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Another week, another DHD. Thank you for taking the time to
read my through my thoughts on six timely topics.
1. Wax on ‘Reasonableness’
Everybody should read Trevin Wax’s article “Reasonableness
in an Age of Outrage.” There is a lot of extreme verbiage spewed on social
media, and Wax’s article is a constructive response, especially for Christians.
“The way Christians stand out
in a contentious environment,” Wax wrote, “is by being a voice of reason, by
spreading grace in a culture of judgment. Posture matters as much as principle.”
Wax said we focus more on
hyperbole and away from reasonableness. I wholeheartedly agree.
Also, I don’t always need to
get my point across. Sometimes, it’s more important to try to understand those
who oppose my view, not that I don’t have confidence in my views (believe me, I
do) but rather to seek genuine dialogue. If all I do is talk over people,
getting into a shouting match, what have I accomplished?
“The joyful Christian who
models reasonableness is someone who knows there is nothing to lose,” Wax said.
“We have nothing to prove. We are free to bear with people longer than others
think we should. Gracious people are not easily offended.”
I need to be more gracious.
2. French vs. Ahmari
Speaking of Wax, he recently
recommended a
New Yorker article that featured
the clash between David French and Sohrab Ahmari.
For the most part, I am a
David French fan, even though I don’t always agree with him. I’m not to the
level of being anti-Trump that he is. But French is a solid Christian
conservative writer who makes many good points on numerous current issues.
By the way, just to clarify,
I am not anti-Trump. I have mentioned in the past that I did not vote for Donald
Trump in the previous presidential election, but he has done some things I find
favorable as well as some things that cause me to be disappointed (mostly his
Twitter comments).
However, French and Ahmari
are both social conservatives who have debated through written articles mostly
on a recent issue of a library hosting a “Drag Queen Story Hour.” French
believes shutting down such reading event is against the First Amendment and
would cause other groups and entities to clamp down on Christian groups wanting
to meet in similar settings. Ahmari believes exposing young children to a transgender
in such setting is harmful. Even though I get French’s viewpoint, I have to
agree with Ahmari (in the New Yorker
article, Al Mohler is referenced disagreeing with French too).
The article gives an
objective view of both men. I learned a lot about French, and even more about
Ahmari, since I never heard about him before the recent squabble between both
men. It’s a worthy read.
3. Duke vs. Young Life
Speaking of First Amendment
rights, reports broke this week that Duke University’s student government
senate unanimously
rejected a Young Life chapter because the Christian organization “appeared to violate a guideline that every Duke student
group include a nondiscrimination statement in its constitution.”
Young Life’s
policy allows for those who engage in sexual misconduct or those who practice a
homosexual lifestyle to be “recipients of ministry,” meaning they could
participate in Young Life activities, but they are not allowed to serve as
staff or volunteer workers.
I did not know
that Young Life has expanded to be a college ministry. I remember the
organization being involved with middle school and high school students. I’ve
heard great things about Young Life and have friends who served with the
ministry.
Similar conflicts
have happened at other colleges across the country, including the University of
Iowa, and the Christian ministries have been successful when challenging the
schools. Duke, however, is a private university, so this may not be as easily
resolved.
On his Wednesday
edition of The Briefing, Mohler considered the Duke student senators were
cowardly for rejecting Young Life.
“When I say that this decision is cowardly,” Mohler said, “it
was very easy for the young senators of the Duke student government to turn
down Young Life and to do so unanimously declaring that it did so because of
the policies of Duke concerning student organizations and the necessity of
non-discrimination as it is described here. You’ll notice that the very same
student government fails to acknowledge that if they are and were consistent,
they would have to disaffiliate organizations that are affiliated with the
Roman Catholic church, because after all, you do not have to be very good with
Google — and trust me, the students at Duke are very good searching the
internet — to find out what the Roman Catholic church officially teaches.”
4. Bennett is ‘blessed,’
turns down raise
Shifting to a different ACC school, Virginia men’s
basketball coach, Tony Bennett made the news this week, announcing that he
turned down raise and said he is “blessed beyond what I deserve.”
Sports Spectrum, a Christian sports journal, reported on
Bennett’s raise rejection that he wanted to help other programs in the athletic
department.
