Baylor and PBU -- Tale of Two Universities

By Rick Pearcey

The Baptist Press is reporting that 40% of Baylor University faculty up for tenure this semester have been denied:

An unusually high number of faculty members at Baylor University have been denied tenure this semester, and one former Baylor professor believes the denials reflect the school's decision to turn away from its Baylor 2012 campaign to establish Baylor as both a Christian university and a top-tier research institution.

The former Baylor prof who thinks the university may be rejecting its Biblical heritage for a bowl of secular soup is William Dembski. Dembski is a senior fellow at the Discovery Institute and a professor at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth.

As Dembski sees it, "All the junior faculty denied tenure appear to have strongly supported enhancing Baylor's Christian identity, an aspect of Baylor 2012 that many of the established professors at Baylor reject, preferring instead that Baylor become secular."

"This scandal is terrible news for Baylor and the wider Baptist world," Dembski says. "It indicates that Baylor's vision for restoring its Christian identity is on the way out and sends a message to top young scholars not to come to Baylor, because whether you get tenure is based not on merit or Christian commitment but on the whim of a capricious president."

But even as March doubts about Baylor's intellectual and Biblical commitment surface, a February press release from Philadelphia Biblical University (PBU) demonstrates an alternative for thinking Christians.

Newly inaugurated PBU president Dr. Todd Williams "Seeks to Establish Model for a Biblical University" even if that means causing a "positive disruption" to the status quo.

"We must have the fortitude and diligence to cut a new path through the landscape of contemporary higher education . . . to define and establish this model of a biblical university and thereby create a positive disruption in the academy," said the new PBU president in his Inaugural Address.

"We must engage more effectively the broader evangelical and academic communities. . . . Like the apostle Paul on Mars Hill, we must enter the marketplace, and the marketplace of ideas, and speak. If our goal is to elevate the profile of the University -- and it is -- then we must elevate our level of participation."

One indicator of the school's positive direction is that it brought aboard author and thinker (and wife) Nancy Pearcey as professor of worldview studies (she's also a fellow at Discovery). Here's the PBU press statement announcing Nancy's appointment.

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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (articles).

Who's Worse? Son of Schaeffer or Obama Pastor?

By Rick Pearcey

In case this is your question: Who's worse, Frank Schaeffer or Obama's pastor Rev. Wright?

Or is this question unfair and totally misplaced?

The younger Schaeffer's columns at the Huffington Post are here. More on Rev. Wright here.

See also: "Francis Schaeffer 'Worse' Than Obama Pastor?"

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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (articles).

Francis Schaeffer "Worse" Than Obama Pastor?

By Rick Pearcey

Is evangelical thinker Francis Schaeffer "worse" than Obama pastor Rev. Jeremiah Wright?

Schaeffer son Frank says, yes, according to this report in WorldNetDaily.

"When Sen. Obama’s preacher thundered about racism and injustice, Obama suffered smear-by-association," writes the younger Schaeffer. "But when my late father -- religious right leader Francis Schaeffer denounced America and even called for the violent overthrow of the U.S. government, he was invited to lunch with presidents Ford, Reagan and Bush Sr."

For background, see:

* Rick Pearcey on "Black Jesus Does Not Exist"
* Os Guinness on "Fathers and Sons"
* Os Guinness on Obama "Better Than His Pastor"
* Douglas Groothuis on "Franky Plays the Schaeffer Card Again"
* Ranald Macaulay on "What Can We Learn From Francis Schaeffer?"
* Rick Pearcey on "Francis Schaeffer: A Student's Appreciation of a Distinct Approach"
* Rick Pearcey on "Francis Schaeffer, Mother, and Monkey Blood"

Finally, light a candle: Buy the Complete Works or other great books or videos by Francis Schaeffer.

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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (articles).

Black Jesus Does Not Exist

By Rick Pearcey

Barack Obama says he is "proud of my Christianity," and that he appreciates his spiritual mentor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. For one thing, says Obama, the reverend introduced him to Jesus Christ.

One does not doubt the sincerity of Obama's feelings. But which Jesus is he talking about?

Rev. Wright preaches that Jesus was a "poor black" man. And yet if we go by the data of the Biblical record, the historical Christ is nothing of the sort.

Poor? As the Son of the Living God, Jesus of Nazareth had and has untold wealth at his fingertips. That he chose not to avail himself of these vast riches says more about his sacrificial mission than about the political implications of his earthly bank account.

