Mark Ward addresses the argument that KJV is better because its English difficulty level matches the difficulty level of the underlying Greek and Hebrew. (Transcript link above the comments section) - Mark Ward

“I read of a letter that a husband reportedly wrote to his wife. She had left him and their son after a fight, and two days later he wrote her this letter” - James Emery White

“All three of these are true. Behind the death on the cross is the Father, the Son, and you and me. We should be careful, however, in how we talk about these realities.” - Kevin DeYoung

“David writes, ‘As a society, we have failed to teach the skills and cultivate the inclination to treat each other with kindness, generosity, and respect.’” - TGC

“Warner, who distinguishes between his support of people’s civil rights and his theological convictions, said he had no qualms with the school’s faith standards or lifestyle commitments.” - RNS

Related: What is going on at Grace College? - Current

Problems in our behavior can be both mental health problems and “sin problems.” Part of the confusion on the topic of mental health among conservative evangelicals and fundamentalists is the assumption that a life problem has to be one or the other.

Consider a physical health analogy: Suppose I lose a leg in an accident. Because it’s a lot harder to walk now, I lay on the couch excessively, experience a lot of unhealthy weight gain, and neglect important duties.

I started with a health problem and developed a sin problem. The two are interconnected yet have distinct features.

“Roger A. Krone, president and chief executive officer of the BSA, was quoted in the announcement as saying that the change ‘will be a simple but very important evolution as we seek to ensure that everyone feels welcome in scouting.’” - Christian Post

“Noncommercial religious broadcasters are now paying rates at a commercial level…They just want to pay a fair rate, the same rate that the secular NPR stations are paying.” - Christianity Today

“I’m not suggesting that Chrysostom was always correct or that his advice should necessarily be followed… I simply think it is helpful for present-day believers to hear and consider the ideas of a faithful pastor who loved Christ while living in a very different time and place.” - DBTS Blog

“During a lively discussion with evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins on Saturday, Ali elaborated on her transformation, revealing that her past belief — that religions were uniformly destructive — was misguided.” - Christian Post

“On May 7, 2024, Bob Jones University’s Board of Trustees announced the election of Joshua Crockett—a man who has faithfully served the Lord for nearly 20 years in ministry—as BJU’s sixth president.” - BJU

From Bob Jones University press release:

“Membership declined for the 17th straight year… the less than 2 percent decline was the smallest in recent years. Additionally, Southern Baptist-affiliated congregations experienced increases in baptisms, average weekly worship attendance and average small group attendance.” - Baptist Press

“Questions like, ‘What is the truth?’ and ‘Who is actually telling it?’ will become more important than ever as AI technology takes off and is used by unscrupulous people to flood the internet, newsfeeds, and airwaves with misinformation.” - Breakpoint

“Vermeulen and Van Den Akker described metamodernism as a realization that history isn’t over yet. If that’s true, then there’s still hope for change—which is why the next generation has a zeal for solutions to seemingly unsolvable problems.” - Christianity Today

“Meyer firmly rejects the idea that a scientific worldview leads to atheism, arguing instead that ‘the universe requires a creator or cause’….Morgan and Meyer agree that the question of God’s existence is tied to more than just cold hard facts, but also human nature itself.” - Discovery Institute

“The USCIRF’s 2024 annual report highlights a series of laws — such as the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, and the Citizenship Amendment Act — and governmental actions that have systematically targeted religious minorities, including Christians” - CPost

In a previous post I meditated a bit on the prophets’ repeated description of God as “one who relents concerning calamity” (Jonah 4.2). And as I noted at the time, that assertion introduces what appears to be a significant theological problem.

The Scripture says repeatedly that God does not repent:

“…they are Christians, they love their nation, and what is wrong with that? Well, our guest today helps us understand what [Christian Nationalism] is all about. He also helps us put the ideas into a theological framework from a Baptist and Dispensationalist point of view.” - P&D

“According to the General Social Survey, religiously unaffiliated people …is around 30% today…. only about 4% of U.S. adults identify as an atheist.” - RNS

“In this time when Baptists in our tradition are thinking more about who is and is not in friendly cooperation, Baptist associations must have a proactive, positive response.” - The Baptist Paper

“Houses of worship will need to apply by May 21 to tap into the first round of funds.” - ABC

“They are united only in wanting to tear down. In short, these protests are a manifestation of the Mephistophelean spirit of negation or, in religious terms, the spirit of desecration.” - Carl Trueman

The use of the term passion has seen a huge uptick in conservative evangelical life in the past 25 years or so, roughly paralleling the sharp rise in influence of Reformed Charismatism in conservative evangelical theology and hymnody. The term passion is used in an overwhelmingly positive sense as the antidote to lethargy and ambivalence toward God and spiritual things—a problem that young, restless Christians seem perpetually to discover in previous generations.

Reposted, with permission, from Detroit Baptist Seminary blog.

“Jesus knew that money was the rich young man’s god. If Christ is not Lord over our money and possessions, then He is not our Lord.” - Randy Alcorn

“Overall, 31% of U.S. adults say they would feel extremely or very comfortable talking about this with a spiritual or religious leader…. much higher among adults who report attending religious services at least once a week: 58% of regular attenders would be comfortable…” - Pew

“I’m glad so many people are rediscovering the benefits of having a transcendent anchor as individuals and a society…. But it matters deeply which faith we’re talking about, not only because happiness without truth is meaningless, but because this life isn’t all that matters.” - Breakpoint

“In theology, such an activity as this—a bush with fire burning within it, but not being consumed—is said to be contra naturam, meaning ‘against nature.’… What Moses saw in this fire was a supernatural, visible manifestation of the glory of God.” - R.C. Sproul

“Citing numerous studies and analyses, VanderWeele argues that the evidence suggests weekly religious service attendance is associated with ‘lower mortality risk, lower depression, less suicide, better cardiovascular disease survival, better health behaviors, and greater marital stability, happiness, and purpose in life.’” - Lifeway