News from Around the World (14/11)

What That Empty Seat Says - We’ve all done it. We shuffle down a row of chairs and, just before we arrive at a person, we stop one chair short. We leave an empty seat between us and the other person, secretly hoping an usher won’t ask us to “scoot in.” What does that empty seat say? Why are we compelled to leave that “safe seat” between us and others?


Free to Say We'veSinned - When you hide your sin, pretending to be a perfect Christian, you’re actually telling the world that God is a liar. Did Jesus, or did Jesus not, need to suffer and die for your present sins? When you feign perfection, you’re saying you didn’t need Him to do this for you.


A Few Practical Lessons from the Puritans - Some practical helps from the puritans on preaching, catechizing, preserving and pride.


Defining the “Gospel” in a Gospel-Centered Theology - Here are the six key things that Bird thinks are essential for understanding the gospel (pp. 47-52). And it’s in sections like this that Bird’s strengths as a biblical theologian really come to the forefront.


Dangerous ideas - If Christ Jesus is the Son of God who died and rose again, everything changes. It is the most dangerous idea. The people who ought to be most clear about this, by what we say and how we live, are true believers.

News from Around the World (13/11)

Paul and the Faithfulness of God - D. J. Moo's review of N. T. Wright's book.

 
Truth Remains - Check out this post that provides a link to 4 short clips on the history of the 4 great English Bible.


Is John Piper Really Reformed? - Do I think TULIP is the essence of Calvinism? No. Do I wish many who think of themselves as “Reformed” would go a lot farther back and dig a lot deeper down? Yes. But does it bother me that people think of Piper, Mohler, and Dever as Reformed? Not at all. 


Buddy, can you spare a dime? - It seems to me that many of us work in churches where we as ministers are among those most protected from the harsh realities and dangers of life in a post-Christian world.   So we should not flatter ourselves about how hard and dangerous our calling is.

Should every church be multiethnic? - I meet pastors all the time who insist that their homogenous church simply reflects the homogeneity of their community. However, when they examine their community’s census data, they discover that there are significant numbers of diverse people all around them.

Five Truths About Christian Suffering - But just because we experience suffering as we await the redemption of our bodies, it doesn’t mean that our suffering is random or without purpose. And neither does it mean that Scripture doesn’t tell us how to think about our suffering now. Here are five important biblical truths about suffering every Christian should have ready

Walking with God in Everyday Life - The Bible says that “the Lord was with” Abraham, Joseph, David, and Hezekiah. We’re also told that Enoch and Noah “walked with God.” These are two sides of the one coin, two perspectives on the same experience of God’s special presence with His people.

News from Around the World (12/11)

Loving Something Too Much - It is in the context of him writing on the temptation to suicide but it's been very helpful indeed in thinking about what am I loving too much - wife, children, ministry. It's all too easy to idolise them.


Jesus and My Complicated Relationship With the Psalms - If the Psalms begin to feel confusing read them through the lens of Christ. Read them as if Christ himself were speaking them. Jesus is the key to unlocking the Psalms. He shines light upon all the dark and confusing places. He is the reigning king who shares his righteousness with those who don’t deserve it.


Why You Shouldn’t Turn Homework in Late - Grade impact should certainly be part of the equation when you’re faced with this situation. But it’s not the only one. I’d like to suggest a couple of other reasons to think twice before handing that assignment in late, reasons that may not immediately come to mind when you’re trying to decide if seeing Catching Fire on opening night is worth a little academic slippage.


4 Reasons to Teach the Bible’s Storyline - What’s the big deal? Why is it so important for Christians to be able to connect the dots of the Bible’s grand narrative? Here are four reasons.


Why We Still Read C.S. Lewis 50 Years After His Death - Some reason by John Piper.


The 5 D's of a Good Meeting - As many of the people I work with know, I am not a fan of long meetings. Generally, they drain me of my energy as we swirl around and around an issue. So, I’ve started thinking about how I can better hold a good meeting. Here are five ideas.


How Systematic Theology Can Energize and Enrich Your Preaching.

News from Around the world (11/11)

How to Rapidly Improve your Writing and Preaching - If so, you’ll need to gather around you a diverse group of brutally honest folks who don’t mind giving you the one-two on a weekly basis. Let them beat the junk out of your content, and you’ll come away with a well-molded pot that’s the better for the beating.


Jonathan Edwards and Handling Controversy - In one public debate, however, Edwards raised the bar for how Christians during his time should engage each other. His principles can help Christian leaders and their followers today.