In fact, Jesus of Nazareth was and is rich beyond measure. And yet this same Jesus was no sellout to economic greed. Nor to economic guilt. He was not captured by class warfare or by any impulse that smacks of Karl Marx.

But what about a "Black" Jesus? Well, being Jewish, it seems a little more likely that his skin color was olive. Genetics and all that.

But maybe Jesus was "black" culturally, standing in for the weak, the pure and poverty-stricken, the oppressed, the "scum of the earth" who in fact are the apple of God's eye.

I'm not so sure. His message is that moral failure is an equal opportunity society. Or, as Paul put it in an "obscure" verse in the book of Romans, "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God."

Demagogues and race hustlers black or white may be offended by what follows, but this "all" includes rich man, poor man, oppressor and oppressed, Jew, Greek, Gentile, American, and African. Just look in the mirror.

The historical Jesus transcends religion, elections, and personal theologies. He stands as an objective phenomenon before all humanity and all subjective "faiths," unshackled by the dictates of group identity, race politics, liberation theologies, church cultures, and class warfare.

It is true: Power elites will "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" (more).

But we don't have to play along. We can resist the myth. We can shock the world and say out loud: Jesus of Nazareth is the biological son of Mary, the adopted son of Joseph, the begotten Son of God, born of a virgin, verified in history, the King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords.

This Jesus is no victim, he needs no liberation, and it is the height of idolatry to try to reduce him and those who trust him to pigmentation, class, race, or any other kind of category that excuses the worship of the creature instead of the Creator.

I wouldn't blame Mr. Obama if he wanted a reintroduction.

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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (articles).

Juan Williams React: Did Obama Pass the Test?

By Rick Pearcey

Juan Williams reviews what Obama did and didn't do in today's speech (video): "I think he had to take responsibility . . . that's what he didn't do."

It's a question that goes to Obama's "judgment and character."

Fox: "Is the damage done and that's it?"

Williams: "It goes on."

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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (articles).

Os Guinness -- Obama "Better Than His Pastor"

By Rick Pearcey

When asked on C-SPAN yesterday about the legitimacy of Obama pastor Jeremiah Wright as a campaign issue, author and social critic Os Guinness said that, from what "I know of Obama," the Democratic presidential hopeful is "better than his pastor."

The question arose as part of a more general discussion on religion, politics, and the culture war in relationship to Guinness's new book, The Case for Civility.

A few areas Guinness addresses during this program:

• Jeremiah Wright as a legitimate campaign issue
• The strengths and weaknesses of the Religious Right
• The meaning of the 1st Amendment

Quote: Civility is a "standing or falling issue for the American republic."

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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (articles).

Spitzer's Daughters

By Rick Pearcey

Speaking of the Bible, prostitutes, and the NY Governor, Cal Thomas asks:

"Shouldn't there be a law against the injured wife appearing with her husband at these media events?"

But if the humiliated wife is expected to show up, let us ask: Why not the children? That, at least, might have a positive impact on Dad in the days that come.

Seeing pain and injury in their downcast eyes might remind a hard-charging father and governor of who he is supposed to be.

Basic realities matter.

Being a father is more important than being a governor.

If he forgets that, not much else is worth remembering.

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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (articles).

Spitzer Dominoes?

A reader comments --

Now that we know the name of the organization -- Emperors Club -- I hope the investigation broadens (pardon the choice of words) to see who else has poor judgment and probably shouldn't be in power.

Free Thought on Darwin at Union-Tribune

By Rick Pearcey

There's an uncivilized outbreak of intellectual freedom re Darwin over at the San Diego Union-Tribune.

A guy with two science degrees has a column explaining why "Darwinists confidently assert there is no controversy over evolution: They actively shut down such scientific debates from taking place."

Nice work, if you can get it funded.

Clearly, this fellow is a danger to the public peace, secular agenda, last Saturday's living Constitution, and the post-American way.

Union-Trib editors ought to be praised. But are they ready for the 3 a.m. materialist knock at the door?

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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (articles).

Remembering Larry Norman

By Nancy Pearcey

I had been a Christian only a few months in summer 1971, so I knew nothing about the young man a few feet away plucking his guitar except that his name was Larry Norman.

