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Weekend A La Carte (July 29)

My thanks goes to Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary for sponsoring the blog this week. They invite you to join Matthew Barrett for free to study the foundational elements of Christian Theology through For The Church Institute at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Spurgeon College.

Today’s Kindle deals include a good little selection of titles.

(Yesterday on the blog: The Gender Revolution)

The House of Mourning Is Good for the Soul

“It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart.” How can this possibly be the case?

Why My LDS Friend Isn’t Trying to Convert Me to Mormonism

“I was shocked. It was the second time my Latter-day Saint friend told me he wasn’t interested in converting me.” Why wouldn’t Mormons be interested in converting Christians? This article explains.

Our Microwave Culture

“In a culture where you can have a baked potato in eight minutes, a 15-minute potato feels like an eternity. And once we’ve grown accustomed to eight minute expectations, our tolerance for things that take longer lengths of time is diminished. And boy does it show.”

In Our Chaotic Age, Some Atheists Are Rethinking Secularism

Carl Trueman: “What is emerging among some erstwhile left-wing intellectuals today is the realization that atheism, while an interesting theoretical position, offers nothing to address the deeper questions of life.”

Encouragement for Suffering Saints

“Throughout the Bible and church history, we see that God uses suffering to prepare and equip His servants for usefulness in ministry. 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 is the norm, not the exception, for those who would serve the Suffering Servant. Suffering is never a pointless evil, but a necessary tool the Lord uses to refine, mature, and prepare us for fruitful service in His kingdom.”

The Good Pastor: A Man Who Changed My Life

You’ll enjoy this biographical article by Ajith Fernando.

Flashback: How God Speaks To Us Today

God can speak and has spoken however he wishes. But today the one way he absolutely promises you can always hear his voice is in his Word.

I remind myself and my church that a message of grace may attract people, but a culture of grace will keep them.

—Jared C. Wilson

  • Weekend A La Carte (November 7)

    The Hutterites’ guide to technology / Searching for jobs, Gen Z feels like it’s staring into ‘the void’ / The gospel according to Peter (Thiel) / Scientism and the allure of control / Can science explain sparkling rivers? / What led to Christianity Today’s crisis?

  • I Regret to Inform You That Heaven Tourism Is Back

    I Regret to Inform You That Heaven Tourism Is Back

    I regret to inform you, dear reader, that heaven tourism is back. The genre possibly never went away entirely, but it did at least disappear from the bestseller lists for several years. Sadly, it has returned in Gabe Poirot’s 18 Days in Heaven.

  • A La Carte (November 6)

    Don’t despise the red flags / Your thoughts are shaping your life / Can’t you just love everyone? / Selfies are not the self: forming embodied youth in a disembodied age / Effective altruists and the spreadsheet gospel / 4 Applications for the order of love—from the home to the ends of the earth /…

  • A La Carte (November 5)

    When you feel guilty about your giving / The missing piece in John Mark Comer’s quiet time / A manifesto for phone-free church / The pull of Rome / 4 Misconceptions about spiritual warfare / Slouching toward Narnia / Kindle deals, and more

  • A Daring Suggestion for Netflix

    A Daring Suggestion for Netflix

    Netflix appears to have fallen on hard times and I have some suggestions that I’d like to think would help it: cut the sex, nudity, and profanity, and gain back the viewers it’s long been alienating.

  • A La Carte (November 4)

    Can I love my enemies while addressing wrongs and protecting myself? / Is missions too costly for kids? / Don’t stock the pantry with temptation / Churches face a shortage of worship leaders / AI brought a mathematician to Ecclesiastes / Discerning between godly and worldly grief / Harvest in fearful times / and more.