Bennett also gave this comment on 2018 Sports Spectrum
podcast:
“The Lord is more than ample.
He’s enough. In Him there is all sufficiency. In Him there is great joy and
great rest, regardless of what the world is screaming at you through great
success or through failure.”
I discussed this article with
a co-worker, and we both agree that Carlson makes good points and offers great
suggestions, but his approach was not good.
Carlson does not acknowledge
that God is the One in control of mission work, even if those on the trip don’t
have proper motives. A friend of mine changed his whole perspective when he
went on a mission trip. As a videographer, he went with a group to Haiti and
considered he was not the one involved in the work but was just to document
what others were doing. He view changed greatly, and now my friend has a deep
passion for missions.
I do agree with Carlson’ list
of eight ways to make short-term mission trips more fruitful.
6. Loving ‘Country Music’ documentary
Have you been watching Ken
Burns’ documentary “Country Music” on PBS? Burns is known for his previous series
on Civil War, Baseball and National Parks, and I think he meets the same level
of quality in this latest series.
There’s a lot I didn’t know
about the history of Country Music, and this documentary reveals how the genre
developed and affected American history. Shows start again on Sunday, Sept. 22
at 7 p.m. on OETA Channel 13 in Oklahoma City.
I started this week celebrating my mother, as her funeral
was Monday. Two busy work days followed, and now I’m beat as the weekend
arrives.
But I have enough energy to share my thoughts on six timely
topics. Thank you for reading!
1. Falwell’s follies
A Politico article came out this week attacking Jerry
Falwell, Jr., leader of Liberty University, my alma mater. Apparently it was written
by a fellow grad, of whom I am not familiar and have never met.
I start this week’s DHD sharing what I think about this embarrassing
report. It’s not the first time I’ve heard negative reports on Jerry, Jr., and
I predict that more will follow.
I don’t know Jerry, Jr., but I do know his late father who
founded Liberty and was quite visible on campus while I was a student and in the
seven years that I worked in the LU athletics department after graduation.
There is much to criticize and disagree when discussing Dr. Falwell, but I do
believe he was a good man with good intentions. He did great things as a
preacher of the Gospel and had great vision, which resulted in building a major
Christian university. Falwell loved people, even those who did not share his
views and perspectives. He was very personable, and God gave him a passion to
build a university that would train “young champions for Christ.”
One thing I know about Jerry Jr. is he knows how to make
money and has been instrumental in building up Liberty to where I didn’t even
recognize the campus when I visited about four years ago. I do have sources who
have shared stories about Jerry Jr., and the stories would be in line with what
was shared in the Politico article.
What I don’t like about the Politico article is the overall
tone and shady presentation. Multiple times the writer mentioned anonymous
sources. I am aware that Jerry Jr. is very controlling and insists his subordinates
keep things in house, but using anonymous sources when reporting, especially as
excessively as they were used in this article, hinders credibility.
For the most part, I agree with David French who gave a good
response to the Politico article. He wrote, “Time
and again, powerful Christian men create or nurture powerful Christian
institutions — only to fall prey to the temptation to equate the advance of
those institutions and their own power with the advance of the Gospel and the
Kingdom of God.”
2.
Blocking Born-Alive Bill
It would be beneficial for you to read up on the Born-Alive
Abortion Survivors Protection Act. The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission
offers a current
report of this important bill being blocked by U.S. Congress.
The ERLC article is a good one, and I appreciate how
it concludes, sharing how the One World Trade Center in New York City (ironically
since New York approves of infanticide) memorializes those who died during the
9/11 terrorist attack, including those who were expectant mothers “and her
unborn child.”
It’s a deep read, regarding politics, but the
article communicates well the importance of justice over liberty. And I like
how Leeman expresses the need for two conversations—one just among those who
follow biblical principles and the other with presenting a pragmatic approach.
Leeman wrote, “…private hallway conversation
one among Bible-believers provides us universally true biblical principles.
Public meeting conversation two then requires us to exercise wisdom both in
persuading people who don’t share our biblical starting point and in determining
how to apply those principles from place to place.”
