A La Carte (March 7)
Blessings to you on this fine day.
Today’s Kindle deals include a couple of interesting titles.
March Matchups at Logos is on to round 2, so head over and vote.
(Yesterday on the blog: Revival at Asbury: A Cold Take)
George Whitefield Tried to Kill Me
I expect there’s a good number of pastors (and non-pastors) who would benefit from reading this one.
AI is Here: The Precocious Adolescence of Artificial Intelligence
“AI is here. We knew it was coming, but it feels too soon. Like when your little boy’s voice breaks and you suddenly realize he needs deodorant and a shave.” Clint has quite an interesting reflection on AI and ChatGPT here.
The Blessing of Forgiving Our Parents
“Are you convinced yet that you need to forgive? I’ve had some trouble with these verses in the past—not because I was unwilling to forgive, but because I seemed unable to forgive. Especially when it came to those who had inflicted deep wounds in my childhood.”
The Joy of Being Forgiven
This article seems to nicely complement the previous one.
Where do you get that from the text?
This is so important when it comes to studying the Bible and living the Christian life. “It’s a simple little question, isn’t it? Where do you get that from the text? Simple, but effective. Not only effective, but really quite important.”
Are Christians Obligated to Vote?
John Piper considers whether Christians can, should, or must vote.
Flashback: When the Best Part Is the Door
…the pleasures of this life are nothing more than the the foyer, the atrium, the entranceway to much greater joys beyond.
The astonishing surprise at the heart of the universe is not that there is only one way to get to heaven. The astonishing surprise is that there is any way to get to heaven for miserable sinners such as us. —Dane Ortlund
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A Christian Case for Bitcoin and Blockchain
A recent article intrigued me with its assertion that it is better to understand Bitcoin as gambling than investment: “An asset that never pays a dividend but has a price that keeps rising is a bubble. An investor can believe Bitcoin is a bubble and rationally invest so long as she expects to sell out before the bubble pops. But that isn’t investing; that’s gambling, and it’s a zero-sum game.” Being largely unfamiliar with Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies, I wanted to think this matter through. I know a number of believers who are enthusiastic about Bitcoin and blockchain, not just as it pertains to personal finances but also as it may serve ministry purposes. What follows is an article these men wrote that makes a basic Christian case for Bitcoin and the blockchain technology behind it. It provides an alternate perspective for those of us just beginning to think this through. I hope you find it helpful.
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As Christians, we are responsible before God to approach every area of our lives as an opportunity to glorify His name, advance His Kingdom, and steward His creation. It shouldn’t surprise us that many believers approach the financial and investment world with a healthy dose of skepticism. After all, Wall Street does very little to improve on its reputation as a place where all moral standards are eclipsed by pure greed.
So when we venture one step further, into the uncharted territories of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology, the landscape appears even more extreme. Many believers see a culture of wild betting and extreme risk that seems at odds with scriptural calls to contentment, wisdom, and financial prudence. But shouldn’t we of all people ought to know not to judge by outward appearances? And if volatile prices and risk of loss are going to deter us, well we might as well just keep our money in a hole instead of investing at all (Matthew 25:14-30). But in Jesus’ parable it wasn’t the servant who played it safe in his stewardship who received a commendation.
Faith is a necessary part of everything the Christian undertakes. We shouldn’t expect it to be any different when it comes to our finances. Instead, the wise steward evaluates risk and reward with clear eyes. The wise steward seeks for opportunities to make better returns on his Master’s resources. So what does the world of Bitcoin, blockchain, cryptocurrency and what’s being called “web3 technology” have to offer the church? And how should Christians be engaging with this technological revolution?Source: Fabric Ventures
Technological Revolution
In just over a decade, crypto has grown from a tiny fad for fringe computer nerds to a major force in today’s financial world. That’s because blockchain, the underlying technology that is used by cryptocurrencies, has the potential to prove one of the most profound innovations since the printing press.
Already we are seeing blockchains enable a huge variety of different communities to spring up, cooperate, and build something new without the gatekeepers or infrastructure that would have been essential in the past. Blockchain technology addresses some of the most urgent concerns with modern monetary policy and in that way promises to help protect the poor and most vulnerable by securing property rights, thwarting theft, minimizing inflation, and giving access to a monetary system that traditional banks or financial institutions would not. It is true, however, that many of these projects will turn out to be ill-fated moneymaking schemes, silly memes, or worse. But that is true in the business world and the world of the internet as well. The existence of bad actors does not mean that wise investments and godly creativity cannot occur in the same space, using the same technologies.
Though sin may find expression through tools, its source is the human heart. Human history proves again and again that the technologies that may be used to do evil can also be used for godly ends. As Christians, therefore, our approach to technology must not be fearful but hopeful, because we have been given the mandate to subdue and rule over the world for God’s glory (Genesis 1:26–28). New technologies, then, simply provide the industrious Christian with opportunities to see if new tools can be used for that sacred task.
