“Is this the way of the future? Should Christians strap their phones to their faces and dive into the metaverse? And what does this imply about those who can’t afford to do so?” - Religion & Liberty

“Churches with budgets under $2 million saw giving go down by 8%, while those with budgets of more than $20 million saw giving go down by 2.5%.” - RNS

It was certainly one of the most momentous days in the history of the Earth.

It began like every day before it had—every day they had known since “the beginning” (Gen. 1:1). It began in holiness—in perfection.

But, soon enough, they faced something they had not encountered before—something for which they did not even have a category. We know it as temptation.

The Apostle Paul tells us that the first man had some insight that his wife did not yet possess. We find in 1 Tim. 2:14 that, “Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.”

“The new policy was initially received with kicking and screaming, but now teachers and students alike report it is working. Not only are students more focused in class, they report using their phones less at home on the weekend.” - Breakpoint

“As the Supreme Court prepares to consider whether a Christian web designer can refuse to make websites for same-sex weddings because of her religious beliefs, …survey shows a jump in the share of U.S. adults who see the Supreme Court as “friendly” toward religion.” - Pew

“ ‘I would permanently “defrock” Johnny Hunt if I had the authority to do so,’ Barber, who leads a church in Farmersville, Texas, said in a statement released Tuesday.” - RNS

Related: SBC head rejects claim ex-president Johnny Hunt has been restored to ministry after abuse allegation - CPost

“Being mocked for believing in miracles is much easier to handle than being hated as a bigot. And it is now obvious the Christian position on the key issues of membership in society today — those of sexual identity, gender, abortion — cannot but implicate one in public debates and will merit the title of bigot.” - Carl Truman

“In this episode of Life and Books and Everything, Kevin reads his article from The Gospel Coalition and pleads with pastors not to cancel Christmas services this year.” - Kevin DeYoung

(The original article)

“Fewer than half the people in England and Wales consider themselves Christian, according to the most recent census — the first time a minority of the population has followed the country’s official religion.” - RNS

More: In England and Wales, Christianity Falls Below Half the Population - CToday

Review of David B. Schreiner & Lee Compson, 1 & 2 Kings: A Commentary for Biblical Preaching and Teaching, Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2022, hdbk, 315 pages.

This commentary on the books of First and Second Kings combines exposition with homiletics. This way of doing things was popular in the 19th century (think Lange or the Pulpit Commentaries). As with many of these commentaries, the homiletic portions are often of little use (ironically, one of the best of the bunch is Bahr’s exposition of 1 & 2 Kings in Lange’s Commentary).

“Religious groups criticized government-mandated public health measures in 54 countries (27% of all analyzed), often stating the rules were a violation of religious freedom.” - Pew

I am among those who always dreaded when Christmas was on Sunday. For one thing, it meant I could not make dinner with my extended family 4 hours away. A lot of folks were out of town or did not not want to give up a happy but leisurely Christmas morning with their kids. At the same time, I could was not comfortable canceling the service.

So what is your church doing?

Poll Results

What is your church doing with Christmas, since it is on Sunday?

“Disgraced former Southern Baptist Convention President Johnny Hunt plans a return to ministry after completing a restoration process overseen by four pastors, according to a video released last week.” - RNS

“Make a habit of asking the kids questions about the text. Call them out as a group. Say something like, ‘Kids, I have a question for you. Can any of you tell me…?’” - 9 Marks

“Traditionally, Christmas is the second highest attendance time of the year for churches behind only Easter.” - Lifeway

“The amended version approved by the Senate says nothing in the bill ‘shall be construed to diminish or abrogate a religious liberty or conscience protection’… also says nonprofit organizations, including churches, will not be required to provide services for a wedding or its celebration.” - C.Index

“Jews are only 2% of the American population, but the FBI has stated they account for more than half of the targeted hate crimes.” - Breakpoint

Reposted from Rooted Thinking.

We need a God-centered, faith-filled expectancy as we pursue Gospel ministry. There are many reasons why we as believers in Jesus Christ should serve Him with a spirit of expectancy that God will work through us in evangelism. We looked at two reasons for such expectancy in a previous article. Now let’s look at three more.

“…these streams don’t represent neo-Calvinism as it originated. In our forthcoming book and our podcast (Grace in Common) we seek to disambiguate and broaden the term by showing its theological roots.” - Cory Brock and N. Gray Sutanto

Sharon James ‘has a longstanding track record of addressing complicated cultural debates in a way that is both biblical and comprehensible to the average Christian.” - CBMW

“Whether staff-heavy or staff-light initially, most churches discover, in time, the need for a healthy blend of both paid and unpaid leaders.” - Desiring God

“I understand and sympathize with the desire for something like Christian Nationalism, but if this book represents the best of that ism, then Christian Nationalism isn’t the answer the church or our nation needs.” - Kevin DeYoung

“Sills, who lost his job after admitting misconduct, claims SBC leaders used him as a scapegoat to bolster their public image.” - RNS

“As with his other New Testament letters, some argue that Paul was preaching against temple prostitution or pederasty in the passage.” - CPost

“The problem with Christian nationalism is that apart from being vague and deeply problematic for the United States’ historic religious liberty practices, it is ultimately superfluous.” - Providence

“2022 saw a 1740% increase in lookups for gaslighting, with high interest throughout the year.” - Merriam-Webster

“our prediction of musical events remains inexorably bound to our musical upbringing. To explore this phenomenon, a group of researchers met with the Sámi people, who inhabit the region stretching between the northernmost reaches of Sweden and the Kola Peninsula in Russia.” - Neroscience News

“As the world (and the church) becomes more single, many ministry leaders and pastors are asking:…’Do we start a ministry that specifically targets singles, or do we intentionally integrate them into the everyday life of the church?’” - Lifeway

The rhythm of my life in recent years is such that I have little time for paper and ink reading but lots of time for listening. In 2018, I read about sixty books that way. Though nearly all of them edified me in one way or another, most would fall into the category of relatively frivolous fiction. My thinking was that listening, especially while driving, exercising, or doing chores, wouldn’t permit enough concentration to do any thoughtful non-fiction reading—so why bother?

I was wrong. Though the good is often the enemy of the best, the reverse is often true: passing up on the merely good in hopes of gaining the best often gains neither.

“The false idea that prosperity brings contentment is nothing new. Paul warned Timothy and the church at Ephesus about false teachers—first-century equivalents to modern prosperity theology proponents” - Randy Alcorn