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A La Carte (January 31)

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Westminster Books has a couple of specials this week that may be of interest. The first is a new book on apologetics while the second is an edition of the Bible that has been specially formatted to be helpful to dyslexics.

Today’s Kindle deals include Jackie Hill Perry’s Upon Waking (1800 ratings on Amazon with a 4.9-star average!), David Mathis’ Humbled, and quite a few others. It’s a good day to give the list a look!

(Yesterday on the blog: New and Notable Christian Books)

How Dune Reflects Our Cultural Divide Over Female Moral Authority

I haven’t seen Dune: Part Two, but was still fascinated by this article. “The character of Chani in Dennis Villenueve’s Dune: Part Two is a perfect example of the modern archetype of women as men’s conscience. But her story also parallels the likely failure of any culture-wide attempt to tame men through women’s moral influence.”

Three Lies That Separate Spouses

Dave Harvey describes three lies that separate spouses. “It happens every day. A husband refuses to forgive his wife, because she just can’t see all the sins he ascribes to her. A wife won’t reconcile with her husband until he fully endorses her view of reality. A marriage teeters on the brink of ruin because one spouse has marked the other’s motives as irredeemable.”

Sin Makes You Stupid

Kevin DeYoung: “Whenever a high-profile case of disqualifying sin comes to light, it is easy to wonder how such a catastrophic fall was even possible. The incredulity is especially pronounced in cases of sexual sin. We think to ourselves, or say to our friends, ‘What was he thinking? How could he have been so foolish? Didn’t he know that he would get caught? Why would you sacrifice so much for so little?’”

Restoring a Fallen Pastor?

I suppose this one flows somewhat naturally from the last. Clint Archer asks “Can a disqualified pastor be restored? Not to channel Bill Clinton, but it depends on what the meaning of ‘restored’ is.”

Evaluating Trump’s First Week of Executive Actions

Whatever else is true of President Trump’s first week in office, he has certainly made his presence known through executive actions. For those who haven’t paid close attention, Joe Carter looks at five positive ones along with a couple that are more concerning.

A Future for the Family: A New Technology Agenda for the Right

“A new era of technological change is upon us. It threatens to supplant the human person and make the family functionally and biologically unnecessary. But this anti-human outcome is not inevitable. Conservatives must welcome dynamic innovation, but they should oppose the deployment of technologies that undermine human goods. We must enact policies that elevate the family to a primary constituency of technological advancement. Our aim should be a newly re-functionalized household for the twenty-first century.”

Flashback: My Favorite Family Memory

Many of my best memories are of events that happened one time or perhaps a few times. But my favorite of all is an event that happened day after day and year after year. 

[Jesus] knew exactly, precisely, completely who you are and gave his life for you. Not the Instagrammable you; the real you.

—Adam Ramsey

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (January 31)

    A La Carte: Dune and female moral authority / Three lies that separate spouses / Sin makes you stupid / Can a fallen pastor be restored? / Evaluating Trump’s first week of executive actions / A future for the family / Book and Kindle deals / and more.

  • New and Notable Christian Books for January 2025

    As you know, I like to do my best to sort through the new Christian books that are released each month to see what stands out as being not only new, but also particularly notable. I received quite a number of books in January and narrowed the list down to the ones below. I have…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (January 30)

    A La Carte: Small injustices / Is it necessary to be a church member? / How to make friends at college / My letter about a transgender teacher / Prayerless theologians / Deepening fellowship / Kindle deals / and more.

  • Throw Out the Buoys

    Throw Out the Buoys!

    When I was young, my family owned a cottage on a lake. From a young age, I loved to head out in our little motorboat so I could explore that lake and the others that were connected to it. I could easily make a day out of slipping into little inlets to see where they…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (January 29)

    A La Carte: Your phone habits / A guide for single women / JFK, conspiracy theories, and the Deep State / So what if you’re bored? / God’s a writer / Hard relationships / Kindle deals / and more.

  • Happy Lies

    Happy Lies

    I’m quite certain you have heard of the New Age movement. Though its popularity seems to have crested and begun to wane some time ago, it continues to wield a good bit of influence. But I wonder if you’ve heard of another similarly-named but quite different movement called New Thought.