Art Shouldn’t Get A Free Nudity Pass Just Because It’s Art
The fact that celebrated works from the past contain nudity doesn’t justify us including it in our films, literature, and other mediums.The fact that celebrated works from the past contain nudity doesn’t justify us including it in our films, literature, and other mediums.‘The darkness hates the light’: Why Christians must persevere in the public sphere
While a majority of Americans identify as Christians, many of them have been misled to believe in a version of Christianity that is not biblical — for fear of how they’d be treated in the public square.
“We are told over and over again that if you, as not just a Christian, but a conservative Christian, bring your worldview into the public square, into politics, if you allow what you believe about the Bible to influence your politics, you are a fascist, you are a dictator, you’re trying to bring in ‘The Handmaid’s Tale,’ you are a Christian nationalist,” Allie Beth Stuckey tells author and apologist Natasha Crain on “Relatable.”
However, the opposite is true for progressives.
“If you’re a progressive that uses some decontextualized Bible verse to support your immigration policy or your abortion policy or your socialistic policy, that’s not Christian nationalism, that’s fine, that’s true, good Christianity,” Stuckey continues.
“It’s only when a Christian might say, ‘Well, you know, Psalm 139 makes it pretty clear that babies inside the womb are valuable or made by God, so I don’t think that it should be legal to murder them,’ all of a sudden that is prohibited in a form of tyranny,” she adds.
“I think Christians get very confused on this because we see that there’s so many different ideas out there of what is good. People start saying that what we believe is harmful and toxic and that we’re misogynous and we’re oppressors,” Crain says. “We have all these insults that are hurled at us because of our ideas about the common good.”
“What the world calls good may be evil, and what the world calls evil may be good,” she adds, noting that many Christians get dissuaded from preaching what they believe is good because others don’t like them for it.
“Jesus said, ‘If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own,’” Crain says. “So he was warning his disciples before they went out on mission. He didn’t give them warm and fuzzies and say, ‘Hey, this is going to be great.’”
“He actually gave an explanation for why they would be hated by saying, ‘If you were of the world,’ and to be ‘of the world’ literally means to be under the governing rule of Satan. Scripture is very clear that you are either of Satan or of God. You’re a child of Satan or a child of God,” she continues.
“Those who are children of Satan, they want to go their own way. It’s their own wills, their own desires. They are slaves to sin. And people who are slaves to sin are always going to hate those who are slaves to righteousness, who are children of God, because the darkness hates the light,” she adds.
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Blaze News original: What would represent complete and total victory for the pro-life movement?
In 2022 the U.S. Supreme Court issued the ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, but two years later, pro-lifers are still far from accompolishing their ultimate objective of ending the nation's ongoing abortion holocaust.
"Abortion remains the number-one killer in the country," Republican Rep. Bob Good of Virginia told Blaze News.
'We know the science of life now. Life does begin at conception.'
The congressman, who currently serves as chair of the House Freedom Caucus, said "the hope" is that eventually abortion will be regarded in the same manner as slavery, with people unable to imagine how it was once tolerated in the U.S.
"We know the science of life now. Life does begin at conception," Good noted.
He told Blaze News that complete and total victory for the pro-life movement would mean abortion becoming "unthinkable" in the U.S., though he noted that this is a "multifaceted battle" that entails changing people's views and helping mothers in tough circumstances know about options and support. He also noted that there is a "legislative component."
Good indicated that he would support a federal law or constitutional amendment to abolish abortion.
'The aim is always and only abolition.'
Babylon Bee CEO Seth Dillon also told Blaze News that victory for the pro-life movement would involve abortion becoming "unthinkable."
"Complete and total victory is the end of abortion. It's when abortion has become not just unlawful, but unthinkable. The challenge is that it won't become unlawful until it's unthinkable. It really is true that politics is downstream from culture. Slavery was eventually abolished, but not before minds and hearts were changed on a grand scale. The culture — not our conviction that all human life is sacred — must change," Dillon said in a statement to Blaze News.