We’ve Seen This Before
One of the best historical examples we have for this hopeful attitude is the technological explosion that God used to propel the theology of the Reformers throughout their world. The innovations of the printing press, distribution networks created by a financialized economy, and the creation of a public forum for the debate of ideas all allowed Martin Luther’s theological contentions to become more than the disgruntled opinions of a fringe academic.
Luther himself realized the opportunity and maximized his access to these new technologies. Although many predicted the problems that could arise from opening the flood gates of information to the general population, Luther knew that the same freedom afforded by these technologies could also be the means of amplifying the message of the Gospel. While chaos and trouble did indeed ensue, so did a movement that God used to purify and advance His Church.
Web3 & The Future of the Church
The Church stands at the beginning of what may prove to be a similar technological revolution as the web3 world continues to mature. Not only do cryptocurrencies provide sound, permissionless monetary systems able to be used by believers in repressive countries, they also provide an accessible and proven engine for financial creation that stands to benefit the Church and the individual believer.
Some critics call crypto a “casino” for “price speculation,” but such detractors may fail to recognize that their criticism can apply equally to the Christian holding mutual funds in their company 401(k) or that with the rise of inflation and the weakening of a dollar’s purchasing power, we are in a significantly different place than we were in times past. We are in the early days of crypto, and with the newness comes a greater level of volatility and speculation, yet also a greater level of opportunity. We are, of course, wise to exercise wisdom and caution. But if we are morally comfortable with the concept of putting funds at risk to grow their value over time, then we must be careful not to dismiss opportunities simply because they involve new risks.
The web3 space offers increasing ways to wisely and carefully invest, with decentralized finance staking rewards and interest-bearing custodial accounts incentivizing and rewarding patience. For every dog-themed meme coin there are now tens or hundreds of carefully created projects with actual real-world value.
To participate in the present web3 economy, Christians need not become discontented or greedy. They can walk in this new world the way we have always walked, by applying the same biblical wisdom and Spirit-filled guidance that lead us in every other area of their life, financial or otherwise.
Embracing the Inevitable
But perhaps the most compelling reason for Christians to be involved in this space is that the last ten years have proven that crypto is not likely to go away. And current events are showing it will play an increasing role in our future. Just as the Body of Christ has historically embraced the advent of new technologies and chosen to use them for good while wisely avoiding their dangers, so we are faced with that choice today.
Web3 as an investment vehicle or a mode of currency transfer is only the beginning. Already we are seeing decentralized organizations, backed by tokenized resources and supported by geographically scattered networks, show themselves as a real possibility. Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) will open new doors for Christian art and mutually supporting economies. Churches are recognizing that good stewardship will soon require them to integrate crypto assets into their financial plan.
Additionally, the blockchain minimizes costly transfer, banking, and credit card processing fees which currently take a bite out of almost all financial donations and transactions. It allows resources to move freely to aid Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20) ministries, churches, and missionaries inside countries that suppress the church by restricting currency transfers. This allows for censorship-resistant and cost effective transfers of funding to Christians in situations where they need to be supported, but without attracting state attention. And we are certain there are far more possibilities that we have not yet considered and not yet imagined.
While crypto is in its early days, now is the time for Christians to carefully explore and experiment with the possibilities, for the advance of the gospel, for the good of others, and for the glory of God. We are convinced that Christians will all soon agree that crypto is not a curse to be feared, but a blessing to rejoice in, fully under the control of the One who has overcome the world.
Take heart, we’re going to make it.
Pr0ph3t writes about the intersection of Christianity and crypto on Twitter and Substack at Theofuturism.
Stephen McCaskell is a filmmaker and Web3 enthusiast. He purchased his first bitcoin in 2013, unfortunately he hadn’t yet learned the principle of hodl. He resides with his wife and four sons in Orlando, Florida.
Reagan Rose is the founder of Redeeming Productivity, a ministry which explores personal productivity and technology from a biblical worldview for the glory of God. He lives with his wife and two children in Detroit, Michigan. -
The Holy Sexuality Project
I’m sure it has always been difficult for parents to speak with their children about matters related to sex and sexuality. I’m not just talking about the birds and the bees, but about the wider issues that may be unique to every time and culture. I expect parents in the New Testament era needed to consider how they would speak to their children about pederasty, concubinage, temple prostitution, and many other societal perversions.
