As the father of two daughters the subject of fashion is one that already gives me grief. My girls are three and one and yet even at those ages we are already coming across clothes that I am giving the axe. I do not look forward to the challenge growing as my girls inch toward the teen years.

Over at Gender Blog a series of posts by Dr. Timothy Paul Jones has just been started addressing the subject of Clothing and the Character of the Child. I recommend all parents and non-parents, humans and fashion designers, check it out.

First, a call for prayer.

As another conflict unfolds, pray for peace in Israel and Gaza. Jesus Christ is the only lasting hope for peace between God and man and between man and man but that does not mean we do not work for peace on earth. Pray, first, that people in Israel and Gaza will turn to Christ and instead of facing each other as enemies would be able to look at each other as brothers. Pray, second, for the fighting to stop, for the anger and hate and terrorism and bombings and retaliations to end. Pray, third, for the safety of people caught in the middle when conflict does break out.

Second, cautious political commentary.

I support Israel’s right to exist and I believe they have the right to defend themselves against attack. But too often Israel’s response is far too severe and accomplishes the opposite of what is intended. Rocket attacks from Hamas against Israel needed to stop but these kinds of responses by Israel do far too much damage and only stir the hate up even more. There are no true military objectives in the aggressive acts carried out by either side. There is only hatred and revenge. This is not about security or governance. It isn’t even really about ideology. It is about pride and wicked human hearts and wills trying to force their dominance over others – be it Gaza over Israel or Israel over Gaza.

I am not a pacifist. But war should never, ever be taken lightly. No human life should be casually regarded. It is far too easy for us in the west to read of (at this time) two hundred twenty-five dead, including children, and shrug it off by saying they deserved the response they received. Pray for peace. And if you have some way of doing so, work for peace. Seek to bring and end to bloodshed. Never regard it casually or lightly or push it to the back of your mind. Thank God for the safety and security you are blessed with and pray that he would extend that blessing to others.

The NY Times has a piece examining Evangelical growth during times of economic distress. I really wish they had chosen some different church leaders to interview. Give it a read and see if some of the marketspeak doesn’t make you cringe. An example:

But why the evangelical churches seem to thrive especially in hard times is a Rorschach test of perspective.

For some evangelicals, the answer is obvious. ”We have the greatest product on earth,” said the Rev. Steve Tomlinson, senior pastor of the Shelter Rock Church.

Truth is, in hard times people’s distractions and illusions begin to fail. We are so good at ignoring what lies in front of us. But when hard times hit it becomes harder to ignore truth and people begin to realize the only thing they can turn to is what they should have turned to all along. I pray, though, that churches would be bold enough and faithful enough to offer the full gospel and not watered down marketspeak. Jesus is not a product to give a try for 60 days. He is Creator and Lord who demands faithfulness.

Mac lovers (like me): something to consider.

Apple announced it is donating $100,000 to the “No on 8″ campaign, citing its history as one of the first California companies to offer equal benefits to its employees’ same-sex partners: “We strongly believe that a person’s fundamental rights–including the right to marry–should not be affected by their sexual orientation. Apple views this as a civil rights issue, rather than just a political issue, and is therefore speaking out publicly against Proposition 8.”

According to the article, Google has also given money to the “No on 8″ campaign. This sort of thing won’t lead me to stop using their products, though it should give one pause to consider where the profits from some of your spending is eventually ending up. Granted just about every corporation we interact with will at some point or another do something or other that opposes what God has established in his Word, so this sort of thing isn’t exactly new, but I really don’t like the thought of some of my money (by association) going to defend gay marriage in California.

The New York Times has an article about middle class families that have had to trim spending during the downturn. The focus of the article is on teens in those families who have for the most part been used to pandering from their parents, getting just about anything they ask for. A couple of quotes jumped out:

When Wendy Postle’s two children were younger, saying “yes” gave her great joy. Yes to all those toys. The music lessons. The blowout birthday parties.

But as her son and daughter approached adolescence, yes turned into a weary default. “Sometimes it was just easier to say, ‘O.K., whatever,’ than to have the battle of ‘no,’ ” said Mrs. Postle, a working mother who lives in Hilliard, Ohio, a middle-class suburb of Columbus.

