A La Carte (5/23)

The Big Picture – The Big Picture has a gallery of photos of the devastation in Oklahoma. Also, these before and after pictures are startling and display the power of the storm. Modern Parables 2 – I have often expressed my appreciation for the Modern Parables series of films. Well, they are now using Kickstarter to try to fund a second series of films. Check it out and consider being part of it! (And if you’ve never checked out the …

A La Carte (5/3)

Why You Should Not Listen to Me – Thabiti Anyabwile: “Influence. It’s a funny thing. It’s inescapable–someone will always be perceived to have it or not have it, to either use or misuse it. We complain about it, but we also want to be influenced.” Be sure to read why you shouldn’t listen to him. Dear Mr. President – Here’s an excellent blog post. A mother simply writes a letter to the President, explaining how she told her children about …

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New & Notable Books

I am in the unique and enjoyable position of receiving copies of most of the latest and greatest Christian books and I like to provide regular roundups of some of the best and brightest of the bunch. Of all the books I have received recently, here are the ones that appear most noteworthy. Rhythms of Grace by Mike Cosper. “Confusion abounds over how to define the term “worship.” Is it singing? A service? Something that encompasses all of life? Helping …

A La Carte (3/22)

Two Sets of Wants – A reader directed me to a new blog and I found a great post there on parenting. A dad writes about his two competing sets of wants for his children. Good stuff! A Writer’s Confession – “I’ve been reflecting lately on the real dangers of being a writer. One of the reasons I took a break from blogging for a while is because I was too consumed by checking statistics, subscriptions and comments. It started to …

A La Carte (3/1)

Baseball and the Christian Walk – Because baseball season is nearly upon us. “The reality that baseball is a game of managed failure for every player, even the great ones, is one of the reasons the game imbedded so deeply in the fabric of American culture.” Page CXVI – Page CXVI, which is a project meant to make hymns accessible, is giving away their complete catalog of 74 songs. It’s there for the taking! “To celebrate our 7-year anniversary of …

A La Carte (2/28)

The Brutal Side of Papal Politics – This article looks at the brutal politics involved in choosing a new pope. “From champion of married priests to disgraced churchman within 72 hours, O’Brien’s trajectory is stunning but also emblematic of the frenetic and fever-pitched campaigning that occurs during the tiny window between a pope’s death or resignation and the election of his successor.” Culture Creep – Andree Seu Peterson goes to the news to show us how an orientation is born, …

A La Carte (2/8)

Writing Is Easy – Peggy Noonan on writing and speaking: “If you try to write ‘good lines’ you’ll likely wind up with strings of dumb, unconnected applause lines. The audience will probably applaud—crowds of supporters are dutiful that way, and people want to be polite—but they’ll know they’re applauding an applause line, not a thought…” Our Universe – Fox: “The week’s best images of our solar system, the galaxy and everything out there, putting you in touch with the most …

A La Carte (1/23)

Pastoral Confidentiality – There have been various articles about pastoral confidentiality. I really appreciate what Tom Ascol says; he seems to strike a healthy balance between the extremes. Boycotting Companies – R.C. Sproul Jr. answers this question: “Do Christians have a moral obligation to boycott companies that support unbiblical causes?” D.A. Carson on Complementarianism – Here’s a Q&A with D.A. Carson. He answers questions arising from his thorough argument for the equality of men and women but their different purposes under …

A La Carte (1/18)

He Smelled of Urine and Infection – “Amy Julia Becker recently linked to the story of a couple named Greg and Tesney who adopted a son, Kirill, from Russia. I would say the story of his condition when in Russia was ‘heartbreaking,’ but I would not be doing that word justice.” $5 Friday – Ligonier Ministries has some great items for sale in their $5 Friday, including R.C. Sproul’s newest book Are We Together? in hardcover (it’s a really good …

The Essential: Holiness

This is the nineteenth installment in a series on theological terms. See previous posts on the terms theology, Trinity, creation, man, Fall, common grace, sin, righteousness, faith, pride, election, revelation, atonement, adoption, sanctification, incarnation, idolatry, and the church. In a lecture titled “The Meaning of Holiness” (video), R. C. Sproul identifies two major scriptural meanings to the word holiness, one primary and one secondary, one in relation to God and one in relation to human beings. The primary meaning is …