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Weekend A La Carte (November 19)

My gratitude goes to 316 Publishing for sponsoring the blog this week to tell you about the Legacy Standard Bible as well as Bella Paper calendars and stationery. (Save on any purchase with code CHALLIES.) Sponsors keep the site free to readers like you so I appreciate each and every one.

(Yesterday on the blog: Confronting the Problem of Spiritual Abuse in the Church)

3 Steps Christian Institutions Take from Orthodoxy to Sexual Immorality

Joe Carter does some interesting analysis here. “It might be presumptuous to imply the path from orthodoxy to heterodoxy is the same for all institutions. Yet there does seem to be a recurring pattern that includes three steps.”

A Spiritual MRI of the Heart

It would take a long time to work all the way through this spiritual MRI, but it is likely to be prove valuable to you.

Christian Maturity and Secular Infancy

“Christianity entails many divine ironies—the dead man lives; the humble woman is exalted; the servant is the King; finding life is losing it; salvation is not by works; the Son of God became man so that men might become sons of God. Another irony less noticed by many Christians is this—increased Christian maturity always brings more child-like dependence.”

What is a benediction? (Video)

Derek Thomas explains the origin and purpose of a benediction at the close of a worship service.

Do Unbelievers Get a Second Chance After Death?

Do unbelievers get a second chance after death? There’s a passage in 1 Peter that could imply this. John Piper tells here why that’s not the best reading.

The Refuge of Repentance

Cindy explains why repentance is a kind of refuge.

Flashback: A Reflection of Christ

In my leadership am I providing an accurate picture of Christ? Or do the ones I lead see an image of Christ that is warped and distorted? Do they see me looking out for their well-being as Christ looked out for the well-being of those he loved? Or do they see selfishness instead?

Daily do we need to pray for afresh realization of the preciousness of the Gospel, a fresh appropriation of its blessed contents; and then there will be a renewing of our joy.

—A.W. Pink

  • 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…