Blogging Theologically

Theology for real life

Weekend reading (4/29)

by

Why A “Paper” Bible is Better Than A Bible App At Church Meetings

Steve Burchett:

But technology is not valuable in every circumstance. I’m thinking particularly about the use of Bible apps on cell phones or tablets. Sure, it’s convenient to utilize a digital Bible in numerous settings—like reading (or listening) just before you fall asleep at night, or when you unexpectedly want to look up something during a discussion. But in a church meeting (Bible studies, Sunday’s gatherings, etc.), I strongly recommend using a “paper” Bible for four reasons.

There Are Three Kinds Of Men

Matt Capps shares a great quote from C.S. Lewis.

13 Truths for the Congregation of a Fallen Pastor

David Murray:

Yesterday we surveyed the wreckage that a fallen pastor leaves behind him and made some suggestions about how to begin repairing the damage. Part of this involves speaking God’s Word of life to the particular needs of the bleeding congregation. It’s not a time for beating around the bush, for denial, for forgetting, for “putting it behind us,” or for “moving on.” Instead God’s all sufficient and all-suitable Word should be applied skillfully to the specific wounds inflicted by this sin. A series of sermons should touch on the following subjects.

Why the Church Needs the Infertile Couple

Matthew Lee Anderson:

The church might want to resist the pressure for marriages to have children through any means possible, and hold on instead to infertility as a unique and irreplaceable witness within its inner life. It is easy to look at such sadness and think that if we can avoid it, we are best off doing so. But the church might lose something crucial if there are no childless marriages in our midst. That we can make children through IVF does not entail that we should. But widespread acceptance of IVF means that we risk forgetting both the struggles of permanent barrenness and its unique virtues. The special vocation of the infertile means recalling the church to goods that our technologically sophisticated world has forgotten and obscured.

Does “13 Reasons Why” Glamorize Teen Suicide?

Russell Moore:

What concerns me about the show is that the central conceit of the series feeds one of the drivers of teenage suicide, and that is the sense of suicide as storyline. Many depressed teenagers that I’ve talked to over the years, and others with suicidal tendencies, don’t actually want to be dead as much as they want to end one story and start another. In many cases, the suicide becomes, in the imagination, the way to resolve storylines that one sees no other way to resolve. In some cases, I’ve found, what the teenager imagines is not so much the shadow of death (though many do speak of a longing for death as a kind of sleep), but instead is the aftermath of the suicide itself.

Making the Most of Sunday Morning Conversations

Ryan Higginbottom:

Sermon, prayer, song, postlude. The worship service ends and the scramble begins—get the children, get the jackets, head for the door. It’s time for lunch.

Though we exchange brief “how-are-yous” with the folks in our pew, our pleasantries make it clear we’re not sticking around. We have food to eat, sports to watch, and naps to take.

The hardest type of book to write in the world

A favorite from the archives:

I was discussing writing another book with a friend last night. It’s something I want to do, obviously, and have been working toward. But that conversation brought me back to this idea of a children’s book. So I went back and re-read what I had done so far (I’d gotten a little more than halfway through it). And honestly, it wasn’t bad as a starting point. It meandered a bit, but it could have some potential if it were tightened up, and were a little more openly goofy instead of subtle.

Y’know, and finished.

Why does “at-home” work matter—and how does it help us raise little people who love reading?

by

When my wife decided to stay at home when Abigail was born, most people didn’t really know what to do with it. After all, it’s generally assumed that a woman will re-enter the workforce as soon as possible after having a child. To choose to stay at home… well, it seems odd at best, and a strike against women’s equality at worst.

But what if it’s this attitude that is actually robbing men and women of a deeper understanding of at-home work? Of it’s value and significance? That is among the many things Courtney Reissig and I discuss today on Reading Writers.

Podcast (reading-writers): Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: iTunes | Android | RSS

Also in this episode, we discuss:

  • The value of “at-home” work;
  • Where at-home parents find the time to read; and
  • Books we’re encouraging our kids to read.

Be sure to grab a copy of Courtney’s new book, Glory in the Ordinary: Why Your Work in the Home Matters to God, which is on sale now.

Thanks for listening to this episode of Reading Writers. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a rating and review on iTunes. Your feedback really does help more people find the show. Tune in next time as I share a few thoughts on what I’m reading right now.

Links I like (4/27)

by

Glory in the Ordinary Live Discussion

Courtney Reissig’s new book, Glory in the Ordinary, just released, and it’s a good one, especially for those who are asking if working in the home really makes a difference and matters to God. All this week, Courtney’s been hosting Facebook Live discussions of the book. Check out the third one tomorrow and visit her blog for more details.

