I have said it before: gossip is a “respectable sin” among Reformed Christians. The Christian world, and perhaps especially the Reformed Christian world, is absolutely chockablock with gossip. From the pulpit to the pew, from the conference green room to the conference hallways, gossip is rampant. It is whispered in the name of important information and blogged in the name of discernment—both ways of dressing it up in respectable apparel. But if it isn’t true and it isn’t edifying and it isn’t necessary, it is gossip. Truly, gossip may be the besetting sin of this movement and a major contributor to her current or coming collapse.(1)

I don’t want to make it sound as if I am immune to this sin or that I’ve never participated in it. In fact, recent experiences in my life have shown how quick I am to initiate conversations that soon tip into gossip and how slow I am to redirect conversations initiated by others that also dwell on what is little better than tittle-tattle. I write to myself as much as anyone else.
If you love the Reformed faith, which is to say, if you value Reformed doctrine, then I offer this exhortation: Make it your goal to talk about Jesus, not celebrities. Make it your goal to tell about the perfections of the Savior more than the failures of the famous. Make it your goal to describe what God has done, not what Christian personalities have failed to do.
This is not to say that there are no circumstances in which it is appropriate to discuss current events and even the foibles and failures of those people who rise and fall within this corner of the Christian world. Sometimes such conversations can be good and necessary, provided they are carried out within the bounds of Christian character and that they go no further than the established facts. Paul named names when appropriate and I’m sure he sometimes gathered his protégés around himself to discuss what had gone wrong with Demas or Hymenaeus or Alexander and what they could learn from those who had first followed and then fallen away.
But a moment’s introspection should show that the great majority of our conversations about people are neither helpful nor edifying, neither concerned with truth nor spoken in love. The great majority of our conversations that revolve around those who have stumbled or fallen are speculative at best and slanderous at worst. The great majority of what has come from our lips and what has come to our ears is unnecessary and unprofitable. I am certain this is true of you because it’s true of me and true even of so many of the people we look up to. (Trust me—I’ve been around our heroes and I can attest from personal experience that they are as prone to this as any of us.)
I have often wished I could remove from my mind all the evil things I have heard about others—things that were whispered in my ear at a conference or delivered as a message into my inbox, but things I now associate with those individuals. I have often wished that person hadn’t told me, “I know his wife and she says he has an anger problem,” or “I spent time at her house and you should see the size of it.” I have often wished I could obliterate all those pieces of information that could be true or untrue, accurate or pure fiction. I have often wished I had asked that person to just stop, that I had had the strength of character to resist hearing it. And, of course, I have often wished that I myself had only ever spoken what was true, what was necessary, what was genuinely meant to serve Christ’s cause.
Though this movement was once defined by its doctrine, I fear it is increasingly defined by its celebrities. So now, rather than aligning with truth we align with people. This being the case, to participate in Reformed Christianity is to discuss personalities rather than theology. Need proof? When was the last time you had a conversation about the five points? But on the other hand, when was the last time you spoke about that guy who was accused of that transgression? When was the last time you marveled about the facts of the five solas? But then when was the last time you speculated about that pastor who has fallen under his church’s discipline? This kind of gossip is a blight on our theological tradition and a reason many abandon it. There are many who reject Reformed theology not because of its doctrines but because of its adherents—because of you and me and the way we blather on about people, people, people.
We will be a blessing to the church if instead of spending our time discussing the failures of celebrities we spend it going deeper into those precious truths that undergird it. We will be a blessing to the world around us if instead of obsessing about people we fix our hearts on Christ. So take this as my call to you and to me and to all of us: Let’s stop the gossip. Let’s stop the gossip and instead make it our delight to speak about who our God is and about what our God has done.

It has been a slow couple of days for Kindle deals, but we will hope for better things tomorrow.

