A La Carte (2/5)

We Already Have a Messiah – What is the role of celebrity in spreading the gospel? “In our human hearts, for some reason we are constantly seeking some legitimacy to the faith we proclaim to have. We perhaps think that if only there were enough famous people to endorse our religion then there might be revival that would break out. It even often times appears that if we can’t find good enough celebrities, then we will just exalt some of our pastors to celebrity status.”

Losing Adam – What happens if we lose the historicity of Adam? “Losing Adam means losing so much more besides. That is because losing Adam is likely to prove the beginning of losing our Bibles. Like the gardener who decides to trim his hedge, he finds that an aggressive cut at one point leaves a lopsided creation which requires further cuts here and there in order to restore a sense of balance and proportion to his judging eye.”

Desiring God Conference for Pastors – The 2013 Conference for Pastors is underway and you can catch the sessions via livestream. Today you can hear Jason Meyer, Tope Koleoso, John Piper and Darrin Patrick.

Should We Cheer for God? – “When you’re watching a football game and your team scores, what do you do? You Cheer! You burst out of your seat and pump your fist and yell and clap and slap five with those around you!. So why aren’t you like that toward God? You should express that same kind of excitement and joy toward Him!” Barnabas Piper pokes a hole in this line of reasoning.

Goodbye to the Penny – “Today marks the last day of Canada’s one-cent coin, as the Royal Canadian Mint starts to phase it out of circulation.” Finally!

America’s Baby Bust – This is a very interesting article that shows how America’s falling birth rate may well be her biggest problem right now. “The nation’s falling fertility rate is the root cause of many of our problems. And it’s only getting worse.” (Here is a dissenting take, if you like to read both sides of an issue.)