“Almost half (45%) of U.S. Protestant churchgoers say to receive material blessings from God they have to do something for God. The percentage that agrees has almost doubled from the 26% who agreed in a 2017 Lifeway Research study.” - Ministrywatch

“Inevitably, the issue of church size enters the discussion. They say things like, “We’d like to do more, but we’re just a small church.” … Sometimes, comments about size serve as a cover for different concerns.” - Lifeway

“…pro-lifers today are awakening to serious worldview challenges that went largely unnoticed when Roe v. Wade was the law of the land. These challenges don’t replace the ones I wrote of during the previous Trump presidency; they represent additional challenges for 2025 and beyond.” - Desiring God

In this series we have learned how it is always dangerous to replace Israel.

Replacing Israel occurs when one interprets the word Israel in the text of Scripture to mean the church or all believers—understanding them to be the new Israel or the spiritual Israel. It is taking the concept of Israel (the people, the nation, or the land) in a non-literal sense.

We are concluding this series with a practical case study, showing how these issues worked out in the life, ministry, and influence of one of the greatest Reformers in the history of the church.

“Here are some basic principles we learned in a study…. What specific action does your church take to move members into ministry?” - Chuck Lawless

“Both Mahmoud v. Taylor and Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton address a fundamental question: Will parents maintain their God-given right and responsibility to protect their children and guide their moral development?” - TGC

“The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee has appointed …. Dalrymple, the former executive director of the Evangelical Council for Abuse Prevention.” - CPost

“The moral argument for God’s existence has become less popular in some circles. Here Gavin Ortlund shares two reasons why Christians should hesitate before abandoning this argument, and three strategies for how to rehabilitate this argument.” - YouTube

Question

How does a biblical worldview ground math? Is math a reflection of the mind of God (which we recognize because His creation is orderly, and to some degree reflects His nature)—similar to laws of logic being a reflection of the perfect mind of God?

“On the eastern slopes of the City of David, just a few hundred yards away from the Temple Mount, archaeologists with the Israel Antiquities Authority claim to have uncovered a second temple.” - Biblical Archaeology Society

“Some pastors bemoan the business-model trends that some missionaries follow in their support raising, while others hurt for the missionaries who are still stuck in a deputation rut that’s been 150-years in the making.” - P&D

“For many of these voters, being on the political right is not about being conservative, at least not socially conservative. The result is significant lack of clarity on the political right about what social conservatives hope to conserve.” - Breakpoint

“In North America, MennoMedia is releasing a new study Bible that features the reflections of 597 Bible study groups from 18 Anabaptist faith groups.” - RNS

“The institutional credibility of the Church and of many leaders has taken such a hit in recent years… and it can leave many Christians feeling dazed and disoriented as to the way forward.” - Baptist Press

Read Part 3.

As I complete this review one of the things that stands out to me is how much the author leans upon Reformed Confessions and writers from the past. While he does interact with Scripture a lot, one notices that men like Irenaeus, Augustine, Calvin, and a host of Puritans are brought in to direct the arguments. This is not to say these great men shouldn’t be referenced; it is the supporting role these authorities are given that is of note. They often do not merely corroborate an assertion; they reinforce and develop it.

“The real challenge is helping the elders change their focus from a board-of-trustees mentality to a shepherding mentality. In this article I will share our journey of making that change” - 9 Marks

“’We must be doing something right to last 200 years.’ Can we say the same thing this year as we celebrate our 250th anniversary of the American Revolution’s start in 1775? … it’s worth thinking about what we have done right, what we’re doing wrong, and whether we can get back on track.” - Marvin Olasky

“At the core of A Personal God and a Good World lies the simple, common-sense fact that our consciousness and our conscience tell us the same, seemingly paradoxical truth about ourselves: ‘human beings are valuable, perhaps infinitely valuable; at the same time, we are not intrinsically good; there is something morally broken about us.’” - Ref21

“He thought he was well-qualified for all of these jobs, but he was interviewed for only two. He was more than a little disappointed with the outcome. It was back to square one.” - IFWE

“I have an exciting new project I want to share with our faithful community of [Cripplegate] readers. Today is the first day of a new Bible Q&A podcast we are launching, called ‘Cage Free Theology.’” - Cripplegate

“Eventually, [Harbor] determined the Christian faith could not provide satisfying answers. And so he left it all behind. Today, though, he is following the Lord. He worships God as a member of a church… writes a newsletter where much of his emphasis is on reconstruction.” - Challies

“If we want to understand President-elect Trump’s relationship to Christian faith, we would do well to attend to the writings of the pastor who Trump has praised on many occasions—for the Christianity Trump praises is not historic orthodoxy, but rather the revisionist egocentric version articulated so clearly in Peale’s book.” - Dispatch Faith

“Our problem, as spokesmen for God in our culture, is when judgment comes and we have been negligent in warning. If we told them so beforehand, saying ‘I told you so’ when trouble comes is unnecessary (and unkind).” - P&D

“Public trust in pastors has dropped to a new low, according to the latest Gallup poll. The survey finds that only 30% of Americans rate clergy as highly honest and ethical, continuing a downward trend.” - CPost

Related post at Lifeway

“Currently, the national debt stands at over $36 trillion, more than $100,000 of debt for every person in the country. That’s on top of the debt personally incurred by 77% of American households, which is on average to the tune of about $65,000.” - Breakpoint

Every Fundamentalist needs to read Chris Anderson’s new book The Scandal of Schism. The book charts the currents that are pulling younger Fundamentalists away from a strict separatist position. We ignore Anderson’s work to our own peril. His words must either be refuted from the Bible or acknowledged to be biblical.

In his characteristically self-assured fashion, Michael Barrett (Anderson’s lifelong mentor and former professor at Bob Jones University) sets the tone for the book in his endorsement,

“How do we square Jesus’s command to ‘love our enemies’ with David saying ‘I hate … my enemies’? Four realities from Psalm 139 help us see that Jesus and David aren’t in conflict” - TGC

“Christians around the world are being attacked and killed, forced to flee and driven underground, the annual report finds.” - RNS

“Hegseth is interesting because he is the first potential cabinet secretary in almost a century to wed unambiguously Protestant Christianity with his understanding of warmaking.” - Providence

“The ERLC will press forward on the issues that matter to Southern Baptists: protecting life, safeguarding religious liberty, bolstering marriage and families, and upholding human dignity.” - Baptist Press