The Hugh Hewitt Show

The internet has a way of fooling us into thinking we know things.  And perhaps it does give us more ready access to knowledge than we had prior to its existence.  But because it is self-guided research there tends to be a lot of confirmation bias involved.  Not to mention the incredible amount of misinformation available on the internet.  Finally, knowing something and using that knowledge are two very different things.

We live in an age where no one can know a lot about a lot of things, there is simply too much to know.  Even if we are the very best there is in our field, there are all those other fields where someone will know more.  We need instruction throughout our lives.

Seems like Solomon knew that when he wrote the Proverbs a few thousand years ago.

Prov 1:7
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
Fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Prov 4:13
Take hold of instruction; do not let go.
Guard her, for she is your life.

Prov 6:23
For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching is light;
And reproofs for discipline are the way of life

Prov 8:10-11
“Take my instruction and not silver,
And knowledge rather than choicest gold.
“For wisdom is better than jewels;
And all desirable things cannot compare with her.

Prov 10:17
He is on the path of life who heeds instruction,
But he who ignores reproof goes astray.

Prov 13:14
The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life,
To turn aside from the snares of death.

Prov 15:33
The fear of the Lord is the instruction for wisdom,
And before honor comes humility.

Prov 23:23
Buy truth, and do not sell it,
Get wisdom and instruction and understanding.

This Sunday morning I ask God for good teachers and a willingness to learn.

John Dickerson, host of CBS’Face the Nation, joined me Friday morning to look at the choice facing voters:

Audio:

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Transcript:

HH: Joined now by Face the Nation host John Dickerson, author of the brand new book, Whistlestops, which will be my beach reading if I ever get to a beach. John, welcome back. Here’s my meta question. On the one hand, we have an eccentric, erratic, irascible billionaire. On the other hand, a conspiratorial, compromised, sometimes sinister, access denying, no press conference giving, long time insider who’s connected with Gilbert Chagoury. What the hell are we going to do?

JD: (laughing) You think I have an answer to that question, Hugh? You know, I think we’re going to have to just keep trying to present the choices to people and hope that there is a wisdom in the collective American response to this election. I don’t know. It’s a pretty, it’s, we’re, you know, what you’ve described is what I hear all the time from voters, is the kind of sadness about the choices that are put before them, and that there is so much, that so much time has to be spent trying to, you know, follow the kind of, some of these flashpoint things down a rabbit hole, and people are disappointed with the level of the conversation. Continue Reading

The Communications Director of Yale Divinity School, Tom Krattenmaker, has written a piece for the Religion News Service entitled, “Why a stout theological creed is not saving evangelical churches.”  That’s a provocative headline – sucked me right in.  I was hoping he would be making the same point I so often make, that theology that does no change people does do much.  That the thing that really attracts people to church is changed lives, not just a belief structure.  But alas, I was in for something quite different.

Mr. Krattenmaker looks at a new book by Robert P. Jones, “The End of White Christian America,” and uses its essentially demographic argument to explain that it is in fact the hard line stances on sexuality and and other social issues that account for the decline in Christian impact.  Demographics could indeed account for church decline, but I really don’t understand how that is related to theology and social issues. Apparently Mr. Krattenmaker thinks theology is somehow specific to a given demographic which is quite odd.  The same truths of physics apply to a WASP that apply to a west African, why would the truths about God be any different?

The fact that church decline correlates with demographic shifts does indicate that the theology of most American churches is not as robust as it should be, but it is more likely the problems are in communication of the theology than they are in the theology itself.  Or maybe, just maybe, its because your average white American Christian is not sufficiently transformed by his or her own faith to really want to communicate it outside of their own demographic?

The bottom line is this, Mr. Krattenmaker clearly thinks theology has to respond to culture rather than culture respond to theology.  Whether cultural changes are a result of demographic shifts or social media and value shifts, Mr. Krattenmaker thinks theology must change with those changes.   It should be obvious I disagree. Continue Reading

The audio:

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The transcript:

HH: And I’m pleased now to welcome Donald Trump. Mr. Trump, welcome back to the Hugh Hewitt Show.

DT: Yes, good morning.

HH: We’re a little bit late, so I hope I get a little reprieve on the time that Hope gave me.

DT: Oh, we’re going to have to do that. I think we’re going to have to do that. I did another show, and they just wouldn’t let me off. As you say, I get the best ratings, or whatever you say.

HH: You’re the best interview. You’re the best interview.

DT: They, Hugh, they would not let me off the show. I should have mentioned your name, okay?

HH: Oh, well, I may do the same. I may have to just hold you hostage here. Okay, Donald Trump, let’s get started. The obviously question, I want you to hit it out of the park again. You did last night. Did you intend to incite violence against Secretary Clinton with your comments on Monday?

DT: No, of course not, and people know that. Rudy Giuliani was there, and being a lawyer, he made a very good case, and actually, a very strong case, but absolutely not. We’re talking about the power of the voter. We’re talking about the tremendous power, and you understand this probably better than anybody, the power behind the 2nd Amendment, the strength behind the 2nd Amendment. And we’re talking about the power of the voter. And the voter does have tremendous power. And the Democrats want to decimate the 2nd Amendment. They want to literally decimate it. And if they get in, they are going to decimate it. But they have to go through various elections, and we’re going to see what happens. But the National Rifle Association, which endorsed me, you know, they’re very concerned about the Supreme Court and many other things. And I think that I can tell you, they endorsed me, I think the earliest endorsement they’ve ever made, and they feel very strongly about it. And they’ve been terrific. And these are great people. These, Wayne and Chris and all of them, they’re great people. These are people that love our country. Continue Reading