Paul Random

A Mother’s Sensibility at the Supreme Court Regarding Pornography

When President Donald Trump nominated now-Justice Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court back in 2020, much was made of her being a mother to seven children.

Jesse and Amy Barrett, who were married in 1999, are the proud parents to Emma, Vivian, Tess, John Peter, Liam, Juliet, and Benjamin.

Of the six women who have served on the High Court, four have had children: Sandra Day O’Connor (3 sons), Ruth Bader Ginsburg (a son and a daughter), Ketanji Brown Jackson (2 daughters) and Amy Coney Barrett.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who was appointed by President Obama in 2009, once told NBC’s Savannah Guthrie that she has “an occasional tug of regret” over not having children.

“I knew that I wanted to be an independent woman with my own career and (be) successful in whatever I chose to do,’’ she said. “Could I have that and have had children? Many women do. Can you have it all every minute of the day? No.”

But not until Justice Barrett arrived inside the famed Vermont marble court on First Street has there been a mother with young children on the bench – a fact reflected in yesterday’s oral arguments over Texas’ age-verification law for access to pornography sites.

At issue is H.B. 1181, a Texas law requiring websites with “over one-third sexual material harmful to minors” to require users to verify they’re over 18. Users are required to produce official documentation such as government-sponsored I.D.

Pornographers, eager to bait and addict as many people as possible, consider such requirements to be obtrusive. The Free Speech Coalition, which represents those wanting to trade in such filth said the law was vague and “imposes significant burdens on adults’ access to constitutionally protected expression.”

It’s not clear how, but that’s the kind of response you’d expect from pornographers.

As it is now, 18 other states have similar laws aimed to protect children from access to pornography and other harmful material. Critics of the law claim it violates the First Amendment, a position several of the justices, including Barrett, didn’t appear to be buying.

“Do you dispute the societal problems that are created both short-term and long-term from the rampant access to pornography for children?” Justice Kavanaugh asked. Justice Brett and Ashley Kavanaugh have two daughters, Margaret, who is in college, and Liza, who is in high school.

But it was Justice Barrett who personalized the issue and brought it down to the practical and the level where today’s mothers and fathers are living.

On Wednesday, the Justice said, “Kids can get online porn through gaming systems, tablets, phones, computers. Content filtering for all those different devices, I can say from personal experience, is difficult to keep up with.”

Justice Barrett is exactly right. There are mothers and fathers who are forced to lock up remotes, phones, and game consoles as they would firearms in the home.

Texas lawyers shot down claims the age verification “chills” the First Amendment rights of adults.

“Texas seeks to protect kids from some of the most prurient sexual content imaginable. And the means Texas has chosen is appropriate,” the state wrote. “Texas has addressed only websites dedicated to pornography, has allowed them to comply by using common age-verification technology, and has not imposed criminal penalties. Such a modest but important law satisfies any level of scrutiny.”

It should be both encouraging and refreshing to moms and dads to have other moms and dads on the High Court who can appreciate the challenges parents face today. It’s not theoretical – it’s real and it’s practical.

It’s in the best interest of our government to enforce laws that protect our youth from the destructive forces of the pornography industry.

Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart famously described “hard-core” pornography or obscenity by saying, “I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced… [b]ut I know it when I see it.”

When it comes to the dangers of online pornography, we know the risks, we see the awful impact it’s having on children, especially, and we pray the Supreme Court will have the courage and wisdom to uphold Texas’ constitutional age-verification law.

Image credit: Barrett Family

Don’t Be a Squishy Evangelical

Throughout his nearly 12-year pontificate, Pope Francis has raised countless eyebrows by making ambiguous or even downright unbiblical statements.

In fact, a pattern has developed where the pope says one thing only to later have Vatican officials issue a clarification or correction. At other times, they simply let controversial remarks stand.

Back in 2019, over 1,000 Catholic scholars published an open letter to the College of Bishops that accused Pope Francis of heresy, including the “comprehensive rejection of Catholic teaching on marriage and sexual activity, on the moral law, and on grace and the forgiveness of sins.”

The latest brouhaha regarding the 87-year-old Pontiff involves news the Vatican has approved guidelines in Italy that state Catholic seminaries can no longer reject candidates for identifying as homosexual, so long as the man remains celibate.

Previous Catholic directives, including a policy approved by Pope Benedict in 2005, have stated that men with “deep-rooted” same-sex attraction would be barred from becoming a priest.

