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A La Carte (8/13)

A La Carte Collection cover image

Gospel or Spirit? – Good thoughts here from Trevin: “Evangelicals love to speak in theological shorthand. We employ phrases and terms that become popular, become a badge of identification, and over time get emptied of their meaning.”

Taking the Text Seriously – I enjoyed this one. “Expository preaching is a new buzzword. Everyone is doing it. But not really. They used to sing, ‘Everybody talking about heaven ain’t going.’ New verse: ‘Everybody talking about expository preaching ain’t doing it.’ That’s fine. Really. It is. If your preaching is not expository, that’s okay. But it is not okay to be unbiblical.”

The Debate – “One of the main rhetorical strategies of gay marriage supporters has been to frame the issue as the next phase in the struggle for civil rights in America. As a consequence, they brand traditional marriage supporters as ‘bigots’ who support ‘discrimination’ equivalent to that of Jim Crow. For the most part, that rhetorical strategy seems to be working. This means that if you are a Christian who believes the Bible, there are many who simply believe you to be a morally retrograde bigot.”

Lessons from an Olympic Hero – John Percival proposes ten lessons we ought to learn from Eric Liddell.

Complicated Isn’t Compromised – “The world isn’t a black and white place. Despite our two party political system and fundamentalist church roots, life doesn’t offer the luxury of a mere two perspectives on every issue – right and wrong, good and bad, up and down, yes and no, now or never. There are a multitude of options throughout life – both, neither, maybe, all of the above, later. The world is complicated, and people who tell you otherwise likely see themselves as wiser than the rest but are more likely blinder.”

Is there nothing to sing about today? Then borrow a song from tomorrow; sing of what is yet to be. Is this world dreary? Then think of the next.

—C.H. Spurgeon

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    Weekend A La Carte (December 6)

    A La Carte: Rightly ordered desires / Ordinary wonders / For my good, not my comfort / Make room for special-needs families / Christmas spirit / Wisdom rarely makes you famous / and more.

  • New Dimensions Template

    Noteworthy New Commentaries from 2025

    There are few resources I rely on more than I rely on my commentaries. Over the years, I have developed an extensive collection and turn to them often. I try to keep tabs on new commentaries and thought I would let you know about some of the best options that were published in 2025

  • A La Carte Friday 2

    A La Carte (December 5)

    A La Carte: Doug Wilson vs public schools / Your church needs you to sing / Wicca’s origins and Christian Nationalism / Out of season / Amish millionaires / Two wedding aisles to walk down / and more.

  • A La Carte Thursday 1

    A La Carte (December 4)

    A La Carte: Why I changed my mind on mixed martial arts / Misunderstanding porn / When time feels short / The Bible and friendship / Is God disappointed in me? / and more.

  • Thoughts

    Can Satan Put Thoughts Into Our Minds?

    Each of us is familiar with the experience of being tempted to sin. Sometimes these temptations arise from outside of us and sometimes they arise from within. Each of our three sworn enemies—the world, the flesh, and the devil—has the ability to tempt us to do what God forbids or fail to do what God…