"While compromise may be necessary on the road to abolition, it should never be our aim. If life is ever sacred, it's always sacred. Any legislative progress we make that reduces the number of abortions is good, and we'll take it. But the goal is abolition. As my friend Jeremy Boreing put it, 'Every step in that direction is a good but insufficient one,' Dillon wrote. "Ultimately we need a constitutional amendment that protects the right to life. This is not a realistic outcome right now, so we'll have to settle, in the meantime, for victories on the state level. But the truly pro-life will never be content with compromise. The aim is always and only abolition."
'There is never a good reason to murder an innocent child.'
BlazeTV host Steve Deace also advocates for the abolition of abortion in the U.S.
"Complete and total victory is the abolition of baby murder, just as complete and total victory over slavery was its abolition. Anything less may be progress and may even be righteous, but it is not total victory. There is never a good reason to murder an innocent child," Deace declared in a statement to Blaze News.
"Ultimately we need to have enshrined in the Constitution or at least affirmed via statute that the fifth and 14th Amendments (i.e. 'no person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law') applies to human life at all stages. In the meantime, the fight is at the state level. That is where the baby-murderers are making progress enshrining this evil into state constitutions, wickedness that would likely override any 'and then you can kill the baby' legislation in Congress – which frankly probably would not pass right now anyway. You have to fight the enemy where they are attacking you, and right now we are being attacked on the state level," Deace added.
But while pro-lifers like Good, Dillon, and Deace seek the end of the legalized slaughter of unborn children in the U.S., former President Donald Trump, who appointed three of the Supreme Court justices responsible for overturning Roe, has said that he would not support a national abortion ban.
Trump endorsed Good's Republican primary opponent and claimed that the incumbent congressman is "BAD" for the state and the nation — and Trump may have been successful in destroying the conservative lawmaker's re-election bid. McGuire received over 300 votes more than Good in the Republican primary in Virginia's 5th Congressional District, according to enr.elections.virginia.gov. The primary results have been certified by the Virginia State Board of Elections, according to the Associated Press. But Good wants a recount.
— (@)
Republicans 'should be proud of being the party of life.'
In a statement posted on his campaign website, Good declared, "Abortion is not healthcare. Abortion is not a human right. When it is treated as such, we deny that innocent baby their God-given rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I believe all human life, born and unborn, should be protected and cherished. As a born-again Christian, I believe God calls us to defend the defenseless and be a voice for the voiceless. When deciding how to vote, I will always err on the side of unborn human life, each and every time."
Good told Blaze news that "Republicans cannot be afraid of" the abortion issue. He called the Democratic Party the "party of death, that celebrates abortion, that seems to want more abortion" and said that Republicans "should be proud of being the party of life."
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Results showing narrow primary defeat for Rep. Bob Good certified, but the congressman wants a recount
The results for Virginia's 5th Congressional District Republican primary have been certified by the State Board of Elections, according to the Associated Press. The outlet has still not called the contest.
According to the results on enr.elections.virginia.gov, state Sen. John McGuire won the race by more than 300 votes, defeating incumbent U.S. Rep. Bob Good.
But Good, who chairs the House Freedom Caucus, wants a recount.
"Now that the preliminary certification of the primary election has concluded, we will move into a recount," a post on the @GoodForCongress X account states. "In a race with nearly 63,000 votes that is separated by a 0.6% margin, Republican voters across the 5th District deserve to know that all legal votes have been accurately counted. We will vigorously pursue that objective over the coming days and weeks, as permitted by Virginia law."
'Reminder that either way we have two left hands in politics'
Trump had endorsed McGuire in the primary while slamming Good as "BAD" for the state and the nation.
While Good endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for president last year before DeSantis launched a White House bid, the congressman endorsed Trump when DeSantis dropped out of the GOP presidential primary this year.
Good has a 100% session score and a 100% lifetime score from Heritage Action.
