There’s another little list of Kindle deals to look at today. Enjoy!
You may be interested in checking out the new (free) theological journal from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Permanent Things. And Nitoy Gonzales has another of his Freebie Round-Ups if you want more free stuff.
How Anglicans in Canada Found New Life After Their Eviction
Here’s the story of how a good number of Anglican churches in Canada stood strong when some demanded they compromise. “The pastors knew they had to form their own organization and to find episcopal supervision. But that didn’t seem hard. Most of the global Anglican church still held to the gospel. The Canadians just had to appeal for alternative episcopal oversight, something already permissible in Canada, and call it a day.” But it wouldn’t be so simple.
On Platt and Priorities
Lisa Robinson Spencer has a level-headed look at David Platt’s decision to pray for President Trump. “As the criticism mounted, there was a general consensus that Platt should not have brought him up on the stage. Doing so seemed to give him a priority status that smacked of conflating politics with Christianity. Some believed his presence on the stage to be harmful to women and minorities, especially considering statements that have been made that have racist undertones.”
Iceland’s Tourist Revolution (Video)
Here’s how Iceland became a major tourist definition (and the reason it’s no longer what it was even a few years ago). I’ve been waiting for the crowds to dissipate before I go!
New Music from the People of Scotland’s Schemes (Sponsored Link)
‘Songs from the Schemes’ is a collection of testimonies written and performed by believers living in the schemes of Scotland. These are first-hand accounts of God’s grace from ordinary people. “We hope that believers will be encouraged as they hear true stories of God’s grace and we hope that other prisoners, those still lost in bondage to their sin and heading for a lost eternity, would listen and turn in repentance to Jesus Christ.” All purchases go toward church planting efforts in Scotland’s poorest communities with 20schemes.
How a True Calvinist Fights
John Newton always has good counsel. “As to your opponent, I wish that before you set pen to paper against him, and during the whole time you are preparing your answer, you may commend him by earnest prayer to the Lord’s teaching and blessing. This practice will have a direct tendency to conciliate your heart to love and pity him, and such a disposition will have a good influence on every page you write.”
A High-School Porn Star’s Cry for Help
Writing in The Atlantic, Caitlin Flanagan has a hard-hitting article about the power and ubiquity of pornography. Note that it’s a bit explicit in one part. “Certainly we can reserve judgment about private sexual behavior, but we can’t pretend that the things people expect to do in bed, or expect partners to do in bed, have not been hugely—almost entirely, by this point—influenced by online porn. No wonder so much sex between young people takes place behind a thick velvet curtain of alcohol—who wouldn’t want to be under anesthesia for some of these exercises? Culture is progressive and cumulative, and so is porn, restlessly seeking and crossing the next boundary, and thereby making whatever came before it seem tame and ordinary.”
Police Unlock AI’s Potential (Video)
This video is rather alarming as it shows how police can now use AI to find and track people. And this technology is just in its infancy!
As the Threat of Nihilism Rises…
Canada’s National Post writes about celebrities in church and, even more, the similarities between religion and celebrity. “For many, the phrase ‘spiritual but not religious’ is increasingly common. They’ve abandoned faith in traditional religions, authorities and institutions, but haven’t given up the search for some sort of greater meaning. Intertwining two of culture’s biggest drivers of faith is an intriguing, if not inspiring proposition.”
Flashback: Five Great Benefits from Preaching
There is something so challenging and so affirming about digging into a book that is hundreds of years old, yet speaks insightfully to the present day.
We have to pray with our eyes on God, not on the difficulties.
—Oswald Chambers
