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Weekend A La Carte (June 27)

Today’s Kindle deals include some classics as well as commentaries by Stott and Kidner.

(Yesterday on the blog: 12 New and Notable Books for June 2020)

Systemic Racism, God’s Grace, and the Human Heart: What the Bible Teaches About Structural Sin

Albert Mohler has a helpful look at systemic racism. “Sin corrupts every institution and every system because, one way or another, sinful human beings are involved. This means that laws, policies, habits, and customs are also corrupted by sin. We are called to do everything within our power to expunge sin from the structures of our society. Christians know that the justice of God demands that we do so. At the same time, we cannot accept that the structural manifestations of sin are the heart of the problem. No, the heart of the problem is found in the sinfulness of the individual human heart.”

Ahistorical Activism

This one comes from First Things. “Today’s iconoclasm should trouble us. Not because it judges the past, but because it fails to uphold any permanent ideals against which the past or the present might rightly be judged. If anything, the movement goes out of its way to smash traditional symbols of moral authority and repositories of moral wisdom.”

Train Up a Child? (Video)

Robert Godfrey speaks briefly and helpfully on Proverbs 22:6.

Well, That Didn’t Last Long

I have seen the same thing locally—the unity that came with the beginning of the crisis has already given way to sniping and fighting. “I don’t think I’m responsible for policing the opinions of my neighbours but I do feel responsible for having started the group, and am sorry that it is now splintering. My aim was to strengthen the neighbourhood, not create a platform for new animosities to form.”

Christians Behaving Badly

“Most of us – at least here in the US – have been locked away for three months. The use of social media has been one of the ways people have been able to ‘get out of the house.’ But as we start to regather into our congregations I wonder if turmoil that began on social media will carry over into regular church life.” I expect that in many cases it will.

What the Tentmaking Business Was Really Like for the Apostle Paul

What was tentmaking like for the Apostle Paul? And how big a role did that play in his life? Here’s a brief attempt at an answer.

Small Decisions Matter: Discernment for Everyday Life

Here’s Ed Welch on day-by-day discernment. “This way or that way? Right in God’s eyes or right in our own eyes? Two paths. One is self-destructive; one is filled with life. Our lives are now brimming with daily judgments of ourselves and our world. These judgments determine our course and carry eternal consequences.”

Flashback: Mark Zuckerberg Covers His Webcam. Should You?

In an age of ubiquitous data collection, there is wisdom in taking some basic measures of self-protection and self-preservation.

He who prepares not for his dying-day runs the hazard of losing his immortal soul.

—Thomas Brooks

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (June 10)

    A La Carte: Should Christians practice surrogacy? / Intentional simplicity / I feel like I’m taking crazy pills / Prayers to renew the way you work / Why I chose not to believe in Jesus / and more.

  • Nicea Conference

    One Lord. One Faith. One Gospel. In 325 A.D., pastors gathered in the city of Nicea to proclaim the full divinity of Jesus Christ. Seventeen centuries later, we’re gathering again—this time in Istanbul—to remember that moment, rejoice in our shared confession, and renew our commitment to the gospel. Join us October 22–25, 2025, in Istanbul,…

  • Sanctified or Tired

    Am I Sanctified or Am I Tired?

    How much am I actually becoming holier and how much am I just becoming wearier? How much have I really grown in sanctification and how much am I just too tired to be bothered pursuing sin?

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (June 9)

    A La Carte: Hitler and Jesus / Why young women fear dating / The mass trauma of porn / Christian books with unintended consequences/ Pentecostal not provincial / Her name is Sarah / Kindle deals / and more.

  • Praying together

    We Neglect it at Our Peril

    We know that prayer is a crucial discipline for the individual believer, but how often do we consider that it is also a crucial discipline for the assembled church? The Bible prescribes only a few elements for local church worship, but among them is prayer.

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    Weekend A La Carte (June 7)

    A La Carte: The most important quality in church musicians / Don’t make friends with doubt / The midlife spiritual plateau / There’ll be no sighing there / Because Jesus said so / and more.