6 Reasons Not to Abandon Expository Preaching - Our aim is to take the sacred text, explain what it means, tie it to other scriptures so people can see the whole a little better, and apply it to life so it bites and heals, instructs, and edifies. What better way to accomplish this end than through expository preaching?


50 Incredibly Tough Books for Extreme Readers - Try it, if you dare.


10 Errors to Avoid When Talking about Sanctification and the Gospel - Sometimes the truth can be seen more clearly when we state its negation. So rather than stating what we should believe about sanctification, I’d like to explain what we should not believe or should not say.


Is All Sin Equal in God's Eyes? - It is a common question and the answer is of the variety that is always a little bit unsatisfying: It is one of those “yes and no” answers.


The Power of Introverts!

News from Around the World (7/11)

Writing in Your Books - Here are five reasons I believe defacing an author’s work is warranted.


10 Love Challenge - Yesterday I gave my congregation 10 Love Challenges that  translate the sometimes nebulous idea of love into very practical, do-able actions. In some ways each action might not seem very much; each challenge has only one fairly quick and easy action per month.


Fellow Christians: I'm Rich and I'm Sorry - I need the new conversation about money. I need it, not only because I am rich and feeling sorry, but because I believe—and the Bible insists—that the much with which I've been entrusted has been meant for good (2 Cor. 8:14).


Study Theology, Even If You Don't Believe in God - “theology is the closest thing we have at the moment to the kind of general study of all aspects of human culture that was once very common, but is now quite rare.” A good theologian, he says, “has to be a historian, a philosopher, a linguist, a skillful interpreter of texts both ancient and modern, and probably many other things besides.”


7 Things I Learned in 7 Years of Reading, Writing, and Living - Reflections on how to keep the center solid as you continue to evolve.


No One Is Having Sex on Their Wedding Night Anymore - Of course, the trend in couples living together (and having sex) before getting married renders the wedding night sex thing a bit obsolete.


A New Perspective for Moms

News from Around the World (6/11)

6 Actions for Younger Women - 6 things on how to be a younger woman in today's context. 


Challenges To The Christian Faith - So how should Christians respond to ideas which, if they were true, might undermine our faith? Following are general suggestions we can utilize when evaluating disturbing challenges.


Training Leaders and Teachers Who Understand “Gospel Centrality - But information alone doesn’t change us. Application alone doesn’t change us. Only Jesus changes us. That’s why the information we present needs to be connected to Christ. And the application we give needs to be grounded in Christ’s work for us too.


How the Scandal of Preaching Will Reach Our Postmodern World - Of course, the first reaction to such an idea is, “Are you kidding?” When faced with the challenges of postmodernity, do we really think the solution is to stick some guy in front of the group and let him talk for 30 minutes?  Wouldn’t a video be more effective?  Or at least a dialogue or panel discussion?


Different Types of Affairs - You can see that there are many variations on a theme. Each affair has unique nuances that you don’t want to miss. Being a patient, good listener will serve you and the couple well as you embody the grace of Christ in these early stages of care.


Doug Phillips' Resignation -  What a warning to us all, especially to those of us who have leadership roles in the church, and especially in the areas we are strongest and most vocal on.


Lies I told to become a spy - But lying to myself was the biggest betrayal of all. I make real-life plans now, analyze career choices, and live with ordinary secrets. I have no glamorous cover. I would probably pass the polygraph test if I took it today.


The Failed War On Cancer

Christian News from Around the World (5/11)

Hey guys, just an update, I'll be combine the news and christian news in one post instead of 2, so you can read them all in one post.


8 Principles for a Gospel-Centered Systematic Theology - "We still need a systematic theology that is truly centered on the gospel." - Michael F. Bird. So Bird sets himself on the task of developing a systematic theology that does precisely this. And he goes on to explain eight principles that will guide him along the way.

5 Beliefs Atheists and Christians Have in Common - As it’s always a good idea to find common ground before disagreeing with someone or trying to correct them, here are five areas that both Christians and atheists agree on.

7 Issues We Need To Talk About In Our Youth Groups! -Here's  a good list of things you should most likely be talking about in your youth groups.


Moral Convictions Must Emerge Out in the Open - For a purely internal commitment, a moral conviction that never emerges out in the open when confronted by its negation, can easily, perhaps inevitably, become spectral, inconsequential, and eventually lifeless.


25 signs you're addicted to books - Just for some laughs. I sure found some that I could identify with.


Taking Ironman Seriously - The aim of the Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit (Talos) is to give special ops fighters greater protection inside armor that can withstand bullets, all while downloading live video data from drones and other sources. The suit would have a powered exoskeleton that could help a soldier move quickly while carrying heavy weight.


