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A La Carte (March 27)

Today’s Kindle deals include a book by Schaeffer and a must-read by Owen.

(Yesterday on the blog: What Counts as a “Gospel Issue?”)

Spitting in God’s Face

“Then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists. Others slapped him and said, “Prophesy to us, Messiah. Who hit you?” Stephen McAlpine reflects on the sheer horror of spitting in God’s face.

After 74 years, an American pilot Shot Down in France Returns Home”

This is a sad story with a sweet ending. “It is early afternoon on a spring day in 1944. On a French farm 32 kilometres from the English Channel, two young brothers tend the cows — perhaps they goof off a bit — as their father brews beer. Then a plane falls from the sky. A P-47 Thunderbolt, an American fighter plane, has been hit by German fire. On the ground, the boys watch as the last moments of a desperate American pilot unfold.”

De-Conversion

“De-conversion stories seek to convince Christians that their ‘outdated, naïve beliefs’ are no longer worthy of assent. People tell how they once thought like you, but have now ‘seen the light’. Christianity has never lacked people, who once in the fold, later left. They tell their stories with a conviction, passion, and evangelistic zeal to make a televangelist blush. Today, these powerful stories are high profile, wide-spread throughout the internet.”

Is Allah Just Another Name for God?

Wisdom Wednesday with Dr. Bruce Lowe: Is Allah just another name for God?

10 Things You Should Know about Open Theism

Sam Storms writes, “In recent years there has appeared a radical departure from traditional theism that has come to be known as the Openness of God theory or Open Theism. Although there are numerous components in this new view of God, in this article I only take note of ten of them. You should also know that what follows is not a critique of the openness theory, but simply an explanation of its basic ideas.”

When the F-Word Is Sadly Appropriate

Carl Trueman: “Srinivasan actually makes sex seem boring, more boring than a post-lunch lecture on the theory of Marxist surplus value. From the account given, it would be hard to believe that sexual love had inspired some of the greatest stories ever told, from Homer onwards. In the hands of Srinivasan, sex is not a mystery—it is a means of domination or marginalization or self-expression.”

Congress Passes Legislation to Prevent Online Sex Trafficking

“Last week, the U.S. Senate passed the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act (SESTA), legislation intended to limit online sex trafficking. A similar bill, the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTA), was passed last month in the House, and President Trump is expected to sign it into law.” Here’s what it’s all about.

Flashback: Get to Know Yourself

To know myself, I need to look outside of myself. My best assessment of self does not come from within but from without. It does not originate with me but with God.

‘Til sin be bitter, Christ will not be sweet.

—Thomas Watson

  • Prayer

    The Reward They Longed for They Received

    Jesus, who knew what was in the heart of men, warned of the hypocrisy of those whose prayer life is only ever public. “When you pray,” he said, “you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    Weekend A La Carte (May 17)

    A La Carte: Generalizations are not stereotypes / Hospitality and reaching the dechurched / Essential lessons for pastors / The rise of Islam and the resilience of the church / Gossip and godly church / Fear takes you where grace has not yet gone / and more.

  • Planted in the Word

    Planted in the Word

    There are a lot of Bible study guides out there. However, the need is not nearly saturated because there are also a lot of Bible readers, many of whom study the Word carefully and repeatedly throughout their Christian lives. For that reason, we cannot have too many guides to assist in reading, understanding, and applying…

  • A La Carte Friday 2

    A La Carte (May 16)

    A La Carte: The role of dance in Christian worship / A community for broken homes / Our reason for missionary risk / The longings of the human heart / I’m not a handyman / Affluence, regret, identity crises / Kindle deals / and more.

  • A La Carte Thursday 1

    A La Carte (May 15)

    A La Carte: The clever move of Leo XIV / People expect church to be churchy / Don’t let TikTok disciple your kids / Playing God with children / Overcoming barriers to hospitality / Real men sing / and more.