," might protest the high and mighty after receiving a rejection slip from the Living God.
It's a sobering thought, but there may be some in this world who've so long succeeded at conning others that they even try it out on the Son of God. After all, the well-honed techniques of manipulation and PR have worked on just about everybody else (not really, of course, but in the tiny world of tin-horn celebrity, it may seem that way). "Dysfunctional systems are well-defended," says a book on abuse.
Perhaps the better path is to pull the plug on pretend authorship. Yes, the anti-intellectual money machine may grind to a halt, but a door necessary to a renaissance of authentic thinking (not to mention living) would be opened. The current strategy raises money in the millions, but it's misdirected and loses the spiritual-cultural battle.
What's especially interesting is that similar doors need to be opened in the face of similar challenges in so many other areas of life in this broken world. That doesn't mean we can't enjoy ourselves along the way, even if honest growth encounters big shots who resist change and try to redefine Biblical challenges and accountability as personal squabbles.
Publishing is just one area among many. In electoral politics, public policy, the arts, philanthropy, and many spheres of life and ministry, authentic Christian worldview remains in its infancy. One hopes it needn't run away from home to survive childhood. Oxford and Cambridge could be just the place for those kind of people.
Additional Resources
Pizza With Michelangelo, by Rick Pearcey
A Review of The Da Vinci Code, by Rick Pearcey
Francis Schaeffer: A Student's Appreciation of a Distinct Approach, by Rick Pearcey
_______________
Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report.
Monday, April 2, 2007
Middelmann Reworking "Pro-Existence"
By Rick PearceyUdo Middelmann's small classic Pro-Existence may soon be reissued to appear in bookstores again. "I am reworking the text of Pro-Existence, my first book from 1974, on the subject of work, property, and the community," Middelmann states in a recent letter from the Francis A. Schaeffer Foundation.
"For years I have been asked to bring it out again, but it needs work," he writes. "Some of the formulations seem rather those of a younger person." Middelmann says he's "matured some" and that that maturation "should now show in the text."
Pro-Existence was a great book when it first arrived, and I recall hearing Middelmann deliver parts of it in lecture form while I was studying at L'Abri in the early 1970s.
In many ways, the Judeo-Christian worldview is in fact a "pro-existence" statement concerning reality -- that is, it is pro-humanity, pro-reason, pro-creativity, pro-science, pro-individuality, pro-resistance to evil, and so on, all centered on an objectively knowable Creator who speaks and acts in verifable history. This foundationally positive approach of Judeo-Christian thoughtforms, as set forth in this book by Middelmann, is one of the reasons the blog of The Pearcey Report is titled Pro-Existence.
We look forward to seeing the new, reworked edition of this basic text in Christian worldview thinking.
Related Articles
"Religion Very Harmful to People," by Udo Middelmann
What Is Man? , by Udo Middelmann
Human Identity, Biblical Worldview, Creativity, and the Meaning of Work, by Udo Middelmann
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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report.
New Edition of Middelmann's "Pro-Existence"
By Rick Pearcey
Udo Middelmann's small classic Pro-Existence may soon be reissued to appear in bookstores again. "I am reworking the text of Pro-Existence, my first book from 1974, on the subject of work, property, and the community," Middlemann states in a recent letter from the Francis A. Schaeffer Foundation.
"For years I have been asked to bring it out again, but it needs work," he writes. "Some of the formulations seem rather those of a younger person." Middelmann says he's "matured some" and that that maturation "should now show in the text."
Pro-Existence was a great book when it first arrived, and I recall hearing Middelmann deliver parts of it in lecture form while I was studying at L'Abri in the early 1970s.
In many ways, the Judeo-Christian worldview is in fact a "pro-existence" statement concerning reality -- that is, it is pro-man, pro-reason, pro-creativity, pro-science, pro-individuality, pro-resistance to evil, and so on, all centered on an objectively knowable Creator who speaks and acts in verifable history. This foundationally positive approach of Judeo-Christian thoughtforms, as set forth in this book by Middelmann, is one of the reasons the blog of The Pearcey Report is title Pro-Existence.
We look forward to seeing the new, reworked edition of this basic text in Christian worldview thinking.
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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report.
Udo Middelmann's small classic Pro-Existence may soon be reissued to appear in bookstores again. "I am reworking the text of Pro-Existence, my first book from 1974, on the subject of work, property, and the community," Middlemann states in a recent letter from the Francis A. Schaeffer Foundation.
