Yesterday I referred to a Rolling Stone article in which they “got it right” as far as making a correct assessment of the current relationship between faith and “science.” Rolling Stone argues that we cannot continue pretending that the current, humanistic worldview of popular science can indefinitely co-exist with a God-centered approach to life. I also recently referenced a Rolling Stone interview with Bono, singer for U2. In that same article, Rolling Stone gets it desperately wrong.

The interview, conducted by Jann S. Wenner is typically standard fair, “where do you buy your sunglasses,” as well as deeper, meatier questions regarding Bono’s view of his occupation, his role in society and his faith. The majority of the interview is insightful, probing and well-written (aside from the needless profanities dropped both by Bono and Wenner).

However, during the political section of the interview, Wenner drops all semblance of objectivity and races for home, biases in full view for all to see. Wenner “asks” “In 2002, he (Bush) promised $5 billion for fiscal year 2006 for the Millennium Challene. He’s only asked Congress for $3 billion, and that’s been reduced to almost half by a committee in the House. Actually, only $1.75 billion has been committed.” Later, as if there’s any question regarding Wenner’s views, he asks “He (Bush again) makes a lot of promises that he never keeps.” Quite the probing question. Then, when Bono asserts that he will get the pledged money, Wenner queries, “Come *&%^(& or high water?” Objective journalism at its finest. Murrow would be proud.

These are not questions. They are certainly not objective and they border on direct accusations. Actually, they are direct accusations. Why Bono didn’t call Wenner on this outlandishness, I’ll never know. Wenner wants (and tries to lead) Bono to say something condemning against Bush. Bono, to his credit, at least refuses to play Wenner’s game and pushes the interview along.

What’s troubling about this section is not the liberal bias bent; I expect as much from Rolling Stone. What is troubling is that there is absolutely no effort whatsoever to even appear objective. That’s not even a consideration for Wenner. Apparently, leading questions (and direct accusations) are par for the course in journalism school now? Interviews are no longer about actually wanting insight but about prodding celebrities to voice your political views?

What is so troubling about the incident is that many young people look to publications such as Rolling Stone as cultural gauges; societal weather vanes if you will. Our young people are not only being fed liberalism at every step, they are also being robbed of chances to think objectively and critically. As the media takes a more and more proactive role in “making” rather than simply “reporting” the news, we are no longer being presented with facts, but with worldviews.

Rolling Stone is no more guilty than NPR, Time, Newsweek, CBS or the myriads of other “journalism” outlets advocating a humanistic worldview. Rolling Stone is simply more brazen with their message, at once claiming to be an “entertainment” publication while pushing a complete worldview in the guise of “journalistic” pieces.

We must remind ourselves that there is no truly “objective journalism” and that everything comes filtered through a particular worldview. While this seems like old news to many of us, we must be aware that our young people might not be as discerning, and they are indeed targets. We must train them and we must do so early and thoroughly. We must strive to make our Sunday School programs more than baby-sitting and parents must strive after the truly high standard of teaching our children “when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. ⁸You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. ⁹You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates” (Deuteronomy 6:7-9).

Once we understand that most of those surrounding us and controlling our inflow of information are not only not objective but actively opposed to our worldview, we will be more prepared to discern. Christians are not free to be passive. We are continually called to “test the spirits” (1 John 4:1) and to “take very thought captive,” destroying “arguments” and “lofty opinions raised up against the knowledge of God” (2 Corinthians 10:5). We must be versed in Scripture and willing to think about it’s implications for all of life, because it will come under attack, the question is whether or not we even realize that we are already in the battle.

Read (most of) the Rolling Stone interview.
Read Bias: A CBS Insider Exposes How The Media Distort The News by Bernard Goldberg.
Read What Liberal Media? The Truth About Bias and the News by Eric Alterman.

I recently came across an online music quiz containint the question/challenge: “Name Five Flawless Albums” which intrigued me greatly. I began to ponder my own list and whether not it would be significantly different from someone with differing beliefs (or should it?). I then began to simply wonder what other people’s lists might look like, so I asked for submissions.

While some argued otherwise, to me, this is not the same question as “List Your Five Favorite Albums.” In fact, none of your “favorite” albums might be in this list. I intentionally did not define “Flawless,” but left that up to you. Some people submitted more than five; I simply cut off the list at five and several of you submitted comments which have not been included (yet were extremely interesting!).

Looking through the lists, I was pleased by the incredible diversity represented. Very few albums appear on multiple lists, and those that do often appear on wildly varying lists. If there were to be a “winner,” it appears to be Joshua Tree by U2, which appeared on four different lists. U2 also tied with Caedmon’s Call for most frequent appearances, each with three different albums represented (and yet no one chose anything by the Beatles, which I thought was interesting).