Farewell, Charlie Brown Christmas
I enjoyed Denny Burk’s lament that A Charlie Brown Christmas will no longer be shown on network television.
Untangling Theology from Digital Technology
This one is going to take some time for you to read, but it’s worth the effort. “Obviously, it’s impossible to know for certain what the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune will bring to Big Tech. There’s good reason to believe that the current landscape will shift dramatically. Regardless, the volatile state of our technological overlords is reason enough to ask some serious questions about how these apps may have muscled their way into a place in our Christian lives — and damaged our institutions and souls in the process.”
7 Encouragements in the Christian Struggle for Perseverance
“Endurance, with its synonyms (perseverance, long-suffering, or patience) appears throughout the Bible as a Christian virtue. It is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). Christians have a duty to endure. How, then, do we ready ourselves for it?” Writing for TGC Africa, John Musyimi offers seven suggestions.
Why Our Subjective Feelings Need God’s Objective Truth
Randy Alcorn: “The peace or lack of peace one feels after praying about a decision can be highly subjective, unless it is specifically rooted in objective truths. Some people feel good about doing wrong things and others feel bad about doing right things. I have seen people make unwise and even catastrophic decisions who told me they prayed and felt good about it.”
Any Unchecked Sin Is Ruinous
Justin Huffman reminds us that we all have tendencies toward certain sins and that we need to battle hard against them.
Themelios 47.3
If you’re looking for some academic reading, you may want to read the new issue of Themelios (which is available for free on the web, in PDF format, or in Logos).
Flashback: We Rarely Spend Time Delighting In You
This week I found a prayer meant to stir up delight in God, and to seek forgiveness for when we did not delight in him. Here it is.

To be tempted is in itself no sin: it is the yielding to temptation, and giving it a place in our hearts, which we must fear. —JC Ryle

Blessings to you today.

(Yesterday on the blog: Much Will Be Required)
‘Tis the Season for Topigetical Sermons
“This season brings with it discussions and debates among Reformed believers genuinely concerned about how best to honor the Lord in the midst of what can feel like sensationalistic, materialistic mayhem rooted more deeply in paganism than sentimentality-sated Christians care to acknowledge.”
Reform Your Faith, Don’t Deconstruct It
“I’ve had doubts about my faith. I’m guessing you’ve had them as well. No one is immune to wondering whether their convictions about Christianity are true. It’s a common human experience that is acknowledged in Scripture.” But as Alan Shlemon argues here, that doesn’t mean you should deconstruct your faith.
Does the Holy Spirit tell people things in their thoughts? (Video)
I found it strangely affirming that these three theologians struggle to answer the question and that the even disagree a bit among themselves. It shows that it’s a very complicated question.
Honoring Dishonorable Parents
“The holiday season is one in which happy families get together to eat lovely meals and have laughter-filled conversations followed by games of charades or meaningful talks around a fireplace – or at least that’s how Hallmark portrays the holidays. For many of us, however, the holiday season is one in which we face a very difficult problem.” That makes this the time of year when many people will struggle to be with and honor their parents.
Is It True That “All Is Vanity”? (Ecclesiastes 1)
This article deals with those key words from Ecclesiastes: all is vanity.
When Goodness Doesn’t Make Sense
“If you live long enough, you will suffer. If you counsel long enough, you will hear some stories of unimaginable suffering. Our awareness of the fallenness of the order in which we live should, in theory, prevent our shock when listening to our counselee’s pains. Often, that is not the case. Some stories are just jaw-dropping.”
Flashback: What Matters Is Not the Size of Your Faith
The smallest bit of faith in God is worth infinitely more than the greatest bit of faith in ourselves, or the strongest measure of faith in faith itself. Faith counts for nothing unless its object is Jesus Christ.

The gospel is about being close to God. To do that, Jesus identified with you even to the point of entering into your afflictions. —Ed Welch

Today’s post is sponsored by Christian Focus Publications and written by Brent Corbin, Executive Director of Reformed Youth Ministries.

