A La Carte (February 17)
Good morning from lovely Rybnik, Poland, where I’m hard at work filming an episode of Worship Round the World.
Today’s Kindle deals include a pretty good selection off books.
5 Things You Should Know about the Doctrine of the Trinity
Ligonier has a helpful little “5 Things” series that can serve as a refresher on key doctrines of the Christian faith.
Looking Back On Right Now
This is a reflection on looking back and looking forward.
Register Now For TRC23
The Radius Conference will dive deeply into the joys of the clear true gospel finding fertile soil in foreign lands, but also provide warnings for churches and potential missionaries about short-cuts and “common ground” methods that abound in missions today. June 28-29, 2023, with John MacArthur, Costi Hinn & others. (Sponsored Link)
Is It God’s Will to Always Heal Us?
Is it always God’s will to heal us? Randy Alcorn answers a surprisingly contentious question.
Good Shame, Bad Shame, and Ugly Shame
“Shame is not our sworn enemy. Sometimes shame is useful. Some sins should cause us to have reactions of disgust! The Scriptures often appeal to shame at various points. Much of the time, shame is an indication of a conscience that still functions properly. It is often the rightful corresponding emotion to shameful acts.”
3 Elements of Biblical Spirituality
J.A. Medders: “A biblical spirituality sings in harmony. It’s theological, doxological, and practical. A faithful spirituality works in concert, revealing a whole life walking with Christ.”
9 Things You Should Know About Revivals in America
Since everyone is talking about revival, Joe Carter offers nine things you should know about them.
Flashback: Thy Word Is Not a MagLite
God illumines our way, but not our whole way all at once. He shines a light along our path, but not our whole path.
Death! How shall they die who have already died in Christ? —F.B. Meyer
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A La Carte (November 12)
May the Lord be with you and bless you today.
On sale at Westminster Books this week is an excellent new daily devotional from Alistair Begg.
Brothers Indeed
I very much enjoyed this dispatch from afar.
The Middle Years
Melissa often makes me laugh. “The middle years, where any guess about my age is likely to be wrong one way or the other, depending on ridiculous things like how much water I’ve been drinking or how much I spent on my current anti-aging moisturizer.”
The Grief of Finite Joy
“Somehow my oldest child is a freshman in high school. As I’ve experienced those where-did-the-time-go emotions that come with such minor milestones, I’ve started to feel a deep, preemptive loss.”
Public Health After Christendom
This is quite an interesting look at how public health is likely to change in a post-Christian era. “It is my contention that public health should be recognized for what it has become, not what it set out to be.”
How to Spot a Personality Cult
Mark Hampton: “In the modern West the church has an issue with its public image. With the rise of digital media and heightened technophilia, the image we often present to the world is not Christ but ourselves. We build up mini-celebrities in Jesus’s name, calling for the world to follow along. At times, whether Jesus is actually glorified can become negligible.”
Should I Choose a Church for Its Pastor?
Mark Dever says that “if you are looking for a good church, the role of the preacher of God’s Word is the most important thing to consider. I don’t care how friendly you think the church members are. I don’t care how good you think the music is. Those things can change. But the congregation’s commitment to the centrality of the Word coming from the front, from the preacher, the one specially gifted by God and called to that ministry, is the most important thing you can look for in a church.”
Flashback: Four Categories to “Act the Miracle”
So much of the Christian life comes down to the matter of identity. At heart, who are we? Who or what has the right to define us? What is our deepest identity?Spiritual work is taxing work, and men are loath to do it. Praying, true praying, costs an outlay of serious attention and of time, which flesh and blood do not relish. —E.M. Bounds
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Weekend A La Carte (June 17)
I begin today with a quote, hopeful that a pastor out there will take up the challenge: “It is a grand thing to preach the gospel! I know there has been a great deal said about the trials and the hardships of the Christian ministry. I wish somebody would write a good, rousing book about the joys of the Christian ministry. Since I entered the profession, I have seen more of the goodness of God than I will be able to celebrate in all eternity.” (De Witt Talmage)
Westminster Books has a deal on a new book that looks excellent.
Today’s Kindle deals include a number of options.
(Yesterday on the blog Seven Biblical Principles for Being the Man God Wants You To Be)
The SBC in the Big Easy: What Happened?
Denny Burk offers a rundown on some of the key moments and decisions from the recent annual meeting of the SBC.
Is Disney’s ‘The Little Mermaid’ a Trans Fable?
Brett McCracken says that “Disney’s new live-action remake of The Little Mermaid—even more than the 1989 original—advocates a message that should give us pause. On one hand, it’s just more of the same for Disney: be true to yourself; follow your heart; don’t let anyone stand in your way; ‘my body, my choice.’ But especially against the backdrop of our current cultural moment, the 2023 Mermaid takes it one step further.”
Our God Will Go Before Us (Lyric Video)
You may enjoy this new song by Keith & Kristyn Getty, Matt Boswell, and Matt Papa.
Dangers in Exposing Cultural Sins
John Piper offers a word of warning to those who seek to expose cultural sins. “A pastor can feel that things are so bad that if he does not linger over the latest grossness of evil, it will look like he’s going soft on sin.”
