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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“De-conversion stories seek to convince Christians that their ‘outdated, naïve beliefs’ are no longer worthy of assent.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

  • Are You Binding the Wound or Aggravating It

    Are You Binding the Wound or Aggravating It?

    One of the privileges we have as Christians is the privilege of caring for one another—of blessing one another in our difficulties and comforting one another in our sorrows. In such “one another” ministry we represent God and extend love and mercy on his behalf. This is a precious and sacred ministry that falls to…

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    A La Carte (March 26)

    A La Carte: The Jesus Geezers and Gene Hackman / Prayer is our fuel / John Mark Comer / On failure / Get grace, give grace / Book and Kindle deals / and more.

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    A La Carte (March 25)

    A La Carte: Gen Z’s spiritual anxiety / Would you sell out Jesus for $4.37 billion? / Men need friendship, not just accountability / Building healthy relationships with your teens / The pastor’s wife / Sales and deals / and more.

  • Crash and Burn

    When Christians Crash and Burn

    The pictures quickly made their way around the world—pictures of an aircraft lying upside down in the snow just beyond runway 23 at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport. On February 17, Delta flight 4819 landed hard, shearing off the right wing and flipping over before finally sliding to a stop. Remarkably, despite the crash and subsequent…

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    A La Carte (March 24)

    A La Carte: Wokeness as a tax / The religion of wellness / Freckles, thigh gaps, and beauty / The 50 most edifying films / If I have matching dishes but not love / The Bible and sexuality / Kindle deals / and more.

  • Pastoral Prayer

    A Pastoral Prayer

    Every now and again I like to share an example of a pastoral prayer from Grace Fellowship Church. I do this because there are few examples of pastoral prayers online and I thought these may serve to inspire themes, passages, or ideas as other pastors and elders prepare to lead their churches in prayer. Please…