Today’s Kindle deals include God and the Transgender Debate by Andrew Walker, Welcome by Jen Oshman, and Philippians For You by Steve Lawson. You’ll also find Metaxas’ excellent biography of William Wilberforce. That’s a good day!
Meanwhile, Westminster Books has the New Studies in Biblical Theology series on sale this week. The discounts get deeper the more you buy.
(Yesterday on the blog: Is Watching Porn a Sin?)
Is “Allah” Just Another Word for God?
Alan Shlemon answers this one well by distinguishing between the different uses of the name “Allah.” “There’s confusion about the word ‘Allah.’ Recently, a commentator claimed that ‘Allah’ is just the Arabic word for God, and that it doesn’t specifically refer to a different god. Her reasoning? ‘Arabic-speaking Christians pray to Allah.’ Is that true? Yes and no. Some nuance is needed. Here are four points to understand.”
4 Categories of Doctrinal Weight in Christian Theology
This is a helpful explanation of the different categories of doctrinal weight in Christian theology. We are all tempted to elevate the categories that are most important to us, so it’s important that we continue to refresh ourselves on this!
What Is the Biblical View of Self-Defense? (Video)
Andrew Walker discusses a biblical view of self-defense.
The Remarkable Story of Delhi’s First Indian Christian
I really enjoyed this telling of the conversion story of Delhi’s first Indian Christian.
4 Goals for Good Writing
“Whenever I write, I try to keep four goals in mind. I don’t consider something ready to publish until it has, more or less, accomplished all four goals. I wrote down these goals before I started writing my book and returned to them throughout the writing and editing process. It was important to me that I could read through the book and know that my writing was doing specifically what I wanted it to do. It also gave me a rubric for editing. If something didn’t accomplish these goals, I needed to fix it.”
When Fear Assails…
“God, give me the faith to believe that you are always good no matter the circumstance. Help me to see your fingerprints in my story and trust that you will provide. When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail, help me stand on the promises of God.”
Flashback: One Way To Make Sure You’re Preaching a Sermon, Not Leading a Bible Study
I’ve observed that some sermons are actually Bible studies and some Bible studies are actually sermons. Though I will grant there can be a fine line between the two, I find it helpful to force myself to distinguish between them, especially when I am asked to lead one or the other.
The most universally awesome experience that mankind knows is to stand alone on a clear night and look at the stars.
—J.I. Packer