Myers-Briggs Personality and Household Income - It's tempting to draw conclusions from the outcomes of various Myers-Briggs types.... But there is also reason for caution in drawing conclusions from this graph - or trusting the personality types too much in general.

Christian News from Around the World (4/11)

Can A Christian Commit Suicide? - As you can see, the subject of suicide and salvation is no simple matter. Biblically informed wisdom and careful theological reasoning are therefore essential whenever we encounter something not explicitly addressed in Scripture. Our chief focus should be on that about which God has said much (salvation), not on that about which he's said little (suicide).

Three Ideas To Help Boys Succeed at School - Here are three other suggestions from my own painful experience in public schools that I believe would revolutionize schools for many boys.


What Is Our Problem With Hell? - Perhaps some have trouble with the doctrine of hell emotionally because, deep down, we may find ourselves posing defensive questions in response. The question that hides under most questions regarding hell is “Isn’t hell unfair?”


Advice to Seminarians




What Is Biblical Theology and Why Do We Need It?”

Christian News from Around the World (3/11)

Calvin's Eight Principle - Seeing Christ in Old Testament - Here are eight principles on Christ-centered interpretation of the Old Testament gleaned from a survey of Calvin’s Institutes, sermons, and commentaries.


9 Ways to Become a Boring Writer - So I’ve decided to lower the standards and help you become, like me, a boring writer who only publishes things that will be forgotten as soon as they reach the end of their publishing cycle–ten minutes for a tweet, three days for a blog post, a week for an essay, and right around three months for a book.

Did the Prophets Know What They Were Saying? - In the same way, even though the divine author of the OT prophecies understood full well all of the specific referents in those prophecies, the fact that the prophets themselves did not necessarily know the identity of these referents does not indicate that they did not understand the meaning of their own messages.

God’s Commitment to Forgetfulness - Later that day, Johnny Hunt spoke at LifeWay’s chapel and delivered a truth-filled message about how God’s grace overcomes past regrets. He brought up God’s promise to “forget” our sins, to never bring up our past again, and he pointed to the New Testament’s discussion of Old Testament heroes as proof. Think about it. No matter how flawed our heroes are shown to be in the Old Testament, they are presented at their best in the New.


Conscience and Why Does It Matter?

Christian News from Around the World (2/11)

The Safe Place for Our Kids' Shameful Questions - Parents, the simple fact is that our children take their shameful or embarrassed questions to a safe place. And today the ultimately safe places are Google or elsewhere on the Internet.


Is Chastity Possible? -  So is that it then? Is the Christian ideal of preserving sexual intimacy for marriage simply impossible? Well, yes. Yes it is. Remember—just in case anyone is feeling a bit smug—that when Jesus taught about sexual purity he didn’t stop at what you do with your genitals. He included your inner world....


Basic Hermeneutical Principles - Our approach to interpretation is called the Grammatical-Historical method. According to the G-H method, the student seeks to ascertain the meaning of a text by an analysis of the simple, direct, ordinary sense of grammatical constructions, with special attention paid to the facts of history, cultural milieu, and literary context.


Reflections on Money Mistakes - Some common money errors.

Why Pastors Neglect Managing - Neglect management at your peril. Pastoring a church is more than teaching; it also involves executing. Execution does not happen without management. All church leaders must manage. Pastors are shepherds. And shepherds manage sheep.

Christian News from Around the World (1/11)

8 Lessons from the Life of John Knox - 8 valuable lessons for us to learn.

 
Biblical Hospitality - True hospitality is sacrificial, uncomfortable, and does not seek to impress others. Hospitality flows from a hospitable heart. It is more about your open heart and home, not your impressive entertaining skills.


The Importatnce of the Covenant of Marriage - Why do we say that marriage is the most deeply covenantal relationship? It is because marriage has both strong horizontal and vertical aspects to it.


The 3 Core Dimension of Unity - I encourage you today to pursue unity within your church doctrinally, missionally, and relationally. Don’t harden your heart any longer. If you and your church are not living in the unity that Jesus has made possible, then I encourage you to examine your heart, turn from sin that’s inhibiting unity, trust in Jesus, and live within the unity he’s achieved for us.
 

Q&A with the Apostle Paul - We sometimes think of the second half of the first chapter of Romans as a discourse about atheists. But in reality, it’s a universal text that applies to all of us apart from Christ—what we are, what we do, and what we would do apart from God’s restraining and redeeming grace, with graphic examples to illustrate our truth-suppression and idolatrous identity.