A note regarding my own list: I intentionally waited until everyone else’s came in and I limted myself to albums not already chosen. Albums on other people’s lists that I would also consider “flawless,” would be: U2: Joshua Tree, The Smiths: The Queen is Dead and Louder Than Bombs, George Winston: Summer, Traschcan Sinatras: Cake, Miles Davis: Kind of Blue, Vigilantes of Love: Audible Sigh, Neil Young: After the Goldrush, Paul Simon: Graceland, and Black Eyed Sceva’s Way Before the Flood.

I encourage you to explore other lists. One extremely helpful resource is the Allmusic Guide. Enjoy; I hope you find this as interesting as I did.

Taylor Bair: Glen Rose, TX:
Coldplay: Parachutes
Caedmon’s Call: Share the Well
Wallflowers: Red Letter Days
Damien Rice: O
Death Cab For Cutie: Plans

Vinnie Beilcher: Winston-Salem, NC:
Caedmon’s Call: In The Company of Angels
Indelible Grace: Indelible Grace
Sovereign Grace Ministries: Songs For The Christ-Centered Life
Garth Brooks: Garth Brooks
The Eagles: Greatest Hits

Gary Brumley: Glen Rose, TX:
U2: Joshua Tree
U2: How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
Ida: Will You Find Me?
Denison Witmer: Safe Away
Felix Mendelssohn: Elijah

Justin Clark: Mount Pleasant, NC:
U2: Joshua Tree
Fleetwood Mac: Rumors
Indigo Girls: Rites of Passage
Counting Crows: August and Everything After
10,000 Maniacs: In My Tribe

Jeremy Creed: Peoria, AZ:
Bob Marley: Legend
Beck: Mutations
Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin
Mazzy Star: She Hangs Brightly
Okkervil River: Black Sheep Boy

Sean Dennis: Louisville, KY:
Jars of Clay: Jars of Clay
Derek Webb: She Must And Shall Go Free
Over the Rhine: Ohio
Sixpence None the Richer: This Beautiful Mess
Waterdeep: Sink Or Swim

Andrew Goodwin: Phoenix, AZ:
Pedro the Lion: Winners Never Quit
Owen: I Do Perceive
Five O’ Clock People: The Nothing Venture
American Football: American Football
Death Cab For Cutie: Transatlanticism

Adam Groza: Rhome, TX:
U2: Joshua Tree
The Smiths: The Queen Is Dead
Guns n’ Roses: Appetite For Destruction
Neil Young: After the Goldrush
Fleetwood Mac: Rumors

Eric Groza: Las Vegas, NV:
R.E.M.: Life’s Rich Pageant
U2: Achtung Baby
Def Leppard: Hysteria
Guns n’ Roses: Appetite For Destruction
They Might Be Giants: Flood

Katie Haggard: Granbury, TX:
Sojourners: Grace Bestowed
Amy Nobles: To The Ends of the Earth
Sara Groves: Conversations
Jeremy Camp: Restored
Casting Crowns: Casting Crowns

Kyle Hopper: Louisville, KY:
Weezer: Weezer
Grateful Dead: American Beauty
Nirvana: Nevermind
The Black Crowes: Shake Your Money Maker
Vigilantes of Love: Audible Sigh

Missy Hopper: Louisville, KY:
Jennifer Knapp: Kansas
Jars of Clay: Jars of Clay
Rich Mullins: Winds of Heaven…Stuff Of Earth
Sara Groves: The Other Side of Something
Jennifer Knapp: The Way I Am

Jim Ierely: Phoenix, AZ:
Paul Simon: Graceland
Bela Fleck & Edgar Meyer: Music For Two
Alison Krauss & Union Station: Live
The Lost Dogs: Gift Horse
The Who: Quadrophenia

Aaron Kellar: Phoenix, AZ:
Pedro the Lion: It’s Hard to Find a Friend
Jimmy Eat World: Clarity
The Smiths: Louder Than Bombs
Mazzy Star: So Tonight That I Might See
Rachmoninoff: Vespers

Wade Myers: Peoria, AZ:
Black Eyed Sceva: Way Before the Flood
Weezer: Weezer
The Trashcan Sinatras: Cake
George Winston: Summer
Toad the Wet Sprocket: Pale

Mark Redfern: Owensboro, KY:
Caedmon’s Call: 40 Acres
Def Leppard: Hysteria
Goo Goo Dolls: Dizzy Up The Girl
Evan and Jaron: Evan and Jaron

Rhett Smith: Los Angeles, CA:
U2: Joshua Tree
Coldplay: Parachutes
Better Than Ezra: Deluxe
Five O’ Clock People: The Nothing Venture
Black Eyed Sceva: Way Before the Flood

