“Why all this focus on elders and their character? Because in the church, God’s glory is displayed and God’s people are edified through qualified elders. For that to happen, godly character is essential. Pastors aren’t perfect men, but they should be holy men (James 3:2).” - 9 Marks

“Here are six telltale signs that you may be on the receiving end of emotional manipulation” - C.Leaders

“First, the healthcare system is overwhelmed. There is no capacity for heroics, extra measures or patience. It was, in the moment, remarkable that I was alive, let alone conscious. No doubt, there was no reason to believe that investing time, energy and resources in me was worth it.” - BPNews

“[T]oday a belief even in the possibility that there are things we can identify as good falls prey to cynicism. Culture reflects this. Across the dizzying variety of digital entertainment media, one constant holds: we live in the era of the ‘complex’ protagonist, characters whose stories lean toward a kind of benevolent moral ambiguity at best. At worst, they advance the notion that only evil is interesting, while the good is either dull and boring or, worse, a mask for imposing our will on others.” - Public Discourse

“MacArthur may be America’s anti-prosperity gospel preacher, but his life, and the life of his family members, appears to be quite prosperous—and he seemingly has his ministries to thank.”

Brian Houston: ““We are particularly grieved that, in many cases, inaccurate accounts in these stories have been reported as if they are true. Hillsong Church strongly refutes that our culture casually allows for such gross misuse of church funds.” - CPost

“Because both sides have noble intentions, the merits of the debate on minimum-wage laws and minimum-wage increases should be judged by Christians on empirical evidence that it will help, rather than harm, the poor.” - TGC

“ ‘You’re about to meet one of the greatest minds of the past half-century,’ says Jason Riley as he introduces his new documentary about economist Thomas Sowell. For once, a host’s description of his subject does not disappoint.” - Acton

“I’ve been asked this question more times and by more people than I can count over the past several weeks. …First of all, realize that the wisdom is true that one cannot reason someone out of something one was never reasoned into in the first place. …There is no easy step-by-step argument to pull someone out of a Facebook echo chamber. Even so, here are some suggestions.” - Russel Moore

“Archaeology reminds us of the ‘earthiness’ of the biblical accounts. As a field archaeologist at the site of Bethsaida, next to the Sea of Galilee, I oversaw the excavation area of the New Testament/Roman domestic quarter. Not only did we uncover some of the houses from that time, but we found lots of fishing gear, such as hooks and weights, inside the houses.” - TGC

“From one of our live events, Derek Thomas corrects this common misunderstanding about the radical corruption of man.” - Ligonier

“A task force studying the effectiveness of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission issued its report today (Feb. 1), acknowledging both support within the Southern Baptist Convention for the entity and that some see it as ‘a source of significant distraction from the Great Commission work of Southern Baptists.’” - BPNews

“One of the ugliest sights in the world is that of a child who rules over his parents. But ahead of even that is the sight of human beings who believe they have the right to rule over their God—who erupt in anger, who are insistent, who demand that God do things their way.” - Challies

A Review of 40 Questions about Biblical Theology* by Jason S. DeRouchie, Oren R. Martin, and Andrew David Naselli, Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2020, 400 pages, paperback.

“I love this country, but I love it with eyes wide open. The aspirations of our founding have long been tempered by the brutal realities of our fallen nature. The same nation that stormed Normandy’s beaches to destroy a fascist empire simultaneously sustained a segregationist regime within its own borders. Our virtues do not negate our vices, and our vices do not negate our virtues. America isn’t 1619 or 1776. It’s 1619 and 1776.” - David French

“Amid debates on race within the Southern Baptist Convention, some black pastors wonder if it’s the right denomination for their churches” - WORLD

“The handover of the artifacts, which included manuscript fragments, funeral masks, parts of coffins, and the heads of statues, was preceded by extensive discussions with Egyptian officials that started in late 2017, MOTB Chairman of the Board Steve Green said in a statement last week.” - C.Post

The Christian is a joyful being! He’s one who has come to know God and hopes to know him more fully, indeed, to know him face to face in glory where there will be an eternal enjoyment of who He is and who we are in Him. In this world, this kind his joy is contagious.” - Ref21

“How can God be truly virtuous, truly good in a meaningful way, and foreordain the fall of humanity into sin and certain individuals to eternal torment in hell? It is impossible to reconcile Edwards’s account of God and virtue and ‘goodness’ with what he believed as a Calvinist about God’s sovereignty with regard to reprobation.” - Roger Olson

“The power of human greatness (and, by extension, reading about it) comes from the fruitfulness of the imago Dei, and Christian understandings of biography repeat the theme of the imago Dei shining forth the abundant goodness of its Maker.” - Davenant Institute

The Church in America has had some interesting ideas about what roles within the marriage ought to look like. Some good. Some bad. Some … are just weird. We looked at the wife’s responsibilities in the last article. Now, we turn to the husbands.

What the Apostle Paul actually says about this topic is not nearly as complicated as we’ve made it. Like so many things in the eternal struggle between Christianity, culture and tradition, Paul’s remarks here aren’t complicated at all – but they’ve become complicated by the baggage we each bring to the table.

“In troubled times, ‘looking out for Number One’ is absolutely the wrong thing to do. Just as a threefold cord is not easily broken, so we as believers benefit by facing the certain troubles as a unified body, looking out for and supporting one another. Troubled times are the worst times to be fragmented or to go it alone.” - Olinger

“A funeral sermon should not exceed 20 minutes and should highlight these three categories, preferably expounded from a text(s) of Scripture” - C.Leaders

“Many people today understand science to be the only way to achieve objective knowledge. When we reject the notion that truth is available through Scripture or anything else, we are left only with the narrative of science, which assumes that the present is superior to the past and the future will be superior to the present.” - Challies

Jeremiah Johnson, after publicly admitting January 7 that he had wrongly prophesied that Trump would win the election: “Over the last 72 hours, I have received multiple death threats and thousands upon thousands of emails from Christians saying the nastiest and most vulgar things I have ever heard toward my family and ministry. … I truthfully never realized how absolutely triggered and ballistic thousands and thousands of saints get about Donald Trump. It’s terrifying. It’s full of idolatry.” - WORLD

“We learn about Elijah’s prayer in two places in the Bible: 1 Kings 18 and James 5:17-18, where God gives us further light on the story. Putting these two scriptures together, I have made seven observations.” - Collin Smith

Sermon No. 2688, intended for reading on Lord’s-Day, August 19, 1900. Delivered by C. H. Spurgeon, at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington, on Thursday evening, July 21, 1881

“You have dealt well with Your servant, O LORD, according unto Your Word. Teach me good judgment and knowledge: for I have believed Your Commandments.” – Psalm 119:65, 66.

“If you have had a stable and steady job for 5, 10, or 20 years, it’s easy to get the idea that the job that is what provides for you. No, God provides for you. …You may say—God has provided a small group for me, a dear friend for me, a healthy church for me, a wonderful ministry for me. These are the means of God’s supply. The way God supplies will change.” - Colin Smith

“Nearly three-in-ten U.S. adults say the outbreak has boosted their faith; about four-in-ten say it has tightened family bonds” - Pew Research

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones: “Nowhere in this chapter is there an exhortation or an appeal to produce a unity. Our Lord is saying that the unity is already there, already in existence.” - Ref21