Tall, lanky, with sweeping blond hair, Norman was in town for a concert and had dropped by the Christian commune where I was staying. No one had invited him.

Apparently he had learned via the grapevine that our little household, known as His House, was the gathering place for Jesus Freaks in Albuquerque.

Only a few of us were in that night, so we sat comfortably on the floor quietly talking, praying, and singing in the soft lamp light.

Norman played a few of his trademark songs like “I Wish We’d All Been Ready” and “We Need a Whole Lot More of Jesus (and a Lot Less Rock and Roll).”

Larry Norman went on to be hailed as the founder of Christian Rock Music (and the owners of His House, Denis and Margie Haack, went on to found a ministry called Ransom Fellowship).

Norman defended his work as a musician by invoking a basic Christian worldview principle: “I think everybody should be a full time Christian, even if they work on cars or sell insurance” (quoted in American Jesus: How the Son of God Became a National Icon).

When Norman died last Sunday, the obits began pouring in. Here are some links:

* From Steve Turner, Guardian
* From Chris Willman, Entertainment Weekly
* From Mark Joseph, Huffington Post
* From Charles Norman, Brother, LarryNorman.com

Update: Larry Norman on Youtube.

HT: Mark Joseph; photo: amazon

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Nancy Pearcey is editor at large of The Pearcey Report.

Examiner.com: Tribute to the Empyreal Buckley

By Rick Pearcey

Examiner.com today has published my tribute to William F. Buckley, Jr.

WASHINGTON -- "In St. Louis in the late 1970s, my wife Nancy and I were students at Covenant Seminary. Nancy was still in her 'feminist' stage, and when a fellow student gave her a copy of William F. Buckley Jr.'s magazine National Review as a source for a paper she was writing, she was too embarrassed to be seen carrying such a 'reactionary' publication. She hid it among her school papers. . . ."

To see the entire commentary at the Examiner, go here.

Novelist and son Christopher Buckley: Father died "with his boots on."

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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (articles).

Plagiarism: Pretend People, Fake Work

By Rick Pearcey

White House aide Timothy Goeglein has resigned over admitted plagiarism.

The links below contain facts and may suggest a few whys and wherefores:

* White House Aide Resigns Over Plagiarism
* Blogger Spots "Copycat" Goeglein
* Goeglein Column: "... Honesty of Reflective Thought"
* Goeglein: "I Am Entirely at Fault"
* WPost: 20 Out of 38 Columns Tainted
* NYT: "Familiar Figure" to "Evangelical Christians"

Meanwhile, a passage from this February 28 tribute to William F. Buckley seems apropos. Regarding Buckley:

"In several respects one is reminded of Francis Schaeffer and C.S. Lewis -- deep, quick, sharp, but also humane in their brilliance, also caring for the human being next door, also real people doing real work. The contrast with the opportunistic 'mover and shaker' of Big Government, Big Celebrity, or, sadly, Big Christianity, encourages us to push forward to a higher calling,
a nobler practice, a loving dream awalk in the world."

Here are two dreams -- doable, humane, inspired by God: 1) Real work by real people, 2) Market the truth truthfully. Trot them out at the next big meeting of marketers, publishers, ghosters, blurbers, fundraisers, and other affiliates of Big Name, Inc. Then duck.

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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (articles).

Tony Snow to Radio Factor

By Rick Pearcey

Former White House Press Secretary Tony Snow will be joining the Radio Factor as Bill O'Reilly's permanent fill-in host.

First Program: Today, Friday, Feb. 22, 2008. There's more at the O'Reilly blog.

Blog Reax:

* LoRiseAntlers over at Huffington Post digs deep: "It's really too bad there's no such thing as Hell, because these two morons would definitely have a special place reserved for them."

* Limpidglass at DailyKos is thankful for little things: "Well, one day of the week without O'Reilly is a start."

* Bigdadgib is glad it's snowing again.

* A humane being showed up over at Chickenhawk Express: "Thrilled . . . great to see him doing so well after his cancer treatment."

Photo: paul morse

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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (articles).

McCain Helped by NYT Attack

By Rick Pearcey

Sen. John McCain may want to thank the New York Times for its attack story "For McCain, Self-Confidence on Ethics Poses Its Own Risk." The story hit the net last night and the papers today.

I have read the Times report and watched coverage of this story by Keith Olbermann on MSNBC, as well as the response of McCain lawyer Bob Bennett on Hannity & Colmes.

