“Reading lyrics on a page helps us grasp what kind of song we’re singing and enables us to meditate on lyrics after the slides move on. We can also look back at lyrics we sang previously to see connections the writer is making.” - 9 Marks

Daniel 7 has the same message as Daniel 2 (see the article here). But, whereas Daniel 2 quickly sketches God’s victory over Babylon, Daniel 7 expands the message by way of more fantastic visions. It’s like how Genesis 2 expands on Genesis 1.

“On the podcast, Pastor Perry discusses his ‘seasonal’ approach to living on mission, detailing what it looks like to ‘Put your Yes on the table for the Lord’ and keep it there.” - MBU

“First, Christian parents should play and learn to appreciate ‘classical music’ in their homes on a regular basis…. Second, Christian parents should seek to provide classical musical training to their children in the form of music lessons if possible.” - P&D

“1. Give your pastor and his family a weekend getaway…. 3. Catalog his books…. 7. Make a personal commitment to speak well of him—and choose not to listen to those who speak otherwise.” - The Baptist Paper

“Our modern Promethean aspirations are not merely marked by Frankenstein’s desire to play God in the creation of life. We have taken on the role of God in the bringing of death as well.” - Carl Trueman

“He admitted that he knew ‘by most painful experience what deep depression of spirit means,’ but he wanted his students and others to think it not strange when they were ‘for a season possessed by melancholy.’” - Chuck Lawless

If you had asked me, as a young boy, what holiday we celebrate on October 31, I likely would have responded, “Reformation Day.”

Sure, I was intrigued by ghosts, ghouls and goblins as much as the next kid—but not for their own sake. I, instead, preferred to think of them as the backdrop, set in place by hundreds of years of darkness, against which the light of Reformation shone crystal clear from the Castle Church door in Wittenberg, Germany.

“Splits will occur because of core beliefs on both sides. Progressives truly believe doctrines must evolve to avoid causing pain to modern believers. Orthodox thinkers in various traditions truly believe they cannot edit what the New Testament describes as the ‘faith which was once delivered.’” - Terry Mattingly

“Investigating the traditional ‘deaths of despair,’ Ruhm finds that a one standard deviation increase in poor mental health increases drug deaths by about 2.5% and alcohol deaths by 3.4%; suicide deaths, surprisingly, increase by only about 0.6%. …large predicted increases in other causes: heart disease, lower respiratory disease, and homicides.” - IFS

“As a teacher, Peter was passionate about the subject he taught, was well-liked by his students, and did his best to accommodate their needs and requests. But he couldn’t in good conscience speak messages that he knew were untrue.” - CPost

“In addition to their sending church and CBM, the Robbinses formed a church planting team that includes 24 churches and 30 individuals to make their vision a reality.” - GARBC

“Ethics & Religious Liberty President Brent Leatherwood and Southern Baptist Convention President Clint Pressley submitted a joint letter… to both President Joe Biden and U.S. congressional leaders expressing Southern Baptists’ continued support for Israel.” - Baptist Press

Read the series.

“Evangelical worship services often feel kind of shallow. A lot of times it’ll feel like a concert and a TED Talk about Jesus.” - Gavin Ortlund

“In retirement, consumption is highlighted and justified. We’re told that our consumption gives people work, and therefore is healthy for the economy, for workers, and for us. This makes sense.” - IFWE

“The vast majority believe the Bible speaks to modern issues. Just 13% say the Bible is silent on most of the big questions our society is facing. More than 4 in 5 (83%) disagree.” - Lifeway

Although the Supreme Court ruling turned the issue of abortion back to the states, the pushback has been great. As a matter of fact, popular opinion is now in favor of allowing abortion, and there is a movement to make it a guaranteed right. But even without new laws, the abortion pill is available for women even in states where abortion is illegal.

One wonders if we are seeing an unintended effect. With Prohibition, drinking alcohol became more popular than ever, and, when it was over, Americans consumed more alcohol than ever. This law of the unintended effect makes the original problem worse.

“4. The past decades taught us that evangelicals too easily bought into the idea that political leaders can “save” us…. 5. The past decades revealed that evangelicals too often wanted power and prestige more than faithfulness, godliness, and unreserved commitment to the truth of God’s Word lived out in all of life.” - Christ Over All

“delegates at the GMC General Conference across six days seemed to feel joyful and hopeful. First, they seemed to feel liberated.” - The Dispatch

“Even those who reject the claims of the Christian worldview… should ask themselves whether, without realizing it, they sometimes borrow from the Christian worldview because their own worldview cannot provide a foundation on which to judge good and evil.” - Randy Alcorn

From Voice, Jan/Feb 2015. Adapted from Stephen Davey’s book In Pursuit of Prodigals. Kress Biblical Resources (The Woodlands, TX, 2010). Used by permission.

Paul instructed Timothy to “fight the good fight of the faith” (1 Timothy 6:12) which means we must engage in an active defense of the faith. That battle for truth begins in the local church where truth and holiness must be defended. And of necessity that involves church discipline. But what exactly is church discipline?

Church discipline can be broadly defined as the “confrontive” and corrective measures taken by an individual, church leaders, or the congregation regarding a matter of sin in the life of a believer (Fritz Rienecker and Cleon Rogers, Linguistic Key to the Greek Testament. Regency, 1976, p. 237).

Discipline and discipling are actually interconnected actions with similar goals in mind.

“Christian music is having a moment. In the first half of 2024, it was the fourth fastest-growing music genre, fueled by surprisingly large gains among younger listeners.” - TGC

“No law denies care to women, so why the deception post-Roe?” - Breakpoint

Related: Do Pro-Life Laws Kill Women? - AiG

“There are many paths I could take to attempt to answer that question. For now, one of my research-based answers is that many church members are confused about the meaning of church-based evangelism.” - Church Answers

“More than 200 evangelical Christian leaders, moderates as well as influential conservatives, have signed an open letter urging the presidential candidates of both parties to reflect ‘biblical principles on immigration.’” - RNS

“C.H. Spurgeon introduced the first volume of the New Park Street Pulpit, an annual volume of his weekly sermons that would be published beginning in January 1855. Over the years, Spurgeon’s weekly sermon became a staple in evangelicalism.” - 9 Marks

“John declares, ‘It is the last hour’ (1 John 2:18). So the last hour has been ticking over for two millennia…. Can we say we’re in the last days of the last days, or the final minutes of the last hour?” - TGC

“That is the argument I make in the new edition of my book (October 1) The Collapse of Parenting: namely, that the problems American kids are experiencing are not solely due to smartphones per se, but to an increasingly toxic American youth culture.” - IFS

“…all these examples showcase people who directly observed astounding miracles and were unfazed by them. How could that happen?” - Robin Schumacher