"For years I have been asked to bring it out again, but it needs work," he writes. "Some of the formulations seem rather those of a younger person." Middelmann says he's "matured some" and that that maturation "should now show in the text."
Pro-Existence was a great book when it first arrived, and I recall hearing Middelmann deliver parts of it in lecture form while I was studying at L'Abri in the early 1970s.
In many ways, the Judeo-Christian worldview is in fact a "pro-existence" statement concerning reality -- that is, it is pro-man, pro-reason, pro-creativity, pro-science, pro-individuality, pro-resistance to evil, and so on, all centered on an objectively knowable Creator who speaks and acts in verifable history. This foundationally positive approach of Judeo-Christian thoughtforms, as set forth in this book by Middelmann, is one of the reasons the blog of The Pearcey Report is title Pro-Existence.
We look forward to seeing the new, reworked edition of this basic text in Christian worldview thinking.
_______________
Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Pearcey Report Offline
By Rick Pearcey
The Pearcey Report is currently offline, due to technical difficulties, which we're looking into.
Cheers,
JRP
Update: We're back. Go to The Pearcey Report.
The Pearcey Report is currently offline, due to technical difficulties, which we're looking into.
Cheers,
JRP
Update: We're back. Go to The Pearcey Report.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Update -- Radio Alert: Rick Pearcey on Prime Time America
4:58 p.m. Eastern Update: Rick will not be a guest today on Prime Time America. Sorry for any inconvenience. Cheers, Rick
Rick will be a guest on Prime Time America this Monday. Prime Time America is part of the Moody Broadcasting Network.
* Date: Monday, March 26, 2007
* Time: 5:05 p.m., Central Time
* Website: Prime Time America; this page should be updated on Monday
Listen live online here. The program broadcasts from 4-6 pm (Central); Rick is scheduled for 5:05 p.m.
To find a local station, click here.
Rick will be a guest on Prime Time America this Monday. Prime Time America is part of the Moody Broadcasting Network.
* Date: Monday, March 26, 2007
* Time: 5:05 p.m., Central Time
* Website: Prime Time America; this page should be updated on Monday
Listen live online here. The program broadcasts from 4-6 pm (Central); Rick is scheduled for 5:05 p.m.
To find a local station, click here.
Friday, March 23, 2007
Total Truth & Mere Christianity
By Rick Pearcey Nancy's book Total Truth continues to be reviewed. The latest review at Amazon strikes a number of positive themes.
Reviewer D. Vandervalk of Thousand Oaks, Calif., says she has "to agree with these other reviewers -- this is one of the most important books I have ever read."
Total Truth "helped me clarify things I had been intellectually struggling with, and briefed me on all the underlying 'isms' which shape the thoughts of the culture around me."
She awards the book 5 stars, and recommends it even though it is "no light read," because "it will help you think in a new way and will give you more confidence in your challenges of dealing with atheism, naturalism, humanism, etc."
Vandervalk says "you will be able to discard the idea that your intellect and your faith belong in separate parts of your mind."
She is "recommending this book to others left and right, and will probably buy the audiobook so I can share it with non-readers."
Her conclusion: Total Truth "ranks right up there with Mere Christianity."
Friday, March 16, 2007
Chicago Radio Alert: Nancy Pearcey Double Feature Today
Nancy will be an in-studio guest on two live radio programs from Chicago today at 5:30 pm and 8:00 pm (central time).
* Prime Time America, 5:30 pm (central)
- Listen live online here. The program broadcasts from 4-6 pm (central time); Nancy is scheduled for 5:30 pm.
- Local Station? Click here.
- Here's the website. Scroll down to see a picture of Nancy and the cover of Total Truth.
- T0 listen online, click here. Additional information on how to listen live online is here.
- Find a local station in your state here.
Go to The Pearcey Report.
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Speaker Alert: Nancy in Chicagoland
Nancy Pearcey will be in the Chicago area, speaking at Elmhurst College March 15, 2007. Nancy's bio is here.
* Elmhurst Website: "Nancy Pearcey, author of Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from Its Cultural Captivity, will offer 'a Christian Worldview's Challenge to Higher Education.'" An announcement for Nancy's appearance at Elmhurst is included on this page.
* When: Thursday, March 15, 7:30 p.m.