Rick Stone: Glen Rose, TX:
Bob Seger: Live Bullet
Kansas: Left Overture
The Beach Boys: Endless Summer
Boston: Boston
Michael Jackson: Thriller

Joel Templeton: White Bluff, TN:
Switchfoot: New Way to Be Human
Third Day: Conspiracy No. 5
Lauryn Hill: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Pigeon John: Pigeon John Is Dating Your Sister
Mat Kearney: Bullet

Brent Thomas: Glen Rose, TX:
Bob Dylan: Time Out of Mind
Emmylou Harris: Wrecking Ball
The Beach Boys: Pet Sounds
Eluvium: An Accidental Memory In The Case of Death
Miles Davis: Miles Smiles

Kristi Thomas: Glen Rose, TX:
David Crowder Band: Illuminate
Amy Nobles: To The Ends of The Earth
Ever Stays Red: I’ll Tell The World

Ashby Tillery: Louisville, KY:
Sarah McLachlan: Fumbling Towards Ecstasy
Joan Osborne: Righteous Love
Tracy Chapman: Tracy Chapman
Weezer: Weezer
The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Are You Experienced?

Patrick Vaughan: Glen Rose, TX:
Nirvana: Nevermind
Toadies: Rubberneck
Beethoven: Ninth Sympnony
Red Mountain Church: Heaven EP
Anathallo: Sparrows

Mark Whiten: Peoria, AZ:
The Who: Who’s Next
Antonio Vivaldi: Four Seasons
The Cars: The Cars
Miles Davis: Kind of Blue
Supertramp: Breakfast In America

Chayce Wilson: Glen Rose, TX:
Dashboard Confessional: Swiss Army Romance
The Postal Service: Give Up
Juliana Theory: Emotion Is Dead
Frank Sinatra: Classic Sinatra (1953-1960)
George Strait: Greatest Hits

Recently, both Time and Rolling Stone have featured pieces discussing the Intelligent Design movement. Time’s piece immediately sheds the appearance of objectivity by taking the form of an op-ed piece, written by Eric Cornell, Nobel Prize for Physics winner for 2001. Rolling Stone’s piece sets out to report on the Harrisburg, PA Kitzmiller et al. v. Dover Area School District et al. case centering around whether or not Intelligent Design deserves a place in the local school curriculum.

Cornell sets out pretending to draw a balance between “science” and the “faith” surrounding Intelligent Design, admitting that there are some areas where we should let God be God, even though Cornell can now explain why they sky is blue. Yet, Cornell’s article soon removes ID from the realm of science altogether, placing it under the realm of theology, making the bold claim that “for science, intelligent design is a dead-end idea� because it removes the drive to know and understand and simply rests on the basis “that’s the way God wants it.” Cornell treats the discipline of Intelligent Design as little more than superstition, while “science” is now able to explain the mysteries of life.

Rolling Stone tries to make the witty play of portraying the Harrisburg trial as bad sequel to the Scopes Trial. They paints a vivid picture of the ID proponents setting out to reverse Scopes, at least in principle, that even if they don’t win the case, they practically come out as the winners by verifiably demonstrating that Darwinism is in fact hostile to religion and that we currently practice of the farce of trying to have our cake and eat it to, pretending that Scopes was a victory over ignorance, but not religion.

Cornell pushes hard for the separation of ID from science altogether. He even makes the bold statement that we shouldn’t say “science disproves intelligent design.” He further advises that we should “stick with the plainest truth: science says nothing about intelligent design, and intelligent design brings nothing to science,” and that ID should “be taught in theology, not science classes.” In other words, though Intelligent Design is not science, “science” (read: secular humanism) is not hostile to your quaint little views of God, so you can still hold on to your security blanket until you outgrow it…

In other words, he proposes exactly what Rolling Stone argues against, trying to say that Darwinism may peacefully coexist with “theology.” Rolling Stone, however, in a brief moment of clarity (who thought we’d ever be saying that?), argues that at some point, “we’re going to hit a fork in the road, beyond which this have-it-both-ways philosophy” in which we pretend that God is both dead and not dead must end. At least Rolling Stone recognizes that at some point, we must stop pretending that current views of science are not only not-compatible with, but openly hostile to traditional beliefs in God. We must challenge Darwinian Evolution as a faith rather than objective science and we must again assert the Gospel as Total Truth, with insight into every area of life.

Read Total Truth by Nancy Pearcey.
Read Darwin On Trial by Phillip E. Johnson.
Read Uncommon Dissent by John Wilson.
Watch Inherit The Wind.