Convincing young people that reading an actual book is a worthwhile use of their time is a tall task in our day and age. Whether it’s the ever-beckoning allure of technology, schedules that are chocked full of school, sports, and all kinds of other activities, or just a lack of desire, making the time to read an actual book seems like a practice for days gone by.
But here’s the reality we must face: as useful as videos, podcasts and other technologies can be to the Church in 2022, Christianity is a religion of words. Our God is a God of words. He created through words, calls Himself the Living Word, and wrote a book filled with words to communicate to His children. In light of this, RYM continues to encourage pastors and parents everywhere to value the written word, and to seek to train the next generation to be readers of actual books with real words. The forced slowing-down, and unhurried nature of sitting with a book is a discipline worth re-cultivating in the lives of young people. The Track Series, a collaborative effort between RYM and Christian Focus Publishers is a great place to do this very thing.
Written for students, the Track series addresses numerous topics in three primary areas: Doctrine, Culture, and the Christian Life. Track‘s booklets are theologically rich, accessible, and the perfect length to make actually finishing the book a likely and attainable goal. They seek to engage and challenge the student without dumbing things down. Some of the authors in the series include: Ligon Duncan, Derek Thomas, Ed Welch, Abigail Dodds, Reagan Rose, Stephen Nichols, and Walt Mueller. Each of the different writers brings his or her unique perspectives and expertise to the book’s subject matter. 
The goal of the Track series, through its different topics, is to point us to Jesus Christ, the One who forged a track to guide His followers. While we cannot follow this track perfectly, by His grace and Spirit He called us to strive to stay on the path. It is our prayer that this series of books would help guide young people who are seeking to follow Christ’s track in their day to day living.
Visit 10ofthose to purchase your Track books for the perfect Christmas gift or Stocking Stuffer.

You know the old adage, I’m sure: To whom much is given much will be required. Or, to express it in the words of Jesus, “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.” The point is clear: God holds us responsible for all that we have. Said otherwise, God holds us responsible for all that he bestows upon us.

We tend to think of this principle when we consider all the good gifts we receive. We are to be faithful stewards of our money, acknowledging that those who have an abundance are particularly responsible to give with liberal generosity. We are to be faithful parents to our children, acknowledging that they are God’s children before our own. We are to be faithful pastors, keeping watch over all the flock as those who will have to give an account to the true Shepherd. It’s a principle that acknowledges God’s sovereignty over all the blessings we receive and our responsibility to discharge our duty faithfully.
But while we tend to consider this principle when it comes to the good things we receive, who’s to say that it doesn’t apply every bit as much to the difficult things? After all, just as God’s providence directs the sun it also directs the rain, and just as it directs times of laughter it also directs times of weeping. If prosperity comes from his hand so does poverty and if health can be his plan for us so may be sickness. It is not merely the good that we are responsible for, but also the difficulties. For they, too, are within his will.
And so as we encounter times of pain and illness, times of sorrow and loss, times of poverty and want, we should not merely ask, “How can I endure this?” or “How can I get out from under this?”, though certainly those questions may be appropriate. We should also ask, “How can I steward this? What is my duty in this? What does God meant to accomplish through this?”
What if Joni Eareckson Tada had chosen to live a life of despondency rather than embracing her disability as God’s will and as her particular ministry to God’s people? What if Susannah Spurgeon had pined away in self-pity rather than allowing her bed to become her office, the means through which she would send books to so many needy pastors? What if Amy Carmichael had allowed the poor health that forced her to leave Japan to end her missionary career rather than accepting it instead as God’s will to divert her to her ordained mission? What if Job had given up after the loss of all he held dear, what if David had dropped out after the death of his son, what if Paul had quit the field after being beaten the first time, or even the second or third?
All of these, and so many more, accepted their suffering as stewardship. They accepted it as something precious and meaningful and understood that it had called them to new duty, new obedience, new ways to be useful to God. And we have all benefited. We have learned more from how they endured their times of suffering than their times of joy, from their times of lack than their times of abundance, from their times of illness than their times of health. For while we may have learned what they professed to believe in days of sunshine, we have learned what they really believe in days of rain. And it has been a blessing and inspiration to us all.
Each of these did what we are all called to do—to embrace our sorrows as somehow consistent with God’s will, and to turn that sorrow outward in love for others and service to God. To whom much is given—even much sorrow, much pain, much suffering—, much will be required, for these give us unique opportunities to serve God’s people and showcase his glory.