The explosive charge of a possible romantic relationship between McCain and lobbyist Vicki Iseman is not substantiated, in my view.

This does not mean it didn’t happen; it does mean the Times has taken an unfair swipe at McCain and thereby justly suffers another blow to its credibility.

Click here to continue reading "McCain Helped by NYT Attack."

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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (articles).

Jai and Rene's Baby Shower

By Rick Pearcey

While Obama was making it 10 in a row over Hillary last night in Wisconsin, I was in northwest Washington, D.C., for a baby shower in honor of Jai and Rene, who have little Isaiah on the way.

Jai and I are soccer teammates on 2 indoor teams. He was born in Ghana and educated in England and the U.S. (Atlanta), where he played on a championship high school soccer team. I have gotten to know sweet Rene through Jai, and both attend nearby Howard University.

Here they are, holding an autographed copy of what I've heard is a pretty good book. We await a review from young Isaiah.

On the wall above Jai's piano and next to the kitchen:

My 3 soccer amigos, all of Howard U. Left to right: Derrick (from Trinidad), Kyle (from Trinidad), and Jai.

A wonderful time with friends old, new, and yet to arrive.

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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (articles).

Movable Type Expert Wanted

By Rick Pearcey

If you are an expert in Moveable Type, please contact us at The Pearcey Report.

Email: pearcey@thepearceyreport.com.

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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (articles).

Why Con Men Live in Fear

By Rick Pearcey

Why con men live in fear, even if they have a lifetime of records, resumes, PR, and "good friends" to back them up.

Here's the story from AFP:

"A 70-year-old Italian man who had been pretending to be blind for 40 years to get an invalid's pension was arrested as he drove his car, Sky TG24 television said Thursday . . . ."

More here.

He had everything going for him but the truth.
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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (archives).

Pro-Abort Ad Helping John McCain?

By Rick Pearcey

Gary Bauer says McCain is pro-life. So does Planned Parenthood. Here's the pro-abort group's radio ad, just in time for today's Potomac Primary.

"With enemies like this, who needs friends?," asks an "Embed Producer" over at the Fox News blogs.

The only thing missing: "I'm John McCain, and I approved this ad."
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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (archives).

Nancy Pearcey Speaking at Philadelphia Biblical University

By Rick Pearcey

Nancy Pearcey will be speaking at Philadelphia Biblical University this Wed., February 6.

Her talk during the 10 a.m. chapel is part of a series of events and activities celebrating the inauguration of Dr. Todd J. Williams as the 5th president of the university.

For a schedule of PBU inaugural events, driving directions, and additional information, please go here.

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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (archives).

The Coulter Gambit

By Rick Pearcey

Yesterday author and commentator Ann Coulter upset the political world by asserting on “Hannity and Colmes” that she would “vote for” and “campaign for” Hillary Clinton if the former First Lady wins the Democratic nomination and the GOP picks Sen. John McCain as its standard-bearer for President in the November elections. Coulter argued that Clinton is more conservative than McCain in several respects.

What to make of this? Go here for the rest of the article.

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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (archives).

Radio Alert: Nancy Pearcey on "Prime Time America"

By Rick Pearcey

Interviews with Nancy Pearcey will air on Moody Radio’s "Prime Time America" this week Monday-Friday, January 14-18.

These interviews are scheduled for broadcast at 4:46 p.m. Central Time.

To listen live or locate a local station on the Moody Broadcasting Network, please visit this page. Audio archives are here.

Nancy Pearcey is author of Total Truth, editor at large of The Pearcey Report, and professor of worldview studies at Philadelphia Biblical University.

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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (articles).

The Most Manipulative Time of the Year

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).

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).

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).

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).

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).

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.

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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (archives).

Generation Next: BBC Interviews Young Co-Authors of "Conspiracy of Calaspia"

By Rick Pearcey

There'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).

To learn about a writing contest based on the book, go to the Conspiracy of Calaspia Literary Competition.

The twins' website is here. More about the book at Amazon, here.

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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (archives).

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).

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."

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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (archives).

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).

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.

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).

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":

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)

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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (archives).

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.


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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (archives).

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).

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.

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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (archives).

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.

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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (archives).

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.

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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (archives).

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.

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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report (archives).

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.

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.


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Rick Pearcey is editor & publisher of The Pearcey Report (archives).

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


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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report.