An indulgent childhood leads to indulgent teenage years. I know how hard it is to say no to a three year old. The things they want tend to be cheap and buying is easy. But even – and especially – at a young age children need to learn that they cannot always have the things that they want. Parents, be wise. Teaching children to expect that they will always get what they want means when they become teenagers they will still expect the same.

Here are some comments about parents having to talk to their kids about the need to spend less in a time when everything is costing more but income is more unstable:

Parents hardly relish these conversations. As they sit down with their teenagers, they are agonizing over their own feelings of failure. “Parents are going to feel they’re not giving their kids everything,” said Madeline Levine, a California psychologist who writes about adolescents in her book “The Price of Privilege.” “The kids are going to be confused. They’ve never known not having what they want. And the parents are going to have to tolerate their kids’ anger.”

Allow me to be a bit harsh. Parents, then, are feeling like failures when they cannot feed the greedy appetites of their children, when they are unable to feed indulgent lifestyles. Once upon a time good parenting meant training your children to live good, well-mannered, productive lives. Today good parenting means making sure your children can live lazy, self-indulgent, Paris Hilton type lives? Something is seriously wrong.

Wendy Postle said her teenagers have become angrier and more argumentative about money. “They seem so selfish,” she said. She wondered whether the fault was hers, whether that early lavishness was a parental failing.

I wonder.

Here is something all parents should see, coming from one teenager who was talking about the way her parents bribed her with things:

And yet, she added shyly: “I love the gifts but I’d really like to spend time with him. But my parents are working harder than ever and they’re so worried. I don’t want to force him to spend time with me. I can be a real earache.”

Kids need parents. They need parents present and involved in their lives. Good parenting does not mean buying kids a bigger television. It means spending time with your kids, loving them and showing them how to live. Let’s tie in one more social ill: an abortion culture treats kids as disposables that are a matter of individual choice. Why let kids get in the way of doing the things you want to do? Earn enough money to buy them enough stuff to cover up their unhappiness and you can get back to doing what you want to do. But in the end everyone ends up indulgent and unhappy and the only solution is one that will require a great deal of pain and adjustment for everyone: sacrifice and working toward real family life.

Gender Blog has the news. A quote:

AB 2567 will require all California schools to “conduct suitable commemorative exercises” in honor of Milk, who was a radical homosexual activist during the final years of his life. According to the bill the required “exercises” will include: “remembering the life of Harvey Milk and recognizing his accomplishments as well as the contributions he made to this state.”

Critics usually present legislation like this as being far more radical than such legislation actually is, but the very fact that such legislation is introduced – and passes! – shows deep problems in our society.

I picked this one up from Tim Challies. Vodie Baucham has added his thoughts about the pick of Sarah Palin for vice president. Whereas I am hesitant he is clear: he does not think this is a good pick. From his write-up:

My point is simple.  The job of a wife and mother is to be a wife and mother.  Anything in addition to that must also be subservient to it.  There is no higher calling.  Moreover, I believe Paul’s admonition should lead us to reject any notion of a wife and mother taking on the level of responsibility that Mrs. Palin is seeking.

The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womenhood is a group I appreciate and respect and I regularly read the stuff put out through their Gender Blog. In a recent post they discuss the issue of women serving in political office. I am still hesitant but they offer some good words.

Does Governor Sarah Palin Present a Dilemma for Complementarians?

When Sarah Palin was announced as McCain’s choice of Vice President many conservatives were excited. I hate to be a dissenting voice in a party that needs a bit of excitement but I am just not sure about the arrangement.

First I confess to a rather far-expanding complementarianism that leads me to be uncertain about the roles of men and women in political office. Scripture teaches that men are to be the leaders of homes and churches. People are right to point out that Scripture does not have much to say on the role of women in the political sphere (such as Mohler says here and several say here). I am only aware of one instance in Scripture where a woman was given any sort of authority over men. That woman, as you probably guessed, was Deborah. This post is not the place to do a long examination of Deborah so I would simply say that her example is exceptional, not normative, and the role she held was far more limited than most egalitarians would like us to believe.

