Did you know I maintain an up-to-date page of commentaries that are currently on sale? You can find it here. It gets updated at least once a week and lists both Kindle and print editions.
Sales & Deals
Today’s Kindle deals include a couple of volumes in the excellent Reformed Expository Commentary series. They are all worth owning and reading. You’ll find some other good choices as well.
Westminster Books has a sale on summer releases. There’s a pretty good selection that spans a number of genres.
Recommended Reading
What Should Being a Christian Feel Like? Here’s an interesting question: What should being a Christian feel like? “Even though we live in a culture that says that it prizes logic and reason, it is striking how often we appeal to our feelings as the ground for certainty about the important things in life. This is especially true in the realm of what we might call the ‘personal’ – our choices in relationships, our decisions about where to live, and even our voting preferences are based on what feels right more than on the basis of what is the most rational decision. We may even use reason to justify something that feels right to us, but it is the area of feeling that is where the decision is made.”
Fierce Wolves Will Come. Michael Krahn wants us to know that the Bible wasn’t joking or exaggerating when it says that fierce wolves will come into the church. “Expect wolves in the church who are even more clever, wielding superior intelligence and an even greater capacity to manipulate. These wolves terrorize and cajole, flatter and attack, and are equally satisfied devouring their victims during their first encounter as after a prolonged pursuit. The sooner they can take down a pastor or a church, the better, but sometimes the longer game leads to an even sweeter victory. Either result is a win for them.”
Hidden Martyrs of the Faith. Troy Appleton: “The 19th century evangelical bishop J. C. Ryle wrote once that ‘The last day will prove that some of the holiest men that ever lived are hardly known’. This is very true. While there were 16 heroes in the Bible explicitly mentioned by name in Hebrews 11, the overwhelming number of believers in the Bible, who contributed to the Kingdom of God, have been lesser-known saints. Some gave a mite, others a glass of water. They may look insignificant to us, but Jesus takes deep notice of any act, large or small, done in His name. Their seemingly insignificant actions are recorded in the annals of Heaven. They will not be overlooked on the Last Day.”
Slop, Slop, Beautiful Slop. Steven Wedgeworth offers his take on the rise of AI. “I know. I know. Truly smarter people have already written about this. I’m also late to the conversation. I didn’t think I needed to join it. But sadly, the slop marches on. I’m seeing AI so frequently that I am worried that the problem is with me. I’m the crazy one. I must be seeing it where it isn’t. Right? But no, things really are that bad.”
‘I Wouldn’t Change Anything’: The Pain and Blessing of Hard Adoptions. This long-form article from TGC provides examples of both the pain and blessing of hard adoptions. “Greg and Julie don’t regret their adoptions. And they’re not the only ones. Though this severity of disruptive behavior isn’t every adoptive parent’s experience, neither is it uncommon. Kids who are adopted locally or internationally, who look exactly like their parents or nothing like them, who come as infants or teenagers, who have biological siblings or who don’t, can be challenging to raise.”
Saying “No” to Commercial Surrogacy. Dani Treweek: “It is both impossible and ill-advised for all Christians to feel passionately about all ethical issues at all times. And yet, I do think it is valuable for us to become informed about some of the most pressing ones. And frankly, the commodification of children and exploitation of women that is intrinsic to commercial surrogacy—serving, as it does the interests of big fertility, their shareholders, unscrupulous actors and, in the worst cases, human traffickers—seems rather pressing to me. As does the ever-escalating fragmentation of God’s design for marriage, sex, procreation and childraising that is relentlessly promoted by the artificial reproductive technology industry.”
Book Reviews
Here are some book reviews that caught my eye:
- Neil Shenvi reviews The End of Woke. He says it offers “an erudite and thoughtful reflection on the urgent need to defend liberal democracy from all forms of authoritarianism, whether woke or anti-woke.”
- Trevor Gilbert reviews Scrolling Ourselves to Death. “This book addresses the issue of digital media from a biblical worldview, highlighting various ways that this digital environment endangers and impoverishes Christian discipleship.”
- Janie Cheaney reviews my own God’s Great Big Global Church, which she says is “a friendly, accessible tour of children and their churches all around the world.”
- Yuta Seki reviews The Ministry of Small Things. “Bredenhof has done the church—and its undershepherds—a great service by distilling his thought, wisdom, and experience into an accessible volume.”
Flashback
To Be Almost Saved Is To Be Completely Lost. Even though those 12 men got almost close enough to touch land, they suffered the exact same fate as those who went down with the ship. To be almost rescued is no different from not being rescued at all. To be almost saved is still to be completely lost.
In the hands of a loving God, sorrow and suffering become the doorways into the greatest and most indestructible joys.
—David Powlison
