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A La Carte (11/9)

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Steven Curtis Chapman’s New Album
It seemed appropriate to post a link to this review since I am listening to the album at this very moment. Scott Anderson has written up a review of Steven Curtis Chapman’s Beauty Will Rise. “Simply put, this album is a musical masterpiece. It contains 12 beautifully-written, mostly acoustic songs with understated accompaniment that accents the intimate, personal nature of the lyrics. This album is primed to actively minister to all who listen to its melodies.”


Facebook Users
What would you do with an extra three days per year? Stop visiting Facebook and you can find out. The average Facebook user now spends the equivalent of three days a year on the site.


A Christmas Carol
CT has a good review of Disney’s new A Christmas Carol. “Wait. Terror? Darkness? Isn’t this a Disney film, starring a mugging Jim Carrey and directed by the guy behind the bright and fanciful The Polar Express? Yes, but families should know this is a far cry from The Muppet Christmas Carol. It will scare the stockings off of little kids.”


Q&A With Karen Armstrong
The National Post does an interview with Karen Armstrong, author of The Case for God. What a load of nonsense. “Look at Christianity–it’s a perfectly good religion. But the way many people understand it today, doctrine is absolutely essential. So we talk about religious people as believers, as though accepting propositions of a creed were the main thing. Our word for belief has changed its meaning. It used to mean to love, to commit yourself, to involve yourself. It only started to mean a set of doctrines in the late 17th century. Even then it was used in a philosophical and a scientific context, but not in a religious context.”


Gospel Man



Audio for the Gospel Man conferences is now freely available. There are messages there from some great speakers.


  • Educated, Free, Wealthy, and Privileged

    We are an educated people with high standards of literacy. We are a free people who enjoy religious liberty. We are a wealthy people with unlimited access to a nearly infinite quantity of Bibles. We are a privileged people who may not realize how blessed we are.

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    Weekend A La Carte (November 2)

    A La Carte: Coldplay’s prayer in Melbourne / Zombies, Heath Lambert, and gatekeeping biblical counseling / Keep the Feast (a new song) / Stop playing the numbers game / Squandering security / and more.

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    Free Stuff Fridays (Ligonier)

    This week’s Free Stuff Friday is sponsored by Ligonier Ministries, who also sponsored the blog this week.  Yesterday was Reformation Day, when many Protestants celebrate the sixteenth-century recovery of the biblical gospel. It was while Martin Luther was studying the book of Romans that he rediscovered the doctrine of justification by faith alone. So, today…

  • Daily Liturgy Devotional

    Why Not Use a Daily Liturgy for Your Devotions?

    Trends come and go. Certain habits or interests rise for a time, wane, then rise again, often at unexpected moments. One of the recent trends I have found particularly surprising and also particularly interesting is the rise (or re-rise, if you prefer) of liturgy. This may be liturgy within formal worship services of the local…

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    A La Carte (November 1)

    A La Carte: When a Berkeley feminist had three sons / The tragedy of IVF / What if I don’t feel forgiven? / Piper on how not to respond to suffering / What sola scriptura protects us against / Kindle deals / and more.

  • New and Notable Christian Books for October 2024

    New and Notable Christian Books for October 2024

    As October draws to its close, I wanted to ensure you know about at least some of the most notable books it brought our way. I did not see quite the quantity of new books I have seen in some previous months, but there were still some special ones. For each, I’ve provided the publisher’s…