The Worst Consequence of Skipping Church

Tim Challies:

Gathering with God’s people is not first about being blessed but about being a blessing. It’s not first about getting but about giving. As we prepare to worship on Sunday morning, our first consideration should be “how to stir up one another to love and good works.” We should approach Sunday deliberately, eager to do good to others, to be a blessing to them. In those times we feel our zeal waning, when we feel the temptation to skip out on a Sunday or withdraw altogether, we should consider our God-given responsibility to encourage “one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” This text is not about us, but about them. This text is not for Christian individuals but Christian communities.

Ask More Than “Is It Sin?”

Jeff Medders:

Is it wrong for me to binge watch Netflix? What about putting my kids on a select soccer team that plays on Sunday mornings? Am I spending too much time at the gym?

The Bible doesn’t have specific answers for these kinds of questions. But this doesn’t mean the Bible doesn’t have something specific to say.

Sorry Weber, Durkheim, and Marx: Educated Evangelicals Are More Religious

Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra:

To the fathers of secularization theory, it was obvious. Max Weber, Emile Durkheim, and Karl Marx theorized that the more advanced and educated a society became, the less it would need that “opium of the masses”: religion.

Not among US Christians, according to a new study from the Pew Research Center. In fact, among evangelicals, more education correlates with a higher religious commitment in every area that Pew researchers asked about.

Worry Is A Roundabout That Keeps You From the Road to Joy

Trevin Wax:

We live in an age of anxiety. Cultural pessimism is all the rage, both inside the church and out. In an anxious age, we are tempted not only to egregious and obvious transgressions, but to more “common sins” like complaining (which I’ve written about here) and, of course, worrying.

STUDY: Millennials’ Views, Experiences of Adulthood Differ From Their Parents’

Chris Martin:

As I have written about at length on this blog, Millennials are generally seen to be a generation of young people who can’t stop looking at their phones long enough to move out of their parents’ houses, get married, and start a family—three of the historical “markers” of adulthood. This stereotype is just that: a generalization that has some truth to it but should not be applied to everyone born between 1980ish and 1995ish.

This newest data does, however, affirm this common stereotype of Millennials.

God Still Uses Ordinary Means and Ordinary Men

Erik Raymond:

At the end of Ezra 4 the people who started out rebuilding the temple with a head of steam had fizzled out. They were crippled by a fear of man. As they cowered in discouragement and shame, the dust settled on the building project.

So what does God do?

He sends a couple of preachers, Haggai and Zechariah, to preach. And do they ever.

The answer to our worship problem

A favorite from the archives:

We look at certain individuals, and we are in awe. We admire their talent; we enjoy the movies or TV shows or music in which they perform. We kind of wish we had their gifts (or at least their looks—remember “the Rachel”?). They promise to rescue us from the hell of our boredom with the ordinariness and obscurity of our own lives. We want to be known and important—and because that’s not going to happen for most of us, we are (somewhat) content to live vicariously through them. We read blogs or news sites that talk about new projects they’re involved with. But as time goes on, the boredom creeps back in. So the stories change from their work to their lives. And, voyeurism aside, we are enthralled, and our boredom is sent back into exile. But then it happens again: we start getting bored with the happy narrative. Soon, the tone of the reporting begins to change. We no longer have a happy picture of their lives.

Links I like (4/25)

by

You Aren’t the Good Samaritan

JD Greear:

In the story of the Good Samaritan, there comes a point where Jesus turns the religious man’s question on its head. The conversation started with a law expert asking Jesus what a person could do to inherit eternal life. Of course, if you know anything about the life and teaching of Jesus, you know the whole point of his coming was that we could not save ourselves, so he came to save us.

Which is why Jesus puts an interesting twist into the story.

8 Departure Dangers from Gospel-Centrality

Jared Wilson:

To grow is to change. And then what happens is that people who’ve been with the church a long time, people who may have been a part of your core or at least your core supporters and cheerleaders, may begin to turn on you. Because their church is looking different. Things are changing. And people don’t tend to like change. Because the gospel enables us to obey the Great Commandment and empowers us to join the Great Commission, insulation is the enemy of the gospel.

Christian, You Don’t Have to Qualify Your Prayers

Michael Kelley:

I’m a nervous pray-er.

I don’t mean I’m nervous praying with other people; I mean that many times I’m nervous when I pray because I don’t know whether I’m praying for the right thing. It is as if sometimes my theology gets in the way of my prayers.

3 Indications of Really Bad Leadership

Eric Geiger:

While David was the king who was a man after God’s own heart, his predecessor was a king after the people’s heart. God’s people, living in the land the Lord had graciously given them, wanted a king because every other nation had a king. They rejected God as their true King to trade Him for an earthly one. So after their continual begging, God said, “Fine, here you go. Here is Saul” (1 Samuel 8:18-22). As expected, Saul proved to be an unfit and an unfaithful king who disobeyed God and continually led for himself in the power of his own self. Living under his leadership was painful. With Saul in mind, here are three indications of really bad leadership.

Why the Lord’s Prayer Is So Offensive

Andrew Wilson:

The Lord’s Prayer is not mild, inoffensive, vanilla, listless, nominal, wishy-washy, or wallpapery. If you don’t worship the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, it is deeply subversive, upsetting, and offensive—from the first phrase to the last.

