I shot the sheriff…

Doug Wilson:

In an earlier post, on injustice and empathy, a point rose deep in the comments which needs to be bumped to the top.

The point that was raised concerned a possible double standard when it comes to one of “our guys,” someone like C.J. Mahaney, and someone outside our tribe — I know it is au courant to say “tribe” these days, and I am nothing if not au courant — like Joe Paterno and the Penn State scandal. We need to use equal weights and measures (Matt. 7:1). We need to have one standard for all, not one standard of justice for those we know, and another standard of justice for those at a distance. I agree with this point completely.

Accepting “No” as God’s Will

R.C. Sproul:

I am astonished that, in the light of the clear biblical record, anyone would have the audacity to suggest that it is wrong for the afflicted in body or soul to couch their prayers for deliverance in terms of “If it be thy will….” We are told that when affliction comes, God always wills healing, that He has nothing to do with suffering, and that all we must do is claim the answer we seek by faith. We are exhorted to claim God’s yes before He speaks it.

Away with such distortions of biblical faith!

An Open Letter to Praise Bands

James K.A. Smith:

…my concern is that we, the church, have unwittingly encouraged you to simply import musical practices into Christian worship that–while they might be appropriate elsewhere–are detrimental to congregational worship. More pointedly, using language I first employed in Desiring the Kingdom, I sometimes worry that we’ve unwittingly encouraged you to import certain forms of performance that are, in effect, “secular liturgies” and not just neutral “methods.” Without us realizing it, the dominant practices of performance train us to relate to music (and musicians) in a certain way: as something for our pleasure, as entertainment, as a largely passive experience. The function and goal of music in these “secular liturgies” is quite different from the function and goal of music in Christian worship.

Creative People Say No

Kevin Ashton:

Saying “no” has more creative power than ideas, insights and talent combined. No guards time, the thread from which we weave our creations. The math of time is simple: you have less than you think and need more than you know. We are not taught to say “no.” We are taught not to say “no.” “No” is rude. “No” is a rebuff, a rebuttal, a minor act of verbal violence. “No” is for drugs and strangers with candy.

Kindle deals for Christian readers

Here are a few deals I’ve seen over the last couple days:

• Subversive Kingdom: Living as Agents of Gospel Transformation by Ed Stetzer—$4.99
• I Am a Church Member: Discovering the Attitude that Makes the Difference by Thom Rainer—$4.99
• Scandalous by D.A. Carson—$3.99
• Manhood Restored: How the Gospel Makes Men Whole by Eric Mason—$4.99
• Preach: Theology Meets Practice by Dever and Gilbert—$4.99
• The Church: The Gospel Made Visible by Mark Dever—$4.99
• Crucifying Morality by R W Glenn—$3.99
• On the Grace of God by Justin Holcomb—$4.99
• Doxology and Theology: How the Gospel Forms the Worship Leader by Matt Boswell—$4.99
• Transformational Discipleship: How People Really Grow by Geiger, Kelley and Nation—$4.99
• The Man Christ Jesus: Theological Reflections on the Humanity of Christ by Bruce Ware—$5.99
• Mere Apologetics: How to Help Seekers and Skeptics Find Faith by Alister McGrath—$4.99

Let’s take a trip back in time to see the top ten posts in May:

1. God Won’t Give You More Than You Can Handle (July 2009)
2. Where Is Jesus In The Old Testament? (June 2011)
3. God’s Love Compels Us: a free #TGC13 eBook (April 2013)
4. God helps those who help themselves (July 2009)
5. John Piper on Mark Driscoll & John MacArthur (May 2009)
6. Church Buildings: They’re actually useful! (December 2009)
7. Preaching and Pragmatism (July 2011)
8. Ministry Idolatry (January 2011)
9. I Am a Church Member by Thom S. Rainer (May 2013)
10. God is not glorified in goofiness (May 2013)

And just for fun, here’s the next ten:

