Have Christians Lost Their Sense of Difference?

Brett McCracken:

How are Christians set apart or distinct from the unbelieving world? When push comes to shove, would any observer be able to pick today’s edgy/authentic/real/raw/not-your-grandmother’s Christian out of the proverbial crowd? In what ways are we embodying the call to be salt and light, a city on a hill (Matt. 5:13–16), and a “royal priesthood” called out of darkness and into light (1 Peter 2:9)?

These questions have nagged at me for a number of years, as I’ve witnessed younger evangelical Christians (myself included) more often blending in with the dark than advancing the light. When I go to parties with Christian friends, and then parties with non-Christian friends, I often lament that they are observably indistinguishable.

It’s a Big Boy Game

Daniel Darling:

…while Christians will always be broken and in need of grace, we also are being renewed by the Spirit of God. There is a sanctification process, a “getting better” process that God is doing in us, to rid us of the old, childish sinful ways and habits and making us more like Jesus. This is a process we can resist by clinging to our old patterns (James 1:4). We can quench (1 Thessalonians 5:19 and grieve the Spirit (Ephesians 4:30) in His work.

Train your boxing robot carefully

HT: Stephen Altrogge

Interview with Henry Luke Orombi

Kevin DeYoung:

My dad, Lee DeYoung, just returned from a three week trip to South Sudan and Uganda. A highlight of that trip was his visit to the home of recently retired Church of Uganda Archbishop Henry Luke Orombi. Having stepped away from denominational administration, Archbishop Orombi is now focusing on Biblical preaching by radio through his weekly Words of Hope broadcasts in English and in his mother tongue Arur.

Five Lessons on Friendship from Esther Edwards Burr

Justin Taylor:

To students of church history, Esther Edwards Burr (1732-1758) is known today as one of eleven children born to Sarah and Jonathan Edwards, America’s greatest theologian.

To students of American history, she is known as the mother of Aaron Burr Jr., Thomas Jefferson’s vice president who mortally wounded Alexander Hamilton in an illegal duel in 1804. When Aaron was all of 19 months old, she recorded in a letter that he was “a little dirty Noisy Boy . . . very sly and mischievous . . . not so good tempered. He is very resolute and requires a good Governor to bring him to terms.” Aaron would tragically go on to abandon the faith of his family. But we can certainly feel empathy for his difficult start in life, given that at the age of two years old he lost both his mother and his father, as well his grandfather and grandmother.

How I Changed My Mind about Abortion

Julia Herrington:

My thoughts and feelings on abortion have almost always been rather laissez–faire. I felt apathetic because the topic is so abrasive. Secretly, I’ve always felt that abortion wasn’t ideal and maybe not even right. But it’s complicated to believe that when you’re a feminist, and it’s certainly not something you profess publicly. Who am I to presume to know what is right for another woman? Am I, as a feminist, willing to assert that abortion isn’t right? Would I not be robbing women of authority over their own personhood, something women have fought arduously for, for far too long? A year ago, I would have rather been caught barefoot in the kitchen, in an apron with red lipstick on my mouth, baking for all the boys, a caricature of the “problem without a name” rather than to be found in close proximity to the pro-life camp.

An Alternative to the TGC and T4G Statements about SGM

David Murray:

I love and respect the T4G and TGC men who recently put their names to statements about the sexual abuse cover-up and conspiracy allegations surrounding C.J. Mahaney and Sovereign Grace Ministries. Each of these gifted and godly men have played a hugely beneficial role in my Christian life. I’ve met some of them and know a couple of them quite well. I fully expect to profit from their ministries in the coming years.

But I have to say with heavy heart, I strongly disagree with some of the content in their public statements.

Cruciform Press sale at Reformation Heritage Books

Reformation Heritage Books has 12 books from Cruciform Press on sale for $6.00 per copy, including Brass Heavens, The Two Fears and Torn to Heal.

Kindle deals round 2

Yesterday I shared a bunch of Kindle deals; here are a few more you should check out:

• The Second Coming: Signs of Christ’s Return and the End of the Age by John MacArthur—$4.99
• Twelve Unlikely Heroes by John MacArthur—$4.99
• How to Study the Bible by John MacArthur—$4.62
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• Worship Matters: Leading Others to Encounter the Greatness of God by Bob Kauflin—$4.99
• I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist by Geisler and Turek—$4.99
• The Church: The Gospel Made Visible by Mark Dever—$5.06
• Nine Marks of a Healthy Church by Mark Dever—$4.99
• The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, Volume 1—99¢ (US only)
• The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, Volume 3—99¢ (US only)
• ESV Study Bible—$4.91

My Take on the “Baptist Battle of Calvinism”

Tim Brister:

I am one who grew up in the middle of this battle. My first four years of ministry witnessed a surge of Reformed theology in college (1997-2001), followed by four years in the revivalist/anti-Calvinist culture (2001-2004). The third set of four years was spent at Southern Seminary when the term “young, restless, and reformed” generation was coined (2004-2008). In fact, in many ways my journey biographically was a microcosm of the larger narrative such that Collin Hansen (who wrote the book) shared a portion of my life story in his book. The fourth set of four years has been as a pastor of a confessionally Reformed church (2008-2012), where I continue to serve today.

