“Tennessee lawmakers have introduced a list of ‘divisive concepts,’ which, under a law passed last year, are prohibited from being taught on college campuses. …Especially at the college level, we need more discussion and serious debate of ideas, not less.” - Breakpoint

“A researcher from the Austrian Academy of Sciences, with the help of ultraviolet photography, was able to discover a small manuscript fragment of a Syriac translation written in the 3rd century and copied in the 6th century.” - Arkeonews

“With corporate consolidation in worship music, more entities are invested in the songs sung on Sunday mornings. How will their financial incentives shape the church?” - CToday

“Ron Hamilton, a Christian singer, musician, voice actor and performer best known for his ‘Patch the Pirate’ character of Christian children’s entertainment fame, has died after a battle with dementia. He was 72 years old.” - CPost

My journey with The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry took me to Kansas this past weekend, to speak four times at a church in Salina.

I have now spoken on behalf of The Friends of Israel upon the soil of the following 12 states: California, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas and Wisconsin. Later this year, Lord willing, I will add Missouri and Wyoming to the list—along with the nation of Israel!

I’ve also exhibited at conferences in two other states: Nebraska and New Mexico. Kentucky will join that group in June of this year. I also have plans to be in New York and Pennsylvania on our Christian Leaders’ Encounter trip.

“In a striking, but too often neglected, passage in Religious Affections, Edwards insists an essential trait of any true Christian is ‘the lamblike, dovelike spirit and temper of Jesus Christ.’ He presents this point as nothing less than a fundamental of the faith.” - TGC

“The format of the podcast will mostly be interviews with authors of our FrontLine articles…. Giving them an additional voice to expand on their topic is what our podcast is all about.” - P&D

“For the [Satan Hypothesis] to work, Satan and his demons must freely alter the physical realm using their own intrinsic powers supplied at their creative inception. In other words, they must be able to ‘push’ physical things around, without requiring God’s direct authority and supernatural power.” - Ken Coulson

“When asked what they liked about being a pastor, respondents overwhelmingly highlight preaching and teaching…in a distant second place is discipling believers, with 8 percent.” - Barna

“Among younger adults, for every one person who goes from religiously unaffiliated to affiliating with a religion, there are five people who switch in the opposite direction, toward no religion.” - Public Discourse

“The Christian life was a treadmill, and I was constantly picking up the pace, pushing myself harder and harder. But like a treadmill, there was no destination, no arrival point that signaled the end of all that pushing. There was just … effort.” (116)

With these words Jinger Duggar Vuolo summarizes, in her new book Becoming Free Indeed, what life was like growing up in a family that adhered to the teachings of Bill Gothard.

“1. A surprising number of unchurched persons attended Good Friday services…. 2. There seems to be a greater spiritual hunger in the communities the churches serve…. 3. Simplicity was effective and appropriate.” - Thom Rainer

“Throughout 2022, I led our church staff and elders through an intentional process of ensuring our positions on several topics and cultural issues were documented for the sake of consistency and clarity.” - Eric Geiger

I’ve been asking for a while, what does “one flesh” mean?

Here’s a nice attempt to study it:

https://dwightgingrich.com/what-does-one-flesh-mean/

Paul Tripp said, “Now, it’s not enough to say that that’s what it’s about because that depth of intimacy, with all of its tenderness and with all of its needed protection and all of its mutual serving love, is only possible because there is a deep abiding relational unity that that couple has.” Paul Tripp (https://www.paultripp.com/ask-paul-tripp/posts/what-does-it-mean-to-be-one-flesh)

“Justice Brett Kavanaugh focused on the language in the court’s 1977 decision that said an employer would suffer an undue hardship…. That, he suggested, seems to be what happened in Groff’s small postal office when he refused to work Sundays or religious holidays.” - NPR

Related:

“The 11th-hour settlement protects Fox executives from having to possibly testify in court about their role in the network’s airing of 2020 election lies.” - Axios

Related:

“The longtime pastor and oft-praised preacher, who died on Tuesday at age 90, fought hard to lead in his Southern Baptist congregation, earning him a reputation for faithful obstinacy” - CToday

“April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month…. Sexual abuse awareness training is a foundational component of onboarding new staff and volunteers who will have access to children, youth, and vulnerable adults.” - BPNews

The Gospel Coalition asked three former pastors—all of whom now teach or counsel pastors—for their best advice.

“…if I find social media that refreshes me, as I sometimes do, I go for it. If it just drains and discourages or irritates me, I need to stay away.” - Randy Alcorn

“Southern Baptist leader Brent Leatherwood calls on the state to ‘restrain evil’ through Governor Lee’s plan to keep weapons from those deemed a threat to themselves or others.” - CToday

By Paul Barreca. Read Part 1.

Seek Seekers

In 2 Timothy 2:1-2, Paul instructed Timothy to entrust the truths that had been taught by Paul and other spiritual leaders to “faithful men.” Finding these men is a vital part of an intentional plan to train men for ministry. Which men are to be trained? Jesus and Paul provide an example.

At the first call of the disciples at the Jordan (Jn 1:35-51), Jesus called spiritual seekers who had journeyed into the wil­derness to hear the preaching of John the Baptist. Before Andrew, Peter, Philip, and Nathanael were called by Christ, they were disciples of John.

“He is receiving excellent care and is responding well to treatment. He looks forward to returning to a full schedule…” - CLeaders

“ ‘It’s too heartbreaking, I think. It’s very hard,’ Worshill told Baptist Press as Israel marks Yom HaShoah beginning this evening (April 17). ‘It’s a whole side of the family that basically doesn’t exist anymore because they were killed in the camps, or killed in the resistance.’” - BPNews

“there’s a difference between gloating, that is, rejoicing at the misfortune of others, and rejoicing at God overcoming evil.” - TGC

“Faithful Anglicans from around the world gather… for the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON), a renewal movement within the family of churches descended from the missionary activities of the Church of England.” - Juicy Ecumenism

“Among the groups with concerns that religious institutions are watering down or abandoning their traditional beliefs, 52% of Evangelical Christians strongly believed that this is the case. Thirty percent of Protestants, 41% of Jews, and 34% of Catholics” - CPost

“If Jonah is right to have compassion on the plant, is not the Lord’s right to have compassion on a city of more than 120,000 people, along with much cattle? Now, with the context settled, we can get back to our question: Why does the Lord mention cattle?” - Desiring God

By Paul Barreca

“And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.” (2Ti 2:2)

How does the church train the “faithful men” destined to be the next generation of pastors, evangelists, elders, deacons, and ministry leaders? It will require more than asking men to attend church services. There must be intentionality if church leaders want to see new generations of godly leaders equipped for ministry.

“Roe’s assertion that women who tried to report sexual harassment and sexual abuse were ignored, dismissed or disciplined themselves is a gross distortion of the evidence before the Court.” - Ronnie W. Rogers