A La Carte (March 24)
Logos users can now gain access to all of the March Matchups sales. That includes 60% off the new Evangelical Biblical Theology Commentary, 57% off the Zondervan Exegetical Commentary Collection, and other great deals.
(Yesterday on the blog: A Christian Father’s Last Will and Testament)
What Book of the Bible Should a New Believer Read First?
I was asked this question just the other day. “Great question. There are so many to choose from! I’m going to suggest two options. Before I make my case, I want to give you some general encouragement. Then, I will explain why I think you may want to begin your Bible reading adventure either in Genesis or John.”
Despairing Over the Culture? There’s Still a Reason to Get Out of Bed Tomorrow
Carl Trueman answers some pressing questions. “One of the questions that Christians ask repeatedly at the moment is whether there is any hope or should we simply despair? Is the world so intent on dismantling what it means to be a human being that society is doomed to collapse, or at least committed to shunting Christians and Christianity to its far margins?”
Excellent Parenting is Remarkably Ordinary
Brad Hambrick: “In this article, I want to offer you three ‘ordinary’ encouragements that will allow you to be an excellent parent.”
If Putin Deploys a Tactical Nuke, How Should the U.S. Respond?
Bruce Ashford offers a very interesting answer to how the US could or should respond if the war in Ukraine goes nuclear. (Speaking of Ukraine, this site offers very urgent and helpful updates from a Ukrainian pastor.)
Why Christians Resist Transgender Speech-Codes
Denny Burk: “I write this post to explain briefly why Christians are resisting the totalitarian speech codes of transgender propagandists.” (And, on that topic, this is another one from Denny, Do you know what a woman is? Ketanji Brown Jackson Doesn’t.)
3 Philosophies of Sermon Application
“I want to give you three philosophies of sermon application that I have seen and heard from different faithful preachers.” This is a helpful breakdown.
Flashback: Why Do We Add To Our Trouble?
We are so often drawn to bad news more than good, to evidences of depravity more than evidences of grace. Why then should we be surprised that our feet grow heavy, that our pace begins to falter?
Western theology tends to ask why God allows suffering more than how he uses it. —Elliot Clark
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A La Carte (March 17)
Good morning from Louisville, Kentucky where we are attending Boyce College’s Preview Day for the third time (this one for Michaela’s sake).
Strongmen vs. The Structures of a Healthy Church
“When modern dictators fall the societies they ruled tend to flounder and splinter. This is because they have previously been gutted. A dictator, in order to increase and maintain his power, needs to systematically weaken all other institutions of civil society that might serve as independent centers of power and organization.” This leads to an interesting reflection on churches.
Crisis in Canada: Assisted Suicide
Robert VanDoodewaard writes about a serious social problem in Canada. “Though our nation’s violence may primarily be carried out in the sterile rooms of hospitals, it is a grim reality. Behind closed doors, Canada is becoming a nation of state-sanctioned lawlessness and violence.”
The Peculiar Glory of Unexpected Discoveries
Chris Thomas: “But there is a peculiar glory found in unexpected discoveries. A cool fresh stream flowing down a heavily forested gully is enjoyable, but the same stream found in the barren wastelands of some distant desert is a wonder. Treasure, found in a clay jar, is all the more brilliant for the fact of where it was hidden. Again, there is a peculiar glory found in unexpected discoveries.”
Do Not Fear, Only Believe
“As you read this, you may at this moment be filled with hope and expectation … or you may be filled with dread and anxiety about the future. Either way, Jesus’ simple words to a suffering man speak volumes. Jesus invites us to rest in him, now and always.”
Decisions about faithfulness might be the key moments of your life
“Much of our lives might be a little mundane. We work, we spend time with family, and we get involved with many things. Yet there will be certain times, certain decisions, that change the direction of our lives and matter more.” Yes, indeed. And we don’t always know what these are until after the fact.
Four Biblical Categories for Theological Triage
Dwayne offers some new categories for doing the work of theological triage.
Flashback: The Character of the Christian: Mature and Humble
God calls all Christians to maturity and humility—and such growth best takes place in the context of mature, humble leadership.At the cross, Jesus redeemed sinners. Reconciled rebels. Appeased God. Expiated sin. Purchased forgiveness. Won righteousness. Defeated Satan. —Steven Lawson
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Why Do Billionaires Want to Live Forever?