As I mentioned in my reflections on #SBC13, the tone and conversation regarding Calvinism is perhaps the best it has been since I’ve been involved in Southern Baptist life. I took some time to reflect on the past 15 years, and I thought I’d share my big picture take on the “Baptist Battle of Calvinism.

When Reporters Roll Their Eyes at an Abortion Bill

Trevin Wax:

As expected, the House of Representatives voted today to ban abortions after 22 weeks (the point when a fetus can feel pain). The Senate will probably ignore this bill, and the president will definitely veto it. But the symbolic power of the House kicking against the goads of Roe v. Wade is certainly newsworthy, which is why media outlets are devoting attention to the bill.

Unfortunately, in reading the news stories, one gets the impression that most journalists are rolling their eyes at Republicans for even attempting such a laughable, backwards piece of legislation.

Should We Stop Saying, “The Church Hurt Me”?

Thabiti Anyabwile:

I hear the statement quite often. Usually it’s raised in discussions of church membership. People want to know how to help a wounded friend or family member re-engage the church. Or, they’re the ones who have been hurt and they’re wrestling with whether church is worth it. Some want to be convinced to join a church and others want to be told it’s okay to leave. Answering well depends, in part, on knowing which way the person leans.

Young pastor, obscurity is your friend

David Murray:

Lots of fascinating insight and helpful advice in this interview with Internet entrepreneur Jason Fried, President and co-founder of 37 Signals. His caution to those just starting out in business is so transferable to those just starting out in ministry.

Kindle deals for Christian readers

A few recent Kindle deals:

• Manhood Restored: How the Gospel Makes Men Whole by Eric Mason—99¢ (US only)
• Identity by Eric Geiger—$5.05
• Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: Relationships, Roles, and Relevance by Bruce Ware—$4.00
• New Geneva Introduction to the Old Testament edited by R.C. Sproul—99¢
• What Does the Lord Require?: A Guide for Preaching and Teaching Biblical Ethics by Walter C. Kaiser Jr.—$3.92
• Saved Without A Doubt: Being Sure of Your Salvation by John MacArthur—$2.47
• The Cross in the Shadow of the Crescent by Erwin Lutzer and Steve Miller—$3.74

Seven Things Pastors Would Like Church Members to Know about their Children

Thom Rainer:

I was serving a church in St. Petersburg, Florida, when it hit me hard. One of my young children had playfully fallen on the floor in the foyer after a worship service. A deacon in the church came up to me and spoke forcefully: “You need to tell your kid to get up. Pastors’ children aren’t supposed to act that way.”

Barnabas Piper interacts with the post here.

The Trinity as Old Testament Book Club

Fred Sanders:

We can learn to read the Bible so well that we overhear in it what the Father and Son say to each other. Does that sound too mystical? Learning to overhear the Trinity’s conversation? Don’t worry: It’s very high, but it’s not mystical. Mystical means, among other things, secret. And there’s nothing secret about this trinitarian conversation, because the whole thing is published, and has been for a long time.

Don’t go right to the commentary!

Brian Croft:

We live in a blessed day as pastors.  We have easy access to the thoughts of some of the most brilliant theological minds in history and can find them addressing just about any passage in the Bible.  The temptation with access to these kinds of scholars, is to seek their thoughts too soon before we have formulated our own thoughts about the passage we seek to preach.  When should a preacher consult the insightful words of these scholars?  I think the wisdom of English Pastor Andrew Fuller given over 200 years ago is still just as sound in our commentary-saturated time today as it was in his day when the resources were much more sparse.

Common Fault Lines in Maintaining an Evangelical Approach to Homosexuality

Kevin DeYoung:

On June 11, [Peter] Wehner authored a guest post at Patheos entitled, “An Evangelical Christian Looks at Homosexuality.” The context for the piece was a recent exchange Wehner had with a Christian acquaintance on the matter of homosexuality. This unnamed interlocutor was advocating that Christians “speak out more boldly and forcefully” and “vehemently oppose homosexuality and same sex marriage.” Not knowing the details of the exchange, it’s possible I would disagree with Wehner’s Christian acquaintance just as Wehner did. I certainly agreed with Wehner’s contention that applying the laws of ancient Israel to the United States is tricky business and that determining “how the Scriptural injunctions against homosexual behavior should manifest themselves in modern American law and society are not self-evident.” That is to say, our political and legislative positions cannot be determined simply by noting that the Bible calls something a sin and therefore that sin should be illegal.… My reason for noting Wehner’s article is because he is a thoughtful Christian who—despite some good points—has, in my estimation, repeated many of the worst arguments Christians often use when equivocating on homosexuality in general and gay marriage in particular. Let me mention four of these arguments.