5 Principles for Inviting Children to Jesus in a Shifting Culture

Chris Hefner:

As our culture moves to become decidedly more post-Christian, churches will have some challenging issues to address—not the least of which is how they will introduce children and students to Jesus. Churches need to be willing to adapt in order to effectively invite children and young people to Jesus. Following are five principles for inviting children to meet Jesus in a shifting culture.

Who will save us from this body of death?

A favorite from the archives:

Now, I’m a guy who can handle alone time. When I go to conferences and I have a hotel room all to myself, it’s pretty spectacular. I go to the movies without any accompaniment and never feel bad about it. Quiet is my friend. But even so, there are times when being alone is unhealthy for me. Especially when I’m away from my loved ones for significant periods of time. During those seasons, I can get pretty sad-sacky, and caught up in focusing on where I’m not, instead of where I am.

Good news in one of the saddest verses in Scripture

by

There are so many, I know. Heartbreaking stories, moments where you read them and you can barely hold it together. Recently, I was reading through 1-2 Kings and came across one of them—1 Kings 11:4.

“When Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away to follow other gods,” wrote its author.1 “He was not wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord his God, as his father David had been.”

Solomon was the wisest man to ever live, given the gift of great wisdom so he could rule wisely. And wisely he did. During his life, Israel knew unprecedented peace and prosperity, respect and admiration. But it would not last. Solomon turned away to follow other gods. He had wisdom to rule, but his wisdom was overcome by his passions. He had hundreds of wives, whom he loved deeply. He cherished them. He clung to them (see 11:2). They captured his heart, and before he offered a sacrifice to a false god, he was already enslaved to an idol.

And that’s why this is so sad in so many ways—why it’s so tragic. If anyone would be able to avoid being led astray, it would be Solomon. After all, he was the wisest man ever. People marveled at his proclamations (and still do). There was no one else like him, ever. But even his wisdom could be corrupted. His heart could be drawn away, just as any of ours can. The wisest man in the world is not one whose example we should follow. The wisest man in the world became a fool. The wisest man in the world could not save himself. He needed a savior, too.

And if there’s any good news to be drawn from Solomon’s story, it’s that. Our gifts, whatever they are, are just that—gifts. We may be wise or knowledgeable. We may be compassionate and hospitable. But in the end, our gifts won’t be enough to keep us from stumbling. We need something else—we need Someone else. Not just a wise man, but a man whose wisdom can never be corrupted because he is its source. Not only a great king, but the King of Kings whose kingdom can never be stripped away. A man who cherishes his bride, but whose heart cannot be turned away from his greatest love—his Father. Jesus is the Savior we need. He is the only one who can save.

  1. Historically, Jeremiah is said to be the author of 1-2 Kings, but I suppose, just as is true of the author of Hebrews, only God knows. ↵

Jesus’ love for his Church never changes

by

I know more than a few people who, well, maybe it’s not fair to say they’ve fallen out of love with the local church, but they’ve certainly become disenchanted by it, at least in practice. They value Christian community and fellowship, but “church” holds a ton of baggage.

I get that. It’s easy to become disillusioned, especially when you consider all the junk many have experienced (thankfully, my few negative church experiences have been fairly minor). I sympathize, and try to empathize, with those either have or are tempted to say, “we’re done.” But what I’m always thankful for are the people who, despite their frustrations and painful experiences, refuse to give up on the church. They love her, despite her flaws.

In some small way, they’re displaying the kind of love Jesus has for his bride, the church—a love that will never leave nor forsake her. I love the way Spurgeon described it in one of his sermons:

Before the first star was kindled, before the first living creature began to sing the praise of its Creator, he loved his Church with an everlasting love. He spied her in the glass of predestination, pictured her by his divine foreknowledge, and loved her with all his heart; and it was for this cause that he left his Father, and became one with her, that he might redeem her. It was for this cause that he went with her through all this vale of tears, discharged her debts, and bore her sins in his own body on the tree. For her sake he slept in the tomb, and with the same love that brought him down he has gone up again, and with the same heart beating true to the same blessed betrothment he has gone into the glory, waiting for the marriage day when he shall come again, to receive his perfected spouse, who shall have made herself ready by his grace. Never for a moment, whether as God over all, blessed forever, or as God and man in one divine person, or as dead and buried, or as risen and ascended, never has he changed in the love he bears to his chosen.1

It’s that last line that gets me every time. “Never for a moment… has he changed in the love he bears to his chosen.” Jesus won’t stop loving the church. He knows all that she does—all we do—and loves us still. He is preparing his bride for eternity. His love will cleanse her. And someday, the church will truly be as beautiful outwardly as Jesus sees her now.

  1.  Charles H. Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, Vol. XL ↵

The podcast

Latest book review

What I read in April

The Gospel Project