In December of 2023, the Vatican opened the door to the “possibility of blessing couples in irregular situations and same-sex couples.”

The pope’s controversial statements have elicited an outcry from more conservative Catholics and Catholic leaders. Bishop Joseph E. Strickland of Texas, who was ousted by Pope Francis in 2023, was blunt in his criticism.

“We really simply need to be a united voice saying ‘No, we will not respond to this, we will not incorporate this into the life of the church,’ because we simply must say no,” Strickland said regarding the proposal to bless same-sex relationships. “I ask my brother bishops that we all join with a voice of strength and joy … and say no to this latest document and ask for a clarification of the true teachings of our Catholic faith.”

Throughout the centuries, the church has proclaimed God’s male-female design for marriage and sexual expression, labeling homosexual activity a sin. More recently, some Christians have said it’s acceptable for believers to identify as gay or transgender.

However, Dr. Al Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, rightly points out the problem with Christians – especially potential members of the clergy – embracing a gay identity. 

“When you identify as LGBT, that is a particularly important step morally and politically, and it comes with consequences,” he shared on Monday’s The Briefing. “And the Roman Catholic Church has dealt with such an avalanche of controversy and lawsuits and scandals over this issue, you would think that the Pope and the Vatican would be holding a very clear line on this issue.”

Dr. Mohler went on to point out the ongoing “ambiguity” with the pope’s statements and positions. But then Dr. Mohler pivots back to concern and a warning for those of us outside the Catholic Church.

“This is where you also have many evangelicals, squishy leftist evangelicals who don’t want to admit they’re changing their position on the biblical teaching on homosexuality,” he said. “On the other hand, they don’t want to hold that position too firmly either. And so you end up with a lot of people who want to claim evangelical identity, who quite frankly begin sounding like Pope Francis on this issue.”

This would include evangelicals who might not want to talk about the issue, who might not want to try and persuade those locked in its grip of sinfulness and destructiveness to seek healing and help from the Lord. Instead, they might be inclined to punt the topic to other people, maintaining a distance they believe either builds them credibility or at least avoids the entanglement of controversy.

In other words, they’re being theologically squishy.

Squishy evangelicalism can manifest across the entire spectrum of cultural flashpoints ranging from marriage to abortion to religious freedom. Squishy evangelicals often elevate compassion over truth, not realizing that the most compassionate and loving thing you can often do is to be truthful with someone, helping them move away from sin toward wholeness in Christ.

As Christians, we’re to stand firm in the faith and, in the words of Jesus, “Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil” (Matthew 5:37).

Image from Shutterstock

Coach Bill McCartney Kept the Promise 

Coach Bill McCartney, who led the University of Colorado Buffaloes football team to a national championship and later founded Promise Keepers, an evangelical ministry to men, passed away this past Friday. He was 84.

“Coach Mac,” as he was best known, was lauded by ESPN over the weekend for his gridiron successes. A celebrated scholarship player at the University of Missouri for Dan Devine, McCartney began his post college life as a high school basketball and football coach.

Michigan’s Bo Schembechler noticed and hired him on as an assistant. Eventually serving as defensive coordinator for the Wolverines, McCartney’s schemes proved so effective that he was once named Big Ten “Player of the Week.” 

The University of Colorado came calling in 1982, hiring Coach Mac to lead their foundering football program. It took a few years to right the ship, but the Buffaloes were soon in the national spotlight, racking up wins and a championship.

Yet, while everything was clicking on the field, everything else was falling apart off it back home.

You won’t read that part of Bill’s story from ESPN or most other publications, even though how he responded to his personal crisis defined and shaped the rest of his life.

In fact, Coach Mac credits a pastor with shaking and waking him up – a transformation that led to him not just healing his homelife but also launching Promise Keepers.