So while there is nothing unique about today’s parents needing to discuss sex and sexuality with their children, there is something unique about the particular issues. There are entire categories that are unfamiliar, novel, and just plain made up. And even among Christians there may be debates about what’s right and what’s wrong. Is it sinful to experience same-sex attraction or only sinful to act on it? Does it matter how a person identifies as long as they don’t actually embrace a forbidden lifestyle? What is gender dysphoria and how should we guide people who experience it? Many of these questions would have been considered absurd when today’s parents were growing up. But now they are having to address them in order to equip their children to live in this world.
With so many issues to consider, with so many of them being new, and with so much at stake, parents would benefit from some guidance. And it has come in The Holy Sexuality Project, a new video curriculum by Christopher Yuan.
I have told Christopher’s story before in a series I titled “Christian Men and Their Godly Moms.” The short version, which he recounts in the opening lesson of this series, is that in his younger days he was agnostic and proudly living a homosexual lifestyle. His mother determined she would pray him into the Kingdom and, through a series of events that included arrest, imprisonment, and a diagnosis of HIV, he came to Christ and committed himself to the Lord’s cause. He has since co-written a book with his mother (Out of a Far Country) that tells his story and a written a second book on God’s design for sexuality (Holy Sexuality and the Gospel). The Holy Sexuality Project is a natural follow-up.
The series is comprised of 12 lessons, each of which is in the neighborhood of 20 minutes long. He begins by telling his story and then progresses to matters of identity, attraction, and action. In these lessons, he discusses the image of God, the doctrine of sin, and the nature of desire and temptation. He explains why God created sex and how he means for us to use this gift. From here he considers marriage and singleness. With this in place, he moves to the issues that are most pertinent today—same-sex attraction, homosexuality, transgenderism, and so on. He examines the Bible passages opponents of Christianity use to refute long-accepted sexual morality. In the final set of lessons, he considers how to minister to those who struggle with their sexuality and calls on Christians to be willing to simply follow Jesus, no matter the cost. All of this is filmed and edited with extremely high production values, making it a package that is easy and enjoyable to watch. There’s a guide for parents to help them as they lead their teens in discussions related to the lessons.
Of great importance is the fact that Christopher discusses each of these things in a manner that is plain but not explicit. While he needs to include some details about his own story, he never crosses boundaries and never revels in his past (as, sadly, some Christians seem to do). This curriculum is designed specifically for parents and teens, and families can watch it together without cringing and without it being awkward. It is tremendous value at just $20.
I was able to watch the series before it launched and was glad to write this little endorsement: I am so thankful for The Holy Sexuality Project! It addresses many of today’s most urgent issues on matters of sex and sexuality and does so in a way that is deeply grounded in the Bible’s timeless truths. The material is presented in a sober and dignified way that makes it appropriate for Christian families or church groups. Dr. Christopher Yuan is just the right person to speak on this subject and this series is in just the right format. It would be difficult to recommend it too highly.
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A La Carte (August 9)
The Spanish edition of Seasons of Sorrow (Estaciones de aflicción) is now available! I’m so thankful for the efforts of the translation team and am praying that the book makes its way to just the right people.
10 Bits of Wisdom from 10 Years of Socials
K.A. Ellis took a social media hiatus and returned with some bits of wisdom to share. They are worth reading, considering, and applying.
The World’s Easiest Theological Question
Michael Kruger: “Sometimes Jesus asks easy theological questions where the answer is obvious. Often he does this to make a point about the hardness of men’s hearts. As an example, he asks the Pharisees what may be the world’s easiest theological question…”
Engineers Make Great Missionaries
You may think that a career in missions means you would need to serve as a church planter or evangelist. This couldn’t be further from the truth. (Sponsored Link)
Pro-Gay Theology, the Film 1946, and the Multiverse
Alan Shlemon carries out a bit of a thought experiment in which he imagines that in 1946 the Bible translation committee for the RSV did not translate arsenokoitai as “homosexuals.” What difference might this have made?
Where Have All The Theologians Gone?
Mark Jones is concerned by the lack of first-class theologians today and suggests some of the possible reasons for this. “By ‘theologians,’ I do not mean it in the sense of ‘everyone’s a theologian’ but rather in the more technical sense concerning someone who is a trained theologian, a person who has distinguished themselves by their education, credentials, publications, and churchmanship.”
Themelios 48.2
Meanwhile, for those who are interested in doing some theological reading, there is a new issue of Themelios free for the taking.
Thirteen Years of Coming Back
Brianna has a sweet reflection on 13 years of marriage—13 years of coming back to one another.
Flashback: We Must, We Can, Bloom for Him
God has saved his people to display his glory and sing his praises in every time, every trial, every situation, every circumstance. No matter our surroundings, no matter our context, no matter our joys or sorrows, we must, and by his grace we can, bloom for him.The cross is love’s highest human expression and beauty’s ultimate declaration…The cross and resurrection of Jesus shine as supreme demonstrations of beauty. Everything else is a reflection. —Steve DeWitt