The Prosperity Gospel in Africa
This may make you feel sick.
Ask John Piper Live
Today from 8 to 11 CT, you can tweet your questions to John Piper. He will be answering them live. See the link for details.
Apple’s Magic Mouse
Here’s a good review of Apple’s new mouse for anyone who is thinking of making the change. “I have yet to decide whether the Magic Mouse is much of an improvement over its predecessor. The multitouch capability and lack of a scroll ball to gum up are definite upgrades, but the loss of Exposé and Dashboard support about balance that out for me.”
Gore’s Dual Role
When it comes to something like global warming, it’s always wise to “follow the money.” When you follow the money you find that a whole lot of it is leading right back to Al Gore. It’s almost like the prosperity gospel…
Logos 4
The best gets better with the release of Logos 4 which adds all kinds of great new features. Check out the link for a video introduction.
DG Free
This month’s free audio book from Christian Audio is just a minor book from a little-known pastor:
Desiring God by John Piper.
US Navy Ceremonial Guard
This is impressive by any measure.
Scenes from the Life of Christ
This week, for a donation of any amount, Ligonier Ministries will send you a copy of their new CD
Scenes from the Life of Christ. “This recording of original chamber orchestra pieces is a survey of musical landscapes through selected biblical accounts.”
William Wallace Was a Monster
It took fifteen years, but Mel Gibson has finally admitted that his portrayal of William Wallace in
Braveheart was pretty much a complete rewriting of history. But even now he still gets Wallace wrong.
T4G Earlybird
Tomorrow is the last day to qualify for the early registration rates for T4G. As of Sunday the price goes up substantially!
Persecution in England
This video is interesting. It tells of a Christian couple who are facing criminal charges after debating faith with a Muslim.
Halloween Worries
Melinda, blogging at Stand to Reason, raises some good points about Halloween. “Christians can be shocked that another Christian will go trick or treating, but not blink an eye of awareness or concern when another Christian distorts the doctrine of the Trinity.”
How Willingly Do People Go to Hell?
John Piper addresses one of the problems with C.S. Lewis’ teaching on hell. “What sinners want is not hell but sin. That hell is the inevitable consequence of unforgiven sin does not make the consequence desirable. It is not what people want—certainly not what they ‘most want.’ Wanting sin is no more equal to wanting hell than wanting chocolate is equal to wanting obesity. Or wanting cigarettes is equal to wanting cancer.”
Free Sermons on Amillennialism
“With the generous permission of Dr. Kim Riddlebarger, Monergism is giving away for free this incredible CD of his lectures and sermons. This mp3 CD includes Riddlebarger’s 15-part lecture series on Amillennialism 101 as well as his 32-part sermon series on the book of Revelation. This CD will be mailed directly and we only ask that you cover the cost of shipping.”
Preaching Under the City
I found this video amazing. Here is a man preaching the gospel to the homeless who live in the tunnels under Detroit.
Why Desiring God Gives Things Away for Free
Matt Perman of Desiring God explains why Desiring God has decided to give away so many of their resources for free.
Deal of the Day: Amazon
Just a reminder that every day Amazon has one amazing deal and a series of lesser deals on a variety of products. For example, today they are offering the Oral B “Model S-200 Sonic Rechargeable Toothbrush” for just $39.99, a 60% discount. Yesterday the deal was a set of Hitchcock DVDs. So it is worth checking in daily, especially around Christmas. You never know what you’ll find.
Where Do You Stand?
Randy Alcorn: “I’ve often been asked, Where do you stand on the Calvinism and Arminianism debate, and what resources do you recommend?” He goes on to describe what he believes and how he got there.
Do You Pray?
“The following is a timely reminder adapted from an essay by J.C. Ryle, on the vital importance of this oft-neglected spiritual discipline.”
The Divorce Divide
Dr. Mohler writes about the brutal cost of no-fault divorce. “The availability of divorce without cause, so-called “no-fault” divorce, rendered every marriage less than it was before. Once impermanence became a mark of marriage in the law and in the culture, couples were required to muster a special level of marital commitment to remain married. Right before the nation’s eyes, divorce redefined marriage.”
The Death of the Book Review
This is an interesting essay from Fast Company. The author says that the book review (at least the professional book review) will soon be a thing of the past.
The Holiness of God
Man in the Mirror is offering an amazing deal on R.C. Sproul’s classic
The Holiness of God if you agree to purchase one or more boxes of it.
