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A La Carte (February 22)

Today’s Kindle deals include a couple of noteworthy titles.

(Yesterday on the blog: Which Country Sends the [Second] Most Missionaries?)

9 Things You Should Know About Billy Graham (1918–2018)

“The Rev. Billy Graham passed away today at the age of 99. Here are nine things you should know about the man who was considered one of the most influential evangelists in modern history.”

10 Point Sermon Checklist

Here’s a helpful checklist for pastors to go through after they finish preparing a sermon.

The Cynical J.K. Rowling

Samuel James writes, “For the past decade, J.K. Rowling’s relationship to her own work has been incredibly cynical and stunningly mercenary. As a serious fan of the Harry Potter books, I’m thankful for her obvious talents and the richness and beauty of the mythology she’s made. Her mammoth wealth and fame is just. What is much harder to empathize with is the way that Rowling seems determined to dry up all the wonder and joy from her stories and turn them into low-rent cultural memes.”

I Have Forgotten How to Read

“For a long time Michael Harris convinced himself that a childhood spent immersed in old-fashioned books would insulate him from our new media climate – that he could keep on reading in the old way because his mind was formed in pre-internet days. He was wrong.”

When Did Evangelicals Start Observing Lent?

This is an interesting take on how Evangelicals began observing Lent. (Also, I don’t observe Lent.)

Why Transgenderism Threatens Parental Rights

“According to CNN, the parents refused to call the boy by his chosen name and would not allow him to undergo hormone treatment. The parents’ attorney had argued that the child was not “even close to being able to make such a life-altering decision at this time,” while the county prosecuting attorney argued the parents wanted to stop the treatment because it violated their religious beliefs. The judge not only gave custody of the teen to the grandparents, but said they could legally change his name in probate court and could help make medical decisions for the child going forward.”

I Won’t Let Cancer Take Away My Sundays

“The profundity of her mumbled explanation for why she hadn’t stayed home this Sunday or any in the last year for that matter hit me hard. I’ve always said that there’s no place I’d rather be than with God’s people on Sunday morning and Sunday night but I’ve never had cancer in my lungs.”

Flashback: Why Papa of The Shack Is not Aslan of Narnia

If it is wrong to portray God the Father as the human Papa, isn’t it equally wrong to portray God the Son as the lion Aslan?

A Christian husband sees his wife not as a woman to manipulate or dominate, but a treasure to serve and protect.

—John Piper

  • What Is “The End” of Religious Liberty?

    This week, the blog is sponsored by Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. This article is adapted from Jason G. Duesing’s chapel message, “A Portrait of the End of Religious Liberty,” given during the Spring 2024 semester at Midwestern Seminary and Spurgeon College. You can watch the full message here.   The beautiful hymn in Philippians 2 tells of the humbling, sacrifice,…

  • We All Want More of God

    We All Want More of God

    We all want more of God. Anyone who professes to be a Christian will acknowledge a sense of sorrow and disappointment when they consider how little they know of God and how little they experience of his presence. Every Christian or Christianesque tradition acknowledges this reality and offers a means to address it.

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    A La Carte (October 7)

    A La Carte: Lighten my load or strengthen my back / Why Gen Z men are staying in church / Do hurricanes just happen? / Failure happens slowly before it happens suddenly / A tale of two wisdoms / Kindle deals / and more.

  • Breadth and Depth

    Breadth and Depth

    One of the key principles of properly understanding and applying the Bible is this: Scripture interprets Scripture. Christians sometimes speak of “the analogy of faith” to express the fact that we have properly understood one part of the Bible only when we have interpreted it in the context of the whole Bible.

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    Weekend A La Carte (October 5)

    A La Carte: Reminders for parents of wayward children / Those who make them become like them / Suicide pods and the trivialization of death / Thoughts on pastors’ pay / What does it mean to preach Christ? / and more.

  • Free Stuff Fridays (TGBC)

    This week’s Free Stuff Friday is sponsored by The Good Book Company. They are giving away a bundle of books for Christians who want to deepen their relationship with God. The Bundle Includes…. Giveaway Rules: You may enter one time. When you enter, you permit The Good Book Company to send you marketing emails which…