“Texas has won the latest legal battle in its lengthy effort to remove abortion giant Planned Parenthood from the Medicaid program.” - BPNews

“I’ve been a believer for 60 years now, and I’m still amazed every day at how much spiritual growth still lies ahead of me—at often I tell myself, ‘Dan, after all this time, you really ought to be better at this.’” - Olinger

“Whenever we lose that vertical perspective, then the horizontal perspective becomes dimmer, more obscure, (less certain) until you have that vertical dimension, and then it kind of becomes, ‘Oh, put things in perspective. It’s another event. We’ll get through this, and we might get through this stronger even’ ” - BJU Today

“The man who grumbles in his heart will soon grumble before his household and before his fellow church members. He has begun to walk a trail of complaint and will find that others begin to follow in his footsteps, that they begin to imitate him….But what is true of bad habits is equally true of good.” - Challies

No. 872. Delivered by C. H. Spurgeon on Sunday Morning, May 23rd, 1869 at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington.

“Being confident of this very thing, that he who has begun a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ.”—Philippians 1:6

Baptist Press: “Arkansas has enacted what appears to be the most stringent ban on abortion in the country in the latest state effort to persuade the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse its nearly 50-year-old decision legalizing the procedure.”

WORLD: “Some think the state’s new protections for almost all unborn babies could prove counterproductive”

“There are some who may say that fundamentalism is a failed movement. I do not believe so. But I do believe that pastors must learn the lessons of the past, and even from others in mainstream evangelicalism who are noting their own problems.” - P&D

“If I was working on … some theological topic like the Sabbath—I’m sure my cancer would have been a distraction. But this book was on death and resurrection. So every time I wrote it was like having a wrestling-with-God prayer session. It was hard and great—but I always felt God dealing with me and helping me as I wrote.” - Tim Keller

“The church as a gas station—where you fill up your spiritual gas tank when you’re running low… The church as a movie theater—a place that offers entertainment… The church as a drug store—where you can fill the prescription that will deal with your pain… The church as a big box retailer—the place that offers the best products in a clean and safe environment for you and your family” - Colin Smith

“In order to show why Tall el-Hammam, should not be identified as biblical Sodom, this paper proceeds by answering the following questions: (1) When was Sodom destroyed? (2) How should the lifespans of the patriarchs be understood? (3) Was Sodom inhabited again after its destruction?” - AiG

“Idan Dershowitz, 38, now claims the manuscript is, indeed, real and far older than Shapira thought. Dershowitz published his claims and arguments in a paper released earlier this month, ‘The Valediction of Moses: New Evidence on the Shapira Deuteronomy Fragments.’” - Fox

Read the series.

In order to properly evaluate the proposed Great Reset in the light of Biblical prophecy, we must first make certain that we understand the world from the vantage point of God Himself.

“Crossway and Desiring God are generously making the entire book available for free as a PDF.” - Andy Naselli

“Most pastors have several moments each week when they shake their heads in sorrow at something they’ve seen a church member post on social media. The last year—in which churchgoers spent less time in face-to-face fellowship and more time than ever in ‘fellowship’ with the social media mob—has made the problem worse. What can church leaders do about this?” - 9 Marks

“Living Proof Ministries head Beth Moore has announced she’s leaving the Southern Baptist denomination, saying she does not ‘identify with some of the things’ in its heritage which she claims ‘haven’t remained in the past.’” - C.Post

“A study of 1,000 Protestant churchgoers in the U.S. from Lifeway Research found, when COVID-19 is no longer an active threat to people’s health, 91 percent plan to attend in-person worship services at least as often as they did before the coronavirus pandemic. That includes almost a quarter (23 percent) who plan to attend more than they did previously.” - LifeWay

“Unfortunately, many of the men who ‘inspired’ me in my early years of ministry were all celebrities who have since been released from their pastor jobs. Almost all of the pastors I looked up to back in 2011, 2012, 2013 are now considered cheaters, liars, abusers, drunks, and narcissists.” - C. Leaders

“As Evan Koons explains in the film, ‘Simply put, we are being called by God to spend the remainder of our days serving our captors, working with them (not fighting them or conforming to them or fleeing from them – but serving them) and compromising nothing.’” - Acton

“54% of white evangelicals ‘definitely or probably’ plan on getting vaccinated or already have received at least one vaccination shot, the lowest of any religious demographic surveyed.” - C. Post

“From those early days in the Ligonier Valley Study Center, R.C. Sproul was driven by one overarching desire: to teach people who God is. In this video, watch as Stephen Nichols reveals how the Lord prepared Dr. Sproul to bring trusted biblical teaching to people around the world.” - Lingonier

“Through the decades-long work of Rev. Matthew J. Watts, a local minister in Charleston, we learn that the fight is about far more than simply boosting test scores or shuffling kids off to college. It’s about treating our children with dignity and allowing communities to freely respond to their needs.” - Acton

“The folly of crowds. History bears this out in many ways, but the life of Jesus highlights this truth in the most vivid way. The heart of man is indeed fickle, in one moment able to recognize a true authority but in another moment being led by whatever feeds their bellies the most.” - Ref21

“we also need to remember that every headline is a sales pitch, crafted to grab our attention, accrue clicks, and make money. Media companies profit from our addiction to doomscrolling. They’re motivated to keep us doing it—drawing us constantly from one horrific headline to the next.” - TGC

The Spiritual Problem at the Heart of Christian Vaccine Refusal

John MacArthur is probably as close to a spokesperson for conservative evangelicals with a fundamentalist bent than anyone else, with the possible exception of Franklin Graham. Yet he is also noted for his controversial statements, some of which have created quite a stir and also get many of us to think rather than assume.

“In a statement Saturday, RZIM CEO and Zacharias’ daughter, Sarah Davis, provided what she described as the first of periodic updates highlighting the ‘steps we are taking as we seek to walk a path of repentance, restitution, learning, and serving.’” - C. Post

“Last June, 60% in a USA TODAY/Ipsos Poll described Floyd’s death as murder; that percentage has now dropped by double digits to 36%.” - USA Today

“Overall, our team has learned that, while there are still multiple hurdles to digital church participation, those who do engage prayerfully in this worship context report meaningful shared experiences and encounters with God.” - Barna Research

“Young people today (I include myself in this group) aren’t looking for something new. They aren’t looking for something relevant. We’re looking for something true. Something ancient.” - C. Leaders

“Masterpiece Cakeshop owner Jack Phillips went one-for-two in court on Thursday. A Colorado court dismissed one claim brought by a transgender customer who sued Phillips after he declined to design a cake that celebrated the customer’s gender identity. But the court also refused to dismiss another of the customer’s claims.” - WORLD