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As you know, I’ve been traveling through Switzerland for my EPIC church history project. Today we had no museums to visit (since they are all closed on Mondays). Instead we drove from Geneva to Bern, and followed a circuitous but scenic route. Here are a few shots I took along the way. I am now convinced that Switzerland must be the most beautiful place in the world. A beautiful morning at Lake Geneva. A post shared by Tim Challies (@challies) …
What is doctrine? Put simply, it is the way the central themes of God’s revelation in Scripture are summarized and taught. This teaching builds on their development through the Old Testament. It sees them as having culminated in Christ’s incarnation, words, and work. His teaching (Matt. 7:28; Mark. 1:22; John 7:16) was then expanded and applied by the apostles. Paul placed his own teaching side-by-side with the “preaching of Jesus Christ” (Rom. 16:25; cf. 1 Thess. 4:2). All of this was committed to writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. These inspired writings are now preserved within the biblical canon. This revealed Word defines for us how we should think about God, ourselves, our world, the church, and the future.
This is an age of consumption, an age of abundance, an age of excess. At least for those of us in the developed world, it is a time of all-you-can-eat buffets, of room-sized walk-in closets, of unlimited bandwidth and endless binge-watching. Our homes are so loaded with stuff that we’ve made self-storage units a thriving and growing multi-billion dollar industry. We’re overflowing and overwhelmed and unhappy. Some have responded with a new emphasis on frugality and minimalism, of spending as …
I post this from Switzerland where I’m conducting some research related to my church history project. Yesterday we toured Geneva; today we drive toward Basel (making a few stops along the way). Today’s Kindle deals include a few selections from Crossway. Living With Financial Integrity “I am thankful for the grace of God that extends to us even when we struggle in areas like this. His grace extends even to our small or big character flaws. As the Lord reveals …
My EPIC trip to Switzerland continued today. I suppose it actually began today, since it was only this morning that our plane touched down. Here are my journal entries from the day that was.
Of all the many requests we’ve had for infographics, none has been as consistent as the request for a visual presentation of the different views of the end times. And for good reason–it is a complicated and much-debated subject. Eager to please, we got to work on a graphic we’ve called “The End of the World As We Know It.” It presents the three most prominent views of the end times (and, indeed, of our current time). We hope you …
A little while ago I announced a new project I’ve titled EPIC. In a series of journeys unfolding over the next 12 or 18 months, I’ll be traveling all over the globe searching for church history. I’ll be looking especially for key historical objects through which I’ll be able to tell the story of the Christian church (in a forthcoming book). After spending a week in Germany last month, I’m traveling this month to Switzerland. As with my last trip, …
Today’s Kindle deals include a few titles you will want to check out. For some reason there has been a surge of interest in my book Do More Better. Here are some recent links: the Waiting Tables podcast, aimed at ministry leaders, interviewed me; so did indoubt which targets students. Dan had a brief review while Jonathan focused on the system the book teaches. Seven Lies I Once Believed about Missions This article might be interesting no matter who wrote …
This week’s Free Stuff Fridays is sponsored by Zondervan Academic, and they’re giving away 5 copies of A Theology of Biblical Counseling Video Lectures. There will be 5 winners this week and each will receive the lecture series. In these lectures, Heath Lambert unpacks the core convictions that underlie sound counseling and gives practical wisdom for counseling practices today. These lectures show how biblical counseling is rooted in the Scriptures while illustrating the real challenges counselors face today. A Theology …
It used to be so straightforward. We got married, then we had children. It’s just what we did. But then something changed, so that today both marriage and having children have become optional, matters of preference. Countless millions are choosing to delay marriage or take a pass on it altogether. Many of those who choose to marry decide not to have children at all. In the face of these new realities we do well to ask: What’s the purpose of …
Readers may want to check out deals from Westminster Books on Our Secular Age from The Gospel Coalition or the ESV Thinline Bible from Crossway. If you’ve never tried Logos before, the barrier to entry is lower than ever: They now have a free, browser-based version anyone can try. Efficient or Effective After telling about some ridiculous inventions, this author says, “This is mystifying until you realize that people don’t love digital technology because it makes them more productive or …
A key component of every parent’s task is helping our children form good habits. A key component of every Christian parent’s task is helping our children form the good habit of personal devotions. We are convinced that our children are sinners in need of God’s saving grace, we are convinced that God’s Word is powerful, we are convinced that God is pleased to use his Word to convict our children of their sin and draw them to his Son. This …
I wrote this short, fast-paced, practical guide to productivity to share what I have learned about getting things done in today’s digital world. It will help you learn to structure your life to do the most good to the glory of God. Read More
Today’s Kindle deals include a quirky collection of this and that. Nabeel Qureshi’s Memorial Service A celebration of Nabeel Qureshi’s life and ministry will take place this Thursday, September 21, at 10:00 a.m. (CDT) at The Loop Campus of Houston’s First Baptist Church (7401 Katy Freeway Houston, TX 77024). It will be livestreamed online for those who wish to watch it. Lying to Machines John Dyer: “Over the past few months, I’ve been testing out the beta version of iOS …
After discussing conflict resolution in episode 1, we turn today to the subject of honoring parents. Specifically, we discuss how we, as grown adults, should honor our aging parents. The Art of Godliness is a podcast in which we think out loud about how to live a quiet and peaceful life, godly and dignified in every way.
Today’s Kindle deals include a few minor deals that may be worth a quick peek. Westminster Books has a selection of Reformation-related titles on sale. You should probably read at least one book on the Reformation before October 31! Speaking of which, you can get a copy of the classic biography of Luther Here I Stand for a gift of any amount to Ligonier Ministries. Setting the Tone in Your Home “Mamas, you have been granted a special gift in …
Though the name Visual Theology may be new, the idea is not. In fact, all the way back in the seventeenth century John Bunyan produced an incredible work of visual theology titled “A Map Shewing the Order and Causes of Salvation and Damnation.” In a pair of side-by-side timelines he traced the salvation of the believer (or the elect) and the damnation of the unbeliever (or the reprobate). This chart has since been reproduced a number of times but, to …
Today’s Kindle deals include a few titles by John MacArthur as well as a few by other authors. Yesterday Keith and Kristyn Getty kicked off their first Sing! conference. You can watch it for free via livestream if you’re so inclined. Rejecting The Weekly Verdict While this article applies specifically to worship leaders, I suspect it applies to each one of us at one time or another. Only Love Prevents Adultery Jani Ortlund pens a letter to a would-be adulteress. …
This sponsored post was prepared by Zondervan Academic and includes material written by Frank James, Douglas Moo, and Peter H. Davids for Zondervan Academic Online Courses. One of the decisive doctrines to emerge from the Protestant Reformation—and central to Luther’s theology—was the doctrine of justification by faith alone (sola fide). How did Luther come to understand justification? What, according to Romans, does it mean to be justified? And how are we to read Luther’s understanding of Paul alongside the book …
This print shows that as we preach to ourselves, evan-gelize to others, worship in community, and celebrate the ordinances the use and function of the gospel in our lives must and does increase. buy
The Trinity is a simple yet infinitely complex mystery. The Three in One shirt displays that theological concept in a minimalist simple design that is sure to spark some questions. buy
