Skip to content ↓

A La Carte (November 30)

wednesday

May the Lord be with you and bless you today.

Today’s Kindle deals include at least a couple of interesting books.

The Rise of Right-Wing Wokeism

Kevin DeYoung has written a long and thorough review of Stephen Wolfe’s new book on Christian Nationalism. “This is a long review, so let me state my conclusion up front: I understand and sympathize with the desire for something like Christian Nationalism, but if this book represents the best of that ism, then Christian Nationalism isn’t the answer the church or our nation needs. For all the fine retrieval work Wolfe does in parts of the book, the overall project must be rejected.”

The Holy Spirit is a Political Liability

Meanwhile, Samuel James is looking at a peripheral controversy and explaining why Christians need to continue to emphasize godly character. “This moment is exemplified not just by rancid bigotry but also a posture of unceasing combativeness and pugilism. It’s exemplified by an instinctive aversion to tenderheartedness, forgiveness, and gentleness. It’s exemplified by a way of talking about and doing politics that focuses almost myopically on winning: defeating the Left, pushing them out of the cultural center, and exiling any Christians who aren’t willing to do whatever it takes to achieve this.”

Dog-Fights and Discernment

Having shared the first two links, this one seems apropos as well. “At the end of 2021, I deleted all of my social media. Not just deactivated but full on nuked it as I described to a friend. I felt like Joseph running from Potiphar’s wife, so desperate to remove myself from the situation that I figuratively dropped my cloak and ran.”

What is revival? Should we expect it today?

In Revival: The Work of God, pastor Jeremy Walker takes us on an awe-inspiring tour of sites where God has done remarkable works. Watch Reformation Heritage Books’ newest feature-length documentary to learn how God uses ordinary means to ignite His Church. (Sponsored Link)

Fundamentalism in Black and White

This article explains why revised accounts of historical figures need to be examined carefully. After all, people are complicated.

God Works Witchcraft for our Good

This is a fascinating look at a worldview very different from my own. “For the most part, Westerners tend to live materialistic lives, focusing almost exclusively on the physical realm. However, in our time in Cameroon, we have come to realize that the Kwakum worldview is dominated by the spiritual. One area in which this spiritualized worldview is particularly evident is in their suffering.”

Flashback: On the Death of John Allen Chau

We ought to pray earnestly that God uses Chau’s death to shock unbelievers into repentance and to shock believers like you and me into greater and deeper obedience. He’s been known to do that.

Faithful pastoral care of the soul starts when one heart discloses itself to another heart―then the healing ministrations of God’s word and sacraments may be most effectively applied.

—Harold Senkbeil

  • Free Stuff Fridays (Ligonier Ministries)

    This week’s Free Stuff Friday is sponsored by Ligonier Ministries, who also sponsored the blog this week.  Are you saved? This is the ultimate question, but it won’t make much sense unless we’ve also asked ourselves what we need to be saved from. In a word, the answer is God. Ligonier Ministries is offering the ebook…

  • Bad Guys

    Could I Be One of the Bad Guys?

    Here is something I have been considering over the past few days: Every one of us acknowledges there is a lamentable lack of unity among Christians today. Yet none of us seems to consider that we ourselves may be the cause of that disunity, or at least contribute to it. In our minds, it is…

  • A La Carte Friday 2

    A La Carte (October 25)

    A La Carte: Does your church need to repent for the nursery? / Why we won’t spend eternity in heaven / Volunteer mums / When Christians are mocked in popular culture / What productivity can and cannot do / and more.

  • A La Carte Thursday 1

    A La Carte (October 24)

    A La Carte: Barnabas Piper’s gratitude for his dad / When eyewitnesses disagree / How endorsements work / God’s gift of musical memory / Receiving critique / Book and Kindle deals.

  • Moving House and Moving Church

    Would It Be Better to Take a Pay Cut Than a Church Cut?

    There are times when circumstances dictate that we move—that we move from one town to another, one province or state to another, or even one country or continent to another. There are other times when it is desire more than circumstance that causes us to uproot ourselves from one location and re-root ourselves in another.

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (October 23)

    A La Carte: How to write a meaningful card / God brings us bad to give us best / New notebook, same mission / There but for the grace of God go I / The trouble with competitiveness / and more.