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A La Carte (April 12)

A La Carte Friday 2

This is just a reminder that a lot of my articles are professionally translated and made available in Spanish. You can find the complete collection at es.challies.com.

The FAQs: Southern Baptists Debate Designation of Women in Ministry

Joe Carter provides one of his helpful FAQs to explain some of what’s going on within the SBC. “The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), the largest Protestant denomination in the United States, is embroiled in a heated intramural debate over the designation of women in ministry.”

Is God Always Pleased With Christians?

That’s a valid question, isn’t it? Is God always pleased with Christians?

2 Weeks Left to Save for #MISSIONARYCON24

Join us on October 16-18 for The Missionary Conference, commemorating the 500th anniversary of William Tyndale’s English Bible translation. Gain a biblical understanding of and involvement in world missions, exploring key questions and challenging the pragmatic mindset that has infiltrated evangelicalism. Hear from John Piper, Brooks Buser, Sinclair Ferguson, and many others. (Sponsored)

Good Growth

“Good growth for a church is slow and steady, the whole body growing together. Sudden influxes of people are like grafting a branch onto a tree. Doable (and as a Gentile I am such a graft onto Israel’s tree: Christ), but difficult and requiring more skill than watching it weather the sun and storms while providing water and pruning.” This principle applies to individuals as well.

Planted and Rooted

Kristin has some sound counsel. “It is profitable to take personal inventory, paying close attention to your life’s surroundings. Are your relationships, systems, and work robust and God-honoring? I am not suggesting that healthy things are easy, but are their roots strong, abiding in Christ and ordered by Scripture? If something seems off, investigate.”

Scotland’s Destiny and the Rewriting of History

This is both sad and strangely fascinating.

Both Worm and Worthy

Trevin Wax: “An overemphasis on human worth will make grace expected: Well, of course God sent his Son to save us. We’re so worthy, after all! Go in that direction and repentance is unnecessary. Why wouldn’t God save you? An overemphasis on human depravity will make grace powerless: I’m nothing more than a worm and will never amount to anything. Go in that direction and repentance is impossible. Why would God care?”

Flashback: Beauty in the Whole and the Parts

In theology we make a study of God—of his works and of his ways…And as we study our God we find there is blessing in the macro and the micro, in the whole and in the parts.

Self-serving needs are not meant to be satisfied; they are meant to be put to death.

—Ed Welch

  • Eloquence

    Arrogance & Eloquence

    When Jesus’s disciples asked for instruction on prayer, he warned them of a common temptation—the temptation to think that prayer depends upon saying just the right words or a certain number of words. “When you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do,” he said, “for they think that they will be…

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    Weekend A La Carte (March 8)

    A La Carte: The maturation of New Calvinism / The class divide over screen time / New from the Gettys / Getting organized for the glory of God / Keep calm and read Scripture / and more.

  • Disrupted Journey

    Disrupted Journey

    I am convinced it is appropriate to acknowledge those who bear with chronic pain and illness and that it is especially fitting to give special honor to do those who do so with a deep sense of submission to God’s mysterious purposes in their suffering. But if that’s true, I believe it is also appropriate…

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    A La Carte (March 7)

    A La Carte: Anora and Andrew Tate / The other side of the pew / The myth of the easy answer / Are Christians happier? / Shared meals / Gentle and holy / Kindle deals / and more.

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    A La Carte (March 6)

    A La Carte: Mystic at heart / The complexities of Bible translation / Pastors are not political pundits / The workism trap / Virtues gone mad / Book and Kindle deals / and more.

  • My Son Would Be 25 Years Old Today

    Nick Would Be 25 Years Old Today

    I don’t why we place more emphasis on some birthdays than others. Why is 16 more significant than 17? Why are multiples of 5 more significant than multiples of 4 or 6? I don’t who decides these things or on what basis, but I suppose 25 is significant because it marks a quarter of a…