“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
Conversation with Tim Keller on his new book – Hope in Times of Fear: The Resurrection and the Meaning of Easter
“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
Four pictures of the church you won't find in the Bible
“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
Biblical Problems with Identifying Tall el-Hammam as Sodom
“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
Scholar argues 'fake' Shapira Bible manuscript is actually oldest-known copy
“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
Get Ready for the Great Reset (Part 5)
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.
Video interview: John Piper on his 751-page magnum opus Providence
“Crossway and Desiring God are generously making the entire book available for free as a PDF.” - Andy Naselli
6 Ways to Equip Your Church to “Do Good” on Social Media
“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
Beth Moore leaves SBC, ends publishing deal with LifeWay
“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
91% of churchgoers plan to return to in-person worship services after the pandemic
“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
Why It’s Great to Be a Faceless, Nameless Pastor
“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
Exile in the ‘Seven Mountains’: beyond a politics of domination
“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
White evangelicals are the least likely faith group in US to get COVID vaccine: Pew
“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
New Documentary on R.C. Sproul: Discovering the Holiness of God
“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
‘Education Reimagined’: West Virginia’s quest for school choice
“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
Satisfying the Multitude
“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
The Dangers of Doomscrolling
“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
Do you agree with John MacArthur, ‘I wouldn’t fight for religious freedom because I won’t fight for idolatry.’
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.
RZIM plans to change name, remove Ravi Zacharias' content from website
“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
Poll: “Americans' trust in the Black Lives Matter movement has fallen and their faith in local law enforcement has risen”
“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
Is Openness to Prayer a Door to Digital Church Engagement?
“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
Do We Really Need to Keep Singing Hymns?
“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
Another day in court for Jack Phillips
“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
Tuesdays in Galilee: Faithful Life in the Old Covenant
I love the Book of Hebrews. It has the deepest Christology in the New Testament and in all of scripture. It also makes us think very deeply about the similarities and differences for the faithful believing life between the Old Covenant and the New. This very issue has come up repeatedly over the past few weeks within my own congregation, as we’ve worked our way through the heart of the “Jesus is the different, better High Priest” section which begins at Hebrews 7. Because the benefits Jesus brings to the faithful covenant member are so much better, people naturally want to know what was so different about one’s relationship with the Lord before Jesus came.
The Wasting of the Evangelical Mind
“The peculiarities of how American Christianity took shape help explain believers’ vulnerability to conspiratorial thinking and misinformation.” - New Yorker
John MacArthur: ‘I wouldn’t fight for religious freedom because I won’t fight for idolatry’
“MacArthur urged evangelicals to stop forming alliances with non-Christian groups to promote religious freedom because they don’t need it.” - C.Post
Why It Feels So Disappointing to Sing to the Lord a Remote Song
“I sometimes enjoy the conveniences of our new Sunday morning routine, but there are pangs of sadness every week when my daughter hears music, turns to the screen, and almost immediately loses interest. I recall how engaged she was in the sounds, sights, and vibrations of congregational worship during the ‘before times.’” - C.Today
Churches Must Show Truth and Love, as 1 in 6 Young Adults Identify as LGBTQ
“15.9% of Gen Z identifies as LGBTQ— significantly higher than millennials (9.1%), Generation X (3.8%), baby boomers (2.0%), and traditionalists (1.3%).” - LifeWay
Dr. Larry Crabb, Christian Counselor, Spiritual Adviser and Author, Has Passed Away
“Crabb served as the spiritual director of the American Association of Christian Counselors and was the author of more than 25 books, including When God’s Ways Make No Sense, Inside Out, and Understanding People: Why We Long for Relationship.” - C. Leaders