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A La Carte (August 6)

thursday

I’ve come to day 6 of my first 14-day quarantine. I’ve been writing lots, but also reading some excellent pre-pub books: Cynical Theories (Helen Pluckrose & James Lindsay), Live Not by Lies (Rod Dreher), and The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self (Carl Trueman). Each is compelling in its own way, and each helps explain the world we now live in.

I was able to track down just one Kindle deal today, but it’s a good one at least.

(Yesterday on the blog: Is White Fragility a Helpful Resource for Christians?)

How 2020 Is Taking a Toll on Your Soul

Alan Shelmon promises “I’m going to tell you something that will explain what you’re likely feeling about this turbulent year.” He includes this helpful quote, and reflects on it: “Could it be that God didn’t wire us to carry every event, taking place in every part of the world, at every moment, as if it were ours? Could it be that technology has produced a faux omniscience and omnipresence that is hurting mankind and not helping it?”

The Image of God Restored

It’s Sinclair Ferguson—enough said!

YOUR LAST CHANCE TO SAVE BIG ON SING! GLOBAL, AN IMMERSIVE DIGITAL CONFERENCE

The Sing! Global 2020 conference is coming up fast and Summer registration will end at midnight tonight! Motivated by the urgent need to build deep believers in the 21st century, this four-day event is for pastors, church leaders or ANYONE who wants to better understand what God requires worship of us, and has been completely reimagined as an immersive digital experience. It will bring together an array of over 100 Christian leaders and artists from around the world such as John Piper, Tim Challies, Trip Lee, Alistair Begg, Joni Tada and many others to examine how Scripture transforms worship in families and churches. Register before midnight tonight with the code CHALLIES and save an extra 20%. (Sponsored)

Despair and Light from the Rubble of Beirut

Pastor Marwan Aboul-Zelof writes from Beirut. “Just a quarter-mile away, ours was the closest church building to the explosion. I was there today with some members, trying to see what was salvageable. Our building is destroyed. Blocks and blocks are simply destroyed. It looks like a war zone.”

Let Your Dream Church Die

Here’s Scott Hubbard with a good one. “For every ten disillusioned church members, perhaps only one should consider leaving. Meanwhile, the other nine of us need to remember that even the healthiest bodies have strange ticks and unseemly features: an unusual tapping of the foot, a frustrating tone of the voice. In fact, if our church body does not regularly try our patience and oppose our preferences, then we may not be close enough to our church body.”

Do Whites Need Corporate Repentance for Historical Sins?

Neil Shenvi and Pat Sawyer take on a pair of interesting questions: Are modern-day Whites guilty before God because of the sins of their ancestors? And do they need to corporately repent for these sins? “Our thesis in this article is that the answer to both of these questions is no. Whites are not corporately guilty for their ancestors’ racial sins (much less the sins of historical strangers) and do not need to corporately repent for them.” While you may have assumed that answer, you’ll still benefit from reading how they get to it.

The Gospel According to Hosea

My Bible-reading plan is currently taking me through Hosea, so I was glad to see this article.

On Hamilton, Criticism, and the Power of Creativity

I’d say this article from Trevin Wax is less about Hamilton and more about the disparity between the difficulty of creating and the ease of critiquing.

Flashback: Beware (and Embrace) the Power of Story

As we consider our culture’s widespread acceptance and celebration of this new gospel, we need to ensure we do not focus so heavily on theology that we leave ourselves unequipped when it comes to story.

The God of the Bible is too lovely to abandon for lesser pursuits.

—Jen Wilkin

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    This week the blog is sponsored by P&R Publishing and is written by Ralph Cunnington. Years ago, I stumbled repeatedly on an ancient phrase that altered my thinking forever.  Distinct yet inseparable. The first time I encountered this phrase was while studying the Council of Chalcedon’s description of the two natures of Christ. Soon after,…

  • Always Look for the Light

    Always Look for the Light

    For many years there was a little potted plant on our kitchen window sill, though I’ve long since forgotten the variety. Year after year that plant would put out a shoot and from the shoot would emerge a single flower. And I observed that no matter how I turned the pot, the flower would respond.…

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    A La Carte (March 18)

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  • Confidence

    God Takes Us Into His Confidence

    Here is another Sunday devotional—a brief thought to orient your heart toward the Lord. God takes the initiative in establishing relationship by reaching out to helpless humanity. He reveals himself to the creatures he has made. But what does it mean for him to provide such revelation of himself? John Calvin began his Institutes by…

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    Weekend A La Carte (March 16)

    A La Carte: I believe in the death of Julius Caesar and the resurrection of Jesus Christ / Reasons students and pastors shouldn’t use ChatGPT / A 1.3 gigpixel photo of a supernova / What two raw vegans taught me about sharing Jesus / If we realize we’re undeserving, suddenly the world comes alive /…

  • Ask Pastor John

    Ask Pastor John

    I admit it: I felt a little skeptical about Ask Pastor John. To be fair, I feel skeptical about most books that begin in one medium before making the leap to another. Books based on sermons, for example, can often be pretty disappointing—a powerful sermon at a conference can make a bland chapter in a…