Fred Phelps' "God Hates Fags" Message: Is It Free Speech?

John W. Whitehead March 15th, 2010

"You can't preach the Bible without preaching the hatred of God."–Pastor Fred Phelps

The U.S. Supreme Court's decision to hear Snyder v. Phelps, a case dealing with anti-gay protests at the funerals of American soldiers, is stirring up debate over whether the privacy rights of grieving families trumps the free speech rights of demonstrators.

The case arose after members of the anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church picketed the Maryland funeral of Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Sn … (Read More)

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Haitian voices: God and the quake

Terry Mattingly January 27th, 2010

So far, nothing I have seen coming out of Haiti has changed my mind about how journalists should approach the basic “theodicy” story.

I’ve said it several times already (click here and then here), I am really not that interested in what American religious broadcasters or even articulate American academics have to say about the role that God or the spirits did or didn’t play in causing the hellish earthquake that rocked Port-au-Prince and the surrounding area.

What matters to me are the v … (Read More)

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Obama and the Global Police: More Friendly Fascism?

John W. Whitehead January 14th, 2010

"The essence of Government is power; and power, lodged as it must be in human hands, will ever be liable to abuse."– James Madison

Over the course of his first year in office, Barack Obama has shown himself to be a skillful and savvy politician, saying the things Americans want to hear while stealthily and inexorably moving forward the government's agenda of centralized power. For example, in one breath, Obama pays lip service to the need for greater transparency in governme … (Read More)

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Loving Big Brother: The Future Is Now

John W. Whitehead October 5th, 2009

"He loved Big Brother."–George Orwell, 1984

1984 portrays a global society of total control in which people are not supposed to have thoughts that in any way disagree with the corporate state. There is no personal freedom. Snitches and surveillance cameras are everywhere. And people are subject to the Thought Police, who deal with anyone guilty of such thought crimes. The government, or "Party," is headed by Big Brother, who appears on posters everywhere with the words: … (Read More)

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Losing America & Fathers - John Armstrong & Larry Gelwix on SBE

Erik Guzman June 19th, 2009

News flash! Christians are losing America.

Should we try to get it back? Should we even care? If so, what can the average ham and egger Christian do about it?

Join founder and president of ACT 3, John Armstrong, on this edition of SBE as we talk about the end of Christian America, Oprah and civil religion.

(If you're on the front page of the site, click "Read More" to see audio player options.)

Then, a nod to Father's Day with Coach Larry Gelwix. Coach Gelwix is arguabl … (Read More)

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Our Favorite Lib - Tony Campolo on SBE

Erik Guzman June 5th, 2009

This week on Steve Brown Etc….two old white guys for the price of one! Join Steve and his old buddy Tony Campolo as they hang out, abuse each other and bring some wisdom on where to look for some hope in these troubled times.

(If you're on the front page of the site, click "Read More" to see audio player options.)

You’ve probably seen Tony talking about politics and religion on Nightline, CNN, MSNBC, Politically Incorrect, etc. He's Professor Emeritus of Sociology a … (Read More)

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