Skip to content ↓

A La Carte (April 28)

tuesday

Today’s Kindle deals include a couple of new books, plus some that were on the list last week but have since dropped in price.

(Yesterday on the blog: The Right Response to the Old Testament Law)

Higher Education and the COVID-19 Crisis

Al Mohler has penned a long article about the challenges to higher education. Whether his view is realistic or pessimistic remains to be seen, but either way, it’s plenty sobering. “The coronavirus just collapsed a decade of institutional strategy and planning to a matter of weeks. The stress test tremors we all saw coming has become an earthquake.” He traces the three stages of the unfolding crisis. (See also: The Coming Storm for Christian Higher Education and College Campuses Must Reopen in the Fall. Here’s How We Do It.)

Family Thanks Maintenance Employee for Comforting Dying Mother in Long Term Care Facility

This is a sweet story, not least because the “hero” wants no recognition. “When Iris Roper’s family was unable to visit her after she was diagnosed with COVID-19, an employee of her care facility let them speak to her through his phone while he held her hand.”

Why Are Literary Genres Important When Studying the Bible? (Video)

Whether this is new territory for you or a refresh, it’s good to consider why literary genres are so important when studying the Bible.

When Everything Is Not Obvious

Here’s a good one from Kevin DeYoung. “Doctors and economists and journalists and historians and epidemiologists will be writing about the virus for decades. At some point, it may become “obvious” that closing schools saved lives or that it was pointless. At some point, it may become obvious which countries and which leaders made the best decisions. At some point, it may be obvious all the ways we made a massive problem less deadly or made a serious crisis worse. But at the moment–in the fog of a pathogenic war–it only takes fives minutes on Twitter to realize that the best way forward is not patently obvious.”

The Apprentice

Tony Payne makes the argument that instead of talking about “disciples” we should talk about “apprentices.” Hear him out…

‘Expert Twitter’ Only Goes So Far. Bring Back Blogs

Cal Newport is calling for the return of blogs. The points he makes about the pandemic are equally true of discussions related to theology. “If this pandemic had struck even as recently as 10 years ago, we would have been stuck listening to whichever experts an overwhelmed media corps happened to have in their Rolodex. Today we can be significantly more informed, but this vision of an information-rich pandemic response is not flawless. Twitter was optimized for links and short musings. It’s not well suited for complex discussions or nuanced analyses.”

Paedobaptism

As a baptist, I think it’s important to ensure I properly understand the position of my paedobaptist brothers and sisters. This article from Guy Richard explains the position well. It’s interesting to me that both sides shift the burden of proof to the other. So, for example, he says, “Our credobaptist brothers and sisters have to demonstrate that the Bible teaches that professing believers, and no one else, are to be baptized.” Yet baptists would say, “You need to demonstrate that children and not just professing believers are to be baptized.”

Flashback: Netflix’s Biggest Competition

By releasing entire seasons at once rather than at the traditional rate of an episode per week, they are helping us form habits of binging, of reducing sleep to gain entertainment.

Confidence in the face of death has emboldened Christ’s people for two thousand years. The truth of God’s wise and good sovereignty has been the stabilizing power for thousands of Christians in the sacrifices of love.

—John Piper

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    Weekend A La Carte (July 12)

    A La Carte: Where art thou Rob Bell? / The case against in vitro fertilization / Praying and weeping for those suffering in Texas / Greet each other with a holy hug / The example of Jimmy Swaggart / and more.

  • Thriving Marriage

    Thriving Marriage

    I have often wondered about the best time to write a book about marriage. When a couple is young, there is so much about marriage they have not yet experienced. They can still impart wisdom and teach lessons, of course, but there is so much of marriage that remains unknown to them. Yet when a…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (July 11)

    A La Carte: Falling out of repentance / Tattoos as confession / The Epstein List and secret sins / Teaching generosity / Lessons from a former youth pastor / Bedbugs in the bowels of the city.

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (July 10)

    A La Carte: Questions for a maturing marriage / The lesbian seagulls that weren’t / But mommy, why? / A time to be tired / The modern rise of Stoicism / and more.

  • The Stranger

    The Stranger: A Short Film For You

    Based on a true story and inspired by the truth that character comes before competence, “The Stranger” is an honest, light-hearted and meaningful picture of what it means to truly serve others.

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (July 9)

    A La Carte: The singer who changed the course of my life / Stay on the line / Incompatible thick communities / Lulla-Bible? / The solution is not megachurch / Who were the Anabaptists? / and more.