April 2010

Friends of the Blog

  • Tim Challies
  • 04/20/10
  • 5

Last week, amidst all the busyness of a three-day trip to Louisville and announcing a new podcast and a new publishing company, I also announced a new program called Friends of the Blog. Since so many readers of this site were enjoying Together for the Gospel at the time, far from their computers and RSS readers, I wanted to give the program another mention. I’m grateful for the many of you who have already participated and want to make sure all the rest of you are aware of it.

Here are some of the highlights of what you gain as a Friend of the Blog:

  • A $10 gift certificate from Westminster Books
  • You choose 4 new books or DVDs from Zondervan (including Tim Keller’s new DVD Gospel in Life)
  • A one-year subscription to Ligonier Ministries’ Tabletalk magazine
  • Album downloads from bands and artists you like (four to start, more coming soon)
  • Deals and savings from other stores

This comes to at least $160 in value and there are more things to come that will make it better value still. This is a year-long effort and more will be added over the course of the year. When you sign up, you get everything there plus whatever else comes in over the year. And through it all you’ll be supporting challies.com.

There are also things to win including, right off the top, a Kindle. Everyone who signs up as a Friend by the end of April will be entered into a drawing for that Kindle. If you’re really a book addict, you may want to become an Affiliate and refer friends, earning $5 in Westminster Books credit with each person you refer. Already lots of people have earned some good credit from Westminster.

You can get all the details at Friends of the Blog. Check it out and join in the fun!

Connected Kingdom Podcast, Episode 2

  • Tim Challies
  • 04/20/10

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Thank you for all of the kind feedback on last week’s first episode of the Connected Kingdom podcast.

This week on Connected Kingdom, David and I talk about the Together for the Gospel Conference (what it was like to be there, what it was like to be left behind), we talk about a film project David is working on and we briefly discuss the iPad.

If you want to give us feedback or join in the discussion, go ahead and look up our Facebook Group or leave a comment right here.

You will always be able to find the most recent episode here on the blog. If you would like to subscribe via iTunes, you can do that here or if you want to subscribe with another audio player, you can try this RSS link.

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A La Carte (4/20)

  • Tim Challies
  • 04/20/10
  • 6

Twelve Extraordinary Women - Books by the Box offers, well, books by the box. If you buy boxes of John MacArthur’s Twelve Extraordinary Women, for a Mother’s Day gift for all the women at your church, for example, you’ll pay less than $2 per book.

Rhema Marvanne - I am starting to see people link to videos of this little girl, an exceptional singer for a 7-year old (and one raised in a Christian home, no doubt, with a name like “Rhema”). And yet I always feel sad for such children and hopeful that she won’t go through life thinking that she is nothing but a good voice.

Francis Chan - Francis Chan has announced that he’s stepping down and stepping out in faith according to these interview ciips. Chan definitely marches to the beat of a different drummer, something I’ve come to appreciate about him.

Hookup Backlash - This is good to read, an article saying that more young people are fighting back against the hookup culture on college campuses.

Amazon.com and Canada - Amazon has been given the green light to open a distribution center in Canada. I see this as both good news and bad news. As usual, it’s good news for the consumer but bad news for the competition.

Bruce Ware on Godly Manhood - This talk, outlined by Owen Strachan, looks like it would be well worth the investment in time.

Owls, Fireflies and Jesus - Christianity Today interviews Adam Young, the [Christian] guy behind the breakout band Owl City. “I grew up in a Christian home, with the most wonderful parents a kid could ever ask for. I came to know the Lord in middle school after hearing a testimony at church. From then on, I’ve just wanted to serve Christ in every way I know how, music being the only thing I’ve ever considered myself any ‘good’ at. I guess my whole message or goal of this whole operation is to bring glory to Jesus Christ by all that I do and say, not just as it relates to Owl City, but in all areas of my life.”

✱

Said Elsewhere

an article I posted at 10MillionWords • 04/19

The Best Kind of Different » Suddenly it seems that I am hearing about Asperger's Syndrome everywhere I go. It was just a few years ago that I first heard the term as it was applied to a family member. Since then I've had neighbors move in, three of whom have been diagnosed with it; I've come across friends and family members who have witnessed its presence in their family. And I've seen it show up on the bestseller's list at least three times now-Look Me in the Eye by John Robison, Born on a Blue Day by Daniel Tammet and now The Best Kind of Different by Shonda Schilling.Asperger's is a syndrome I know well. I have seen its social awkwardness, its lack of eye contact, its strange brilliance. In The Best Kind of Different Shonda Schilling, wife of pitching great Curt Schilling, shares how it has impacted their family through their son Grant. She lets the reader into the journey as they discover that their son suffers from it and as they seek to deal with its sometimes-harsh realities.

