John Stonestreet – Page 28

What Critics Miss About Being Pro-Life

Jul 28, 2022John StonestreetAbortionAbortion, Dobbs v. Jackson, Life, Pro-life, Sanctity of Human Life

In the wake of the Dobbs decision, an accusation often levied against pro-life Christians is that they only care about babies until “birth,” but not after.

Even if it were true, it’s a weird thing to say. Is “not killing innocent babies” not a sufficient moral position in and of itself? Even so, as an accusation, it’s simply false. There’s a virtual army of faith-based adoption, foster care, and family support organizations in existence today, all of whom strive to care for vulnerable families. 

One example is Safe Families for Children, who support parents on the brink of having to release their kids to foster care. In Ohio is My Village Ministries. They work to reduce, repair, and prevent childhood trauma that results from shattered homes. And a new ministry, Rachel Project supports the growing number of grandparents who are the primary caregivers of their grandchildren.

And of course, there is adoption. Practicing Christians adopt at more than twice the rate of the general population, according to Barna Research. 

There’s plenty more to be done, of course, but don’t buy the empty accusation. And, why not pick any one of these groups and support them with your prayers and financial generosity?

Lightyear Critics Will “Die Off Like Dinosaurs,” Says Captain America

Jul 11, 2022John StonestreetLGBTLGBT

Disney’s newest Pixar film, Lightyear, isn’t doing great at the box office. While critics puzzle over why, an obvious reason is parents are tiring of the constant indoctrination in sexual matters. They feel betrayed by the once trusted Toy Story franchise.

All that may come as a surprise to Chris Evans, the new voice of Buzz, who recently said concerned parents are “idiots” who will soon “die off like the dinosaurs.” Not only, as Hans Fiene noted, is it strange for 41-year-old man with no children to predict the extinction of the fertile, it’s strange to leave children asking whether girls can marry girls, and how the couple had the baby who just magically appears in the film.

It’s one thing to promote the idea that dads and moms are interchangeable despite, you know, science, but it’s another to accuse anyone tired of being force-fed this whole thing of bigotry. As one reviewer put it, “Perhaps calling critics of a movie ‘idiots who are going to die off like the dinosaurs’ wasn’t the best strategy to get families to watch the latest entry in the Toy Story franchise.”

The Great Firewall of China

Jul 6, 2022John StonestreetChinaChina

“For many years, the internet in China was seen as a channel for new thinking, or at least greater openness,” writes Human Rights Watch researcher Yaqiu Wang. “Online discussions were relatively free and open, and users, especially younger ones, had an eager appetite for learning and debating big ideas about political systems and how China should be governed.”

That changed when Xi Jinping took power. Explaining what’s known as China’s “Great Firewall,” Wang notes, “the government got savvier, and more aggressive about using its own technology.” For example, dissidents, journalists, and public figures disappear frequently, sometimes often for minor infractions like logging onto Twitter.

The state’s actions have created “a generational split,” says Wang. “[T]hose who experienced a relatively free internet as young people—many strongly resent the Great Firewall. Among people who started college after Xi took power, however, there is a strong impulse to defend it.”

It’s an extreme example of how tools intended and used for good can also be harnessed for evil. The same resource that can promote flourishing can also promote tyranny. That’s true everywhere, not just China.