It's Tuesday, March the 19th, 2024.

Welcome to the Daily Article Podcast.

I'm Chris Elkins of the Denison Forum, narrating today's article, written by Denison Forum co-founder and CEO, Dr. Jim Denison.

The Conservative Dad's Real Women of America, 2024 pin-up calendar, features female influencers and aspiring politicians.

What makes the calendar newsworthy is that the models are posing in what the New York Times calls old-school images of sexiness,

bikinis, a red sports car, a bubble bath.

The article documents the use of profane speech and sexual innuendos by conservative political figures as well.

What especially bothered me was the reported escalation of vulgarities by pastors in their sermons and writing.

This, despite the clear biblical command in Ephesians 5 verse 4, let there be no

filthiness nor foolish talk, nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there

be thanksgiving. As John Piper comments, crudeness is the sludge that accrues when the fountain

of Godward Thanks dries up.

What causes this fountain to dry up?

The answer is more relevant to evangelical Christians than you might think.

Today is the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere.

The season will actually arrive at 11.06 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time

with the arrival of the Vernal equinox. At that moment, the direct

rays of the sun will shine down on the equator producing the effect of equal day and night. From

that point forward, the direct rays of the sun will migrate north of the equator with hours of

daylight steadily growing longer. They will finally arrive

at the Tropic of Cancer, which is latitude 23.5 degrees north. This will be the summer solstice

and the longest day of the year. They will then head south, and the days will grow shorter once again.

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