A La Carte (April 7)

Recommended Reading

The Secular Hole in Modern Protestant Political Thought. Casey McCall addresses what he considers a secular hole in much modern Protestant political thought. “The historical Christian cultures we so prize today were not instituted top down through political authority but bottom up through what Alan Kreider calls ‘patient ferment.’ The gospel took root in Roman culture slowly through a mysterious fermentation process that manifested divine power through the faithful habitus of the redeemed.”

Sex Is Worship. John Piper responds to a question about the connection between sex and worship. “Paul is introducing a dimension of morality that says something can be immoral whether it hurts anybody or not.”

Here’s to Christian Movie Characters Who Live Like Real Christians. Rebekah Matt explains how rare it is to see a Christian character in a movie who actually acts Christian, and how moving it is when she actually sees one. “We can’t expect to see accurate depictions of Christians in movies from secular (and quite often anti-Christian) Hollywood movie makers—that’s never going to happen, and it’s probably just as well. It’ll take actual Christians who create actually good movies to get more characters on screen who resonate with real-world Christians and their families today.”

Wear Your Own Armor. I appreciate the metaphor at the heart of Steve Chang’s article. He begins by saying that his staff attended a conference. “The following week, I asked our staff in front of a whiteboard what they thought about the plenary speakers from the conference. It then became clear. The plenary speakers all came from similar ministry contexts. So when one speaker talked about how his church had spent tens of thousands of dollars taking his youth staff river rafting, most of us were sheepishly silent. Instead of being strengthened, we left feeling small.”

Public Debates? J.V. Fesko considers formal debates and explains why he thinks they may not be the most useful way to discuss big ideas. “In the end, I want to make a fair evaluation of an argument, see documented evidence, and then decide. I don’t want to decide significant theological issues based upon how well someone presents their case, the tone of their voice, the color of their tie, or their ability to disembowel an argument with a slash from their sarcastic wit.” I tend to agree with him, even while acknowledging that each of us learns in different ways. For some, debates really are the best way to learn.

Why Nietzsche Was Wrong About Weakness. Matthew Hall explains why the Christian view of suffering is better than the Nietzschean. “Paul’s calculus is upside down: More suffering in my life means more of Jesus at work in me. This logic collides with our culture’s instincts. We’re obsessed with bravado, with bullying, with pathetic claims to power that must look so small to the God of the universe. Suffering is hard to post on Instagram with a #blessed hashtag. But God isn’t impressed by our posturing.”