Westminster Books has some good Christmas outreach resources discounted this week. They’ve also got a sale on resources related to James.

Thanks to Karen Wade Hayes and Lara d’Entremont for their reviews of Seasons of Sorrow. Thanks also to Christine Chappell who hosts IBCD’s Hope + Help podcast for inviting me to discuss the book.
Today’s Kindle deals include all 5 volumes of the excellent Biblical Theology of the New Testament Series and so many other solid titles.
Canada Euthanized 10,000 People in 2021. Has Death Lost Its Sting?
This month’s cover story at CT was written by my friend Dr. Ewan Goligher and is well worth reading. He says that “the ability to have one’s life ended on short notice is an increasingly acceptable option for Canadian patients—with implications that will reverberate around the globe.” (Though the article is behind a paywall, you should be able to read it for free by registering for an account.)
Peace That Passes All Understanding
Philippians 4:6-7 tells us to be prayerful rather than fretful. “That’s certainly easy enough: prayer + thankfulness = peace. Go through the steps, get to peace. Then why doesn’t the formula work? When I am anxious I pray, but my mind keeps drifting back to the anxious circumstance, and before I know it I am trying to solve the problem. After again confessing my distractibility, I get back to praying, only to have the cycle continue.”
Bella Paper Calendars and Stationery
316 Publishing’s beautiful Bella Paper line features the Legacy Standard Bible and includes 2023 calendars & planners, journals, and greeting cards. Through Sunday, save an extra 10% on the entire Bella Paper line with code CHALLIES. (Sponsored Link)
After the Burning
This is a strong piece of writing. “I walk in the hills every month or so to reflect and to pray. The fire wasn’t on the hill I usually walk with Jesus, but I was curious enough to go looking for it, slightly dreading what I might find.”
Is Narcissism the Problem Behind Pastors’ Moral Failures?
Daniel Doriani examines some of what Chuck DeGroat says about narcissism among pastors. “Has DeGroat found the culprit behind pastoral failures? Given that all men are flawed and sinful, it’s certainly true that the church attracts flawed leaders. But does the churchespecially attract the power-hungry and the narcissistic?”
Is the Gospel Glorious, or is the Gospel about the Glory of Christ? (Video)
I enjoy it when Bill Mounce lets us in on some Bible translation conundrums. “Sometimes translators have to make a decision; sometimes there is no ambiguous option. In 2 Cor 4:6, is the gospel glorious or is the gospel about the glory of Christ? It is one or the other, not both.”
Fall 2022 Eikon
CBMW has released a new issue of their journal Eikon in case you’re looking for some slightly academic reading. “Much of this issue is dedicated to reflection on the history, influence, and continued importance of the Nashville Statement.”
Flashback: When God Put Down a Deposit
Our salvation is proof that God is powerful, that he is effective, that he has a plan, that his plan is progressing, and that he will carry it all to completion.

Anger takes everything personally, as if everything is an intentional act to make your life miserable. —Ed Welch

May you know God’s sweetest blessings this weekend.

I want to extend my gratitude to TMAI for sponsoring the blog this week. I encourage you to get your free devotional today!
There is a very substantial list of Kindle deals today.
(Yesterday on the blog: Devotionals I Recommend for a New Year)
The Fellowship of the Ring is the Most Important Movie of My Lifetime
Samuel James explains what The Fellowship of the Ring meant to him and to an entire generation.
The Night Song (feat. Colin Buchanan)
I love this new song from CityAlight. “In the darkness God will keep me / He will stay and never sleep / In the darkness God is brighter / Though the night is long and deep.”
Consider the Birds
This is a hobby I wanted to get into and maybe someday still will. “Being a birdwatcher is actually a lot like being a Christian. You get the same reactions from people: ‘Oh okay, well, whatever makes you happy …’ and they think you just hang out with old people all the time.”
Omnirationality and Divine Providence
This is just about a must-read.
How ‘Progressive’ Can a Christian Get?
Someone asked John Piper just how progressive a person can get before we can no longer consider him a Christian. It’s a great question and Piper answers it well.
Driscoll, Schaeffer, and Packer on the Size of Your Church and the Idolatry of Your Heart
Sometimes you just have to say, “wow.”
Flashback: Do Not Be Surprised if the World Hates You
My friend, the more you love and honor God, the more you expose the evil of those who do not. The more you expose the evil of those who dishonor God, the more they’ll hate you.