Feeling Unappreciated at Work?

Andre Yee:

There are few things more difficult than giving our best labors daily in an environment where we feel unappreciated. You know the feeling, and it’s not a good one. No matter how good our work environment might be, from time to time we have all felt the sting of our contributions taken for granted and our mistakes magnified.

The sad reality is that this condition is almost inevitable in this broken world. So how do we sustain joyful work in such a situation?

Want to Change the World? Sponsor a Child

Bruce Wydick:

The truth was that I hadn’t the slightest clue about the effect child-sponsorship programs had on children.

Dissatisfaction with my pat answer began to inform conversations with my graduate students. “Have you considered researching the impact of child sponsorship?” I would ask. One student was interested, and she followed the topic long enough to find out that no one had ever investigated the topic, despite 9 million children sponsored worldwide, and the more than $5 billion per year being channeled into sponsorship programs from ordinary people wanting to help. But we were having trouble finding a sponsorship organization willing to work with us. What if the research discovered that sponsorship didn’t work? This was the risk that some organization out there had to take.

I Hear Voices…Do You?

Josh Blount:

Sometimes I hear voices. Voices talking to me. Voices in my head. Do you? (Cue the creepy music.)

No, I don’t have a Gollum-like split personality, and no, I don’t need to be locked in a padded room with basket-weaving supplies. But I do hear voices, or at least a voice, and I bet you do too. I’m talking about the incessant internal dialogue going on in our heads, the voice that sounds like your voice but comes up with all kinds of suggestions, ideas, evaluations, critiques, or judgments. I don’t care what kind of chatterboxes you live with, no one talks to you as much as you do.

The Truth We Are Too Blind to See

Staci Eastin:

A woman was accusing me of lying about her prescription copay (the internet was new back then, and people didn’t understand that we were just passing on the insurance claim, not coming up with the prices ourselves). She was mid-tirade when she realized that my husband and I were clients of her business, and that if I decided to take my business elsewhere, she was going to lose a lot more than the five dollars she was screaming at me about. Watching her try to backpeddle and soften her words was interesting. But what was especially interesting was her apology when she realized she couldn’t gloss over what she’d already said. “And here I was thinking that it was my turn, only to be yelling at one of my own customers.”

7 Reasons God Might Not Heal Somebody

Derek Rishmawy with a bit of help from Sam Storms:

Now, I’ve prayed, I’ve gone to doctors, changed up my practices, and for some reason it just seems like one thing after another keeps coming up. I know this isn’t the greatest tragedy in the world; we have members in our congregation and friend in our lives who have struggled through much worse. Still, there have been times when I’ve wondered, “God, what are you doing? Why haven’t you healed me yet? I know you can.” … That’s why I was particularly interested in reading Sam Storm’s chapter “Why Doesn’t God Always Heal the Sick?” in his new book Tough Topics: Biblical Answers to 25 Challenging Questions. I had my own range of responses to the issue, but I wanted to see what someone who had actually devoted some research to the question had to say.

Kindle deals for Christian readers

• Not by Sight: A Fresh Look at Old Stories of Walking by Faith by Jon Bloom—$5.87
• The Pilgrim’s Progress: From This World to That Which Is to Come by John Bunyan—$3.15
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• Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing by Sally Lloyd-Jones—$3.35
• The Life and Diary of David Brainerd edited by Jonathan Edwards—$3.99
• Fit to Burst: Abundance, Mayhem, and the Joys of Motherhood by Rachel Jankovic—$5.90
• George Muller of Bristol by Arthur Pierson—$3.92

Should Unbelieving Musicians Lead Worship?

Ronnie Martin:

Today I happen to be surrounded by ten or so worship leaders from surrounding communities who were invited to come together to share their trade secrets and insider knowledge about all things related to the ministry of worship arts. It’s no surprise that the conversation moves from light chit-chat about media and tech, to horror stories involving computer crashes, bad drummers and why church organs are actually ironic and awesome again. Up to this point, I’ve admittedly been a quiet, distracted observer, checking my I-Phone in between sips of my Psalted Caramel Mocha when suddenly the conversation shifts to who among us brings in musicians to lead worship who are not….well…saved.

Ok, now they have my attention.

When You Can’t Even Pray

Ray Ortlund:

Christians are not always on top of things. Where in the Bible are we taught to expect unruffled composure and unbroken victory? Sometimes life is so troubling, we feel defeated even in prayer. And if we cannot pray, we are really in trouble. At that very moment when we most need to draw upon God’s promises through prayer—what if we fail at that vital point of connection, when it really counts? Will our weakness bungle the purpose of God? Under normal conditions we tell ourselves that, when all else fails, we can fall back on prayer. But what if we do come to the end of ourselves and our own devices only to discover we don’t even know what to pray, we don’t understand how to connect the Bible with our experience, and God himself seems far away? What then? What encouragement can we look to beyond our own radical weakness?

How can something so destructive be so beautiful?

HT: David Murray