Talking with Focus on the Family founder Dr. James Dobson and a room full of college students back in 1996, here’s how he told the story in his own words:

Our pastor, James Ryle, who’s a very gifted preacher, stood up at our church on Sunday and announced that he was forfeiting the pulpit. He wasn’t going to preach the following week. That was a surprise because he was going to be in town. He announced that a guy that had been a mentor to him – a guy by the name of Jack Taylor, who had been preaching for 41 years, who had written several books and traveled around the world – he was going to bring the message, and he was going to bring the single greatest thing he had learned in 41 years of preaching.
With that kind of an entree, I was ready. You know what he said? You know the very first words out of his mouth? He walked around in front of the pulpit and he said, “You want to know about a man?” He said, “You want to know about a man’s heart?” He said, “All you need to do is look into his wife’s countenance. Everything that he’s invested or withheld will be in her face.” 
Then he showed us from the book of Genesis right on through the New Testament that Almighty God has mandated that every man bring his wife to splendor in Jesus Christ. I turned and I looked at [my wife] Lindy. I didn’t see splendor, I saw pain. I didn’t see contentment, I saw torment. I didn’t hear another thing he said. It was like a dagger stuck straight in my heart because my character or lack of it was exposed in Lindy’s face.

Soon after, Coach Mac resigned as head coach from Colorado, walking away from a very successful program. He confronted a drinking problem, got sober, and began doing more public speaking. For years he had led early morning Bible studies at greasy spoon restaurants, growing them from just four or five men to over a hundred, often maxing out the available space.

Did Promise Keepers come out of those early morning meetings? Not exactly. Again, here’s how Coach Mac described it:

What happened was Dr. Dave Wardell, State Director of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes here in Colorado, had invited me to come and speak to a banquet in Pueblo. It was a three-hour ride. We did what typically two men of God would do. We put some gospel music in the cassette tape deck and took off and we sang along. Dave couldn’t carry a tune very well.
We sang exuberantly and then we prayed intensely. And it was about an hour-and-a-half into the trip of that type of activity when I asked Dave, I said, “Dave, if you could do anything with your life, if money weren’t a factor, what would you do?” 
And Dave didn’t even hesitate. He said, “Mac, I would disciple men one on one. I would take a young Christian, and I would meet with him in a coffee shop an hour a week and I’d lead him into a deeper walk with Christ.” He said, “I know that’s my calling and I long to do that.”
He said, “What about you?” And I said, “As I travel around and I see the contradiction in what men think a real man is, I envision stadiums of men coming together and celebrating that Jesus of Nazareth died for our sins and that he’s worthy of coming together and saluting.”
And so he said to me, “Why can’t we both have our dream?” And really, as a result of that, we invited 70 other guys to come together–there were 72 of us that gathered in a church the last Saturday in July, 1990–and we shared our respective dreams, and these guys said that they would fast and pray, and we’ll see what God would do. And the next year, on the last Saturday in July in 1991, 4,200 men showed up.

Back in those early days, Dr. Dobson invited Coach Mac to join him on the Focus radio program. The coach and Promise Keepers have long credited that exposure with helping launch the ministry across the country. Within a few years they were hosting several dozen stadium events, including a rally in Washington, D.C., that drew over a million men on the National Mall.

In announcing his promotion to Glory, Coach Mac’s family wrote, “While we mourn his loss, we also celebrate the extraordinary life he lived and the love he shared with everyone around him. We are grateful for the outpouring of prayers and support during this time and ask for privacy as we navigate this difficult moment.”

Coach Mac’s storied and consequential life is a reminder that most lives are chapters with many pages. It’s also a reminder that pastors who are willing to challenge, even step on toes, can be used by the Holy Spirit to change a person’s trajectory – but only if that person has the guts and gumption to answer the call.

Bill McCartney heard the Lord’s voice. He humbled himself. He took action. And his actions launched a movement that led to millions of men recommitting their lives to Jesus Christ and their families. 

Well done, Coach.

Mike Rowe is Waging War on Those Who Erase the Past

According to Mike Rowe, best known for hosting “Dirty Jobs,” his latest project, “Something to Stand For,” was a response to America’s ongoing war.

Against terrorism?

No.

“The ongoing war on the symbols of America, a war of vandalism waged by those who believe the present can be improved by erasing the past,” says Mike.

Framing the movie on his website, Rowe states:

Obviously, I have no expectation that this movie will persuade anyone who dons a mask and defaces our national memorials to rethink their worldview, because I’m pretty sure none of those people will ever see this movie.
I do, however, believe there are lots of people on both sides of the aisle who are disgusted by their behavior and still love America, in spite of the imperfections of our founders, and the obvious fact we have not yet achieved the “more perfect union” they envisioned.
This movie is for them – that still sizeable population who identify as Americans, first and foremost. Americans of all races who genuinely care about our shared history, and understand that even though our nation is still a work in progress – and always will be – there are still a great many things worth standing for.