* Where: Hammerschmidt Memorial Chapel
* Cost: This event is "free and open to the public."
* Directions: Elmhurst is "near the geographic center" of the metro Chicago area. Get directions here.
For more information, contact Charles Henderson, director of public relations, at 630-617-3033 or email charleyh@elmhurst.edu.
* Elmhurst Website: "Nancy Pearcey, author of Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from Its Cultural Captivity, will offer 'a Christian Worldview's Challenge to Higher Education.'" An announcement for Nancy's appearance at Elmhurst is included on this page.
* When: Thursday, March 15, 7:30 p.m.
* Where: Hammerschmidt Memorial Chapel
* Cost: This event is "free and open to the public."
* Directions: Elmhurst is "near the geographic center" of the metro Chicago area. Get directions here.
For more information, contact Charles Henderson, director of public relations, at 630-617-3033 or email charleyh@elmhurst.edu.
Saturday, February 24, 2007
10 Reviews of "Amazing Grace"
By Rick PearceyHere's a round-up of reviews of Amazing Grace, the new film about pioneering anti-slavery activist William Wilberforce:
* "Slave Trade's Holy Warrior," NYPost
* "Steady Effort That Hits Its Target," 2the Advocate
* "Huzzah!" Salon.com
* "Inspiring," LATimes
* "Hardly Compelling Viewing," WPost
* Wilberforce a "First-Rate Movie Saint," NYTimes
* Infused by "Dullness of Virtue," Hollywood Reporter
* "Sweet Sound of Freedom" Amid "Film's Problems," Chicago Sun-Times
* "Unrigorous History Lesson," Entertainment Weekly
* "Good-Hearted," "High-Minded," Houston Chronicle
Related
* Website: Trailer, downloads, more
* "Hollywood's Amazing Grace Cover-Up," WSJ
* "Director: Wilberforce "Capable of Doing a Dirty Trick," WExam
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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report.
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Forum: What About Sen. John McCain Speaking at Discovery Event?
By Rick PearceyOn February 13, The Pearcey Report published the alarming news (to some) that GOP presidential hopeful Sen. John McCain is scheduled to speak February 23 at an event co-hosted by the Discovery Institute. (See The Pearcey Report main page headline "Darwinists Upset McCain Speaking at Discovery Event.")
William F. Buckley now comments on this news in a column titled "So Help Us Darwin": "The news is that McCain has agreed to speak at a luncheon hosted by the Discovery Institute in Seattle. What offends my friend is that the think tank in question supports the concept of Intelligent Design. And the question raised -- believe it or not -- is whether such a latitudinarian thinker should be thought qualified to be president of the United States." Here's the entire column.
We have decided to set up a forum: What about Sen. John McCain's speaking at this event co-hosted by the Discovery Institute? Is McCain being foolish, political, genuine, all of the above, none? What are your thoughts on McCain, Buckley, ID, Darwin, the bloggers, and so on?
Here are more responses to McCain's scheduled appearance in Seattle:
* Kansas City Star: "There are lots of places McCain could have taken his show, but he picked the Discovery Institute. It doesn’t matter what his speech is about, this is his attempt to pander to the creationist fringe."
* The Nation: McCain's conservative-friendly "makeover continues on February 23, when he is scheduled to speak before the Discovery Institute, the right-wing think tank that has attempted to introduce into public school biology classes the teaching of Intelligent Design."
From Think Progress, as quoted (unedited) in the original Pearcey Report coverage:
* McCain Doomed: "Flipper McCain’s affiliation with this group is sure to doom his campaign!"
* Flip-Flopping Madman: "That pasty-faced, flip-flopping madman McCain is not intelligent, but he has designs on the white house."
* Groan: "I thought we were done with all the 'Intelligent Design' hokum. The longest two weeks of my life was when our church started presenting it in Sunday School as an ‘alternative’ to evolution . . . and I had to spend my Sunday afternoons deprogramming my wife and her family. People should be able to sue proponents of Intelligent Design for permanent harm done to their ability to think critically."
What do you think of the news that Sen. John McCain is scheduled to speak at an event co-hosted by the Discovery Institute? Post your comments below.
