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Weekend A La Carte (July 11)

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A movie reviewer at Christianity Today was not a big fan of the film Minions. “Probably, you’d be better off doing almost anything with your kid than taking them to see Minions, especially considering Inside Out is also in theaters.”

It’s a common question: What about those have never heard of Jesus? Justin Taylor provides Francis Schaeffer’s brilliant answer.

What is it like to be profoundly face blind? This article looks at a strange but interesting condition. “The issue is how I remember faces. It doesn’t matter if I know the person: I’ve walked right past my husband, my own mother, my daughter, my son, without being able to recognize them.”

I live with a couple of worriers and have observed that worry does not always respond well to reason. But do consider Tim Witmer’s counsel on what to do Instead of Worrying.

Ever wonder what happened to the Emerging Church? Michael Patton looks back and tries to piece it together.

It seems there is a growing Case Against Laptops in the Classroom. “Yet as Shirky points out, social media software is hypnotically diverting, like a tropical bird in mating season – noisy, seductive, colorfully-plumed. How could a bored undergraduate resist?”

Rodney Stark explains why religions are not basically all the same. He makes a compelling case.

Thanks to Books at a Glance for sponsoring the blog this week.

Vos

Legalism lacks the supreme sense of worship. It obeys but it does not adore.

—Geerhardus Vos

  • ESV Expository Commentary

    The Best Complete Commentary Set for any Christian

    Those who are serious about collecting commentaries will almost invariably say that it is better to think in terms of individual volumes than complete series. And I agree: it is generally better to focus on acquiring the top three or four commentaries on each book of the Bible than to focus on collecting complete series.…

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    A La Carte (December 17)

    A La Carte: Marketing as stewardship / Intercultural humor / Freedom in devotions / When people leave your church / Calvinistic gospel partnerships / Sentimentality / Kindle deals / and more.

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    A La Carte (December 16)

    A La Carte: The Scopes trial at 100 / How do we measure maturity? / A pogrom on Bondi Beach / Are Evangelicals obsessed with sex? / Do the next thing / Book sales / and more.

  • Service

    You Are in the Circumstances in Which You Can Best Serve

    There are times when we all find ourselves lamenting our circumstances. These may be times in which we grieve life’s losses or suffer life’s indignities, or these may be times in which we grapple with the frustrations that come with life in this world—when our skills are underutilized, or our contributions are underappreciated.

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    A La Carte (December 15)

    A La Carte: Blood soaks into the sand of Bondi Beach / This year’s biggest religious trend / The best Christian music of 2025 / The challenges this Christmas / Micromanaging your habits / Notable Kindle deals / and more.

  • A Moving Picture of the Gospel

    A Moving Picture of the Gospel

    As we gather on Sundays, we preach the Bible, read the Bible, pray the Bible, and sing the Bible. But that is not all, for we also “see” the Bible. Here’s how Mark Dever expresses it: “The ordinances are the dramatic presentations of the gospel. They are the moving pictures that represent the spiritual realities…