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A Captive Conscience

  • Tim Challies
  • 04/19/10
  • 37

Is error in doctrine always sin? It’s a question I’ve reflected on in the past and one that I think is well worth considering, even if just for a few moments. While this may seem like a petty issue, a petty question, I believe it is an issue of some consequence since it will necessarily impact how I relate to fellow Christians who differ from me on secondary issues. If I feel that my friend is being sinful by teaching that we should baptize infants, I will want to go to great lengths to show him that he is sinning and to see him repent and correct his error. But if I believe that his belief in infant baptism is something less than sin, I can appreciate his conviction while not feeling the need to emphasize repentance and correction. Do you see the difference there? One understanding compels me to emphasize correction while the other allows me to find unity.

Now it is obvious that there are times when differences in doctrine reflect sin. A person who preaches that Jesus Christ is something other than divine is teaching an awful and divisive heresy and that error is sinful, pure and simple. A person who teaches that homosexuality is a legitimate lifestyle that the Bible condones is likewise teaching grievous error and error that can be easily proven so from the Bible. But what happens when the error deals with issues of lesser consequence? What happens when one teacher preaches a sermon defending the baptism of believers while another preaches a sermon defending the baptism of children? Obviously one of the two men must be wrong. But is one of them being sinful in teaching what is wrong? Or think of an issue like eschatology where two very fine and godly men may have completely different understandings of the end times. When they teach their differing conclusions, is one of them actually being sinful?

Here are three principles I’ve found useful and relevant while thinking about this issue.

First, it is clear to me that, regardless of whether or not error in doctrine is always sin, error in doctrine is always a consequence of sin. When the Lord returns and we join him in heaven, there will no longer be disagreements about doctrine. Disagreements about baptism, eschatology and other issues will be put away once and for all. And we all look forward to that day.

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A La Carte (4/19)

  • Tim Challies
  • 04/19/10
  • 9

Why You Should Come to Toronto Pastor’s Conference - Paul explains why you should come to Toronto Pastor’s Conference (which just so happens to be sponsored by my church).

Michael Hyatt on the iPad - I’ll have more to say about the iPad in days to come (as I put it through its paces). But I do like what Michael Hyatt says. “Do you want an iPad? Probably. Do you need an iPad? Probably not. The iPhone is sufficient for making calls, checking email, stock quotes, and the weather, or listening to podcasts or audiobooks. In my experience, the iPad doesn’t offer a big enough improvement to warrant the additional investment.”

The Objectification of Jennifer Knapp - I appreciate the warning sounded in this post. “The first step toward a good dialogue is recognizing that there’s a real person, with a real will, a real mind, and real problems at the other end of the line. And in this case, from what I can tell, Jennifer Knapp the real person would rather not be in the thick of things. I simply think respecting that would be a good start to whatever happens next.”

Seven Characteristics of Highly Evangelistic Christians - Thom Rainer shares seven characteristics of Christians who love to evangelize. “The secret is really no secret at all. Ultimately, evangelistic churches see more persons become Christians through the passionate efforts of highly evangelistic Christians. More than any programs. More than any church events. More than anything else, we are the instruments God has chosen to use.”

Seven Sure-Fire Ways to Blow Up a Church - Chuck Lawless: “I served as a church pastor for 14 years, have now served for 12 years as a church consultant and have watched hundreds of students begin their local church ministries during my 14 years as a seminary professor. Based on my observations from these various vantage points, here’s what I would do if I wanted to ‘blow up’ a church.”

Call to the Ministry? - I’m hearing good things about this presentation, though I haven’t had time to watch it myself. It comes from Dr. Tony Curto at the OPC Timothy Conference held on the campus of Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Note that it is in seven parts, so you’ll want to go looking for the rest.

Active Advocacy

  • Tim Challies
  • 04/18/10
  • 1

Here is another prayer from pastor Scotty Smith. This one deals with Christ’s active advocacy as he sits (or stands) at the right hand of the Father.

Most loving Lord Jesus, this scene in Stephen’s costly discipleship profoundly underscores what a wonderful, merciful and engaged Savior you really are. At the climax of his stoning he sees you standing at the right hand of the Father—rising for the very occasion of his greatest challenge, and soon to be realized death. Oh indeed, you are the Good Shepherd who cares, not the wicked hireling who disregards the plight of your lambs…

May this image supplant every wrong notion I’ve ever had about you “sitting at the right hand of the Father.” Your “sitting” doesn’t speak of passivity or inactivity. On the contrary, you are “sitting” as one in session—as the One already enthroned as the King of kings and the Lord of lords. When you completed your work of redemption for us on the cross, then and only then, did you take your seat at the right hand of God the Father, celebrating the victory of your cry, “It is finished!” And since that time all of your enemies are becoming your footstool, as your kingdom advances in time and space (Hebrews 10:12-13, John 19:30).

