“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the decision aims to destroy Hamas’ governmental and military capabilities and to secure the release of hostages.” - CPost
Israel sends troops into Gaza, begins next phase of war against Hamas: ‘It will be long and difficult’
Church in the Digital Age
By Brian Richard
For pastors, the last decade has presented a perfect storm of cultural upheaval, societal trends, and accelerated change. Pastors constantly face difficult and pressing questions about how to “do church” in the twenty-first century. Since the internet has fundamentally changed almost every aspect of our lives, many ask, “Why shouldn’t the church change too?”
Confusion continues on what ‘Christian Nationalism’ is
“In a recent article published by the Washington Institute, professor and lawyer Eric Treene offered a robust alternative way of understanding Christian Nationalism and its significance within American culture.” - Breakpoint
Catholic, Not Roman: Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses of Love for the Church
“Luther’s theses exhibited zeal, even serious consternation, but behind his bold discontent was a deeper motive—love. Love for God and love for his church.” - TGC
Russell Moore: Why I’m a ‘Bible Thumping Fundamentalist’
“This context is one of the few in which I would use the word fundamentalist for myself. …someone who believes in the ‘fundamentals’ of the faith—the historicity of the biblical accounts, the Virgin Birth, the substitutionary atonement, the bodily resurrection, a visible and physical Second Coming” - CToday
SBC faces controversy over legal filing in Louisville abuse lawsuit
“An amicus brief filed with the Kentucky Supreme Court caused a swarm of controversy within the Southern Baptist Convention when it was reported Wednesday” - BPNews
Related…
On the Last Day of October
I love this time of year!
The weather can vary widely where I live in south central Wisconsin. It could resemble anything from August to January. More often than not, however, late October offers fascinating reminders of the beauty of God’s creation. The sun glazes the fields as it rises at dawn, and then again as it sets just before dusk, delivering stunningly opulent rays of color. What a wonderful time to go for a walk! Deer and all manner of wildlife dance over a year’s worth of crops ready for the harvest—the signs, sights, sounds and smells of which are all around us.
How to Mourn Over Your Sins
“Spiritual mourning is laden with blessing, and we are to go after it and get as much of it in our lives as we possibly can. The more you know of this mourning, the more joy you will experience in your life.” - Colin Smith
SBC president seeks committee recommendations from rank and file Southern Baptists
“Southern Baptists wanting to provide input on who should be nominated for the four committees filled by the SBC president have an avenue by which to do so.” - BPNews
Is God in Control of Everything?
“God’s sovereignty and the wicked acts of men coordinate most shockingly in the death of Jesus. God used ‘the hands of lawless men’ to execute His ‘definite plan’ to offer His precious Son as payment for our sins (Acts 2:23; 4:28).” - Ligonier
Baptist Mike Johnson elected speaker of the House after 3 weeks of infighting
“Johnson, a conservative Baptist who has served in Congress since 2017, vowed to ‘ensure the House delivers results and inspires change for the American people’ and to ‘restore trust in this body.’” - CPost
Related…
American Dads Are More Involved Than Ever—Especially College-Educated or Married Dads
“College-educated fathers with children under age 18 at home now spend an average of 10 hours, 12 minutes a week on child care, up by more than 2 hours a week since 2003.” - IFS
On Fellowship, Part 1: It’s Who We Are
As this year began I started a series on spiritual growth, which I called “On Building Spiritual Muscle.” The series focused on the key spiritual exercises that the Bible prescribes for spiritual health, exercises that Christians have generally called “the means of grace”: Scripture, prayer, and fellowship. The next series, “On Devotions,” focused on the first two of those means of grace, and particularly on our private practice of them.
Now I’d like to spend a few posts talking about the third means of grace, fellowship. The first series included a single post on it, but there’s a lot more to say about it, and I’d like to suggest a few things that might help us all pursue fellowship purposefully and effectively.
