Curated content for Christians
Why International Adoptions by Americans Have Hit a 35-Year Low “In 2004, Americans adopted 22,884 children from foreign countries—an all-time high. Twelve years later, that number has dropped to 5,648 children—the lowest level in 35 years, according to recently released statistics from the US State Department on fiscal year 2015 (Oct. 1, 2014 to Sept.…
Forgetting the Past Ed Welch: “Scripture does help us with our painful pasts, but it does more than that. It tells us to forget things we want to remember, and remember things we are likely to forget.” I.O.U. Darryl Dash looks at evangelism as a debt we owe to others. “Paul says that he’s under…
Followed By The God of Grace Be sure to read Garrett Kell’s story of being followed by God: “It was early in my junior year at Virginia Tech—and I felt like everywhere I turned, God was following me around.” Is WebMD Trustworthy? Can you trust WebMD? Kind of. But not really. Fulfilling God’s Call to…
9 Things You Need to Know about Backpage.com and Sex Trafficking This is awful but important. “Many assume sex trafficking is restricted to the darkest corners of the Internet. The online classified ad company ‘Backpage,’ however, has become the Walmart of sex trafficking and prostitution. For a modest fee, traffickers can post sex ads of…
Beneath The Evangelical Earthquake Paul Carter writes about the word “evangelical” and our increasing reticence to be described that way. The Intelligent Life of the City Raccoon Well isn’t this fascinating: city raccoons are smarter than country raccoons because they have to reason their way through more complex challenges. 18 Things to Pray for Your…
12 Things to Know About the Anti-Christ “We, in the Calvinistic and Reformed church, have not done justice to the Scripture’s teaching on this matter. We often rightly respond to the ‘Left Behind’ industry with dismay and sarcasm. In so doing, however, we have, perhaps inadvertently failed to sufficiently and soberly grasp Scripture’s teaching on…
Andy Stanley’s Problem with the Bible “Andy Stanley knows the Bible. As the son of the popular Baptist pastor, Dr. Charles Stanley, he has grown up under Bible teaching and preaching. As a pastor of a very large megachurch, North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, Georgia, Andy Stanley has spent much time reading and studying…
Pillar New Testament Commentaries Westminster Books is offering a great deal on the Pillar New Testament Commentary series. This is a top-notch series edited by D.A. Carson and suitable to anyone who wishes to better understand God’s Word. My Side, Your Side, or Neither You may benefit from this reflection on church conflict. “Both sides…
Hope for a Hopeless Marriage This story of hope in a hopeless situation may be an encouragement to you. The Joy and Pain of Consistent Parenting Parenting in a nutshell: “This morning I awoke at 12:30AM to the blood-curdling screams of my two-year old daughter. She wanted a new band-aid for her toe. Her screaming…
15 Reflections from My 15 Years of Experience as a Pastor Brian Najapfour offers up 15 excellent reflections based on his 15 years of pastoring. Faithlessness Shrinks You Down To a Grasshopper Trevin Wax: “Thinking too little of God sometimes leads you to think too little of yourself. For years, I thought it was the…
10 Common Ways Churches Get Off Mission Jared Wilson: “The Lord has called his people to be on gospel mission for the sake of his glory. Most churchfolk will readily acknowledge this, and yet many churches have drifted away — often subtly — from thinking of themselves as missionaries in their respective communities and beyond.…
History Today: George Whitefield Founds an Orphanage This is actually History Tomorrow now, but it’s a good overview of Whitefield’s orphanage. Don’t Like Diversity? You’ll Hate Heaven The title about says it all, doesn’t it? A Horribly Beautiful Friday Paul Tripp: “At the center of a biblical worldview is this radical recognition: the most horrible…
When I Didn’t Love My Adopted Child I appreciated this honest bit of writing. “That maternal instinct God gives mothers is an incredible force for good—and something I didn’t have with our adopted daughter like I have with my other kids.” What Do Expiation and Propitiation Mean? Let Dr. Sproul explain those important terms which…
The Message of Islam vs. The Gospel of Jesus Don Carson, Graham Cole, Douglas Sweeney, and Harold A. Netland teamed up to write this article that compares Islam and Christianity. “Rather than trying to answer directly whether Christians and Muslims worship the same God, it’s more helpful to consider similarities and differences in the beliefs…
Brussels Pastor: ‘Our City is in Pain’ WORLD magazine talks to a Brussels pastor about the events that unfolded there yesterday. Rob Ford: 1969-2016 Toronto’s former mayor, Rob Ford, died yesterday. Though he made himself an international laughing stock, please keep his family and young children in prayer. His family has many connections to local…
The Bible Returns to Cuba This is exciting to hear! “For the first time since diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba were restored, one of the world’s largest private Bible collections was made available to all Cuban people – free and open to the public daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. – on…
Logos Final 8 Logos’ March Madness is down to the final 8. Get your votes in! Keep Lexi Home Please read about Lexi, a little girl whose family attends John MacArthur’s church. From Sermon to Small Groups Tim Chester has a helpful article on tying small groups into the sermon. How Do You See Me?…
Gender Identity in Children Justin Taylor: “The American College of Pediatricians (ACPeds)—a socially conservative association of pediatricians and healthcare professionals in the United States, founded in 2002—has issued the following statement on gender identity in children.” Repentance vs. Defensiveness Here are two responses to criticism and the difference between them. The Shame Culture “Some sort…
The Modesty Debate This is a very good article on the never-ending modesty debate. “We men do not need modesty laws to have a pure heart. What we need is Christ. We need to stop blaming the girls, the advertisers, the catalogs, the TV shows, and point the finger right where it belongs. At our…
Who’s Your Daddy? “Christianity unapologetically places fathers (or father-types) at the head of the church and the table and the household, but commands that they lead with a servant’s heart with Christ as their model. The problems stem not from obeying the godly mandate, but from shirking it.” The article goes on to look at…