"Reminder that either way we have two left hands in politics," Blaze Media's Daniel Horowitz tweeted.
Horowitz and other conservatives have been critical of Trump's endorsement track record.
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Glenn says THIS subject has been haunting him for years
Glenn Beck has been chewing on something for quite some time now — “12 years, maybe,” he says. But he’s never found the right time or occasion to speak about it.
He arranged to raise this subject in Gettysburg a few years ago, but the pandemic thwarted his plans.
However, through prayer, Glenn has realized he doesn’t need an event to speak what’s on his heart. He already has “12 million people listening to [him] every day,” and now he’s ready to tell his audience about something he feels is “the most important thing America can do right now.”
And that is “restoring the covenant.”
“America historically is a covenant nation,” says Glenn. “The pilgrims actually came here to establish what they called the New Jerusalem.”
“There in Lower Manhattan, [George Washington] raised his hand to the square and [put] his hand on the Bible, and he swore to protect and defend the Constitution ... [and] he made a covenant,” says Glenn.
Later, Abraham Lincoln “asked Congress to pass a Thanksgiving proclamation to rededicate ourselves to the American covenant. It passed, and people all over the country prayed, humbled themselves, and fasted and dedicated their lives, their fortunes, their sacred honor ... once again to God's will.”
But people forget what covenant means. They forget that it’s a promise you don’t break.
It’s no wonder Americans have forgotten what covenant means though, as we live in a time in which “we expect that most people are just lying to us all the time. Our president is lying all the time; so was the last one, the one before that, and the one before that, [and] our media is lying to us.”
“With all of this lying, truth no longer matters, but you cannot have a society or a civilization without truth,” says Glenn, or at least not one with any meaning anyway.
“You know, we throw words around like ‘freedom’ and ‘liberty,’ [but] what does that mean?”
“To me, it means opportunity to speak, to worship, to live, to work and better myself and our children's lives,” says Glenn. “We wrote them down in this country as rights, and we also said they come from God — all of the things that have any meaning at all all come from God.”
But people seem to have forgotten that.
Perhaps revival in this country begins with remembering the promises we made all those years ago.
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Whoops! 'Good Morning America' deletes tweet that inaccurately called Ketanji Brown Jackson 'the first Black Supreme Court justice in U.S. history'
A tweet posted to the Good Morning America Twitter account on Thursday erroneously described Ketanji Brown Jackson as being the nation's first-ever black Supreme Court Justice.
"Ketanji Brown Jackson is sworn in as the first Black Supreme Court justice in U.S. history," the now-deleted post declared.
\u201cLol why did you delete this, @GMA ?\u201d— Benny Johnson (@Benny Johnson) 1656630386
The inaccurate tweet was reportedly up for hours before being deleted, but Good Morning America eventually issued a correction post.
"CORRECTION: Video shows Ketanji Brown Jackson sworn in as the first Black female Supreme Court justice in U.S. history. A previous tweet erroneously stated Jackson is the first Black Supreme Court justice," the tweet noted.
\u201cCORRECTION: Video shows Ketanji Brown Jackson sworn in as the first Black female Supreme Court justice in U.S. history.\n\nA previous tweet erroneously stated Jackson is the first Black Supreme Court justice. https://t.co/aWelikUtZg\u201d— Good Morning America (@Good Morning America) 1656629129
Jackson, who was sworn in on Thursday, is the first black woman ever to serve on the nation's highest court, but she is not the first black American to serve on the Supreme Court bench.
Justice Clarence Thomas, who is black, was nominated by President George H.W. Bush and has served on the Supreme Court for more than 30 years. Thurgood Marshall was the first black person ever to serve on the Supreme Court.
Only three Republican senators voted in favor of confirming Jackson to serve on the Supreme Court: Mitt Romney of Utah, Susan Collins of Maine, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.
President Joe Biden nominated Jackson to replace Justice Stephen Breyer, who had announced plans to retire earlier this year — Breyer's retirement became effective Thursday at noon.
