A La Carte (April 23)

Today is the beginning of Amazon’s big Book Sale. I have put together a list of deals on this page and will update it in the morning as more deals become available. So far there are already lots of good picks that cross a lot of categories.

Today’s Kindle deals include books for counselors, for moms and daughters, and for people who enjoy reading John MacArthur. There’s also a huge list of interesting general market deals.

Westminster Books has a Mother’s Day bundle that may interest you (perhaps especially since it’s only $9.99).

How to Begin a Conversation With Your Dechurched Friend

Nicholas McDonald offers some level-headed counsel for speaking to a dechurched friend. “One of the overwhelming things we ask ourselves when thinking about our dechurched friends and neighbors is simply, ‘Where do we start?’”

Bid Adieu. Machen Was Right.

Nathan writes about the sad fact that the PCUSA has closed its missions office and is recalling all its missionaries.

Nailing Down the Truth of Christ’s Crucifixion

Here’s a good outcome: the author of a poor article at Christianity Today (the one about Jesus being tied to the cross rather than nailed) has apologized for it. He simply neglected to consider “John 20:25 and the implication of the idea that Thomas was mistaken to think the resurrected Jesus would have nail marks in his hands.” As he said on X, “I clearly messed up. I’m sorry.”

Welcome to Metamodernity

You’ll have to do a fair bit of reading to understand “metamodernity” but I think you’ll find it worth the effort. “The challenge before us is immense, precisely because we’re leaving what was and entering into something plainly new and quite different. We will discuss what that means for church leaders and Christian ministry in our next essay.”

When Does Grief Become Sin?

This is a good question to ask: When does grief become sin? “My point isn’t to burden God’s weeping children with an even greater weight to bear—guilt to compound their grief. We have sorrows enough over which to mourn. We don’t need shame piled on.”

Nope to the Media’s Ideal for a New Pope

“Let’s see what happens next. But whatever happens, just ignore the writers at The Guardian and The New York Times, who bleat on about how they might even be tempted to join if the kind of pope that they thought reflected their secular values a little more, was announced. They didn’t do in the twelve years since Francis was elected. They’re not likely to do it now.”

Flashback: The Bible Never Offers a Drink from Shallow Waters

…what people felt about Jesus Christ was this, that when all was uttered, the half was never told, for at the back of all his words there was himself, deeper unfathomably than his deepest speech.