I’m thankful to Reformation Heritage Books for sponsoring the blog this week to tell you about Paul Washer’s new book The Preeminent Christ. They’ve also marked down its price for you.

There are, indeed, some new Kindle deals today.
(Yesterday on the blog: Memorable Loss)
Light into Darkness: The Sound of Freedom movie
Jesse Johnson reviews (and recommends) Sound of Freedom. “Sound of Freedom has an express goal: not to leave you in darkness. Darkness thrives when the lights are off, and this movie wants to shine the light in the darkest places imaginable. To that end, Sound of Freedom has succeeded in making two major points…”
Is ‘Sound of Freedom’ the Next ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’?
Writing for TGC, Cap Stewart also reviews and commends the film. He especially praises it for telling about exploitation in such a way that it doesn’t exploit its actors. And then he offers one critique (that has more to do with the credits than the film itself).
The Church in a Time of Gender War
Samuel James tries to make sense of something many have observed: That there seem to be plenty of single men and women in many churches who wish to get married, but not to one another.
Why I Became an American Citizen
I quite enjoyed reading Carl Trueman’s account of why he decided to become an American citizen.
Bowing to Ungodly Pressures in the Name of Wisdom
“I am concerned that some churches and Christian institutions have grown timid in their stand for truth and are using wisdom as their excuse. Doing this may help them avoid social pressure for now, but in the end, they are merely kicking the can down the road, and it will likely be worse later.”
Churches Continue to Sing Hillsong and Bethel Despite Controversies
This is really interesting. Despite scandals at Hillsong and Bethel, churches continue to sing their music. The article explores how worship leaders find their music and why they choose it.
Flashback: A Sober Warning from the Earliest Christians
…we are free to continue to worship Jesus, to sing our songs, and to preach our Scriptures, as long as we accept these new definitions of marriage, gender, and so on. We don’t need to abandon our faith, but just modify it slightly to better fit the times.

In the outside world we may seem to have religion when we have it not; but the home tests whether our religion is genuine or a sham. —De Witt Talmage

Good morning. Grace and peace to you today.

Here’s your final reminder that this evening at 6 PM EST I’ll be hosting a webinar called Getting the Most Out of Logos. The signup information is at the link. (Unrelated to that, Logos is having new sales each week this month and you can find this week’s selection here.)
You’ll find a couple of new Kindle deals today.
(Yesterday on the blog: What the Mightiest Man Could Never Do)
May the Force Be Ever In Your Favor
Mitch Chase bridges from a butchered movie quote to an interesting discussion of the way the New Testament quotes the Old Testament.
‘Paedobaptism Hath None’ Why Harvard’s First President Resigned
I was not familiar with Henry Dunster and the story of the big change in his theological convictions that led to all kinds of trouble.
Grow in Contentment through Worship
Colin Smith: “God has given you the ability to choose where you focus your attention. What are the good things about your family? What are the good things about your church, your work, your neighborhood? Bring these to mind, especially when you are inclined to complain, and as you do, you will learn to be content.”
Sometimes, no amount of evidence is enough
“It is not uncommon, nor unreasonable, for people to ask us for evidence of why we believe in Jesus. It is perfectly right and proper to give people a reason for the hope that is in us.” Yet as Stephen points out, sometimes no amount of evidence will ever suffice.
Maturity
Jimmy considers what does and what does not stand as evidence of growing spiritual maturity.
Sit With Your Anxiety
Craig uses a really vivid illustration to help us deal with life’s inevitable anxieties.
Flashback: Why We Can Rejoice that Marriage Will End
Marriage is a wonderful gift and today we thank God for it. But in that day we will praise him for bringing it to an end so we can experience something even better, the very thing it has been pointing us toward all along.

To them that are godly, evil things work for good; to them that are evil, good things work for hurt. —Thomas Watson

I’m very grateful to BJU for sponsoring the blog this week to provide a A Biblical-Theological Examination of Melancholy. Sponsors play a key role in keeping this site going, and I’m grateful for each one.
Westminster Book is wondering if you know of an aspiring pastor, missionary, counselor, or teacher. If you do, they’ve got a gift they’d like to send them.
There are pretty much always some new Kindle deals on Saturdays, and today is no exception.
(Yesterday on the blog: Like a River)

While writing a book about deconstruction, Tim Barnett wondered “why so many who deconstruct their faith end up leaving the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.” He puts the pieces together in this article at Stand to Reason.

“If you spend any time in Christian missions, you’ll almost certainly notice more women serving than men. That’s what I’ve observed wherever I’ve traveled overseas, and the statistics bear this out. For over a century, women have made up the majority of the evangelical missionary workforce.” Elliot Clark reflects on that reality.

Anne Kennedy has a helpful assessment of what Sheila Wray Gregoire teaches about sex in her books and podcasts.

“15,409 days. That’s how long my dear wife lived on this Earth. When we were dating, we obviously had no idea. When we got engaged, there were no mystical revelations. And when we got married, this number certainly wasn’t written on the back of the marriage certificate for us to see.” Andy considers what might have been different had they known.

“Unless and until adequate answers can be given to these questions, the claim that the Pastoral Epistles are the work of the apostle Paul himself, and not of a pseudepigrapher, or even of a close disciple writing after his death, must be allowed to stand as a valid position based on proper scholarly criteria.”

“Shepherd feet make paths. Up hills and through fields. As shepherds do what shepherds do. Tending flocks. And keeping watch. Under sun and stars and moon. Alert for thieves and predators. Protecting the sheep. And little do they know. Their ordinary feet are about to change. Into the extraordinary. Beautiful feet.”

John and Cindy Raquet parent as weirdly as any of us, but their weirdnesses generally overlap with my own, and it’s for that reason that I so enjoyed reading their book Purposeful and Persistent Parenting.

Grace does not make sin safe. But grace does make sinners safe.
—Matt Chandler