Christian News from Around the World (31/10)

The Hardest Part of Ministry - By far and away, this is the most constant, soul-aching concern that I deal with. Those ministering in more family-friendly suburban communities that welcome megachurches and gated neighborhoods may not understand the complexities of a ministry that is more urban and the dangers it can pose.


Cessationist and Continuationist and Prophecy - If charismatics and noncharismatics could agree on these points, I think that the debate on modern spiritual gifts would be largely over.


Satan’s Permission to Sift You like Wheat - For whenever we allow our own pride to control us we throw open the door to making the devil’s work so much easier. We fall when we least expect it.


Bombs in Confessional Box - Officials at Syria's oldest known church confirmed that bombs were found in the church's confessional box earlier this month. Patriarch Gregory III Laham, a prominent Syrian Christian leader, confirmed that the bombs were found in a church in Yabroud, while he was out of the country in Britain earlier this month.


Millennials Are Fact-Checking Your Sermons - Now with the ability to fact-check at their fingertips, Millennials aren't taking the teaching of faith leaders for granted. In fact, 14% of Millennials say they search to verify something a faith leader has said. A striking 38% of practicing Christian Millennials say the same.

Christian News from Around the World (30/10)

Kill every man, woman and child in the Promised Land? - When we read about the execution of the Canaanites we ought not to ask, “How could God do this?” but “Why does He not kill us all?” The shocking part of the story of the conquest of Canaan is God’s love for His rebellious people, not His just wrath toward other rebels.


Trusting the Bible Even When It’s Hard - Honest and wise words from B. B. Warfield about how to approach the Scriptures when we encounter difficulties in the text


I'm Done Fixing the Church: Turning the Future Over to God - As a wise colleague recently reminded me, “Jesus already fixed the church. There is no need for you to go to the cross too.”


The Secret Women's Porn Problem - Women, you are not alone in this struggle with temptation to sexual sin. You aren't the only one ashamed of the sexually explicit material in your browser history or on your e-reader. For all who face these temptations, the power of the gospel enables you to say no to sin.


How to Read Stuff You Don't Agree - Obviously there’s a bit more involved, but you get the point. If you race into an article with your adrenaline receptors on high, your reticular activator going full blast, and your flux capacitor in overdrive, you’re in trouble

Christian News from Around the World (29/10)

Initiating And Declining Sex in Marriage - Some helpful reads for those who are married.


Redeeming Social Media - It’s important for Christians to be deliberate in everything they do. Simply, sin has messed with our heads and we are called to renew our minds (Romans 12.2). Being deliberate to consider the Word of God and our call to be salt and light is essential in day to day life. Our faith has implications for all of life, and that includes the use of online mediums


A Slow Learner - I’m slowly learning that other people are slow learners too; and I’m an arrogant fool when I don’t give them grace that matches the grace I’ve received.


Lives Destroyed - The past two years have been devastating. I have watched the lives of four Christian friends destroyed for want of care. These are men I have loved and respected. All of them had families, loving wives, and children. Three of them were pastors and another was a nationally recognized professional at the top of his field. And all of them were consumed by their lusts. Everything in their lives destroyed because they chose to play with fire.


Seven Perspectives on Prayer - Some good perspectives on a often neglected privilege.

Christian Post from Around the World (28/10)

10 Readable Puritan - But not all Puritans are tough to read. Some are about as easy to read as a book you would find in your local Christian bookstore. Here are ten of the most readable Puritans with a suggested book to get you started.

Learn from Chick-fil-A - Let this much be clear: The church doesn’t need Chick-fil-A. We don’t need successful Christian businesses, athletes, films, and reality shows for the advance of the gospel. The tip of the spear is the local church. But when we can glean a few pointers from another body reading our Book, we might as well take notice.

Evangelism without an Altar Call - The practice of granting people immediate assurance of salvation—without taking the time to test the credibility of their profession—seems unwise at best and scandalous at worst. It is unwise because the pastor cannot sufficiently know the person he’s about to affirm is a Christian.

Atheist Philosopher Named a Defense of Christianity His Book of the Year - Here's Why. "As a non-Christian, indeed a committed atheist, I was worried about how I’d feel about this book but it pulled off a rare feat: making Christianity seem appealing to those who have no interest in ever being Christians."

Recovering a Vision: The Presidency of R. Albert Mohler Jr.

Recovering a Vision: The Presidency of R. Albert Mohler Jr. from Southern Seminary on Vimeo.

