John Stonestreet – Page 47

D.C. Police Chief Calls Out Realities of Marijuana

Aug 9, 2021John StonestreetMarijuanaMarijuana

*John Stonestreet, Radio Host and Director of the Colson Center*

In 2015, then-Washington D.C. police chief Cathy Lanier assured reporters that legalizing marijuana would not have an effect on crime. “They just want to get a bag of chips and to relax,” she said. “Alcohol is a much bigger problem.”

Six years later and DC is dealing with more than the munchies. Current Police Chief Robert Contee recently declared, “Marijuana undoubtedly is connected to violent crimes.” This in a community with a 20 percent increase in violent crime since Covid.

Contee grew-up in D.C., He knew the smell of marijuana because his dad was an addict. His life was turned around by a mom who taught him about consequences and a community that gave him support. Now, he’s trying to convince D.C. residents and lawmakers that bad ideas, including bad laws, have consequences… and victims.

This will be a tough thing to turn around. Christians will have a role to play, along with a shift in thinking about marijuana. One that matches reality.

Abortion’s Barbarity Continues

Aug 2, 2021John StonestreetAbortion, BioethicsAbortion, Bioethics, Life, Pro-life, Sanctity of Human Life

Recently, the world learned that researchers at the University of Pittsburgh were grafting the scalps of aborted infants onto the flesh of rodents. And now, prolife group Live Action has uncovered that researchers at a California university has been trading in various body parts of aborted children, specifically genitalia, bladders, and kidneys.

Perhaps most unsettling is the indifference of the people involved to what in any other context would be considered barbaric. Emails uncovered included pleasantries about the weekend and hopes for a happy holiday, exchanged between the parties amidst logs of body parts bought and sold.

This is what Hannah Arendt called “the banality of evil.” The great crimes of history are often committed, not by monsters, but by ordinary folks in day to day life. And so building a culture of life will involve not only passing laws and attending marches, but exposing the scale of assault on human dignity that passes in the name of science.

Amy Grant’s Easy Answer Won’t Do

Jul 26, 2021John StonestreetCurrent EventsCurrent Events, LGBT

Recently, Christian music legend Amy Grant appeared on the pro-LGBT podcast “Proud Radio.” Asked about gay artists in country music, Grant said that she thinks it’s important to “set a welcome table” for people of all sexual orientations because: “None of us are a surprise to God. Nothing about who we are or what we’ve done.” The host understood these words as an endorsement of his gay lifestyle.

But nothing Grant said is technically wrong. God does love and welcome sinners. He isn’t surprised by who we are or what we’ve done. But in this cultural moment, to speak only the culturally acceptable truths about love and acceptance while keeping silent on the offensive truths about sin and salvation ends up not telling the truth, at all.

We all want to say things that will keep our secular counterparts listening. But if we really believe in the power of God’s love to overcome our sin, the easy and misleading answer won’t do.

Image sourced from: Justin Higuchi