Midweek Markdowns
There isn’t too much of value in this week’s Midweek Markdowns at CBD, but they do have Tim Keller’s (hardcover)
The Prodigal God on sale for just $11.99.
Open Tax Records
How strange is this? “In a move that would be unthinkable elsewhere, tax authorities in Norway have issued the ‘skatteliste,’ or ‘tax list,’ for 2008 to the media under a law designed to uphold the country’s tradition of transparency.” In other words, they release the income statements of everyone in the country.
Benny Hinn on Nightline
Benny Hinn tries to play the game on Nightline. He seems to be trying harder to be seen as a mainstream Christian preacher. And yet he continues to preach heresy and to enrich himself at everyone else’s expense.
Attack of the Ginormous Study Bibles
Broadman & Holman have a new Study Bible coming out, and they have a bit of fun contrasting it with the size of the ESV Study Bible.
Teen-Friendly Dawkins
Atheist Richard Dawkins “is penning a new book which will target his most impressionable audience: teens. The controversial atheist, scientist and avid Darwin supporter, is planning to write,
What is a Rainbow, Really?, an illustrated book which will take a myth-busting approach to questions about the natural world.” Dawkins ought to read Mark 9:42 before sending the book to his publisher.
The Next Fireproof
“The makers of the surprise hit
Fireproof (Provident Films/Provident-Integrity Distribution) plan to reveal their follow-up to the top independent movie release of 2008 next month.” I find these words a bit troubling: “Their prayer hasn’t been for a good movie; it’s been for a God movie…”
Abortion and Genocide
This is both startling and sickening: “Abortion kills more black Americans than the seven leading causes of death combined, according to data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for 2005, the latest year for which the abortion numbers are available.”
Deals of the Day
Here are a few deals that made their way into my inbox overnight. While We Sojourn is
giving away t-shirts in honor of Reformation Day. 22 Words is
giving away ESV Study Bibles an giving you 22 ways to win. And
Monergism Books is offering free shipping on orders over $30 sent to US addresses. Use coupon code
reformationday.
The Problem With Our Economy
As usual Calvin (of Calvin & Hobbes fame) gets it just about right.
The USS New York
This is a brilliant PR move, not to mention a great way of reusing material. “The Navy’s newest amphibious assault ship, the USS New York was built with 24 tons of scrap steel recovered from the World Trade Center attacks. New York Governor George Pataki requested that the ship, one of five which was already under construction at the time, be named in remembrance of those who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001.”
The Answer to Everything
Julian talks about background research for a sermon series and how it led him to the Apostle Paul’s answer to, well, everything!
Friday Deals at Amazon
In case you’re not aware, Amazon always has different items for sale on Fridays. It is always an eclectic group of items (varying this week from candles to mechanic’s gloves). The usual caveat applies: if you buy something you weren’t otherwise going to buy, you’re not saving yourself any money!
Should Christians Say Their Aim Is Conversion?
John Piper asks this question—a good and fair question in today’s climate.
Beware Your Seminary Professors
Jonathan Leeman offers some good reasons to have a certain wariness toward seminary professors. “None of the rules for academic engagement are bad, per se. But they become bad in the Christian academy when they’re divorced from pastoral sensibilities. This struck home, to speak frankly, by the utter lack of pastoral carefulness demonstrated by many of the speakers, a carelessness which I’ve witnessed too often in Christian academic circles.”
What if I Can’t Have Children?
This question comes up at the True Woman blog as this month they focus on children. Mindy Kroesche: “I’m not writing this post to tell you how painful infertility can be. You already know that. Instead, I want to share some ways to cope and ways God used this suffering in my life to shape and mold me into the woman He wants me to be.”
Modern Day Lepers
Ali writes about women afflicted with vesico-vaginal fistulas (VVFs). This is a problem almost unknown in the first world but epidemic in the third world. It leaves the women as social outcasts, utterly rejected by their families.
Social Media in Real Time
This site offers amazing counters, showing just how quickly social media is growing.
Hitchens & Wilson at Huffington Post
Christopher Hitchens and Douglas Wilson both write for Huffington post on whether religion is absurd. “Last fall, we went on tour debating the topic “Is Religion Good For The World?” Our arguments were captured on film for a new documentary, Collison. Are our morals dictated to us by a supreme entity or do discoveries made by science and reason, make Atheism a natural conclusion? You decide.”