Update: On Saturday, February 17, the Discovery Institute Responded to Darwinian Outburst Against McCain Speaking at Luncheon -- Pearcey Report Exclusive
Related
* Christianity Is a Science-Starter, Not a Science-Stopper, by Nancy Pearcey
* Why Intelligent Design Will Win: 5 Reasons to Keep an Open, Educated Mind, by Nancy Pearcey
* Darwin Meltdown Reaches England, by Rick Pearcey
* Secularism Takes Hit at British Airways, by Rick Pearcey
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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report.
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Beatles 1st Appearance on "Ed Sullivan Show"
By Rick PearceyThe Beatles first appeared on the "Ed Sullivan Show" Feb. 9, 1964. Watch Beatlemania kick off here.
More Beatles fun over at Newsbusters.
See a discussion of "The Gospel According to the Beatles" at Christian TV vs. Christian Thinking.
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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report.
Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report.
Monday, February 5, 2007
Hillary: She Was for the War Before She Was Against the War
By Rick Pearcey
Hillary Clinton "is triangulating her position on the Iraq War in a cynical effort to appear tough-minded and to placate the antiwar, leftist base at the same time," writes Joseph Klein in Frontpage. "She is now proclaiming. '[I]f we in Congress don’t end this war before January of 2009, as president I will.'
"Following in the footsteps of Dwight Eisenhower and Richard Nixon, who used their promises to end the Korean War and Vietnam War respectively to win their races for the White House, Hillary is gambling that she can outflank John Edwards and Barack Obama as the antiwar candidate during the primaries while sounding resolute to the general electorate. But hollow campaign promises and tough rhetoric do not equal meaningful results." . . .
If She Wins: "Hillary is fanning the American electorate’s disillusionment with the war for her own political ends. She will do anything and say anything to get elected.
"All that Iran, al-Qaeda, and the enemy combatants in Iraq whom they are supporting need to do is continue putting the squeeze on our troops and to wreak more havoc on the Iraqi populace.
"Knowing that this will fuel the sense of hopelessness about the war in America that will ensure Hillary’s election as the newly minted antiwar savior with her knight Bill by her side, the terrorists will get their prize in Iraq: a base to spread their bloody jihad globally."
Joseph Klein's article is here.
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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report.
Hillary Clinton "is triangulating her position on the Iraq War in a cynical effort to appear tough-minded and to placate the antiwar, leftist base at the same time," writes Joseph Klein in Frontpage. "She is now proclaiming. '[I]f we in Congress don’t end this war before January of 2009, as president I will.'
"Following in the footsteps of Dwight Eisenhower and Richard Nixon, who used their promises to end the Korean War and Vietnam War respectively to win their races for the White House, Hillary is gambling that she can outflank John Edwards and Barack Obama as the antiwar candidate during the primaries while sounding resolute to the general electorate. But hollow campaign promises and tough rhetoric do not equal meaningful results." . . .
If She Wins: "Hillary is fanning the American electorate’s disillusionment with the war for her own political ends. She will do anything and say anything to get elected.
"All that Iran, al-Qaeda, and the enemy combatants in Iraq whom they are supporting need to do is continue putting the squeeze on our troops and to wreak more havoc on the Iraqi populace.
"Knowing that this will fuel the sense of hopelessness about the war in America that will ensure Hillary’s election as the newly minted antiwar savior with her knight Bill by her side, the terrorists will get their prize in Iraq: a base to spread their bloody jihad globally."
Joseph Klein's article is here.
_______________
Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report.
Saturday, February 3, 2007
Mom, Amahl, and Gian Carlo Menotti
By Nancy PearceyMy earliest memory of attending a live classical music performance is watching my mom play the violin in Menotti's opera Amahl and the Night Visitors.
I was about four years old, and this was my first concert. On top of that, it's a special memory because I remember my mom smiling at me from the stage.
Here's a New York Times article on Menotti, who died yesterday at age 95. Notice the irony of his comment in 1964: Among the avant garde, he noted, “To say of a piece that it is harsh, dry, acid and unrelenting is to praise it. While to call it sweet and graceful is to damn it." In his own operas, Menotti "dared to do away completely with fashionable dissonance, and in a modest way, I have endeavored to rediscover the nobility of gracefulness and the pleasure of sweetness.”
Related:
Pulitzer Prize Winner Gian Carlo Menotti Dies at 95
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Nancy Pearcey is author of Total Truth: Liberating Christianity From Its Cultural Captivity and editor-at-large of The Pearcey Report.
