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A La Carte (June 5)

wednesday

Today’s Kindle deals include a bit of this and a bit of that.

Westminster Books has deals in the Bible Speaks Today commentary series—a wonderful resource for personal use or sermon preparation.

Were Early Christian Scribes Untrained Amateurs?

“In the ongoing debates about the reliability of early Christian manuscripts, and whether they have been transmitted with fidelity, it is often claimed that early Christian scribes were amateurs, unprofessional, and some probably couldn’t even read.” Michael Kruger, who has some authority in the area, replies.

It’s the Middle of the Night…

It’s the middle of the night. Do you know who your iPhone is talking to? Lots of people, probably.

David Powlison’s Closing Comments

David Powlison was invited to give the closing comments at the Westminster Graduation Ceremony on May 23, 2019. He was unable to attend personally because he has entered hospice care. But what a wonderful message he prepared on a very relevant subject. (Also notice the recent update which tells us that he is in his final days or hours; do pray for his family.)

‘Songs from the Schemes’ is a collection of testimonies written and performed by believers living in the schemes of Scotland. These are first-hand accounts of God’s grace from ordinary people. “We hope that believers will be encouraged as they hear true stories of God’s grace and we hope that other prisoners, those still lost in bondage to their sin and heading for a lost eternity, would listen and turn in repentance to Jesus Christ.” All purchases go toward church planting efforts in Scotland’s poorest communities with 20schemes.

Can Broad and Narrow Complementarians Coexist in the SBC?

New Testament scholar Tom Schreiner recently took to Twitter to share some of his thoughts on the current debate on complementarianism and egalitarianism. They are well worth reading and Denny Burk helped us by rounding them up into one post.

Building Africa’s City in the Sea (Video)

You may enjoy this video about the city that may soon be the world’s largest.

How to Pray for Your Unborn Child

What a blessing it is for children born to Christian parents to know they’ve been prayed for since before their birth. Here Gloria Furman provides some specific ways to pray.

Virtue Signaling and Historical Presentism

“One of Americans’ favorite pastimes is establishing their moral superiority by denouncing dead people. Every week brings news stories of some politician scoring points, or a university cleansing itself, by removing a name, a monument, or in some other way purifying our historical memory.” Here’s guidance on thinking well.

Flashback: How John MacArthur began (and ended) His 42 Year Journey

MacArthur never sacrifices faithfulness to the text for eloquence in his outline.

We wept when we were born though all around us smiled; so shall we smile when we die while all around us weep.

—C.H. Spurgeon

  • Quiet Time

    The Quiet Time Kickstart

    We are all people of habits. To some degree, we are always battling to establish good habits while battling to supplant bad ones. This is true of us in many different areas of life and most certainly true in our spiritual lives. In fact, some have argued that when we describe the way we relate…

  • A La Carte Thursday 1

    A La Carte (January 16)

    A La Carte: Why don’t we read the Bible more? / Did David rape Bathsheba? / To (almost) die is gain / Learn to pray the Bible / When you’re close to burnout / Called to freedom / and more.

  • How To Obtain a Plenary Indulgence in 2025

    How To Obtain a Plenary Indulgence in 2025

    I think we can sometimes fool ourselves into believing that the Reformation caused the Roman Catholic Church to abandon some, most, or all of the doctrine that was so concerning to the Reformers. We can sometimes believe that the Catholicism of today is materially different from that of the 16th century or that it has…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (January 15)

    A La Carte: iPhones, idolatry, and evil spirits / At my mother’s deathbed / Nothing to do but pray / Bible study tips for beginners / Jesus did condemn homosexuality / Please don’t sing “Imagine” at funerals / Kindle and book deals.

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (January 14)

    A La Carte: Narcissus in public / A famous poet, KFC, and peace with my past / Does empowerment come from boudoir photoshoots? / Surrendering them to God / Sermon prep / Your plans for this year / and more.

  • 10 Reasons to Teach the Bible’s Big Truths to Children

    📖 Why teach children the big truths of the Bible? Moses commanded Israel to gather everyone—men, women, and little ones—to hear God’s law. Why? So they could “hear and learn to fear the Lord.” (Deut. 31:12-13) Children need the deep, rich truths of Scripture to know God, embrace the Gospel, and build a faith that…