1. 3 ways to keep you reading old books (May 2013)
2. Charles Haddon Spurgeon: What is Humility? (February 2010)
3. Extraordinarily ordinary (May 2013)
4. What’s on your to-read pile? (May 2013)
5. 5 things we loved about Nashville (May 2013)
6. Torn to Heal: 5 questions (+ a giveaway) with Mike Leake (May 2013)
7. Links I like (weekend edition) (May 2013)
8. Book Review: You Lost Me by David Kinnaman (December 2011)
9. It’s not a sin to change your beliefs—except when it is (May 2013)
10. Holy Spirit vs Holy Scripture (May 2013)

If you haven’t had a chance to read any of these posts, I hope you’ll take a few minutes today to check them out.

Doubt Your Doubts

Lore Ferguson:

Increasingly, doubt and doubters are given platforms in church culture, and I see some good reason for it: arrogant certainty in rules and principles has led into a legalism of culture and spirit. The only answer for many dechurched or post-evangelicals is to circle their doubt like the drain in a bathtub. The problem with it, though, is the only place it leads is down.

Get Holy, Holy, Holy in today’s $5 Friday at Ligonier.org

The ePub edition of Holy, Holy, Holy: Proclaiming the Perfections of God is on sale in today’s $5 Friday sale at Ligonier.org. Also on sale:

• The Spirit of Revival: Discovering the Wisdom of Jonathan Edwards (ePub)
• Predestination teaching series by R.C. Sproul (CD)
• Handout Apologetics teaching series by John Gerstner (download audio and video)

$5 Friday ends tonight at 11:59:59 PM Eastern.

The Worst Sort of Product Rating

Barnabas Piper:

In the era of online shopping and downloading, product reviews are a crucial part of any choice. When I go to Amazon or Goodreads or just about anywhere to look at a product the reviews make a significant difference. But I’ve noticed something about these reviews. The worst ones are not the lowest ones.

Why every pastor should read about Melissa’s suicide

Thom Rainer:

Frank and Dayle Page had the “perfect” family. Or so it seemed to many of us on the outside looking in. Frank had pastored a megachurch. He had been elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention, the nation’s largest Protestant denomination. Even today he serves as president and chief executive officer of the administrative offices of the denomination. And he has three lovely daughters.

But one of those daughters, Melissa, was troubled most of her life. She was spunky and compassionate at the same time, but her life was dominated by problems and depression.

Melissa took her own life. As a young adult lady, Melissa committed suicide.

The New Purpose of Marriage

Collin Hansen:

To our highly individualistic Western culture, only libertarian arguments make any sense, even to many Christians. Personally we might say homosexuality is a sin; but what right do we have to impose our values on anyone else? If they aren’t harming anyone else, then who can deny their gay marriages equal protection under the law?

More Kindle deals for Christian readers!

• Discovering Jesus by T.D. Alexander—$2.99
• Scandalous by D.A. Carson—$3.99
• The Man Christ Jesus by Bruce Ware—$5.99
• The Baptist Way by R Stanton Norman—$2.99
• The Pilgrim’s Progress—$2.99
• The Promised One by Nancy Guthrie—$5.99
• Four Views of the End Times by Timothy Paul Jones—$3.47
• Preach by Mark Dever and Greg Gilbert—$4.99
• The Church by Mark Dever—$4.99
• Subversive Kingdom by Ed Stetzer—$4.99
• I Am a Church Member by Thom Rainer—$4.99
• What Baptists Believe by Herschel Hobbs—$2.99
• Doxology & Theology by Matt Boswell—$4.99
• Manhood Restored by Eric Mason—$4.99

Should I Start a Grassroots Movement to Change My Church?