Biden had pledged to nominate a black woman, but many Americans considered the concept of narrowing the field of potential candidates based solely on skin color and gender to be highly inappropriate.
"Biden’s mistake: He should not be choosing a Supreme Court justice based on the color of their skin or sex, but rather on their qualifications & commitment to uphold our Constitution & the freedoms guaranteed to all Americans in that document which is the foundation of our nation," former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii tweeted in January.
Dramatic photos capture the moment Team USA swimming coach heroically saves unconscious swimmer
Harrowing photos capture the moment a Team USA swimming coach rescued an artistic swimmer who fainted in the water during the FINA World Aquatic Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
U.S. swimmer Anita Alvarez, 25, sank to the bottom of the pool after completing her solo free routine on Wednesday.
U.S. swimming coach Andrea Fuentes said the lifeguards didn't react fast enough to save the unconscious swimmer, so she took matters into her own hands.
"I have seen that instead of going up she has gone down and I thought, 'Something strange is happening here,' Anita was not breathing and she has not breathed for two minutes," Fuentes told Spanish broadcaster Cadena COPE in a radio interview. "When a swimmer finishes their routine, the first thing they want to do is breathe."
Fuentes explained, "I called for the lifeguards, like, 'Go into the pool, can't you see she's going down in the water?'"
She said the lifeguards "weren't reacting," adding, "So after a couple of seconds, I went in as fast as I could."
Fuentes told the BBC that she went into "problem-solving mode."
The coach – who was still fully clothed in a T-shirt and shorts – heroically raced to the water and swam to the bottom of the pool to rescue the lifeless Alvarez.
\u201cAn American synchronized swimmer was rescued by her coach after losing consciousness during a competition. @tjholmes reports. https://t.co/kWY5S6eOU4\u201d— Good Morning America (@Good Morning America) 1655984633
"I don't think I've swum as fast ever before, even when I got Olympic medals, and well, in the end, I was able to get her up and she wasn't breathing," Fuentes continued.
Fuentes previously won four synchronized swimming Olympic medals for Spain.
Dramatic photos show Fuentes pulling Alvarez – a two-time Olympian – to the surface with the assistance of another swimmer.
\u201cCoach Andrea Fuentes leapt in to rescue Team USA's Anita Alvarez, who had sunk to the bottom of the pool and was not breathing at the World Aquatics Championships.\n\n"It was a big scare. I had to jump in because the lifeguards weren't doing it" \n\nhttps://t.co/QzBH5TRcvD\u201d— AFP News Agency (@AFP News Agency) 1655947713
"In the end, everything came out OK," the hero coach remarked.
Once out of the pool, Alvarez was given medical treatment before being taken away on a stretcher.
In a statement on the USA Artistic Swimming Instagram page, Fuentes gave an update on the condition of Alvarez.
"Anita is okay – the doctors checked all vitals and everything is normal: heart rate, oxygen, sugar levels, blood pressure, etc… all is okay," she said.
"Anita feels good now and the doctors also say she is okay," the U.S. swimming coach noted. "Tomorrow she will rest all day and will decide with the doctor if she can swim free team finals or not."
Fuentes explained how swimming is different from other high-endurance sports.
"Marathon, cycling, cross country … we all have seen images where some athletes don’t make it to the finish line and others help them to get there," she said. "Our sport is no different than others, just in a pool, we push through limits and sometimes we find them."
USA Artistic Swimming told the Associated Press, "Watching yesterday’s medical emergency of 2x Olympian Anita Alvarez and subsequent rescue by coach Andrea Fuentes was heartbreaking for our community. She gave an exceptional solo performance and competed brilliantly in four preliminary and three final competitions across six days."
Alvarez – USA's 2021 Artistic Swimming Athlete of the Year – finished seventh in the final.
Last year, Alvarez fainted following a routine during an Olympic qualifier in Barcelona. In that instance, Fuentes also rescued her in the water.
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