There has been a recent clash among Conservative Christians
even in Oklahoma. Leeman’s article gives great guidelines on how to approach
political issues. I loved how he explained common covenants through Adam and
Noah and special covenants through Abraham, Moses, David and Christ. “Different
covenants provide different terms by which people must render judgment—do
justice,” Leeman wrote.
More can be said, but I would encourage you to read Leeman’s
article.
4. Mohler and today’s
newspapers
Al Mohler’s podcast “The Briefing,” is regularly cited in
DHD. This week, Mohler brought up a topic that relates to my profession as a
newspaper editor. Check out The Briefing’s Wednesday’s
edition and listen to the opening topic “No More Newspapers? Christians
Face Today’s Changing Media Landscape.”
Mohler’s assessment of modern newspapers is correct. It’s a
difficult day for many reasons in the newspaper business. But he is right that
from a national spectrum there are only three newspapers that fully apply. They
are USA Today, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. Other papers have
some clout, but to the level of these three.
Mohler also summarizes the history of media ecology,
explaining how people through the years received news. And Mohler explains how
the control of the media by the secular mindset causes a major disadvantage for
those with a Christian worldview.
“This puts convictional Christians at a significant
disadvantage in our society because when you look at the people who are shaping
the news and who are influencing the flow of information in the main coming
from elite media sources, they have very little knowledge of us in general,
they have very few conversations with us, and if the truth be known, they are
probably not very interested in us, not until they have to be.”
5. Darkness in
worship services
The church curmudgeon in me will be expressed in this DHD
topic. A family member shared on Facebook an article from 2018 titled “Why
is the Church Going Dark?”
I have to confess, I’m not a fan of dark worship services,
especially on Sunday mornings. The article’s writer brings up great points of
contrasting light and darkness spiritually, and I think it would be beneficial
to demonstrate in at least some of our church worship services.
I get that it is appealing to younger groups, but I find it
hard to believe they would be turned away if worship through music was observed
with lights, especially when worshipping the Light of the world (John 8:12).
Just like the author of this article, I welcome a discussion
of the importance of darkness in church worship services.
6. Durant keeps
griping
Kevin Durant is in the news again complaining about the
Oklahoma City Thunder. I had to think how long ago it was that he left. We’re
going on three years since his departure.
I just think it’s fascinating that Durant won two league
titles with Golden State, and he still seems to not find contentment in life.
Whenever he is interviewed about the Thunder or OKC, he brings up a new narrative.
It’s never the same story. I don’t know what he thinks he will accomplish by
bringing up a new gripe.
It’s a new day in Oklahoma City. The Thunder will begin a
new chapter, and even though many don’t know what the new chapter will entail,
I think it’s safe to say we have moved on. It’s a shame that Durant, even with
all the accolades he obtained after leaving the Thunder, has not.
For this week’s DHD, I’m sharing memories about my mother. Hester Doyle died on Labor Day, and it’s been a heavy week. I have great memories of my mom and decided to share six of them with you.
1. Mom’s encounter
with Elvis
This is one of the funniest stories Mom told me. She used to work for a bank in Memphis, and it was the bank that had Elvis Presley’s financial accounts. She actually saw Elvis frequently coming to the bank. One time, she said she could see Elvis’ car outside her office window. The funny part happened after Elvis would come inside the bank. According to Mom, she could see girls swarm Elvis’ car. They were so ecstatic and giddy, and many would brush their skirts up against the car just to get some of the dirt.
2. Growing up playing
the piano
I don’t know how old Mom was when she started playing the piano, but from what I recall, her dad had her learn when she was young. The reason he did this was he needed an accompanist. My grandfather was known across the southeast Missouri region as a song leader. He not only led services at his church, but at many others, especially if any church was holding a revival. Mom was always there with him to play the piano.
3. Skipping church
wasn’t an option
Speaking of church, we were a family who went every time the church doors were open, and Mom insisted we do so. I remember a time our church had a revival in the fall. Revivals went a whole week and even beyond during these years. On the Saturday during the revival, I went that day with a high school friend to an OU football game, and I remember being tired when I came home.
Mom didn’t care how tired I was. “You’re not going to miss a
church service after going to a football game!” she told me. No matter how I
felt, I still went to the revival meeting that night.
4. Mom the
proofreader and grammar expert
People get on to me about my fascination with grammar. This
is definitely something I inherited from my mother. There were many times, even
in my current profession as a newspaper editor, that I would call her to ask a
grammar question.
Also, it always seemed when we went to an event that had a published program, she always would find an error. My one regret I had this week after writing her obituary is she wasn’t able to proofread it.
5. Mom’s 80th
birthday
One of the greatest times we had with my mom in her final
years was at her 80th birthday party. Many extended family and
longtime church friends were able to attend. I cherish this day.
6. Remember Heb. 13:7
Heb. 13:7 says “Remember your leaders who have spoken God’s word to you. As you carefully observe the outcome of their lives, imitate their faith.”
I have many “leaders” or Christian mentors in my life, and
my mother is one of them. She instilled in me how important church attendance
was, and through this, I encountered great times of worship and Bible study and
a love for fellowship of Christian believers.
God blessed me with a great mom. She was my hero. I look forward to celebrating her life on Sept. 9 at Quail Springs Baptist Church.
Thank you for reading Doyle’s Half Dozen. These are six
topics that involve current events or issues that have been recently discussed
through social media.
I hope you enjoy your Labor Day Weekend, and I always welcome
any responses to whatever I cover in DHD.
1. No Luck at all
I was over at my brother’s house last Saturday, watching ESPN,
when “Breaking News” streamed across the bottom of the screen. Andrew Luck
announced he is retiring as quarterback of the Indianapolis Colts.
It was staggering news, considering that Luck appeared to be
in the prime of his career and had been touted in previous years to be potentially
one of the NFL’s all-time QB greats.
But numerous injuries led to Luck deciding it was time to
hang up his cleats as a 29-year-old. Fans booed him, but football experts and
other professional athletes gave him no criticism and understood why Luck made
his decision.
Kluck wrote, “’Andrew Luck must have received a heaping dose
of common grace,’ I texted to a Christian friend.
“What I meant was that clearly he’s gifted as a thinker and a
communicator, and that he shows evidence of a soft, teachable heart. Not to
mention his freakish combination of height, weight, speed, and arm strength.
Yet Luck’s greatest accomplishment may have been that he survived young fame
and money, and came out the other side with what appears to be real humility.
As we see even in church circles, this rarely if ever happens.”
2. NFL player shares ‘NFL
success doesn’t make you happy’
Before this week, I never heard of Austin Carr. Now I hope
he has a breakout season with the New Orleans Saints.
A third-year wide receiver out of Northwestern University,
Carr made a powerful application in a testimony he shared on The Gospel
Coalition website this week. Titled “When
NFL Success Doesn’t Make You Happy,” Carr’s article reflects the
conclusions found in Ecclesiastes. He basically was saying his football career
had become an idol.
Carr concluded his article by comparing the Christian life
to the solar system.
“In the same way that all the
planets would go completely haywire were the sun to be replaced by a star half
its size, our lives go haywire when Christ isn’t at the center. The ‘planets’
that fill our lives—finances, relationships, energy, interests—all are in their
proper place when orbiting Christ. What or whom is at the center of your life’s
solar system?”
I read up on Carr after
reading this piece and found out he could be facing the cut deadline this
weekend with the Saints, but what could keep him on the squad is a strong
endorsement by Quarterback Drew Brees. Let’s see if we hear more about Carr
this season.
3. A story on a story about a story
Fellow WordSlingers blogger
Ryan Smith beat me to the punch, but I’m glad he did.
I was planning to mention in
this week’s DHD Brett McCracken’s Q&A piece with Becket Cook, “From
Gay to Gospel…” I recommend you read this interview with Cook who lived the
homosexual lifestyle and gained much Hollywood success but was impacted by a
group of Christians whom he happened to meet one day in a coffee shop.
In his blog “From Gay to Gospel: The Story Inside the Story,” Smith drew out a very important Christian discipline that could be overlooked in the original article. Cook’s life changed because he noticed Christians having a Bible study, and they invited him to church.
“Never doubt the value of the
little things in God’s economy,” Smith wrote. “Your small act of daily
obedience may be the turning point in someone’s life.”
I agree with all three points
Greear makes and recommend you check out his blog.
There is one phrase that
Greear uses in the article that is not one of my faves. He wrote, “If we
look humbly and open-mindedly at
what the Bible says, then we see three ways we’ve gone wrong in the church when
it comes to talking about homosexuality.”
Perhaps it’s my fundamentalist upbringing that makes me
cringe when I hear people talking about being “open-minded,” but I think there
could be a lack of clarity when the phrase is used. Being “open-minded” means
to be tolerant and unprejudiced, and there are situations when that can be a
good thing. But does “open-minded” convey a definite boundary?
When Greear suggests to look at the Bible with an open mind,
does he know for certain that his readers believe he is saying the Bible is
teaching an absolute truth with one definitive message, or could they conclude
he is saying passages of Scripture are up for interpretation and can mean
whatever they want it to mean? The latter is a common view of the Bible,
unfortunately.
Of course, the opposite is not good either—narrowmindedness.
Nobody wants to be described as being narrow-minded.
Instead of “open-minded,” I prefer using words like “discernment” or “objective.” If I understand Greear correctly, he wants to encourage Christians to have reasonable dialogue and have the perspective that, possibly, some people’s conclusions of Scripture have been remiss.
I remember a former pastor explaining it this way. Don’t be
either narrow-minded or open-minded, but be “truth-minded.”
“But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that
which is good” (1 Thess. 5:21—NASB).
5. Mohler on
representative democracy
Albert Mohler had some great content this week on his daily podcast The Briefing. I enjoyed every edition this week. One in particular is his Wednesday Briefing and his final topic, “Is United States a Republic or Democracy?”
This is a fantastic lecture on Civics, and I loved how
Mohler discredited the New York Times,
saying the paper’s conclusion was “absolute nonsense” when describing
representative democracy as “a closed domain for a select privileged few.”
Scroll down or listen to Part IV of Mohler’s Wednesday’s address.
“The fact is that many Americans simply don’t know the
distinction between a democracy and a republic… In a direct democracy, whoever
is qualified to vote votes on everything directly. Now, that would be an insane
form of government… Instead, (the American founders) wanted to create—and they
did create— a representative democracy, which means that we elect members of
Congress, and we elect, constitutionally, electors who elect the president of
the United States… And by the way, while we’re doing a little bit of truth
telling, the people who cry for democracy don’t actually want a democracy. They
just want a political order that minimizes the importance of the states and
leads to what, by their definition, would be a more direct democracy. But we
have to recognize that that would not be a mere or minor constitutional change;
that would be a major modification, indeed a repudiation of the American
conception of government as representative democracy going back to the
founding.”
This is good stuff!
6. More Mohler
There’s much more great Mohler content from this week,
especially on current issues involving abortion, which he also addressed in the
Wednesday Briefing. His take gives warning about Planned Parenthood recruiting
136 pop stars and bands to promote abortion.
Mohler provided clarity when addressing Presidential
candidate Beto O’Rourke’s response to a man who asked O’Rourke if his life had
value the day before the man was born.
“The man asked if his own life had any value the day before
he was born. We’re not just talking about late-term abortion, we’re talking
about the day before he was born. He doubled down on that himself in asking the
question by pointing out that he was born on September the 8th of 1989, so he
specifically referenced the day before, September 7th, 1989. That is the day
that Beto O’Rourke answered his mother should have had the right to kill him in
the womb. It should have been her decision alone. There should be no outside
interrogation of her decision. There should be no governmental intervention to
prevent her decision.”
In Monday’s briefing,
Mohler addressed actress Alyssa Milano admitting she had two abortions in one
year.
Finally, Mohler’s briefing
on Thursday, all of it, is necessary reading or listening about education
in America, specifically in New York City, and the shortcomings of government’s
influence with no regard to Christianity.
It would be worth 25 minute for you to hear it or read the
transcript.
“The optimal place for children to be raised is in a family
that follows the pattern of Scripture. Outside the family and the extended
family is the community. And the closer the community, the more able it is to
meet the needs. So a neighborhood is better than a city government; and a city
government is better than a state government; and a state government, believe
it or not, is better than a national government.”