Why is it that billionaires always seem to want to live forever? Why is it that the 1% of the 1% almost always seem to veer from their core businesses into attempts to prolong their lives indefinitely? Amazon’s Jeff Bezos is invested in Altos Labs which is attempting a kind of “biological reprogramming” to extend lifespans. Google’s Sergey Brin and Larry Page were instrumental in launching a business called “Calico” which is carrying out studies that may eradicate all disease. PayPal’s Peter Thiel is a big supporter of the Methuselah Mouse Prize foundation which means to dramatically improve health and longevity. Ethereum’s Vitalik Buterin has decided it’s likely that people born today will live to the age of 3,000 and is already participating in experimental treatments he believes may slow his body’s aging.1
Why is it that so many billionaires seem so intent on extending their lives beyond the promised threescore and ten? Could it be that all their wealth has made their lives so amazing that they simply can’t bear the thought of dying? Could it be that their massive yachts, their luxury mansions, their ability to buy anything their hearts desire, has given them such satisfaction that they want to enjoy it forever? Could it be that they have unlocked the key to a satisfaction so deep that it’s only right to extend it indefinitely?
I suppose it’s possible, but I tend to think there’s another factor at play. I, after all, have read Solomon, the ancient-day equivalent of these modern-day billionaires—a man who had everything the human heart could ever desire. I have read his Song and his Proverbs and his Ecclesiastes. And from his inspired words I have gained some important perspective.
Why is it that billionaires always seem to want to live forever? I am convinced it isn’t because their lives are so satisfying but because their lives are so very dissatisfying. I am convinced it isn’t because their hearts are so full but because their hearts are so very empty. In 40 or 50 years they have risen to the highest ranks of humanity when measured by wealth, but have found there are some things money cannot buy.
They have attempted to leverage their money and power to increase their happiness. Women have been used and found wanting. The finest real estate has been added to their personal portfolio, but an extra 10 bedrooms and 20 bathrooms has not satisfied the restlessness of their hearts. They’ve owned fast cars and grand yachts, hobnobbed with royalty and celebrity, been cheered for their philanthropy and lauded for their generosity. And yet as they lay awake in the dark watches of the night, their hearts are still not at rest. As they stare at the vaulted ceilings high above their beds they still wonder “isn’t there more than this?”
They, like us, consider near escapes from deadly accidents or skirmishes with serious illnesses and know it could have all come crashing down. They, like us, hear the ticking of the clock that signals the end. And how do they respond? They respond by doubling down. They want more time to search for anything that will satisfy the longing of their hearts—more money, more women, more cars, more mansions, more plaudits, more power. More, more, more. And to explore that, they need more time, more years, more longevity.
The difference between them and Solomon is simply one of honesty. Solomon had experienced the very heights of what the world can offer and, rather than doubling down, had the integrity to say “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.” He had the insight to say “All things are full of weariness; a man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.” He had the understanding, after accumulating all the treasures of the ancient world, to say “Behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.”
Solomon was a man who had deep passions, a restless heart, and many serious flaws. Yet he had the wisdom to know that God has put eternity into our hearts so that nothing less than what is eternal can ultimately satisfy. He had the wisdom to turn his heart from the temporal to the eternal, from what he could hold in his hands to what he could take only by faith. He had the wisdom to embrace rather than deny or flee his own mortality, the wisdom to know that the whole duty of man is to fear God and keep his commandments, the wisdom to live with the knowledge that God would judge his every deed, whether good or evil.
I have often been struck that while here on earth we count gold as the most precious of possessions, in heaven it’s used to merely pave the streets. What we count supremely valuable here is trod underfoot there. That description at once highlights the splendor of heaven and the futility of wealth. It at once shows that all the wealth of all the worlds would do nothing to make heaven any better for the wealthy than for the impoverished, for the richest billionaire than the poorest pauper.
So many of the world’s wealthiest people live their lives to accumulate what heaven counts as meaningless. They put their hope in finding joy in what they can take and earn, what they can have and hold. Yet, even if they manage to extend their lives a few years or a few decades they, too, will go the way of all the earth. They, too, will live forever, though only beyond the grave. They, too, will find that the greatest pleasures of this world pale in comparison to the greatest pleasures, or greatest torments, of the world to come. -
The Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of Space
Back in the 1950s, humanity entered into a great age of space exploration as the United States and the Soviet Union battled to be first to the moon. It seems to me that we are now entering into a second great age of space exploration as billionaires battle it out to see who can be first to establish a permanent outpost in space.
