Grace Blogs

An Interview with Scott Klusendorf, President of Life Training Institute.

Read the entire interview by Justin Taylor
Scott’s forthcoming book, The Case for Life: Equipping Christians to Engage Culture, will be published by Crossway in March 2009.

JT: Just how bad was this election for pro-lifers? Give us the big picture.

SK: There’s no doubt we’ve experienced a crushing defeat in the current political cycle. The executive and legislative branches of the federal government are now firmly in the hands of those deeply committed to the proposition that an entire class of human beings can be set aside to be killed simply because they are in the way of something we want. In the weeks ahead, even before the …

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While many were focused on the big prize of the Presidential election, there was a pivotal vote on a referendum called “Proposition 8″ in California. Proposition 8 is a amendment to the Constitution of California that would define marriage exclusively between a man and a woman.

What does this mean? Since California voters have approved the amendment, this effectively outlaws some 18,000 same-sex marriage that have taken place over the last 4 1/2 months. The voters have overturned the California State Supreme Court decision that gave gay couples the right to marry.

The passage of Proposition 8 represents a crushing political defeat for gay rights activists. They had hoped public opinion on the contentious issue had shifted enough …

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A stirring reminder from CatholicVote.com

This is one issue that both Protestant and Roman Catholic can agree on: every child conceived has a right to live!

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On Sunday, the Gospel Conversations class discussed “pre-evangelism.” What’s that? If “evangelism” is “telling people about the good news,” then “pre-evangelism” is what you do before you tell people the good news. After all, “take up your cross and follow me” is not good news unless you know the whole story.

D.A. Carson has written a helpful article on Acts 17 in which he outlines the need for explaining the “big story” of the Bible in our evangelism:

Paul at the Areopagus in Athens has established an entire frame of reference before he gets to Jesus. He has challenged the Greek worldview with his JudeoChristian worldview. If he had presented clichés like “Jesus died

…

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1. How Not to Help the Poor

The Acton Institute observes that government policies addressing poverty have perpetuated it and even worsened it by creating social pathologies… prior to 1960, 82% of black families had a married man and woman raising their children. The situation is very different now. Even during slavery days, a black child was more likely to grow up with both parents than he or she is today.

[via JT]

2. The End of the Nation? Russia Chooses Death Over Life

Al Mohler writes on the alarming fact that 64% of Russian pregnancies end in abortion:

The recent

…

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Kirk Cameron (Growing Pains and Way of the Master), tells of his commitment to only kiss his wife even if he is acting!

In a day of weak morals and wimpy men, this story is refreshing!

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Have you found yourself confused at the water cooler or in the lunch room because you do not understanding what exactly is the “financial crisis” we are facing as a nation?

If you are like me you simply don’t have time to pull all the sound-bytes together to have a clear picture of the magnitude or the terminology involved. So, how about a quick primer? The following article will help bring this issue into focus for you.

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In my lifetime I do not remember a time in which the political landscape was shaken more than it has in the days following the Republican National Convention. There is one reason for this rise in the political temperature - Sarah Palin. So who is this political juggernaut and what does she stand for? I found this article helpful.

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I was going to forward this talk on to the Adult Ministry Team (AMT), but I think this would be a good listen for anyone interested in why we teach within the church. It features Pastor Rob Paris, of Wellspring Anglican Church, preaching a message on a Christian view of education in the church. I found it helpful and encouraging.

He closes with what seems to be Wellspring’s vision for education….

We envision multitudes of children and adults delighting themselves in God’s Word and God’s world because they have discovered the life-giving power of His truth and grace. We long to be a learning culture where people study hard to excel in all that they do for the glory of God,

…

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Listen as J.I. Packer draws to a tight focus the central issue in regard to homosexuality, the Gospel itself. Dr. Packer makes a very lucid argument for why it is the very Gospel of Christ that is at stake when it comes to the issue of same-sex relationships.

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