“A Madison, Wisconsin, police investigation recommended that the Rev. Bob Stine of Midvale Baptist Church be charged with sexual assault. Stine has a September court date but has not yet been charged.” -RNS

“…there are solid, biblical reasons to doubt the existence of extraterrestrial life (spiritual beings excluded), particularly life forms intelligent enough to build vessels for travel to earth.” - CPost

Trump is accused of conspiring against voters, Congress, and the nation by knowingly lying and working to involve others in his efforts to reverse the election outcome. - CPost

Related: Responses to Trump’s third federal indictment - Current

Read the indictment.

“When divorce is difficult or impossible to secure, marriage is thought of as an enduring, tighter community, and small irritants can be forgotten or forgiven. When divorce is easy to secure, partners in a marriage tend to think of themselves as individuals first before marriage partners” - IFS

“Who wants the materials released? That’s a strikingly unique coalition of journalists — some on the left and many on the right…. Who wants the ‘manifesto’ trove kept under wraps? That’s another strikingly unique coalition of LGBTQ+ activists, Democrats and legal officials who appear to be caught in a legal vise” - Get Religion

“ChatGPT metaphorizes and individualizes Scripture without a clear method for when and why, without warrant, and often in direct contradiction to the text itself. Second, the bot’s interpretations are ignorant of the interpretive traditions that produce them.” - CToday

“Philippians 4:13 is not about personal empowerment. It is not a promise that you can become anything you want when you grow up if you want it badly enough. It certainly isn’t assurance that you’ll win an athletic contest or find success in your job.” - Kindle Afresh

“I am secure in Christ. I no longer have to fear death. I can never be condemned. No matter what I do, I cannot end up in hell. I am going to live like the devil and get away with it.” These last words reflect spiritual immaturity at best—lack of true regeneration at worst.

Fearing new believers might consider such a path, some Christians overreact. Some jettison the doctrine of eternal security and teach that a believer can lose their salvation. Others stress works almost to the point of adding conditions to salvation beyond faith alone. Yes, true faith works (James 2:26). But those works are not a condition for salvation but rather a result of it (Ephesians 2:8–10).

“A global median of 23% of adults say the U.S. is more religious than other wealthy nations, according to a Pew Research Center survey of 23 countries” - Pew

“ ‘Barbie’ not only engages with contemporary discussions about feminism but also the biggest of worldview questions, such as ‘What’s the meaning of life?’ ‘What has gone wrong with the world?’ and, ‘What will fix the world?’” - Breakpoint

Related: Barbie Is a Movie for Our Time. This Is a Bad Thing. - Acton and Barbie’s sparkling pink Gnosticism - World

Partnering Together: A Practical Guide - 9 Marks

“For the first time ever, a man who performs in makeup and women’s clothing has hit No. 1 on the Christian music charts — a feat in part due to criticism from worship artist Sean Feucht.” - CPost

Related article at Church Leaders

“…is suing the school, arguing administrators are committing trademark infringement by using the late Jerry Falwell Sr.’s likeness without consulting with the family.” - RNS

Also: Falwell Jr. sues Liberty University, alleging trademark infringement - BPNews

“74 percent believe in God compared to 90 percent in 2001 …69 percent believe in angels, down from 79 percent in 2001… 67 percent believe in heaven, down from 83 percent” - BPNews

This article (part 1 in the series) posted at Sharper Iron in 2018. It is reposted here with original comments included.

Perhaps one of the most debated topics among modern Christians is the subject of New Testament (NT) prophecy and tongues. Many believers in our day are raising the question, “Are the New Testament gifts of prophecy and tongues still for today?” This isn’t just a modern question. It’s been raised from time to time throughout the history of the church.

God allowed me to reach a glorious milestone in my life yesterday morning--I finished reading the book of Psalms for the 100th time since I was saved in 1990! The leading impetus for my intense immersion in the Psalms over the last 12 years (75x through the book since 2012) has been my belief that knowing God's mind fully about what music He accepts in corporate worship is only possible through saturating our minds with His premier revelation about music!

“We recommend that when communicating with someone who has changed their identity, you avoid using pronouns and instead use their name all the time. (We do not object to using a person’s preferred name” - Gender Revolution (@Challies)

“Bilbo’s most courageous act wasn’t creeping down into the dragon’s lair, but walking off alone to incense (and perhaps save) a friend who had gone astray.” - Desiring God

“A number of years ago, I stumbled upon a helpful series of books for teaching children about church history: the Christian Biographies for Young Readers series by Simonetta Carr.” - DBTS Blog

“Car manufacturers had been phasing out AM receivers in electric models….Ford, however, took things a step further by announcing that AM radio wouldn’t be available in its new models, a decision it eventually walked back.” - BPNews

“During a screening of the film, MacArthur told attendees that he wanted to produce something that ‘would show how the Lord blesses those who are faithful for the purpose of the future.’ He also ‘wanted some pastors and leaders to see this and feel guilty.’” - C.Leaders

“A new Pew Research Center analysis noted that, in 2022 midterms… But GOP candidates were the favorite among those who attend services monthly or more by more than two-to-one (67%, vs. 31% who voted for Democratic candidates).” - Get Religion

Read the series.

Earlier in the same epistle that tells us to respect our pastor, Paul writes,

For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe (1Th 2.13).

Jonathan Edwards: “The spiritually proud man is full of light already; he don’t need instruction, and is ready to despise the offer of it.” - Nick Batzig

“Bottomline for Christ-centered leaders: use the framework to help you wisely evaluate your context and remind you of your identity as a servant.” - Eric Geiger

“Pastors and church leaders experience anxiety for a variety of reasons. Unsurprisingly, almost two out of three pastors report stress in ministry. Usually, it is the compounding of multiple stress points rather than one singular item that creates anxiety.” - Sam Rainer

“Baptist friends… have helped me think more deeply about the biblical form and function of the congregation…the independent or congregational structure of Baptist churches brings into sharp relief the role and potency of the church gathered.” - 9 Marks

“Norway, Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom are among European nations that have backtracked on hormone and surgical treatments for children who struggle with gender identity.” - BPNews

“Far from the author of rabid secularism or deconstructive individualism, Locke, influenced by Shaftesbury, was an agent of ordered liberty. He … articulated an alternative statecraft defending and expanding English freedoms in politics and religion.” - Providence

Read the series.

When Christ Delivers Up the Kingdom to the Father

There is a strategic passage in 1 Corinthians which bears upon both the eschatology and teleology of the Bible. That text is found in 1 Corinthians 15:20-28 and requires a little time to think through, although I will confess at the outset that the passage may act as an exemplar of the influence of theological predispositions in hermeneutics.¹ Because the thought is condensed it is easy to jump to conclusions about what each verse means. It starts with a theological preamble: