A La Carte (September 17)

Sales & Deals

Today’s Kindle deals include some studies of the book of Acts, a book for families whose children are in public schools, a book on redeeming your time, and more.

If you’re interested in a new Bible, Westminster Books has some deals that would be worth looking at. The same is true if you’re interested in new editions of a classic Piper trilogy.

Recommended Reading

Christian Women and the Poison of Porn. Rosaria Butterfield has an article for women who watch pornography. “According to Covenant Eyes, an esteemed internet accountability and screen-monitoring service, 40 percent of professing Christian women consume pornography. That is astoundingly tragic because ‘consuming pornography’ is consuming poison. If you are reading this and you are one of the 40 percent, you likely feel a compulsive drive to return to this poison, even though you wish you could stop. But if you are a Christian woman, you can stop consuming pornography. How?”

Ministry Embellishment and the Heart of a Leader. Daniel Seabaugh writes about a serious issue: Christian leaders who embellish their ministries. “I’m guessing every leader falls prey to this temptation from time to time. Instead of being servants of God, we perform for people. Instead of relying on the power of God, we boast in our abilities and play to our strengths. We wear the glory instead of putting it on Jesus. We seek the wrong kind of excellence.”

Why Gen Z Is Lonely and What to Do About It. Statistically, Gen Z is the loneliest generation. “Loneliness is meant to feel uncomfortable. By design, it pushes us to step out into the possibility of rejection, with the understanding that social discomfort is preferable to the discomfort of solitude. And yet, for the first time in history, many young adults are willingly choosing social isolation.” Ruthanne Downey challenges her generation to do something about this.

How Should I Deal With My Anger? Dr. Robert Jones answers this question really well. Importantly, he carefully defines anger and distinguishes the ways we usually express it from the ways Jesus did.

Why We Said ‘No’ to IVF and ‘Yes’ to Embryo Adoption. “The 2019 Book of Common Prayer contains a liturgy of thanksgiving for the birth of a child and one of thanksgiving for the adoption of a child. When our daughter was born in September 2024, we asked our pastor to come to the hospital to pray both these prayers for our new baby. Not genetically related to me or my husband, our daughter came to us through embryo adoption.” Anna Russell explains why she and her husband opted for embryo adoption instead of IVF.

Are You a Contentious Wife? Costi Hinn points out that pastors are often more comfortable preaching hard truths to men than women, even though the Bible addresses both very frankly at times. He writes about a proverb that describes a contentious wife and says, “she does not merely embarrass him externally with her contentious and hurtful behavior; her destructive character eats away at him internally. In no uncertain terms, the Bible tells us that a wife possesses extraordinary power and influence either to adorn her husband’s life or erode it from the inside out.”

News Headlines

Here are a few notable news headlines.

Britain Just Proved That Assisted Suicide Is Not Inevitable. What a joy to learn that the U.K. has decided not to proceed with allowing assisted suicide. Jonathon Van Maren reports at The Bridgehead.

B.C. Doctor Fined $28,000 for Refusing to Inject Trans-Identifying Teen With Puberty Blocker. In Canada, a doctor was recently fined $28,000 (around $20,000 US) for refusing to inject a teen with a puberty blocker. For both this issue and euthanasia, Canada seems like it will tolerate no dissent for those whose consciences won’t permit them to participate. (We have a significant shortage of doctors in Canada, yet it’s possible that many will be chased off over matters of conscience.)

Mumbai Churches Fight Anticonversion Law With Consent Forms. Christianity Today reports on churches in Mumbai that are having members explicitly consent to participating in the church to avoid running afoul of anticonversion laws.

Flashback

The Death of Porn. The Death of Porn is a series of six letters from Ray Ortlund to younger men, or, if you prefer, from a father to a son. It is written in a way that is both paternal and pastoral, in a way that is both soft and firm, both encouraging and rebuking.