Debbie Schlussel and the "Democrats' New Imam"
By Rick Pearcey
Columnist and attorney Debbie Schlussel wonders why Democrats picked Imam Husham Al-Husainy to deliver their Winter Meeting invocation, in which "he called for an end to 'occupation'."
* Readers Know: "Readers of [Schlussel's] site know Imam Al-Husainy, Imam of the Karbalaa Islamic Education Center in Dearbornistan, well," she says. "I've written about him and his extremist views extensively."
* Best Buddy: "The guy is best buddies with the Neturei Karta rabbis who spoke at the Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Holocaust Denial Conference in Iran."
Here's Schlussel's website.
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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report.
Columnist and attorney Debbie Schlussel wonders why Democrats picked Imam Husham Al-Husainy to deliver their Winter Meeting invocation, in which "he called for an end to 'occupation'."
* Readers Know: "Readers of [Schlussel's] site know Imam Al-Husainy, Imam of the Karbalaa Islamic Education Center in Dearbornistan, well," she says. "I've written about him and his extremist views extensively."
* Best Buddy: "The guy is best buddies with the Neturei Karta rabbis who spoke at the Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Holocaust Denial Conference in Iran."
Here's Schlussel's website.
_______________
Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report.
Thursday, February 1, 2007
Nike Boots Adidas: Pays $781 Million to Outfit National German Soccer Team
By Rick Pearcey
"In a move that has provoked sporting, emotional and commercial angst, Adidas, the Bavarian company that has shod the national team for 50 years, has been outbid massively for the privilege by Nike," reports Timesonline.
"The Oregon-based company has offered the German Football Federation €500 million (£331 million) to be the national squad’s boot and kit supplier for eight years from 2011. The football establishment has never seen such largesse before: there is an additional €50 million signature fee and a similar amount for the women’s team."
This deal, according to this currency converter, amounts in U.S. currency to approximately $781,000,000 (amount fluctuates with alterations in the exchange rate).
1) Basic Deal: €500 million ($651,499,748 US)
2) Signing Fee: €50 million ($65,149,974 US)
3) Similar Amount for Women's Team: €50 million ($65,149,974 US)
Total Cost: $781,799,692 US.
German National Team website
_____________
Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report.
"In a move that has provoked sporting, emotional and commercial angst, Adidas, the Bavarian company that has shod the national team for 50 years, has been outbid massively for the privilege by Nike," reports Timesonline.
"The Oregon-based company has offered the German Football Federation €500 million (£331 million) to be the national squad’s boot and kit supplier for eight years from 2011. The football establishment has never seen such largesse before: there is an additional €50 million signature fee and a similar amount for the women’s team."
This deal, according to this currency converter, amounts in U.S. currency to approximately $781,000,000 (amount fluctuates with alterations in the exchange rate).
1) Basic Deal: €500 million ($651,499,748 US)
2) Signing Fee: €50 million ($65,149,974 US)
3) Similar Amount for Women's Team: €50 million ($65,149,974 US)
Total Cost: $781,799,692 US.
German National Team website
_____________
Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Call for Papers -- Creation Graduate School Launches Science Journal
By Rick Pearcey
The Institute for Creation Research Graduate School (ICRGS) is announcing the launch of the International Journal for Creation Research (IJCR).
"IJCR is a professional, peer-reviewed journal of interdisciplinary scientific research that presents evidence for recent creation within a biblical framework," says the institute.
"Addressing the need to disseminate the vast field of research conducted by experts in geology, genetics, astronomy, and other disciplines of science, IJCR provides scientists and students hard data based on cutting-edge research that demonstrates the young earth model, the global Flood, the non-evolutionary origin of the species, and other evidences that correlate to the biblical accounts."
Editor in Chief Dr. Andrew Snelling (Ph.D., geology) issues the inaugural call for papers at the online journal's website.
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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report.
The Institute for Creation Research Graduate School (ICRGS) is announcing the launch of the International Journal for Creation Research (IJCR).
"IJCR is a professional, peer-reviewed journal of interdisciplinary scientific research that presents evidence for recent creation within a biblical framework," says the institute.
"Addressing the need to disseminate the vast field of research conducted by experts in geology, genetics, astronomy, and other disciplines of science, IJCR provides scientists and students hard data based on cutting-edge research that demonstrates the young earth model, the global Flood, the non-evolutionary origin of the species, and other evidences that correlate to the biblical accounts."