Does “All” Always Mean “Every Single One” in the Bible? (Romans 11:26)
“I carefully began looking up every appearance of ‘all’ in Romans. Guess what? ‘All’ (unsurprisingly) often refers to every single one in Paul’s letter to the Romans, but sometimes it doesn’t.” - Kenneth Berding
Book Review – The Soul of Civility: Timeless Principles to Heal Society and Ourselves by Alexandra Hudson
The book “offers hope in our contentious times, a better way to confront differences. Now it’s up to us to take the advice seriously.” - Acton
America’s Confusing Relationship with Children
“We believe that marriage and family “will just happen when it’s time.” But these things rarely do just happen in our culture, which is why so many find themselves like the woman in the viral video, wishing things had gone differently” - Breakpoint
A Look at ‘The New Dictionary of the New Testament Use of the Old Testament’
“This 964-page (and 900,000-word) book has been in the works for six years” - Andy Naselli
It’s Not Magic: Understanding the Power & Pattern of Prayer
“Prayer is not a spiritual power, but a means of communicating and conversing with an All-Powerful Person.” - Layton Talbert
What Does It Mean to “Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem”?
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.” What exactly does that mean?
The phrase is found in Psalm 122:6. King David wrote Psalm 122 for the Israelites to sing as they went up to Jerusalem for their holy days. The word “Jerusalem” means “habitation of peace.” Peace and the City of Peace is the theme of this psalm.
All the tribes of Israel came “unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the LORD.” They came to Jerusalem to visit “the house of the LORD,” to be instructed in the Word of the LORD, and to praise the LORD.
Gallup: Almost a Quarter of the World Feels Lonely
“…which translates into more than a billion people — feel very or fairly lonely, according to a recent Meta-Gallup survey of more than 140 countries.” - Gallup
American Evangelicals Divide over Ukraine
“Western media try to judge and assess the religious situation in Ukraine from the normalities under your peaceful skies where …but living in the country during the war gives you [a] different reality.” - CToday
Top Logical Fallacies in This Age of Outrage
“Willful gullibility neglects our God-given responsibility to acquire the skills necessary to evaluate truth claims. This doesn’t mean we must be experts in every subject, but it does mean we practice strategic hesitation…” - TGC
From John Calvin: Six Reasons for Prayer
“Thirdly, that we be prepared to receive his benefits with true gratitude of heart and thanksgiving, benefits that our prayer reminds us come from his hand” - DBTS Blog
SBC Executive Committee presidential search team enters interview phase
“search team chairman Neal Hughes said the team had been ‘blessed’ with a ‘harvest of resumes.’” - BPNews
Ryan Burge Study: Most Pro-lifers Are Not Economic Conservatives
“Among the people who wanted a total ban on abortion… 67% favor debt free college. 77% favor paid maternity leave. 67% favor raising the minimum wage to $15/hour.” - Ryan Burge
What a Discouraged Pastor Should Do (Part 4)
Read the series.
Here’s a final look at some of Paul’s exhortations to Timothy when he faced discouragement. You can read Parts 1, 2, and 3 if you haven’t already. These are all taken from 2 Timothy.
14. Continue in what you have learned. (3:10-17)
The basics don’t change just because ministry is hard. Keep going back to the Word for your own personal encouragement. It is able to give you assurance and equip you to do the work of ministry.
A Path to First Amendment Pluralism
“neutrality between sects is meant to allow all to flourish. This is the important distinction between separationism—which has mistakenly been touted as the best way to advance pluralism—and pluralism itself.” - Law & Liberty
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary marks 30th anniversary of Al Mohler’s presidency
“Throughout the celebratory events of the week, former students, trustees, and faculty members described the task Mohler faced when he became president and set about returning the institution to biblical fidelity and its confessional heritage.” - BPNews
Iowa Caucuses 2024: The influence of Iowa's evangelicals
“…a crucial segment of the Iowa Republican electorate: evangelicals, who comprise more than a third — 37 percent — of Iowa Republicans, according to Pew Research Center data.” - The Gazette