Hope for the Slowly Sanctified
“Do you ever look at your life and think, ‘This isn’t who I thought I’d be by now?’ Maybe you thought you’d be more faithful, more studied, more patient, more self-controlled, wiser, holier, kinder. Maybe you hoped that after all these years some of those things you really hate about your old self had stayed dead instead of resurrecting a thousand times over.”
Why Should Older Women Teach What is Good? (Titus 2:4)
I always enjoy videos from Bill Mounce in which he looks at some of the good and not-so-good translations choices in English Bibles.
Flashback: It’s All Chocolate
We will experience sweet providence and bitter providence, yet it is all providence, it all flows in some way from the God whose mind is vast, whose heart is kind, whose arm is strong, whose love is true, and whose purpose is good.I never feel sorry for a Christian old man. Why feel sorry for those upon whom the glories of the eternal world are about to burst? —De Witt Talmage
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The Gender Revolution
There are times when I receive a new book and find myself saying “I don’t think we need a new book on that.” After all, some topics have been covered so skillfully, repeatedly, and exhaustively that yet another book on the subject could only be overkill. Yet sometimes I receive a new book and find myself saying, “I’m so glad someone has written a book on that!” There are some topics that may not have been covered sufficiently or that may reflect such new realities that we are still awaiting good analyses.
The Gender Revolution falls squarely in the second category. This is a book that has been written to provide a biblical, biological, and compassionate response to the modern day gender ideology that has been flooding our world and sweeping away so many victims. It is written by a fascinating combination of authors: Patricia Weerakoon who is a now-retired medical doctor, counsellor, sex therapist, speaker, writer and academic; Kamal Weerakoon (Patricia’s son) who is a missions director at a Presbyterian church; and Robert Smith who is a long-time lecturer in theology, ethics and music ministry at Sydney Missionary & Bible College.
So why have they teamed up to write this book? The introduction makes it clear:
Sometimes a particular cultural moment calls not only for clear statements of the truth, but also for a strong rebuttal of false and dangerous ideologies that oppose the truth. This is not only part of loving our neighbours and promoting social good, but also part of the gospel call to “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Cor 10:5). There are moments, then, when the only way to love others truly is to speak the truth with clarity.
In our judgement, this is such a moment. This is partly because of the aggression and vehemence with which many transgender ideologues argue their position. It is also because this flawed ideology is taking hold of too many hearts and minds. But mostly it is because hurting and vulnerable people, especially children, are being left damaged and scarred (in more ways than one) by this ideology. This is not the moment to be silent or to put our heads in the sand.
Indeed, it is not. This errant worldview needs to be countered and this book is their attempt to do so. Yet they make it clear that their protest is not against people—especially the mostly-young people who are falling victim—but against ideology. Their goal is to promote the health and well-being of all people, and especially those who are so vulnerable and so susceptible to damage.
The book begins by explaining today’s sexual and gender ideology. They offer the analogy of a tree to describe a model of sexuality that features four distinct elements: biological sex; gendered behaviours or expressions; sexual orientation; and gender identity. Some readers may be concerned that they cede too much ideological territory in using terminology like “gender identity,” but they do defend the decision and broker no compromise with their understanding of sexuality.
In the following chapter they explain that their interest in this book is defending “how science has affirmed, and continues to affirm, the goodness of our given biological sex.” Hence they rely on Scripture to guide and shape them, but are especially eager to show how God’s natural revelation demonstrates the goodness of the biblical view of sexuality. Not only that, but they also want to show how modern gender ideology, and transgender ideology in particular, has absolutely no scientific basis to commend it. It is, in fact, ideological and anti-scientific.
As the book continues, the authors cover a host of important issues: harmony and disharmony between inner feelings and biological reality, the binary nature of human sexuality, gendered behavior and what it has to do with being men and women, and the nature of desire, whether that desire is for someone of the opposite sex or the same sex. It concludes with a pair of lengthy chapters meant to help Christians live well and to live without compromise. How should we respond to young people in our churches if they express gender confusion, and perhaps especially in a context like Canada or Australia where to even have the conversation is to risk falling afoul of the law? Should we grant a person who claims to be transgendered their newly-chosen opposite-gender name? What should we do if asked to provide our pronouns at work or school? They answer these questions and many more and do so in very satisfying ways.
In the book’s opening pages there is a warning that helps explain why a book like this is so urgent. It says, “At the time of publication, in some jurisdictions (such as the Australian state of Victoria) it can be legally problematic to discuss with someone their sexual orientation or gender identity, even if that person is open to the discussion or requests the discussion. We urge readers to know the legal framework that applies to them and to exercise wisdom and discretion.” In other words, to offer this book to certain people or to even discuss its contents in certain contexts is to risk severe consequences. Yet as people who are committed to honoring God’s truth and people who are committed to loving others even at great cost to ourselves, we must know why modern gender ideology is so very wrong, we must know the beauty and order of God’s creation, and we must be prepared with answers and explanations. This book, written by people with particular expertise in the area and people who have a great love for the vulnerable, is a tremendous resource for parents, pastors, and anyone else. I highly recommend it.
(The Gender Revolution is published by Matthias Media, an Australian publisher, which makes it a bit tricky to track down. You can try Amazon (Print), Amazon (Kindle), or direct from the publisher.)
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