Read the series.

What are some specific things that we can do to stand with—that is, bless (Gen. 12:3)—the people, nation and land of Israel?

As we documented in the previous installment, we certainly have good reason to desire to do so. As Jesus told the Canaanite woman, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt. 15:24). And as He reminded the Samaritan woman, “Salvation is of the Jews” (John 4:22).

“…the one argument that most surprised and delighted me. It takes real knowledge of biblical studies to come up with an argument like the one you’re about to hear. … a concept that he uses, ‘hapax legomena.’” - Mark Ward

“Corrie Ten Boom wrote, ‘When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don’t throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer.’” - Randy Alcorn

“According to Lifeway Research analysis of the Annual Church Profile (ACP) data collected by Southern Baptist state conventions, a decline in reporting among churches is likely leading to an undercounting of attendance numbers.” - Baptist Press

“This applies to much of China’s biggest religion, Buddhism, and its only indigenous religion, Taoism. The government has also endorsed folk religious practices that it once deemed superstitious, subsidizing pilgrimages and temples.” - CFR

“The threat to religious liberty remains and has indeed expanded, but a new one has also emerged: the temptation to combat this by fusing Christianity with worldly forms of power and worldly ways of achieving the same.” - Carl Trueman

“the landscape has shifted. We now find ourselves in a culture where the active rejection of Jesus is no longer necessary, as it’s already the prevailing assumption…..if they don’t care, we need to stop defending the faith and give them a reason to care.” - Phil Cooke

“In whatever role they are carrying out, the point in Matthew 18:10 is that God cares deeply about what is happening to his children, so we should as well.” - DBTS Blog

“As I reflect on that legacy, two themes arise: the spiritual integrity of Francis’s faith and the distinct shape of what God led him and Edith to do through L’Abri.” - TGC

“The states oppose EEOC guidance requiring employers to call transgendered employees by their preferred pronouns and to allow them to use facilities such as bathrooms, locker rooms and showers that align with their chosen gender.” - Baptist Press

The Rev. John Gillibrand, vicar of St. David’s Church in Swansea, will conduct 15-minute services on Monday evenings. - Religion Unplugged

By Bob Courtney. Read Part 1.

“I had gone to seminary to prepare for ministry, and I was not prepared for ministry. I was prepared academically to begin a life of teaching, which is, of course, invaluable. But in terms of the vocation of ministry beyond teaching?” - James Emery White

“Why does art (real, beautiful art, not just self-expression) matter to the renewal of our culture? Why do most people who visit Princeton University’s campus think that the Gothic chapel is objectively more beautiful than the new art museum, which reminds some viewers of a portable air conditioner hanging out of a window?” - Public Discourse

Among white mainline protestants, only 31% say so; among white evangelical protestants, 76%, among those who attend church weekly, 91%. - PRRI

“This ‘ceremony of gratitude’ as it was put forth by the David Lynch Foundation, the organization behind the $3 million Quiet Time program…. was ‘deceptively marketed to public schools as non-religious,’ according to Hudgins’ attorney” - RNS

Read the first article in this series.

What does “justification” mean?

Dunn explains that “justification by faith” means trusting in Jesus alone for salvation, and not relying on obsolete Jewish boundary markers as covenant preconditions for God’s acceptance (i.e., “works of the law”). Jesus is enough. According to Dunn, Paul’s target is not grace v. legalism, but grace v. outmoded nationalism.

“Come and See has dubbed or subtitled The Chosen into 50 languages so far [breaking Baywatch’s record 34]. The group has plans to do the same for 550 more languages.” - Christianity Today

“Many other Roman-era techniques would have separated Roman wine in the time of Jesus from what we drink today, including natural fermentation. Additionally, while Roman wine could come in a wide range of colors, the Roman world lacked the modern distinction between red and white wines” - Biblical Archaeology

“Consider 12 ways to improve your listening and make others feel heard. (My advice: Pick one or two to apply in your next interaction. Once you’ve done that, return to this article and pick another one or two to add.)” - TGC

“Am I … determined to please Him in everything I do, or am I about my own profit, seeking to game the system to my best ability so that I can get what I want within the rules?” - Kevin Schaal

House Bill 2634 declares it “unlawful for any public funds to be expended to any abortion facility, or to any affiliate of such abortion facility.” - Christian Post

The “New Perspective on Paul” (NPP) is a re-calibration of the traditional Protestant understanding of “justification.” NPP has now been a force in New Testament and Pauline scholarship for about three generations. This article aims to present a positive statement of NPP. It is a summary, not a critique—so there will be no critical interaction.

First, we briefly sum up the traditional Protestant understanding of “justification.” Next, we survey five aspects of the NPP that differ from the traditional framework.

“As a mother myself, my appreciation for what the lifetime job of being a mother entails is profound. What our mothers do for us starts before we are even fully formed….I find as I get older that I never stop needing my mother.” - IFWE

“Currently, 36% of Democrats say the U.S. is not providing enough aid. In contrast, just 13% of Republicans say the U.S. is not giving enough support to Ukraine, while 49% believe it is giving too much.” - Pew Research

“It’s one thing to describe doubting, questioning and, ultimately, shifting faith commitments as ‘deconstruction.’ It’s another to prescribe it as the means of coming to terms with Christianity’s unpopular truth claims or the baggage of a Christian upbringing.” - Breakpoint

Epic is “a 10-episode documentary is now available for free, taking you on location and providing an immersive experience for understanding the history of Christianity.” - Challies

“The authors conclude with a call to action: ‘American Protestantism needs to take a hard look in the mirror and ask itself why it has fallen so far from offering meaningful structures of authority, authentic experiences of holiness, and the kind of cultural leadership and intellectual sophistication that attracts the best and the brightest.’” - London Lyceum

“A Catholic school in North Carolina had the right to fire a gay teacher who announced his marriage on social media a decade ago… reversing a judge’s earlier decision.” - RNS

Read Part 1.

What are we really calling for when we entreat people to stand with the people, nation and land of Israel?

We’ve been pondering that question during this period of unprecedented, frightful and downright dangerous antisemitism—the worst that the world has witnessed since the dreadful days of the Holocaust.

We began last time by considering some of major concepts that I am not intending to convey when I talk about standing with Israel. Now we turn our attention to how we should positively approach this objective.