Christian News from Around the World (27/10)

Evangelizing the Nations at Home - If unbelievers have lost interest in showing hospitality to foreigners, we have all the more opportunity! We can welcome foreigners, show compassion, and so commend the gospel right here in America.

Roland Allen’s Challenge to Missions - Roland Allen believed the methods and strategies of the Apostle Paul were being neglected in contemporary mission efforts. To counter this problem, Allen expounds on the activities of Paul in his day.


Reading N. T. Wright - Some advice on how to read and handle such literature.



Boring' Testimonies - Every Christian has a redemption story. Whether you are saved from cocaine addiction or a prideful heart, from deep in a prison cell or the comfort of your suburban home, your story is filled with grace. If we can't see the beauty of a redemption story, the problem isn't with the story: the problem is with us.

The Cross Conference

Christian Post from Around the World (26/10)

Household Battles - Top 10 reasons for arguments.

8 Benefits of Forgiving Others - However, if such relatively minor offenses against such relatively minor people can help us to forgive, how much more being forgiven by a holy God for offenses not just against His law but against His love? As Jesus said, He who has been forgiven much, the same loves much.

A 'Mostly Divine' Jesus? - In other words, “mostly divine” undermines the gospel itself.... That’s part of the reason the early church rejected any attempt to say that Jesus was less than divine. For them, it wasn’t enough to reject the conclusion that Jesus was “not divine.” According to them, even “mostly divine” was inadequate. Only “fully divine” truly secured the gospel and the salvation of the world

Bringing Good out of Evil - God’s infinite wisdom then is displayed in bringing good out of evil, beauty out of ashes. It is displayed in turning all the forces of evil that rage against His children into good for them. But the good that He brings about is often different than the good we envision.

Self-Discipline - As sap flows into the branch, producing fruit, divine grace must fill the believer, producing self-control. The self can never produce self-discipline. Only as Christians live under the Holy Spirit’s control can they live self-controlled lives.

Christian News from Around the World (25/10)

God the Pacifist? -  Some have tried to use the sixth commandment (Exod. 20:13) to promote pacifism, an ideology that sometimes goes so far as to argue that no violence is ever justified. But if we examine this commandment a little closer, we will see that God is not a pacifist.

Does Calvinism Kill Missions? - It could rightly be argued that Calvinism is not only not a barrier to missions and evangelism, but has actually proven to be a spur to missions and evangelism. In fact, it has often been the driving force in missions.

Calvinism and the Roots of the Missionary Movement - If God has decreed who will be saved, they say, and that decree is irresistible, then why bother to obey Christ’s Great Commission and bring the gospel to all the world? This critique may make logical sense, from an Arminian perspective. But from a historical perspective, it is simply false.

How To Wreck Your Life - It's surprising simple and easy: Anger.

Wisely Changing the Church - Pastors who walk into existing churches are quickly burdened by needed changes to improve the church.  Where the challenge is for most of us is when and how those changes need to be brought.

Christian News from Around the World (24/10)

Doubts: Fatal or Futile? - How are we to come alongside the doubter? How are we to help and care? Jude, another brother of Jesus, writes in Jude 22, “Have mercy on those who doubt.”

The Importance of a Christian Worldview - A Christian worldview becomes a driving force in life, giving us a sense of God’s plan and purpose for this world. Our identity is shaped by this worldview. We no longer see ourselves as alienated sinners.

7 Arrows for Bible Reading - Some useful tips to help you read your bible better.

Effective personal evangelism: consistency - You may be at times discouraged by slow progress, but you will not abandon the appointed means, method, manner and matter because there are no immediate results and definite declarations, because sometimes conversion is the result of countless hours of patient and prayerful instruction, progress comes about after weeks and months of tireless labour. We would love to see rapid results, and they are well within God's power and grace.

Seeing the Prodigal Sons in a New Way

Christian News from Around the World (23/10)

Mom and Dad Really Do Matter - A new academic study based on the Canadian census suggests that a married mom and dad matter for children. Children of same-sex coupled households do not fare as well.

"Why" and "How" of Basic Internet Safety at Home - For those who want to create a better and safer place in the home for themselves and their children.

How to read a Christian book - So here they are: 11 ways to read a Christian book, absorb it, and remember what you read. (If you’re an e-book reader, adapt them for the screen; you can highlight and make notes there too.)

Myths About Productivity - 5 myths about what it means to be productive.


Sermons crafted to the nth degree - Here's my news. Preaching is a spiritual task. There's a practical element to it, one we're very concerned with here at PT. We need to rightly divide the word of truth. But we are not producing finely honed and crafted masterpieces where every word, comma and construction would have to pass muster at a mega conference.