We don’t need to push our minds too hard to imagine a scenario in which one of these billionaires announces he is establishing a new nation somewhere beyond earth. We might imagine him making an announcement and saying, “This world is falling apart, the earth is collapsing under the weight of war and epidemic and pollution, so we are going to start over. We are putting out the call to help create Humanity 2.0. Join me as I found the Kingdom of Space.”
The billionaire who is founding this state might explain something like this: “This new nation will be better and greater than any nation or any civilization in the whole history of mankind. Because we are going to recreate humanity, we need to ensure we bring along only the best of the best—only the sharpest minds, only the most impressive personalities, only the most beautiful bodies, only the most accomplished individuals. We need the wise, the winsome, the winners, the well-to-do so together we can fulfill our potential and become all humanity can be. Come to me all who are mighty and self-sufficient. Bring in the rich and the beautiful, the impressive and the accomplished.”
Jesus, too, has founded a kingdom—the kingdom of heaven—and his kingdom could hardly be more different. It’s a kingdom where the call goes out to the low instead of the high. Its king says “come to me all who are weary and heavy laden,” and “bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.” But even that’s not enough. He sends his emissaries to the halfway houses and drop-in centers and group homes and says, “Bring them all in!” If the human instinct is to build a kingdom upon those who are strong and mighty, impressive and successful, God’s instinct is to build a kingdom upon those who are weak and lowly, who are meek and merciful.
Keeping these two perspectives in mind, let me present you with two different visions for humanity. Let’s imagine now that our billionaire is ready to blast off to begin his Kingdom of Space. He has chosen the cream of the human crop to accompany him, and now together they are parading toward the great ship will that take them to their new nation.
At the head of the parade is our billionaire himself. He sits tall, proud, and resplendent in an open-roofed limousine. The crowds cry out their praise to this champion among men. Behind him come a whole host of winners of the Nobel Prize, each of them displaying their medal. Behind them walk the founders of the world’s great corporations carrying huge stacks of their money. Next are kings and queens, holding the scepters of their power. Next are athletes clutching their trophies, musicians displaying their awards, actors holding their Oscars and Emmys. It is a parade of the powerful and beautiful, the wealthy and accomplished, the influential and formidable. The crowds stand and applaud as these great people parade by. And soon enough they rise to the stars to found their new nation. But what they don’t know is that their kingdom, too, will end, for though it may be a kingdom beyond the bounds of this earth, it is still within the kingdom of this world. Their medals and scepters and money and trophies and everything else they cling to, everything else they count as a credential, will rust and decay and turn to dust.
But now let’s watch a second march. Let’s watch as the citizens of the kingdom of heaven pass by. At the head of them all come the humble, the ones who can barely lift their faces but can say only, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” Their hands are empty. Next come people whose eyes are red with mourning over their sin and sinfulness. They too have empty hands. Some of them limp by on crutches, some roll by in wheelchairs. Behind them are the ones who are meek and the ones who have waged a lifelong battle to become holy. Watch now as people pass by who dedicated their lives to extending mercy to the overlooked and marginalized, then people whose hearts and hands have remained pure in a world that tempted them so sorely. Then see the ones who brought peace where there was conflict, and ones who stood strong even when they were hated and beaten. See how among them there are representatives from every nation, every tribe and people and tongue. See how they each have empty hands, see how each of them wears just a simple white robe, unadorned by medals or ribbons or regalia.
Last of all, comes a simple man all alone who looks despised and rejected. He has no form or majesty that we should look at him, no great beauty that we should desire him. He comes in the form of a servant; he is humble and lowly and riding on a donkey. Look carefully and you will see that his hands and feet are deeply wounded, that blood runs down his forehead from where thorns have been pressed into it. Listen to the crowds as they raise their voices to jeer and hiss and boo.
But look again, look closer, look with eyes of faith, and you will see that as he passes you by he is utterly transformed. Look and see that this lowly servant has become a king, a warrior whose name is Faithful and True. See that his lowly colt has become a mighty white horse, that his crown of thorns has become the crown of a king, that the crowds suddenly fall to their faces before him. See that as he passes by he turns and looks you in the eye and he opens his mouth and he says, “Follow me.”
And so, my friend, if you have not already done so, hear his call, heed his welcome, receive your citizenship, take up your place in his march and follow him into the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom that has now begun but which will never, ever end.