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A La Carte (July 11)

wednesday

Today’s Kindle deals include, as usual, a selection of books to browse through.

(Yesterday on the blog: The Message That Moved the SBC)

Common Prayer, or Predictable Politics?

This could only be Carl Trueman: “As Western society continues its relentless purge of the pre-political, the body count keeps mounting. Yesterday’s harmless activity—say, boys-only scouting—is tomorrow’s act of cisgendered heteronormative patriarchal oppression of the Other. Like some dreaded mutating bacillus, the political slowly but surely absorbs—and spoils—everything.”

Did Congress Print the First American Bible?

“The role of religion in the founding is one of the most controversial historical subjects in America today. Secularists and Christian America advocates tend to go to extremes, with the former arguing that Christianity had virtually nothing to do with the founding, and the latter arguing that it had everything to do with the founding. The actual history brings us to a more reasonable position: Christian principles were powerfully if imperfectly present in the political culture of the founding, but many of the major founders were not traditional Christians. It is certainly not clear that they were seeking to create a ‘Christian nation’ of the sort imagined by Christian America partisans.”

Fifteen Ways to Know you are Growing in Holiness

Jordan Standridge offers “fifteen encouragements. Fifteen different examples that the reader can hang onto so that he can see growth in his sanctification. These specifically apply to the problem of anger, but I thought they provide a helpful blueprint for dealing with any sin.” There’s encouragement to be had here!

Why France Produces the Most World Cup Players (Video)

“France has had the most native players and coaches in the last 4 World Cups… and their dominance has been on the rise. Players like Kylian Mbappe and Paul Pogba are the children of immigrants and the product of the French soccer academy system. French-born players have played for Togo, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Argentina, Portugal, and many more.” It’s a short but interesting video.

Let Precious Moments Pass You By

“We sat alone, not a soul for miles. From a ridge in the cliff, we overlooked Lake Superior as waves beat against rock. We breathed the fresh air of solitude. I remember going back and forth with friends, Should I record it? What if she wanted to watch it later? What if she wanted to show others?” This is the modern dilemma.

Inside China’s Dystopian Dreams: A.I., Shame and Lots of Cameras

Is this going to be a failed experiment or is it a glimpse into our future as well? “With millions of cameras and billions of lines of code, China is building a high-tech authoritarian future. Beijing is embracing technologies like facial recognition and artificial intelligence to identify and track 1.4 billion people. It wants to assemble a vast and unprecedented national surveillance system, with crucial help from its thriving technology industry.”

The Eighteenth Century

Here’s a wonderful introduction to the eighteenth century and its importance to Christian history.

Flashback: No Bible, No Breakfast

No Bible, no breakfast. Have you ever heard this little phrase? Has anyone ever told you to obey it?

There is more of His glory in the Word than there is in the whole creation of heaven and earth.

—Jeremiah Burroughs

  • What God Wants You To Forget

    What God Wants You To Forget

    We are never far from reminding God of our credentials, of providing him with a curriculum vitae that lays out all we are, all we have been through, and all we have accomplished for his sake. We are never far from making the subtle turn from grace to merit, from what is freely given to…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (March 27)

    A La Carte: New music / Millennials and GenZ / Scotland’s new hate crime law / Cate Blanchett, Easter is for you / Why the Reformed pray for revival / What truly happened to Jesus on the cross? / and more.

  • New and Notable Books

    New and Notable Christian Books for March 2024

    As you know, I like to do my best to sort through the new Christian books that are released each month to see what stands out as being not only new, but also particularly notable. I received quite a number of new titles in March and narrowed the list down to the ones below. I…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (March 26)

    A La Carte: God delivers from the suffering he ordains / The beautiful partnership of family and church / The end of religious liberty / On whales, menopause, and thanks to God / Ordinary women, extravagant gifts / and more.

  • Marriage: A Dance of Beauty and Chaos

    This sponsored post was provided by Burke Care, and written by Jen Arend, which invites you to schedule care today with a certified biblical counselor. As the music swells, she begins her descent down the aisle. All eyes are on her, especially her groom. She is radiant, majestic, and filled with beauty. Her gaze meets his tear-filled…

  • Does God Care How You Cook Your Goat?

    Does God Care How You Cook Your Goat?

    It is one of those biblical commands that has always perplexed me. If it appeared just one time in Scripture I might be tempted to pass it by. But it appears no less than three times, in Exodus 23:19, Exodus 34:26, and Deuteronomy 14:21. The repetition tells me that God is quite concerned that his…