Good morning, at last, from downtown Recife. I look forward to spending the weekend with Primeira Igreja Presbiteriana do Recife. (I’ll be speaking to a men’s group there this evening at 7; if you’re a man and live in the area, feel free to attend.)

Blasphemy Then and Now
Carl Trueman examines charges of blasphemy against Monty Python then and now. “Opponents of blasphemy then and of blasphemy now share something in common: a concern to protect that which is sacred. But that is where the similarity begins and ends. Old-style blasphemy involved desecrating God because it was God who was sacred. Today’s blasphemy involves suggesting that man is not all-powerful, that he cannot create himself in any way he chooses, that he is subject to limits beyond his choice and beyond his control.”
How to Distinguish the Holy Spirit from the Serpent
Sinclair Ferguson turns to John Owen to explain how to distinguish very different kinds of promptings.
The Fear of the Lord is the Beginning of Leadership
“He who rules over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.” —2 Samuel 2:23 (Sponsored Link)
How Much Should Pastors Make?
John Piper considers pastors and their salaries.
You Can Be Right and Wrong Simultaneously
“I’m sure you can relate to this experience. You’re in a discussion with someone, and they say something incorrect. It’s important enough that it should be set straight. So you begin to interact calmly, identifying their error and offering the correct understanding of the matter. But it’s not that easy.”
No They Can’t and Here’s Why
Anne Kennedy: “Work—meaningful work—which leads to accomplishment produces self-forgetfulness. You get caught up in whatever you’re doing and forget about yourself altogether. It is the common grace of God to give ordinary people momentary relief from the great burden of themselves through the various kinds of work that make life interesting and pleasurable. I think this must be one reason that most kinds of meaningful work have been destroyed, I assume by Satan, who wants you to think about yourself all the live-long day.”
The Rollercoaster
Patsy Kuipers tells about the rollercoaster nature of caring for a declining parent.
Flashback: Could You Use Some Joy Today?
…consider what God has given you, whether wealth, time, talents, or gifts, and consider how you can use them to express generosity to someone else. Consider how you can give to others what God has given you…

In the union of husband and wife their sexual drives are consecrated and directed to the spouse for mutual benefit instead of selfish gratification. —Harold Senkbeil

There is a huge list of Kindle deals today. There are books for pastors, grieving parents, people asking tough questions, and so on. You’ll also find the whole NIVAC commentary series on sale as well as Little Pilgrim’s Progress.

As for print books, you’ll also find a good list of pre-Black Friday specials. My own Seasons of Sorrow is among them along with Collin Hansen’s biography of Tim Keller, Grudem’s Systematic Theology, and a lot else besides. Meanwhile, Westminster Books has The Biggest Story collection of resources on sale—a great option to read to your kids and Christianbook.com has a sale on books for kids.

(Yesterday on the blog: I’m a Grandfather!)

This is a fascinating look at the Trump and Harris social media campaigns and an explanation of why Trump was so dominant in this regard. There are lessons for us to learn from it, I’m sure.

Jonathan Threlfall: “In view of the ink spilled and bytes downloaded on the matter of discovering one’s spiritual gift, you might be surprised to learn that such introspection is completely absent in all these passages. Either Paul and Peter failed to answer such a vital question . . . or we are asking the wrong question. I think the latter is the case.”

Join the discussion about AI with the newly updated and expanded edition of 2084 and the AI Revolution by John C. Lennox–now available for purchase. Get your copy today! (Sponsored)

Lauren Whitman has an important word about the messages we receive through the circumstances of our lives. “Messages about who we are—our identity—are powerful. They can shape how we see ourselves, how we see the world, and how we see God. It is a matter that regularly comes up in counseling conversations. When people have hard experiences in their lives or have been mistreated by others, it always proves valuable to explore what messages those experiences have communicated about who they are.”

Darryl Dash: “Age brings the benefit of self-awareness. I can mostly identify where I’m gifted and where I’m not. I want to grow, but I realize I may not excel in some areas no matter how hard I try. God gives us gifts in certain areas that may come easily to us but are difficult for others. Simultaneously, we’re also weak in other areas, highlighting our need for community. The church, as Paul discusses in 1 Corinthians, is built so we need each other.”

Kevin Burrell explains how we are kind of like magpies. And kind of not.

TGC Africa has been sharing a “10 Mistakes I’ve Made” series and in this entry Chopo Mwanza lists 10 of the mistakes he has made in his preaching ministry. He offers lots to think about.

As people repent of their sins and profess their loyalty to him, he does not eradicate their personalities as if he created them wrong in the first place or as if there is nothing within them he can use or redeem. Rather, he channels their personality, he redirects it, masters it, perfects it.

Christ-less, grace-less attempts at change conclude either with the praise of your own glory or with your shame.
—David Powlison

This week the blog is sponsored by Zondervan Reflective. Join the discussion about AI with the newly updated and expanded edition of 2084 and the AI Revolution by John C. Lennox–now available for purchase. Get your copy today! 

We humans are insatiably curious. We have been asking big questions since the dawn of history – about knowledge, origin, and destiny. Their importance is obvious. Our answer to the first shapes our concepts of who we are, and our answer to the second gives us goals to live for. Taken together, our responses to these questions frame our world view, the (meta) narrative or ideology that directs our lives and shapes their meaning, the framework of which we are often barely aware. These are not easy questions, as we see from the many and contradictory answers on offer. Yet, by and large, we humans have not let that hinder us. Over the centuries, some answers have been proposed by science, some by philosophy, some based on religion, others on politics, and many on a mixture of all of these and more.

Many current developments were foreshadowed in famous dystopian novels such as the 1931 novel Brave New World by Aldous Huxley and George Orwell’s novel 1984, published in 1949. Of course, neither Huxley nor Orwell knew anything about AI, but nevertheless they imagined a future shaped by the technology around them and by their ability to imagine future developments in that area, many of which imaginings turned out to be prescient.

Philosophers, ethicists, theologians, cultural commentators, novelists, and artists must necessarily get involved in this wider debate.John C. LennoxShare

AI has been defined as the theory and development of computer systems that can perform tasks normally requiring human intelligence. The term “AI” is often applied to the machines themselves. Just as the industrial revolution was brought about by the invention of machines designed to help with or replace human physical work, the AI revolution involves the invention of systems that facilitate or replace various forms of both human physical and mental activity. There is now a vast array of AI systems spawned by an information-technology revolution of unprecedented proportions: AI is not one, but many.

Driven by global commercial interests, billions of dollars are now being invested in the development of AI systems. Not surprisingly, there is a great deal of interest in where this is all going: Will it bring about better quality of life through digital assistants, medical innovation, and human enhancement on the one hand, or will it lead to massive job losses, loss of freedom, Orwellian totalitarianism, and possibly the end of humanity altogether on the other?

This topic is not going away anytime soon. Indeed, it is likely to become more of a pressing question as technology advances further. It is of interest not only to people who are directly involved in AI research but also to mathematicians and scientists in other disciplines whose work and outlook are increasingly influenced by it. Indeed, since the outcomes and ideas surrounding work on AI will inevitably affect us all, many people are thinking and writing about it who are not scientists at all. Philosophers, ethicists, theologians, cultural commentators, novelists, and artists must necessarily get involved in this wider debate. After all, you do not need to be a nuclear physicist or climatologist to discuss the impact of nuclear energy or climate change on your life.