There are a couple of classics in today’s list of Kindle deals.
(Yesterday on the blog: What Are People Saying About Christian Blogging?)
Hearing His Voice: A Short Film
Please watch this short film. It will bless you.
Brothers, We Are Not Talking Heads
Pastors need to read this one from Erik Raymond. “Dear brother pastors, why have we become so compelled to let everyone know what we think about so many issues peripheral to our calling? Realizing that neither consuming news nor processing how to think through it biblically is wrong or unwise, I want to gently encourage ministers to pump the brakes on what they react to online. Below are a few reasons why…”
Secularism Is Boring
Nick McDonald has decided to try his hand at some longform writing, and I think the result is pretty good. “This, my friends, is what we made: a system where we can create our own meaning, and thus a system which bleeds pointlessness and creates a boredom vacuum. I find myself using that line of logic with college students more and more: Secularism is boring. That’s why you’re bored.”
Why We Need To Think about Ecclesiology and Polity
“One of the problems with our lack of thought on ecclesiology is that things are usually fine until they start going wrong. We don’t like to think too hard about polity but, if we don’t, the systems that scripture puts in place to protect the church simply aren’t there when issues arise.” Exactly. We need to think about these things in advance.
No Guarantees
Janie B. Cheaney reflects on parenting. “All parents, regardless of conviction, tend to see their children as extensions of themselves. It’s understandable, especially for mothers: Our babies came from us, they depend on us, they obsess over us (‘Mama! Mama! Mama!’)—they are us. Even as they grow up and apart, we see them as infinitely moldable, and if we do our job right, they will reflect well. On themselves? On God? No; on us.”
The Consequences of Ideas in New York
Rick Phillips writes about the recent abortion vote in New York is the consequence of ideas. “Attitudes and behaviors are formed from ideas. And behind the gleeful celebration of the slaughter of pre-born babies is the idea that there is no God. The chief doctrine of secular humanism – embedded in the very expression – is that life does not originate as the creation of a personal and moral deity. The consequence of this denial of God is not only the rebellious egocentricity by which men and women would terminate their own children for the sake of convenience but also the loss of the very idea of humanity.”
Why You Can’t Get to Heaven through the Mormon Faith
Eric Davis: “Despite the rate at which it has grown, Mormonism contains fatal doctrinal problems. Though it has attracted many, it cannot be said that adherence to it will lead one to heaven. This is no minor issue. Eternity is at stake. If we love people; truly love the soul and well-being of a person, we will be concerned about their life through eternity. If there is a truck barrelling down the road at you and I don’t get you out of the way, I fail to love you. Here are a few reasons why Mormon doctrine cannot save…”
Flashback: Do Children Have a Financial Obligation Toward Their Parents?
There are financial obligations that extend from parents to children and, later, from children to parents. And, like all obligations, this one is made joyful, not burdensome, by the gospel.
The most basic act of wisdom is repentance.
—Jen Wilkin
