Skip to content ↓

Weekend A La Carte (September 2)

Weekend A La Carte

Today’s Kindle deals include a few older, discounted books as well as a new release from GLH Publications.

Westminster Books has a sale on the excellent NIVAC commentary series. Scroll all the way down on that page and you’ll find a few more deals.

Also, this isn’t a bargain but is a key volume in a key commentary set: P&R has just released the Revelation volume in the Reformed Expository series; it was authored by Richard Phillips.

The Best Animal Reactions to the Eclipse

While humans were burning out their retinas staring at the sun, what were the animals up to? (On a related note, check out Rental Camera Gear Destroyed by the Solar Eclipse of 2017.)

When Calling Yourself a “Christian” Isn’t Enough

“Their overall argument is that not only do the Scriptures teach with unanimity and clarity that homosexual behavior is sinful, but their larger point is that the church in history has spoken with one unanimous and unchanging voice on this specific question. Lutherans and Calvinists may differ on the Lord’s Supper. Methodists and Baptists may disagree over how to baptize. Baptists may disagree with Baptists over the five points of Calvinism (the list goes on). No Christian church or denomination ever disagreed on the morality of homosexuality.”

(On the subject of The Nashville Statement, consider articles explaining why Alastair Roberts and Rosaria Butterfield signed the document.)

The Joel Osteen Fiasco Says A Lot About American Christianity

I almost never link to Buzzfeed but thought this story was worth pointing to. Not many will agree with everything in it, but this is important: “The backlash against Lakewood Church’s response to Tropical Storm Harvey speaks to a larger powder keg of resentment directed at evangelical Christianity in the United States right now.”

Nothing to Complain About

I’ve been thinking a lot about complaining and ingratitude. So has Nick, apparently. “Unthankfulness for all the blessings–material and spiritual–with which God daily loads us is one of the most egregious of sins. Ingratitude always fosters a complaining spirit of entitlement in the hearts of men and women.”

Touching Death

Here’s a longform article for your weekend reading. It concerns the bizarre (and patently unbiblical) cult of snake handling. “Three years after his father was killed during a service, Cody Coots carries on as pastor of the South’s most famous signs-following church. In a town rife with drugs and poverty, Coots leads a group of congregants who live and worship in extremes — and who, by engaging with death, show their faith in a God they believe delivers life.”

Ask Anything (Video)

Here’s a new Ask Anything video from Al Mohler. He answers a wide variety of questions.

What Christians Should Know About Antifa

Joe Carter tells what you ought to know about the group called Antifa.

Flashback: “No Man’s Sky” and 10,000 Bowls of Plain Oatmeal

No Man’s Sky was supposed to change gaming forever. It was pitched as offering players a vast world with nearly endless opportunities to explore and nearly infinite varieties of planets and life to discover. It landed with a resounding thud. And in that thud we can find a fascinating lesson.

God’s Providence in the Story of the Premium Bible Marketplace

My thanks goes to EvangelicalBible.com for sponsoring the blog this week.

Love is not maximum emotion. Love is maximum commitment.

—Sinclair Ferguson

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    Weekend A La Carte (January 11)

    A La Carte: Parents can’t fight porn alone / Victory in Jesus (a new song) / Will you pass the test? / What God meant is what God means / Lessons from caring for a disabled child / and more.

  • Free Stuff Fridays (TGBC)

    This week’s Free Stuff Friday is sponsored by The Good Book Company. They are giving away a bundle of books for ministry leaders.  The Bundle includes: As you look at all things through the lens of the gospel, you’ll increasingly become the fully-formed follower of Jesus and servant of his church that you have been…

  • Trump, Trudeau, and the 51st State

    These are strange days in Canada. The incoming President of the United States has suddenly promised to slap a 25% tariff on cross-border trade—a tariff that has the potential to devastate the Canadian economy. Some suggest it could cost Canada a 3% hit to its economy and the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs.…

  • A La Carte Friday 2

    A La Carte (January 10)

    A La Carte: Dawkin’s gender dilemma / The worst of all possible worlds / Value character over performance / Is heaven a real place right now? / Last of the middlebrow Protestants / Kindle deals / and more.

  • A La Carte Thursday 1

    A La Carte (January 9)

    A La Carte: Discipleship in the Reformed world / Why Christians need to watch out for Jordan Peterson / The forbidden woman and the path to death / I’m no gambler / a firm foundation in an uncertain world / and more.

  • Thoughts on Digital Libraries in 2025

    Thoughts on Digital Libraries in 2025

    Do I have a library made up of thousands of books or do I have a library made up of a couple dozen? I suppose it depends on what you count as a book. It has been many years—at least 15, I think—since I decided to go all-in with ebooks, a decision I have stuck…