Jesus, forgive me for ever thinking that you’ve forgotten about me… don’t really care about me… or have even abandoned me. I confess that sometimes, especially when life seems the hardest… most unfair… most alone… most broken, in those times I entertain these foolish, unfounded, disbelieving notions.

So, God the Holy Spirit, continue to work in my life as you did in Stephen’s. Open the eyes of my heart to see more and more of the glory and grace of Jesus. Let me always be seeing “heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God,” no matter if the sky is filled with the most foreboding, dark, threatening clouds imaginable, or if the sky is totally cloudless and is as Carolina blue as it is capable of being… just let me see Jesus, and it is enough.

And as I pray this for myself, I also include friends and family who are in the midst of very hard providences or the seductions of ease and prosperity. Glancing at Jesus will never be enough for us… ever keep us gazing. So very Amen, I pray, in Jesus’ most glorious and grace-full name.

✱

Said Elsewhere

an article I posted at 10MillionWords • 04/17

This Week’s Bestsellers » I spent much of my week at or driving to the Together for the Gospel conference in Louisville, Kentucky. Though in the past I have simultaneously read and driven, I opted (wisely, no doubt) not to do so this time. I still managed to get some reading done this week, though not quite as much as I might have hoped. And not enough to make any significant headway through an increasing backlog of books.Four new titles found their way to the bestseller list this week.Starting out at #3 is The Bridge, a biography of President Obama and written by the editor of the New Yorker.Right behind it at #4 is This Time Together by Carol Burnett. "The comedian describes her rise in show business and the people she's met along the way."At #9 is Diarmaid MacCulloch's Christianity, a massive 1200-page history of the church. As the girl said at the checkout of the bookstore, "Of course it's big! It covers 3,000 years!" If I can read 100 pages per day, it will still take me 10 days to get through (since there are 200 pages of end matter). Interestingly, I also received (separately) the accompanying DVD series.

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Its Own Evangelist

  • Tim Challies
  • 04/17/10
  • 5

Here is a quote I found this morning when re-reading Max McLean’s Unleashing the Word. It comes under a section titled “The Bible Is its Own Evangelist.”

The Bible is its own evangelist. I came to faith because I was deeply affected by the words of the Bible. The famous British preacher Charles Spurgeon was once asked how he responded to criticisms of the Bible. “Very easy,” he responded. “I defend the Bible the same way I defend a lion. I simply let it out of its cage.” That quote captures our vision for this book and for the growth of ministries that are committed to the passionate, articulate, and powerful reading of Scripture. Isn’t it time to let the Bible out of the cage, or (to borrow from the title of this book) to unleash God’s Word?

When I tell a Bible story, I have a quiet confidence that God is going to do a mighty work by the very act of reading his Word. Therefore, my objective is to engage hearers and draw them into the Word of God. My role is to use my skills and abilities, as best I can, to draw them into an experience with the Word.

There is something to ponder before we head to church tomorrow morning. “The Bible is its own evangelist.” Consider that for a while!

Free Stuff Fridays

  • Tim Challies
  • 04/16/10
  • 7

Free Stuff Fridays

What a week. Going to conferences is great, but I always return home half dead (at best). Late nights at restaurants and early-morning meetings always sound great three weeks out. But they demand a cost. Nevertheless, Together for the Gospel was great, even if I haven’t yet recovered.

Let’s talk about this week’s Free Stuff Fridays. Our sponsor this week is Indelible Grace music. We’ll be giving out five prize packages, each of which contains:

  • By Thy Mercy: Indelible Grace Acoustic
  • Matthew Smith’s The Road Sessions Collection
  • Wake Thy Slumbering Children: Indelible Grace V

So that’s three albums for each of the five winners. And I love each of these albums. Each one of them contains a selection of reimagined hymns—old hymns set to new music. This is what Matthew and Indelible Grace have been doing for years now and they do it so well. At Grace Fellowship Church we sing lots of their hymns and continue to add new ones with every album release.

Rules: You may only enter the draw once. Simply fill out your name and email address to enter the draw. As soon as the winners have been chosen, all names and addresses will be immediately and permanently erased. Winners will be notified by email. The giveaway closes Saturday at noon.