Thanks for bearing with me through an article-less week. I hope to have some fresh content next week. But for now, I continue with the daily A La Carte.
Westminster Books has deals on books for parents and grandparents.
From Mars Hill to Harvest: Hope for a Wounded Church
CT reports on recent events at Harvest Bible Chapel. “Harvest numbers around 12,000 members across seven campuses. As a result of the saga, some have already stopped attending or joined nearby congregations, including 2,000 that left around the 2013 incident. During a major transition for the congregation—and the loss of the charismatic preacher who had been its famous face and voice—more will inevitably opt to leave. Either way, if they stay or go, the body of Christ absorbs the blow; ‘if one part suffers, every part suffers with it’ (1 Cor. 12:26). Those affected by the turmoil at Harvest—or elsewhere—need space to grieve and the hope of the gospel.”
The Wild Physics of the Passenger Plane That Just Hit 800 MPH
“On Tuesday, during a placid evening in central Pennsylvania, a Boeing 787-9 jet was shooting through the air at one of the fastest speeds ever achieved by a commercial airliner.” This was an unexpected feat!
Season Two of Open Book Is Here (Sponsored Link)
Open Book is a weekly podcast about the power of books and the people they’ve shaped. In season two, special guest John MacArthur joins Stephen Nichols to share the stories behind the books that left their mark on him and his more than fifty years of ministry. From Puritan writers to trusted authors of our own day, you won’t want to miss this season. Listen to the first two episodes wherever you get your podcasts, and don’t forget to subscribe to hear a new episode each Thursday. You can also listen to all of season one featuring R.C. Sproul.
10 Things to Know About Ministry Among the Poor
Mez McConnell: “The poorest in our cities, towns, and villages are not going to be won by a group of timid men and women in a committee meeting; they will be won by those who dream big and trust in the absolute sovereignty of God to get things done. The spiritual decline of decades won’t be reversed overnight, but it can be changed over time if we stay and die among the people to whom God has called us.”
Is the Church a Cage?
Carl Truman addresses a common issue. “The ‘cage’ language rests upon a lethal misconception about the church and the faith. The Christian is truly free not because the church provides a safe space of personal affirmation, but because she offers new life in Christ, expressed in her dogmas. Those who think the church is a place of imprisonment because of her dogmas have tragically mistaken their own bondage for freedom. And those who appear to have the dogmas right but use them as props for their own theatrical performances are really no different.”
When Kids Realize Their Whole Life Is Already Online
“While many kids may not yet have accounts themselves, their parents, schools, sports teams, and organizations have been curating an online presence for them since birth. The shock of realizing that details about your life—or, in some cases, an entire narrative of it—have been shared online without your consent or knowledge has become a pivotal experience in the lives of many young teens and tweens.”
Theological Minutia Matters
“We don’t expect doctors to ignore the details. The minutia matters. We don’t expect scientists to avoid technical language, or stop careful observations. The minutia matters. We don’t expect artists to craft novels or compose songs or make movies that don’t matter in the details. The minutia matters.” Trevin Wax tells why.
Frederick Douglass: Slaves Sing Most When They Are Most Unhappy
Logos shares a few words from Frederick Douglass. “I have often been utterly astonished, since I came to the north, to find persons who could speak of the singing among slaves, as evidence of their contentment and happiness. It is impossible to conceive of a greater mistake. Slaves sing most when they are most unhappy. The songs of the slave represent the sorrows of his heart; and he is relieved by them, only as an aching heart is relieved by its tears.”
Flashback: A Plea for Innocence
It can be dangerous to immerse ourselves in false teachings and false teachers. It can be dangerous to assume that we need to have a deep understanding of error in order to hold fast to what is true.
The Bible’s truth does not depend in any way on whether or not a person believes the truth.
—R.C. Sproul
