Bob Thune

Christian theology, classical education, & cultural renewaI. Founding Pastor of Coram Deo Church (

[SoonerScoop.com @SoonerScoop]

#Sooners win!

OU is one win away from playing for the national championship after beating Georgia 4-3. @GeorgeStoia recaps the game: https://t.co/C5OYhNmiCj

[Matt Smethurst @MattSmethurst]

Goodness. What a prophetic quote from 44 years ago.

[Dan Shapiro @DanielBShapiro]

Until the text of the US-Iran deal is signed and released, there is going to be a lot of spin on both sides. But here is my initial take.

This war was a mistake, and it needs to end. The President thought that the Iranian regime would collapse quickly, but it did not. In fact, it has been strengthened strategically by its survival against a heavy US-Israeli assault and carrying out some effective counterstrikes. Many countries in the region are now courting Iran and looking to deescalate and rebuild ties. A sign of which way the wind is blowing.

Getting the Strait of Hormuz open is the most important outcome of this MOU. Of course, the Strait was open before the war. Now we are paying to reopen it with sanctions relief. Iran has taken a theoretical point of leverage and turned it into a very real and powerful one, imposing costs across the global economy and rattling President Trump.

As for the nuclear issues, there really is no agreement, other than to negotiate over the HEU stockpile and an enrichment moratorium. Iran knows how to drag out those negotiations, and try to pocket concessions along the way. It is possible that no deal will every be reached, and very likely that if one is reached, it will be worse than what we could have achieved through diplomacy before the war.

Iran is not likely to take seriously that the US would return to war, certainly before the US midterms. So that means we will be conducting diplomacy without a credible threat of force.

If any agreement ultimately reached actually safely puts Iran's nuclear ambitions out of reach, I'll acknowledge it. It's just too early to make that judgment.

Trump is mainly focused on comparing his deal favorably to the JCPOA. But we are a long way from being able to make that comparison, and it may end up no better, or weaker than that deal.

But in some ways, Trump's deal and the JCPOA are already similar. Nothing on ballistic missiles, nothing on proxies, nothing on weakening the regime or helping the Iranian people. And plenty of sanctions relief that will strengthen the regime, and be poured into the missile program and proxy network. Honest critics of the JCPOA will not twist themselves into pretzels to defend Trump's approach.

Israelis are deeply disappointed in this outcome, but they should not be surprised. After some initial overlap of Trump's and Netanyahu's interests, there was a strong divergence. The United States needed this war to end. Netanyahu wanted to continue.

Trump's claim to include Lebanon in the ceasefire and his harsh shutting down Israeli attacks on Hezbollah is also a win for Iran. After the JCPOA was signed, Obama and Netanyahu worked together to strengthen Israel's campaign of strikes in Syria to intercept Iranian weapons shipments to Hezbollah in Lebanon.

So let's hope we see the removal of Iran's enriched uranium and a long-term suspension of enrichment, with full verification. But to achieve those goals, Trump's team is going to need to engage in far more sophisticated diplomacy, backed by qualified experts, than they have to date. If it is a phase one splash with no follow-up on implementation of later phases, like in Gaza, we will be much worse off after, and because of, this war.

[The REF @KREFsports]

The hottest college baseball in America.

OU has outscored its opponents 30-3 in its last three games.

The Sooners have also scored 68 runs in its last nine games.

[Bob Thune @bobthune]

The CWS scoreboard has gone dark in exactly the right spot

[ESPN @espn]

OKLAHOMA IS BACK ⚾

The Sooners return to the MCWS for the first time since 2022 👏

[SoonerScoop.com @SoonerScoop]

OMAHA!

The #Sooners are headed back to the College World Series after beating Kansas 13-2 in Super Regionals: https://t.co/A0TgDWqdMZ

[The REF @KREFsports]

FINAL: DOMINATION.

OU 8 Kansas 1

One win away from Omaha!

[Tyler Austin Harper @Tyler_A_Harper]

The reason Christian AI critics get at something secularists don't is that they have a clear "anthropological vision" (to use Pope Leo's phrase). That is, they have a clear answer to the question: What are people for? What is humanity? What is the purpose of the human species? 6/

[Colin Wright @SwipeWright]

It's impossible to convey the amount of credibility "public health and disease experts" instantly torched the moment this was published.

It will take decades to recover, if it ever does.

[Abby Heugel @AbbyHasIssues]

Please arrive at your appointment 15 minutes early so you can fill out the same forms you filled out online and then be asked the same questions when the doctor actually sees you.

[Parker Thune @ParkerThune]

#HardToKill

[John Attridge @John_Attridge]

You're right to push back on that. The unexamined life *can* be worth living. Here's why it's probably right for you

[Jason Blakely @jasonwblakely]

True! Though I do wish Pope Leo would take one more small but absolutely crucial step & recognize that: *Artificial intelligence* is a misnomer since AI is not strictly speaking intelligent at all.* Part of the bewitchment of these tools is to personify them through language!

[Deals Curated by Tim Challies @challiesdeals]

Kindle Deal: The Gospel-Centered Life by Robert H. Thune (@bobthune) & Will Walker (@WillWalker). https://t.co/2rE6akiPlB

[Alex Ward @alexbward]

Lincoln’s letter to Mrs. Bixby, always worth a read on Memorial Day

[Leah Libresco Sargeant @LeahLibresco]

THE CHALLENGE WE CURRENTLY FACE IS NOT TECHNOLOGICAL, BUT ANTHROPOLOGICAL

[Bob Thune @bobthune]

Only 100 more days until we get to root against the Texas Longhorns football team, America

[Bob Thune @bobthune]

Walked into a strip mall coffee shop in the suburbs.

Ordered a cortado.

"I've HEARD of that drink before, but I've never made one. Let me look it up and see if I can make it!"

This is why we can't have nice things

[Rivals @Rivals]

Teams with the most blue-chip commits⭐️

https://t.co/pT5tmMCdqN