On the other side, I am only aware of one passage that might say anything against women holding a leadership role. That passage comes in the midst of a list of judgments God has against Israel. Among their faults we find the following:

Isaiah 3:12
My people–infants are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, your guides mislead you and they have swallowed up the course of your paths.

Something about women ruling over the people contributed to God’s words against them. Was it the kind of rule the women provided, or that they allowed women to rule over them at all?

Here is what has caused me the struggle. Even though no Scripture directly addresses the political sphere, the case is pretty solid for the home and the church. Would God have us run our society in a way that is different from our homes and our churches? Keep in mind that the Bible says little about the political sphere but every example we have of God establishing a faithful political leader that leader is a man. In the New Testament the silence on the issue should not surprise us – the people had absolutely no say over who could be the leader. They had no influence in the political process so it never would have occurred to the writers to instruct the people to do anything more than pray for the leaders. They had no vote to cast, no Vice President to support. Whether or not women could rule was a non-issue for people who had no say in the whole process. This is one reason slavery is not directly opposed in the New Testament. What discussions we find show that slavery was not something affirmed and defended but we never find it outright spoken against. The people could not influence the political institution that enforced slavery.

Now I know we live in a secular society under a secular government. I do not believe the Bible should be our constitution – but I do believe in the free exercise of religion by the people and by politicians, meaning our decisions and actions can and should guide what we do in politics. The Bible is not our constitution, but our constitution should come out looking a lot like the Bible. As far as our leaders go, I will vote for those leaders who I feel best uphold biblical expectations for leadership and who will best promote a godly society. That includes characteristics that demonstrate a proper ordering of society. Is it the proper ordering of society for women to rule over men in politics but not in the home? So we find the unusual situation of Mrs. Palin having authority over Mr. Palin while also having to submit to him.

One other point of concern and that is their family itself. I am a strong advocate of women staying home when it is possible. There are circumstances where both the husband and wife simply must work, though this circumstance is not nearly so common in America as some might think. Children need their parents. Daycare is just no substitute. When necessary, it can work out by the grace of God. But I do not believe it is what God intends. Palin’s job as governor – and certainly as Vice President! – would keep her away from her children more than most working mothers and yet she has a family that needs a mother. Five children – one of whom suffers from a terrible disorder, another of whom is even now a young mother waiting to deliver her child. It sounds like her husband is spending a lot of time with the children so they do at least have one parent around but I am old fashioned enough to believe that the primary caregiver to children should be the mother. That is simply impossible in this case.

It also concerns me to hear how Palin has talked about her pregnant daughter. I agree that this is a private family matter and should be respected as such. Nonetheless, I have concerns with what Sarah Palin herself has said. Statements to the media are very affirming of their daughter (which is good) and express delight at being grandparents (which is good) but don’t even contain a hint that what has led to this is not good but is sinful. Not even the very weak phrase “our daughter made a mistake” was used. When Britney Spears’ sister announced she was pregnant and excited about being a mother there was quite a bit of concern that she was sending a message that unmarried teenage pregnancy is okay or even desirable. Palin’s statement essentially sends the same message but I have yet to see anyone express concerns over what was said (with some exception from leftist bloggers and journalists who say this shows the failure of conservative social idealism and abstinence only education). I’m not looking for an exposition on the sin of premarital sex but I would have liked for her to include some sort of comment that though they love and support their daughter and look forward to their grandchild, the actions that led to this situation were wrong.

None of this will change my support for McCain. Even if Palin herself were running I would probably vote for her, though my concerns would be even stronger. As I heard one person comment, I would rather have a woman in office with the pro-life record of Palin than have Obama in office with his strong support for abortion.

In the end none of these leaders will rule the day. God stands over it all and nothing will happen contrary to his plan and will for the world.

The Pyro Phil writes about reforming Evangelicalism (or not). A couple of quotes:

My strong suspicion is that the movement [evangelicalism] is well and truly dead, and we shouldn’t mistake the bloated and expanding size of its corpse, or its occasional spontaneous post-mortem twitches, for signs of real life.

What I am eager to see preserved and perpetuated are the sound, biblical ideas that sparked the evangelical and fundamentalist movements, not the corrupt cultures that ultimately overwhelmed them and led to their predictable demise.