Grace and peace to you today.

Today’s Kindle deals include a number of excellent devotionals from Crossway.
(Yesterday on the blog: Would You Consider Becoming a Patron?)
On Spiritual Dreams
I have read a number of different perspectives on Christians and “spiritual dreams.” This one, which I read over the weekend (and which is from a source I admire), was quite interesting to me.
An Open Letter to the Brothers I Went to Seminary With
I appreciated this open letter from a woman who attended seminary and who reflects on the men who attended with her.
If Christmas is just cultural, celebrate (or don’t) however you want
This is a good reminder that Christians don’t have to celebrate Christmas.
Brightest and Best (Video)
This great rendition of “Brightest and Best” features the Gettys and Ricky Skaggs.
Dealing with Difficult Decembers
“We spend so much time enjoying the nativity and celebrating the miracle of our Saviour’s birth, that we often forget to get excited and expectant once again for our Lord to come back.”
Chipping Away Our Confidence in Christ
Doug Eaton: “In the Christian life, there are times of rest and times of struggle, and what we do when the sun is shining will often determine how well we will fare when the rains fall and the winds blow. It is usually the pleasant times when self-confidence becomes exaggerated that many professing Christians tend to chip away at the rock upon which they stand.”
Flashback: Lost Is Her Treasure But Where Is Her Trust?
Let her not cling to him, Striving to fling from him, Death’s chilly hand, With its firm, frozen hold. Death has not made the choice, ’Tis but the Shepherd’s voice, Calling the little lamb, Back to its fold.

It’s pastoral malpractice to prescribe the law to penitent sinners as the source of a God-pleasing life. The law can direct and guide, but it cannot motivate or empower. The only legitimate motivation for the life of faith is not the law, but the gospel. —Harold Senkbeil

I have been blogging at Challies.com on a daily basis for over 19 years now. That long commitment has allowed me to write thousands of articles and hundreds of book reviews while also sending millions of visitors to other sites through the daily A La Carte feature. Of course I’ve also written a number of books, though through it all the blog has remained the “main thing.” Much of the blog’s content is now also translated into Spanish, French, and a number of other languages.

One of my great desires through this time has been to freely give away as much as possible. I intend for it to always remain entirely free for all who visit. While for obvious reasons this can’t happen when it comes to books, I’ve made it my goal to ensure that everything else has been freely and widely distributed. This has been possible largely because of advertisers. Yet as time goes on and the online advertising market shifts, I find there is also a key role for the generosity of individuals.
This is where patrons come in. A service called Patreon provides a convenient means of linking content producers (like me) with supporters (like you).
To that end, I would like to ask those who regularly read this site to consider supporting me by becoming a patron. By supporting me with even a modest monthly gift, you will be able to be part of this ongoing work. You will also receive Patron-only monthly updates on what I have been doing in the month that has passed and what I plan to do in the month ahead. Funds donated will be used to support my family and to help create great content or to otherwise improve, support, and enhance Challies.com. In one way or another they will all be used to allow me to continue to do what I have been doing for these past 19 years.
(I’m also sometimes asked about one-time gifts. If that is of interest to you, they can be forwarded by check to the mailing address here or to PayPal.)
Please understand that I intend for Challies.com to always remain entirely free. In fact, patrons help ensure that it always remains that way.
Thank you for considering becoming a patron of Challies.com. Your support means so much to me. And this is the end of my once-yearly mention of this subject!

My gratitude goes to Banner of Truth for sponsoring the blog this week to tell you about a new collection of writings by J.C. Ryle.