Kevin DeYoung:

At a recent conference the three of us on the panel (all pastors) were asked the question, “As a layperson, should I start a grassroots movement to change my church?” All three of us basically said, “No.” Following the conference I got a long and heated email from someone who was very upset with my answer. He thought I was guilty of clericalism and gave no place for the laity to know anything, do anything, or ever question the pastor. That was certainly not what I said, nor, so far as I can tell, what most people thought we were communicating. But his concerns got my blogging juices flowing. The initial question about forming a grassroots movement to change a local church is one I’ve gotten in one form or another several times in the past five years. So perhaps it would be helpful to spell out my answer in a little more detail.

Christ-Centered Reading, Preaching, and Teaching

Matt Capps:

Except for a period in my early twenties, I have been involved in the life of a local church for as long as I can remember. Because I was so involved in various ministries, I made it a priority to study the Bible in preparation so that I could be, in the words of Paul, a workman unashamed. Still, something wasn’t right. The spiritual growth and change I desired wasn’t happening on a notable or consistent basis. I remember doing my “quiet time” one afternoon in my teens and becoming exhaustingly discouraged. Sunday after Sunday I would walk out after the service on a spiritual high only to crash into the reality of my own brokenness within minutes of leaving the church building. I didn’t realize what was missing until later in life. While my salvation and early spiritual growth had come from the work of the Spirit in my heart and life, I began relying less on the Spirit and more on my flesh for my continued growth (Galatians 3:3). Like many believers have confessed to me over the years, I turned to Jesus for salvation, but trusted in myself for sanctification. Most of the teaching and material I was exposed to presented lists of Christian attitudes and actions, along with a call to do these things, and that’s it. I am not saying there is a problem with calling people to act in God honoring ways. Descriptive examples and prescriptive imperatives are all over the Bible.

Is It Okay to Vent?

Mike Leake:

“I feel like I am going to explode. I know that it is unhealthy to hold stuff in. So I just need to vent to someone. I don’t need advice, counsel, or anything—I just need to express all of my feelings.”

I’ve heard such statements numerous times. In fact I’ve heard something similar pouring from my own lips. Social media has given a new medium in which we can vent; namely Facebook. Just scroll down your news feed and within 15-20 posts you are likely to read some sort of complaining, whining, griping, or venting.

But is it biblical? Is it okay for us to vent to other people? Is it innocent for us to just get stuff off our chest via Facebook status updates?

Quit Calling Your Wife Hot

Barnabas Piper, in what might be the post of the week:

I saw a tweet from a friend last week that said “If I hear one more Christian guy call his wife hot (every time he talks about her), I’m going to throw a plate at the wall.” I suggested that he actually throw the plate at the guy calling his wife hot, or “smokin’ hot” for that matter (tongue in cheek, of course). Maybe it would knock some sense and normalcy into them.

Is Your Child’s Cell Phone Stunting Their Growth?

Aimee Byrd:

There comes a time in every parent’s life where we have to make that scary decision that our child is ready to wipe their own tush. Of course they’re not going to do it as good as us. But they have to learn. It’s our job to teach them well, and leave them to their business. We are still there if they need some advice.

How to Survive a Cultural Crisis

Mark Dever:

It’s easy to feel like we’ve become the new “moral outlaws,” to use Al Mohler’s phrase. Standing up for historic Christian principles will increasingly get you in trouble socially and maybe economically, perhaps one day also criminally. It’s ironic that Christians are told not to impose their views on others, even as the threat of job loss or other penalties loom over Christians for not toeing the new party line.

In all this, Christians are tempted to become panicked or to speak as alarmists. But to the extent we do, to that same extent we show we’ve embraced an unbiblical and nominal Christianity.

Going Soft Against Wrath

Ray Ortlund:

What is the wise response to an angry person who says something cruel, false or demanding? Proverbs 15:1 helps us in those awkward moments at home, at work, in our churches.

The key is “a soft answer.”

So, you’re standing there, stunned by those words that have just exploded in your face. In that instant of decision, as your mind is forming a response, “a soft answer” is the category you need. What is that?