Good morning. Grace and peace to you on this fine day.
Sales & Deals
Today’s Kindle deals include The People in Paul’s Letters, which I believe is on sale for the first time. Also, Why We (still) Believe and The God of the Garden.
The paperback edition of From the Rising of the Sun, the book I wrote with Tim Keesee that traces our journey across the world, is currently just $9.99 at Amazon. The 12-episode documentary is free with the book, so that’s pretty good value! (Also, here’s a recent review of the book.)
Recommended Reading
The Mortification Equation. Joe Smith provides an easy-to-understand equation for putting sin to death, then explains how to use it. If you’re struggling with sin (and who of us isn’t?), you’ll benefit from reading and applying it.
Sunday Style and the Devil’s Beat. This is a really enjoyable article from Andrew Osenga. He reflects on the music we sing on Sundays, how it has changed over the years, and how we all came to sing the same songs. “No longer did we just agree on those few songs that ran along the rooftops and jumped into each of our hymnals. We were now almost all singing completely the same songs. Go to any evangelical church between 1995 and 2020 and you could pretty much pick the set list before you walked in, whether you had been to that church before or not.”
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The Cult of Pastoral Vulnerability. One of the reasons I enjoy reading Carl Trueman is that he always has a different take on current events. Writing for First Things, he considers a recent pastoral disqualification and suggests something we ought to learn from it. “Much of the subsequent commentary on his fall has focused on whether his theological positions left him vulnerable to such an outcome. But there is a broader question here that all Christians in America need to ask: Is the real problem the cult of vulnerability, which now shapes so much of pastoral ministry?”
Greet One Another With a … What? I’m always interested in those passages for which we immediately try to prove, “It doesn’t actually mean what it seems to mean.” That’s certainly the case when it comes to holy kisses. Justin Huffman pushes us to consider what the passage actually calls us to. “Before we titter nervously like preteen school boys at Paul’s exhortation to kiss, consider this: a kiss in New Testament times was used as a warm greeting between those of the same sex. Many countries in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East still kiss on the cheek or on the forehead as a part of greeting one another affectionately.”
Four Lies Fear Whispers in the Storm. Kirsten writes about four lies that fear whispers when we are caught up in life’s storms. “I love God’s word because it shows us the failures of God’s people. It does not give examples of those who had perfect faith (were there such a thing) or even whitewash the sins of those it highlights. Rather, it gives a very real picture of both the brokenness of man and the grace of God.”
Join a Church Before It’s an Emergency. Benjamin Vrbicek offers some wise counsel and a helpful metaphor as he considers the importance and urgency of formally associating with a local church. “The modern experience of membership classes, interviews, names in bulletins, and a congregation’s recognition on a Sunday morning are all, admittedly, made up. That doesn’t make it bad or wrong. Persecution in the early church had a way of clarifying what now takes most of us a few extra steps. The concept of meaningfully belonging to a local church, however, does have roots in both the Bible and wisdom.”
Friday Funnies
My friend Chris Martin maintains a Substack called The Funnies, and every Saturday he shares a few fun and silly things he found on the Internet—something I see as a modern equivalent to the comics pages that used to be in every newspaper. I asked him to share a couple with you.
Small print: The inclusion of someone’s “funny” here is neither an endorsement of that person nor a recommendation that you follow them on social media. Just laugh or roll your eyes and then move on.
A La Quiz
Do you remember this week’s A La Carte links? Test yourself:
- What doctrine did Andrew Wilson insist the church needs to hold on to? (Find out)
- Writing in For the Church, Daniel Bouchoc and Zach Hollifield expressed the need for pastors to value an unusual virtue. What was it? (Find out)
- Alan Shlemon countered a common but manipulative phrase people say about children who insist they are transgender. What is the phrase? (Find out)
Flashback
My Epic Documentary Series Is Now Free to Watch. My 10-episode documentary is now available for free, taking you on location and providing an immersive experience for understanding the history of Christianity.
Why are husbands and wives to give their bodies only to each other, in safety and joy? Because God’s relationship with his people is exclusive: a place of true shelter and intimate love.
—Rachel Gilson
