Good morning. Grace and peace to you.
Today’s Kindle deals include some of Crossway’s bestselling books (e.g. Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy; The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self; Surviving Religion 101) and others such as J. Warner Wallace’s Person of Interest.
On Netflix and Narnia: Three Questions and a Convicting Scene
Someone who really understands the world of Narnia explains why reimagining Aslan as female would be an outrage. “Gerwig might lift up an artificial Aslan but, like poor Puzzle, she knows not what she does. In an odd way, she is probably convinced that she is doing a virtuous and praiseworthy thing. She probably feels that she is liberating Narnia, making it more prosperous and postmodern—just like the Ape and the Calormenes do in The Last Battle even as they are ushering Narnia closer and closer to its end.”
The Wonder of an Eclipse
Was the eclipse already a year ago? “A total eclipse is the product of extreme precision and timing. The fact that the moon is exactly the right size in the sky to pass over the circle of the sun and perfectly align to create the incredible effects we witnessed is a marvel in itself. Without presuming to know the ways and mind of God, it seems that the entire purpose of such an alignment is to show His glory and spark our wonder and awe.”
AI, Ministry, and the Shape of Discipleship
“We’re not here to create fear or hype about AI. Every generation is already using it to some degree, and those digital natives among us are well beyond this being ‘new’. Our job is more about wisdom and discernment than it is to give some moral judgement on these technologies. It’s to help people realise that following Jesus may not be the road of shortcuts and speed.”
Answering Kids’ Hardest Questions
Andrew and Christian Walker answer a question about kids and screen time. “I’m not saying we can’t use Zoom or that FaceTime is bad. No, those things can actually be really good. But they shouldn’t be substitutes for what God has designed for us, which is to honor the reality that this life is meant to be lived in fellowship with our friends and like-minded brothers and sisters in Christ.”
It’s Not Wrong to Want to Be Perfect
Faith Chang writes about the desire and the inability to be perfect. “Over the years, I’ve learned an important lesson. As a helpful and freeing first step, those who struggle with this kind of spiritual perfectionism need to reframe the problem. If you want to be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect, you actually desire a good thing.”
Not-So-Great Expectations
“When we hold others to expectations that are unbiblical, unrealistic or uncommunicated, we are simply acting in self-righteousness and self-centeredness. Only the message of Christ crucified and risen can cure our hearts of this evil.” Nick Batzig offers five areas to guard against.
Flashback: Identity and the Worship of Self
Christians cannot grant that sinful desires can lead to identity. We will certainly have sinful desires, but we must never say we are our sinful desires—to make them a point of identity.
If Jesus were born one thousand times in Bethlehem and not in me, then I would still be lost.
—Corrie ten Boom