The day of judgment will show that one of the greatest links in drawing some souls to God, has been the intercessory prayer of friends. —J.C. Ryle

When I enrolled in university, I quickly learned that it was considered wise to take one or two “bird courses” as they were called back then—courses that were known to be an easy credit. These would counter-balance the much more difficult courses I was taking like Greek and French. One of the easy options was “comparative religion.” Though it did turn out to be an easy credit, it also proved to be a near-complete waste of time. The professor didn’t seem to understand the different religions all that well and was convinced they were all pretty much the same at heart. While he brought in clergy members to represent each of the faiths, they must have been carefully chosen because they were as wishy-washy as he was and were equally committed to explaining that all religions are really just different paths to the same destination. But at least I got my easy credit and also passed Greek and French.

Despite that negative experience, I do still think there is value in knowing the tenets of different faiths. After all, we live in a pluralistic society and we do not need to look far to find representatives of any of the other major religions. It can be good and helpful to know what they believe so we can better befriend them and present the gospel to them. We can avoid unintentional blunders and needless offense if we have some senes of what these people believe and why they believe it. (So, for example, we would know not to invite a Hindu neighbour over for burgers or offer a Muslim friend a glass of wine.) Not only that, but world religions have a way of being folded into ostensibly secular worldviews—witness the popularity of yoga, the rise of mindfulness, and the importance of meditation amongst those who would claim to be entirely non-religious. Yet each of these elements has been drawn from eastern religions. Religion is alive and well even in the hearts and minds of your secular or atheist friends.
Douglas Groothuis has made a long and careful study of the world’s major religions and brings his knowledge to bear in a new book titled World Religions in Seven Sentences: A Small Introduction to a Vast Topic. The “gimmick” behind the book is providing a single sentence that can stand in as a summary of that religion’s most significant or unique teaching. This sentence is drawn from either the religion’s scriptures or one of its notable teachers. And I think it proves to be quite a successful way to understand the faiths.
So, for example, when he discusses atheism (which, rightly, he considers a religion unto itself) he turns to Nietzsche’s infamous “God is dead.” For Judaism he goes with “I Am who I Am” and for Hinduism “You are that.” Buddhism he summarizes with “life is suffering” and Daoism with “the doa that can be spoken is not the eternal dao.” For Islam he goes with the obvious choice of “there is one god and Mohammad is his prophet” and, for Christianity, “Before Abraham was, I Am” (which, of course, perfectly complements his choice for Judaism).
Groothuis has no interest in attempting to prove that all religions are equally valid or that they lead by different paths to the same destination. Neither does he mean to see what benefit he can glean from each of them as if God has distributed truth throughout the faiths of the world. Rather, he means to do his best to explain what these religions actually believe and why, and then to interpret them on the basis of his own Christian convictions. That makes this a distinctly Christian approach to the world’s other major religions. And it makes it a remarkably effective one.
I can think of several reasons to read this book. The first is simply for the sake of knowledge. Knowledge is good and this book will increase your understanding of several of the world’s major religions—religions that form a significant part of the worldview of the majority of the world’s population. The second is for the sake of evangelism. By understanding these different faiths you will better understand how to approach those who hold to them and how to present the gospel in the most effective way. The third is the for sake of sanctification. Speaking personally, I find it interesting to study other religions because it better helps me love my own Christian faith and have confidence that Jesus Christ truly does represent the way, the truth, and the life. Never am I more thankful to know and love Jesus than when I see the faiths are people are bound by and captive to.
World Religions in Seven Sentences does just what the title promises and does it well. I’m glad I read it and equally glad to recommend it.
Buy from Amazon