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A La Carte (2/17)

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20 Qualities of Good Listeners
Here’s a good roundup of qualities that make a person a good listener. For example, “Good listeners recall their own subjectivity and finitude as a listener. They make evaluations with the humility that corresponds to seeing parts, not the whole. They consider the angle and point of view from which they are listening.”


The Age of Designer Babies
Dr. Mohler says that the age of designer babies is upon us. “Until very recently, genetic technologies related to the screening of embryos were entirely negative. In other words, these tests screened for the genetic markers for certain diseases. Now, at least some fertility clinics promise to offer testing that will allow parents to choose positive, non-medical traits for their children.”


Frank Schaeffer’s Letter to Obama
Last week Frank Schaeffer wrote an open letter to President Obama. “As you showed us again at your press conference of Feb 9, you are a brilliant, articulate and decent man. Your Republican opponents are not decent people but ideologues bent on destroying you. To quote the biblical adage sir, don’t cast your pearls before swine. “


Historical Character Studies
Colin has a round-up of some historical character studies that look well worth the download.


How America Decreased Its Abortion Rate
“Marvin Olasky shares some key findings from his book, Abortion Rites: A Social History of Abortion in America (Crossway) in the current issue of World magazine.”


The Central Problem of Our Age
Rick Pearcey quotes Francis Schaeffer on the central problem of our age. “The real problem is this: the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, individually or corporately, tending to do the Lord’s work in the power of the flesh rather than of the Spirit. The central problem is always in the midst of the people of God, not in the circumstances surrounding them.”


  • A La Carte Thursday 1

    A La Carte (October 16)

    A La Carte: Speak with a Christian accent / The land of many meetings / Hedges of protection / The pastor and AI / What happens at home / What complaining does / and more.

  • Reading fresh

    10 Ways To Keep Your Reading Fresh

    Most of us want to read more than we do. Many factors can interfere, whether the busyness of life, the allure of our devices, or the limitations of our budget. But I find that as often as not, we stop reading becauseF our habits have grown stale.

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (October 15)

    A La Carte: Influencers and imitators / Autism and God’s purpose / We need to talk about jealousy / God sees your secret sin / Evangelism and cynicism / A Christian deathbed / Kindle deals / and more.

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (October 14)

    A La Carte: The mother I meant to be / A theology of preaching / Forgiveness / Resist the machine / Evangelists with cheerful confidence / Kindle deals / and more.

  • The Paradoxes of Christianity

    Learn how to engage with cultural issues in a deeply countercultural way. When we embrace the paradoxical character preached by Jesus in the Beatitudes, we experience rich and surprising blessing.

  • Foggy future

    On the Far Side of Obedience

    To be human is to be finite—to be limited in our knowledge of past, present, and future. We exist within strict boundaries of time and space, so that we cannot see beyond our present location or beyond our present moment. This is a feature of our humanity and not a bug…