(Yesterday on the blog: Fight For Your Pastor)
Time to Rethink your Church Website?
“Our website is our most easily accessed 24/7 communication face to the world. Are we being wise in our use of it?” I think this is well worth asking. This article asks whether putting all of our sermons online is still wise.
My Broken Engagement
“Has God forgotten me? No, my heart said. But it wasn’t a statement of faith. It was a cry of sorrow: I wish that he had. Because if he had forgotten me, it would mean that he didn’t know about my broken engagement, that he wasn’t an indifferent observer watching me in my living room, sprawled out on my rug like a dead spider, sobbing until I had to run to the bathroom and vomit.”
The Value of Repeated Bible Reading
“There is no perfect Bible reading plan. Many Christians try to read through the whole Bible every year, a laudable goal, but sometimes only reading a passage once a year keeps us from really grappling with its message.” Scott encourages different ways of repeatedly reading the Bible.
The 5 Shaky Pillars of Insider Movement Strategies
“Compassion for the lost creates urgency for missions. Yet, urgency alone, untempered by a primary concern for God’s glory and God’s means, can quickly run afoul of biblical methodology and doctrinal truth. Those urgently seeking to increase their fruitfulness can be tempted to sacrifice biblical precision on the altar of expediency and pragmatism. One example of this in contemporary missions is what is known as Insider Movement (IM) strategies.”
3 Misconceptions That Many Muslims Have about Christianity
I have often found this to be true: “Muslims love to talk about religion, and I write this to encourage you to talk with your Muslim neighbors about meaningful spiritual matters that concern salvation and eternity. Unlike Westerners who often avoid conversations about religion and politics with people they just met, Muslims have no problem discussing religious matters. They cherish such conversations.”
Is Tithing for Today? (Video)
Derek Thomas suggests that the principle of tithing is not restricted to the Old Testament. It’s worth hearing him out.
Flashback: Lay Aside Your Cheap Running Shoes
Two authors, two books, two faiths, two topics, but one common theme: To run well you must rid yourself of all excess weight. It is true when running a race, it is true when pursuing Christ.

Perseverance reveals the fruit of true, saving faith. It is both an exercise of genuine faith and evidence of it. Perseverance doesn’t save us, but it reveals that we have been saved. —Glenna Marshall

This week’s Free Stuff Friday is sponsored by Banner of Truth. If you enter, one of you will be chosen to receive a copy of all the following new titles from the Banner (an over $350 value):

Christmas Thoughts, J. C. Ryle
Christmas, and New Year, are excellent moments to pause and reflect—J. C. Ryle urges us, through 5 popular Christmas tracts, to make time to consider our spiritual state and our future, when all our Christmases are past.
Sermons on Job (3 volumes), John Calvin
It was said of Calvin that he became a theologian to be a better pastor. Nowhere is that clearer than in the 159 sermons he preached on Job – here translated into modern, colorful, and vigorous English.
Words from the Cross, Ian Hamilton
Jesus’ seven expiring words of grace and hope are explored in their wider biblical context and significance to the believer. Short chapters help us reflect on the love of God devote all we are to our Savior.
How do You Read the Bible, J.C.Ryle
To have a Bible is good, but happy is the one who not only has a Bible but who reads it, obeys it, and makes it the rule of one’s faith and practice! Ryle explains why we ought to value the Bible highly, to study it regularly, and know its contents.
The Upper Room, J. C. Ryle
Toward the end of his life, Ryle was concerned that his remaining important work should be preserved in print. All these short works exhibit his robust evangelical doctrine, down-to earth application, and reliable advice, grounded in Biblical principles.
The Gospel According to Christ’s Enemies, David Randall
Jesus had critics and enemies who sought to discredit him and trap him but their attacks gave rise to opportunities. David Randall investigates attacks both in Scripture and from contemporary society that express truths their antagonists did not intend.
Theodore Beza, Henry Martyn Baird
Bezas’ friendships with Calvin and French king, Henry IV, ensured his significance in both church and state. In this new edition of Baird’s biography we discover a model of faithfulness under duress facing theological error and opposition.
The Works of William Bridge (5 volumes)
Bridge was a co-pastor of a church with Jeremiah Burroughs before being appointed a member of the Westminster Assembly. Later ejected from his church in Norfolk during the purge of non-conformists in 1662, he is particularly known in his writing for his pastoral love.
TO ENTER
Giveaway Rules: You may enter one time. When you enter, you opt-in to receive marketing emails from Banner of Truth. The winner will be notified by email. The giveaway closes on Saturday 24th December 2022 at midnight.