Originally written and produced ahead of Independence Day, the film is a collection of nine stories, all of which were adapted from Rowe’s podcast, “The Way I Heard It.” Often referred to as a modern-day Paul Harvey, the late ABC Radio commentator, the baritone voiced personality is a storyteller who loves to share true tales with surprising twists and turns.

“Full disclosure,” Mike says to introduce the project. “I’m not an expert or a historian. I’m just the son of a social studies teacher with an appreciation for the people who built the country.”

Mike Rowe’s performance career actually began as an opera singer. Knowing the industry was hungry for young men with deep voices, Mike auditioned, got the part, and proceeded to sing for eight years. It was only after walking into a pub and seeing the bartender watching an infomercial that Rowe’s focus began to shift towards television.

The bartender, who was a fellow opera singer, was watching because he was auditioning the next day for a gig on QVC – the home shopping channel. The friend told Rowe he’d never get the part. But he did – and go on to sell for the channel for three years. The Discovery Channel’s “Dirty Jobs” came next.

Mike Rowe has endeared himself to audiences for his positive, commonsense approach to life, work, faith and family. Over the years, he’s made observations like:

Short cuts lead to long delays.

Don’t follow your passion, but always bring it with you.

Don’t be afraid of hard work. It pays off in ways you cannot imagine.

Work hard, work smart and work with integrity.

As Christians, we’re often called to stand when others are sitting down. We’re called to stand firm in the face of lies.

“Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil,” instructed the apostle Paul (Eph. 6:11). He echoed a similar sentiment writing to believers in Corinth: “Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, be strong” (1 Cor. 16:13).

You can catch Mike Rowe’s “Something to Stand For” by streaming through Angel Studios. Click here to learn more.

Image credit: Mike Rowe

Courage Will Be Needed in 2025

Talk of a “new golden age” notwithstanding, the new year got off to a violent start with the terrorist attack in New Orleans, followed just hours later by a bizarre suicide and Cybertruck explosion outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas.

The 42-year-old jihadist in Louisiana and the 37-year-old Tesla driver in Nevada were both Army veterans. Authorities believe the former was radicalized and the latter likely suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Both incidents were sober reminders that evil is ever-present in this fallen world, and that Americans and American law enforcement must remain aware and vigilant in their ongoing efforts to protect and defend the country.

Watchfulness is always necessary for nations, but the coming year will also require something of Christians: courage.

Merriam-Webster defines courage as a “mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.” For the Christian, it’s certainly not less than that, but it’s also a lot more.

Christian courage includes a willingness to be “fools for Christ” (1 Cor. 4:10), to resist the popular, ignore the elites, go against the grain, and hold to contrarian viewpoints in the face of ridicule and mockery.

It was C.S. Lewis who wisely observed, “When the whole world is running towards a cliff, he who is running in the opposite direction appears to have lost his mind.”

Heading into 2025, Christians will be required to ignore claims that we’ve lost our minds, that we’re intolerant, irrational, ignorant, hateful, or even worse.

It takes courage and strength to stand against the tide of overwhelming public opinion. It takes guts to stand up and speak out against sin and evil.

Criticism will come from a variety of sources – members of the press, academic elites, political radicals, even people who may claim a Christian faith all the while embracing personal feelings and sympathies and ignoring what Scripture has to say about a particular issue.

As believers, it’s helpful for us to remember that the world is also full of those who are very good at hiding reality.

The late Dr. Adrian Rogers, former pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis and a longtime board member of Focus on the Family, once observed:

“The wise man is ignorant, and the strong man is weak, and the rich man is poor who does not know the Lord Jesus Christ because Christ is the center and circumference of all that you need and seek.”

But it takes courage and discernment to see through the fog of culture.

Christian courage is accepting God’s Word as inerrant and infallible. It’s opposing abortion, protesting the redefinition of marriage, and defending and protecting children from policies that threaten to confuse human sexuality.

Courageous Christians can be liberal with their fellowship but are conservative with their theology. They don’t go along to get along.

Christians with courage aren’t concerned about the world’s opinions but pay very close to attention to what God says about an issue.

The Christian with gumption agrees with D.L. Moody, who once said, “Our greatest fear should not be failure, but of succeeding at something that doesn’t really matter.”

Of all the resolutions you may make in this coming year, few will take you farther or lead to greater fulfillment than praying for and possessing great courage in 2025.

Image from Shutterstock.