Editor in Chief Dr. Andrew Snelling (Ph.D., geology) issues the inaugural call for papers at the online journal's website.
_______________
Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report.
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Post Letters to the Editor
Got something to say?
This is where you can comment on articles linked or published at The Pearcey Report and, of course, Pro-Existence (in addition to replies that follow individuals posts).
Post your "Letter to the Editor" here by clicking on "Post a Comment" below, just as you would post comments following blog postings.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Best regards,
Rick Pearcey
_______________
Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report.
This is where you can comment on articles linked or published at The Pearcey Report and, of course, Pro-Existence (in addition to replies that follow individuals posts).
Post your "Letter to the Editor" here by clicking on "Post a Comment" below, just as you would post comments following blog postings.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Best regards,
Rick Pearcey
_______________
Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Blitzer Question to VP Cheney About Daughter Out of Line?
By Rick Pearcey
Matt Drudge has reported that Vice President Dick Cheney "responded sharply" to CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer's line of questioning regarding the pregnancy of the VP's lesbian daughter, during an interview taped for today's "Situation Room."
Here's part of the dialogue, according to Drudge:
Blitzer: "Your daughter Mary, she's pregnant. All of us are happy. She's going to have a baby. You're going to have another grandchild. Some of the -- some critics, though, are suggesting, for example, a statement from someone representing Focus on the Family: 'Mary Cheney's pregnancy raises the question of what's best for children. Just because it's possible to conceive a child outside of the relationship of a married mother and father, doesn't mean it's best for the child.' Do you want to respond to that?"
Cheney: "No, I don't."
Blitzer: "She's obviously a good daughter -- "
Cheney: "I'm delighted -- I'm delighted I'm about to have a sixth grandchild, Wolf, and obviously think the world of both of my daughters and all of my grandchildren. And I think, frankly, you're out of line with that question.". . .
The Drudge story appears here.
Questions: If the VP is "delighted" about having another grandchild, and if he thinks "the world" of both his daughters, including Mary, why doesn't he answer Blitzer's question?
In addition, does the VP think "the world" also of Mary's homosexuality? Clearly, Mary's homosexuality has long been out of the closet. Given that the VP is comfortable with his daughter and his grandchild, why is he not also comfortable answering a question about his grandchild's means of conception and future "family" situation?
Does the VP think it wise to allow children and grandchildren to be purposely conceived and raised in structurally dysfunctional human arrangements that violate the Creator's norms for family life?
Or was Blitzer's question out of line?
Related:
Rosie O'Donnell's Oppressive Coat, by Rick Pearcey
_____________
Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report.
Matt Drudge has reported that Vice President Dick Cheney "responded sharply" to CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer's line of questioning regarding the pregnancy of the VP's lesbian daughter, during an interview taped for today's "Situation Room."
Here's part of the dialogue, according to Drudge:
Blitzer: "Your daughter Mary, she's pregnant. All of us are happy. She's going to have a baby. You're going to have another grandchild. Some of the -- some critics, though, are suggesting, for example, a statement from someone representing Focus on the Family: 'Mary Cheney's pregnancy raises the question of what's best for children. Just because it's possible to conceive a child outside of the relationship of a married mother and father, doesn't mean it's best for the child.' Do you want to respond to that?"
Cheney: "No, I don't."
Blitzer: "She's obviously a good daughter -- "
Cheney: "I'm delighted -- I'm delighted I'm about to have a sixth grandchild, Wolf, and obviously think the world of both of my daughters and all of my grandchildren. And I think, frankly, you're out of line with that question.". . .
The Drudge story appears here.
Questions: If the VP is "delighted" about having another grandchild, and if he thinks "the world" of both his daughters, including Mary, why doesn't he answer Blitzer's question?
In addition, does the VP think "the world" also of Mary's homosexuality? Clearly, Mary's homosexuality has long been out of the closet. Given that the VP is comfortable with his daughter and his grandchild, why is he not also comfortable answering a question about his grandchild's means of conception and future "family" situation?
Does the VP think it wise to allow children and grandchildren to be purposely conceived and raised in structurally dysfunctional human arrangements that violate the Creator's norms for family life?
Or was Blitzer's question out of line?
Related:
Rosie O'Donnell's Oppressive Coat, by Rick Pearcey
_____________
Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report.
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