A La Carte (April 9)

It’s not the greatest day ever for Kindle deals, but there are still a few to look at for the collectors.

(Yesterday on the blog: PreachersNSneakers and Pastors as Lifestyle Brands)

Christian Discourse in an Age of Outrage

Yes, we’ve all seen this again and again. “The world has never seen an age like today, filled with so many self-proclaimed experts who know so little about their professed area of expertise. The modern cycle of news and opinions coupled with the publishing power of the internet has helped create an environment where a ten-minute Google search replaces years of research, study, and education. A person’s ‘extensive’ findings can be immediately shared on social media. The ensuing comments overflow with other ‘experts’ holding opposing opinions. Battle lines are drawn. Insults are hurled.”

Maybe He is the Answer, and He is Enough

Madelyn: “He doesn’t promise to take away the uncertainty of my circumstances, but He does promise to be certain. And I’m learning, through many nights like last night, that the certainty of Him in the many uncertainties of life is enough. He is enough. I can trust Him to fulfill what He promised, that all things will work for good. That His way is perfect. His grace sufficient.”

About that Bulla in the City of David (Video)

“A rare and exciting discovery: A bulla (seal impression) and a 2,600-year-old stamp bearing Hebrew names were uncovered in the City of David. The artifacts were discovered inside a public building that was destroyed during the destruction of the First Temple and were uncovered in archaeological excavations of the Givati Parking Lot in the City of David National Park in Jerusalem.”

Jordan Peterson: High Priest for a Secular Age

You’ll probably need to slow down to really get this one. “In our secular age, Peterson’s status as a social scientist gives him the effectual status of a high priest. As religious authority has been diminished and decentered, social science has moved to the center. Economists, anthropologists, sociologists, psychologists—each uses ‘hard data’ to draw their conclusions about human beings, personal identity, and social order. As a clinical psychologist, therefore, Peterson’s life-coaching combines the cultural authority of the social sciences with the spiritual appeal of vague religious intimations.”

Where Is Baptism in the Order of a Christian Life?

Brad Wetherell has a good article on baptism (written from a baptistic perspective): “Proclaim Christ. Baptize converts. Teach Christians. At the end of the day, that’s what every church and, by implication, every Christian, ought to be about. And the order of those three commands is important. Proclaim, baptize, and teach is the order of the plan for disciple-making laid out by Jesus. Yet, I’ve noticed that some genuine disciples of Jesus are living their Christian lives out of order by delaying their baptism.”

“Conservative” And “Liberal” Christianity

This may help you better understand what is meant by “conservative” and “liberal” Christianity. “The words ‘conservative’ and ‘liberal’, when applied to churches, are indicators of a profound difference, which has no connection to how the words ‘conservative’ and ‘liberal’ are usually used.”

Love Actuarially

“Christian, the Lord knows you are not an asset to the organization. He knows what a tangled-up knot of anxiety, incompetence, and faithlessness you are. He knows exactly what a big fat sinner you are. He knew exactly what he was getting into. Eyes wide open, and arms too, he comes to embrace you. He’s not playing the angles, calculating the risks, hedging his bets. Nothing is a risk to the Lord who sovereingly upholds the universe, anyway.”

Flashback: My Dear, Sweet Girl

If you compare yourself to other people you will always look better than some of them and worse than others. When you look better you will think you’re pretty good. When they look better you will be sad. There’s a better way! Compare yourself to Jesus.