Sometimes a preposition makes all the difference. We do not need to look far to find examples of Christians who fight with their pastor. If you speak to just about any one of them I expect he will be able to tell you of people who have fought him tooth and nail over some peeve, some cause, some perceived slight. But much rarer are those who fight for their pastor, those who honor him and his position by battling for his success, for his joy, for his encouragement.

A couple of weeks ago I shared a review of Michael Kruger’s Bully Pulpit, a book that addresses the problem of heavy-handed leadership or spiritual abuse. And while that issue has received a lot of attention of late, it is important to acknowledge that the great majority of pastors are leading in love and serving their churches well. Hence, I wanted to draw your attention to Peter Orr’s new book Fight for Your Pastor—a book that encourages you to do exactly what the title indicates.
While it has always been difficult to be a pastor, it seems that there are some unique challenges today. “Think of the difference between climate and weather,” says Orr. “The ‘climate’ for pastoral ministry is constant. The world, the flesh, and the devil are long-term climate factors that remain between Christ’s first and second coming. But it feels as if—in the West, at least—there’s been a change in the ‘weather.’ There is now a general weather front of apostasy, secularism, unbelief, and so on that is making the life of a pastor—particularly a conservative, complementarian, and evangelical one—more difficult. Whether on matters of sexual ethics, gender, or the uniqueness of Christ, a faithful pastor who proclaims and stands for the word of God faces rising hostility from the world.”
That kind of pressure comes from outside the church but there is also pressure from within—pressure related to a rising awareness of spiritual abuse, pressure related to having to lead through a time of pandemic, pressure related to being commonly and often unfavorably compared to pastors whose ministries are so easy to see through the internet. Hence, “this short book is written as a call to more actively love and support our pastors. If you are reading this book, I am sure you love your pastor, but I want to nudge you to love him more intentionally. I invite you to pause and think about how you can support him more. In short, I am calling you to fight for your pastor.”
Orr structures the book around seven imperatives:

Fight! for your pastor by praying for him, acknowledging that “the person who is under more satanic attack than anyone else you know is your pastor. The person whose faith Satan wants to derail the most is your pastor. The person whose marriage Satan would most like to wreck, whose kids he most wants to cause to rebel, whom he most wants to discourage is your pastor. You need to fight in prayer for your pastor.”
Encourage! your pastor by deliberately acknowledging the blessing he is and intentionally building him up. “Sometimes we think that people have to earn our respect and admiration. They have to prove themselves. God’s economy differs: the pastor he has placed over us is, from the beginning, worthy of a respect and esteem that needs to translate into how we speak about and to him. We need to intentionally encourage him.”
Listen! to your pastor as he teaches you from God’s Word.
Give! to the church to ensure that your pastor has his financial needs met and is able to dedicate himself to his ministry.
Forgive! your pastor for his sins and failures, for he will at times let you down. “As evangelicals, we take sins seriously, know that repentance is critical, and understand that Jesus had to die for our sins. But there is a place for overlooking and not confronting every sin. Every good marriage operates on that principle, as does any healthy friendship, including our relationship with our pastor.”
Submit! to your pastor. “Submission may be the most countercultural thing that we can do. But the Bible commands it, our church’s health requires it, and our identity in Christ must reflect it.”
Check! if accusations against your pastor are actually true rather than believing all that people may say about him.

These are good and necessary exhortations and, if we all obey them, our pastors will be better equipped to lead us in ways that are beneficial to our lives and faith. “In the end, this book sounds a call to abandon a passive, consumerist model of church. It calls us to abandon the notion that the pastor performs the ministry, which we evaluate according to how it benefits us. It is a call to reject the error that he is our once-a-week religious entertainment provider. It is a call to abandon the idea that he is our spiritual guru, who will drop everything any time we need him. It is a call for us all to be devoted to the work of the Lord. It is a call for us to love and support our pastor. It is a call to fight for him!” It is a call I hope many Christians will hear, accept, and obey.

Buy from Amazon