I took off last week from writing a Doyle’s Half Dozen
because I was observing my duty as a 50-year-old and had a colonoscopy. Good
news is I am cancer free, but they recommended having another procedure in two years.
I continue to be educated in this process of aging.
But I’m back this week and ready to share six timely topics
with you.
1. Planned Parenthood
picks abortion over women’s care
The biggest news that opened this week was the decision by
Planned Parenthood Federation of America to forfeit government revenue in order
to remain the world’s largest abortion provider.
Baptist
Press and other news sources reported Planned Parenthood will not abide by
a new rule that prohibits federal funding through Title X, the federal
governments’ family planning program, to organizations that performs, promotes
or refers abortions.
This means Planned Parenthood will forfeit $50 to $60
million a year. According to Baptist Press, “PPFA and its affiliates collected
$563.8 million in government grants and reimbursements in its latest financial
year. The abortion giant performed more than 332,757 abortions during the most
recent year for which statistics are available.”
As many respected pro-life leaders have pointed out, Planned
Parenthood’s message of caring for women’s is a major smoke screen, and this
latest decision proves it. Abortion is that organization’s main objective.
2. Pro-life progress
under Trump
I have shared previously that I did not vote for Donald
Trump in the last presidential elections because I was concerned how certain he
was to make decisions respecting the Sanctity of Life.
I know there is much to be concerned about President Trump’s
demeanor and his crass form of communicating, but when it comes to issues of
abortion, appointing judges who appear to value the Sanctity of Life and making
decisions to support the unborn, Trump has made more strides than many of his
recent predecessors.
I am certain that any of his opponents in the 2020 elections
would be harmful to the pro-life progress that has been made under the Trump
administration.
3. Rummage returns to
seminary, remains at OKC, Quail Springs
This is a breaking news item that I just read an hour ago.
My pastor, Stephen Rummage, has joined
the faculty of Midwestern Seminary in Kansas City, Mo.
I read the headline off the Baptist Press news feed and
became alarmed. Rummage was just named senior pastor at Oklahoma City, Quail
Springs earlier this year. Fortunately, he will remain at Quail Springs.
To prevent others from having the same alarmed reaction, I
quickly posted the story on baptistmessenger.com and made sure the message of
Rummage staying at Quail Springs was in the headline.
Pastor Rummage is an excellent preacher and have enjoyed the
privilege of hearing him regularly speak. I know he has served on seminary
faculties previously and know he will be a tremendous addition at Midwestern.
4. Words to avoid in
sermons
Speaking of Midwestern Seminary, I read a great article this
week by Jason K. Allen, Midwestern’s president. You should check out “5
Words to Avoid in Sermons.”
One word in particular that Allen mentions to avoid is “thing.”
Recently, I noticed in writing as well how non-specific the word “thing” can be.
“The more specific you are, the more compelling your ideas will be,” Allen
wrote.
I want to be more creative in how I communicate.
5. Telling others
about ‘Transgender to Transformed’
Laura Perry shares her story of being a transgender male for
almost 10 years to now being transformed through her faith in Jesus Christ. Her
book titled “Transgender to Transformed” was recently released.
She met with Brian Hobbs on the Messenger
Insight podcast, and it’s an excellent interview that you should hear. It’s
worth the 30-plus minutes.
Karen Kinnaird also wrote a review
of Laura’s book.
I hope you will either listen to the podcast or read the
review (or both) because Laura’s story is powerful and needs to be told to many
who have been misguided and disillusioned by the LGBTQ philosophy.
6. Will gives a
eulogy
Finally, I close with a bragging moment.
My 14-year-old nephew delivered the eulogy at his
grandfather’s funeral this week. This was a significant moment for Will in his
young life. He shared very eloquently how he felt about his grandfather, Jerry
Reed, and those in attendance were captivated.
Will Doyle giving the eulogy at the funeral of his grandfather, Jerry Reed.
I don’t know many 14-year-olds who could have done what Will
did. He shared passages of Scripture, including Philemon 7, and expounded well on
the Apostle Paul’s brief letter.
Needless to say, I appreciate Will taking on a significant
role of public speaking like he did and handled it masterfully.
