Skip to content ↓

Weekend A La Carte (June 16)

Today’s Kindle deals include something old and something new.

Logos users, click here to get a free copy of Schaeffer’s Escape from Reason.

(Yesterday on the blog: The Controversy Behind the Revoice Conference)

Psalms for Men Who Are Struggling

This was helpful to me yesterday. “The Psalms made no sense to me when I was in college because they sounded so bleak. Here were these compositions that were supposed to be so worshipful, but the Psalmists just spent too much time complaining about how hard life was. Now that I’m in my 40’s, the Psalms resonate with me because in my frustration with the difficulties of life I’ve said many of the things they say.”

Reflections on the 2018 Southern Baptist Convention

I regard Tom Ascol as a trusted voice so very much appreciated his assessment of and reflections on the recent SBC Convention. (On a related note, here is a list of the resolutions that were passed).

A Prayer for Fathers (Video)

Here is a short video including scripture and a prayer for fathers.

Youth Group or Frat House?

This is worth reflecting on. It’s good for kids to have fun at youth group, but that fun can go way over the top. “Christians talk often about the church being a hospital for the sick and safe haven for the weary. But this mentality hasn’t taken root in some youth ministries across the country. As mature adults, we are responsible for creating an environment that shows students that the church can be a place where you can both have fun and be comfortable talking about your insecurities. The church is a body that offers comfort.”

What Is Discernment?

Sinclair Ferguson: “Most of us doubtless want to distance ourselves from what might be regarded as “the lunatic fringe” of contemporary Christianity. We are on our guard against being led astray by false teachers. But there is more to discernment than this. True discernment means not only distinguishing the right from the wrong; it means distinguishing the primary from the secondary, the essential from the indifferent, and the permanent from the transient. And, yes, it means distinguishing between the good and the better, and even between the better and the best.”

Religiously Unaffiliated ‘Nones’ are Pursuing Spirituality, but not Community

Everyone needs to believe something, right? “Millennial nones are not abandoning organized religion to become secular, science-loving humanists. Rather, they are turning toward more individual forms of spiritualism, including yoga, meditation, healing stones, Wiccan spell casting and astrology.” (Also see this commentary from Gene Veith.)

Trinity Western Loses Law School Appeal at Supreme Court

“A five-judge majority of the Supreme Court agreed that provincial law societies were right to deny accreditation to Trinity Western University’s proposed law school.” This is a pretty significant (though not wholly surprising) story here in Canada.

Flashback: Setting Up My Kids for Salvation

I trust God with my soul, but for some reason have a much tougher time trusting him with the souls of my kids. I wonder if you can identify with the struggle.

A father’s holy life is a rich legacy for his sons.

—Charles Spurgeon

  • Science and God

    Do You Have to Choose Between Science and God?

    Whatever else young people know today, they know that science and God are opposed to one another. At least, they think they know this, because it has been taught to them in a hundred formal and informal settings, from the classroom to the television. They have been taught that they must choose between science and…

  • A La Carte Friday 2

    A La Carte (February 13)

    A La Carte: You don’t have a LGBTQ neighbor / Satan doesn’t use rubber bullets / John Piper on criticizing God / Tales that celebrate traditional families / The little things matter / and more.

  • 12 General Market Books I Have Enjoyed Recently

    While I am committed to reading and reviewing Christian books, I also enjoy reading a steady diet of books published for the general market. I suppose my interests lean toward history, but I do read other books as well. Here are a few of the titles I’ve enjoyed over the past couple of months.

  • A La Carte Thursday 1

    A La Carte (February 12)

    A La Carte: When a crack becomes a chasm / That viral AI article / Artificial theologians / Christian witness in a divided world / Well our feeble frame he knows / Book and Kindle deals / and more.

  • Performative Grief

    Performative Grief

    We all know what it is to perform grief—to ensure that others are aware of our sadness by forcing them to see our sorrow. We may do this to gain their attention or compel their sympathy. We may do this because we make grief an idol and are only validated when others feel sorry for…