Curated content for Christians
Bonnet Rippers – Here is a longform article about the rise of the Amish romance novel. “In 2012, a new Amish romance novel appeared on the market about every four days. Sixty more were published in 2012 than in 2009, and 83 more than in 2002. The top three Amish-fiction authors — Beverly Lewis, Wanda…
Two Sets of Wants – A reader directed me to a new blog and I found a great post there on parenting. A dad writes about his two competing sets of wants for his children. Good stuff! A Writer’s Confession – “I’ve been reflecting lately on the real dangers of being a writer. One of…
7 Traits of False Teachers – “False prophets were a constant problem in the Old Testament, and those who falsely claimed to be prophets of God were to be stoned. The people rarely had the will to deal with them, so they multiplied, causing disaster to the spiritual life of God’s people.” Of course false…
Praying for Politicians – “Having been a minister for twenty-six years and an editor of a church magazine for some of that time, I can safely say that there is no subject more likely to get you into controversy than the troubled relationship of the gospel to politics, unless you dare to touch the modern-day…
Vatican Files – Writing for Reformation21, Leonardo De Chirico has a very helpful article on the new pope, why he was elected, and some of the challenges he will face. This is part of a long series De Chirico has been writing on Roman Catholicism. Meanwhile, Steve Meister reminds us that Humble Popes Don’t Exist.…
Here Come the Radicals – Matthew Lee Anderson makes some interesting observations about contemporary Christianity. “David Platt, Francis Chan, Shane Claiborne, and now Kyle Idleman are dominating the Christian best-seller lists by attacking our comfortable Christianity. But is ‘radical faith’ enough?” 5 Myths About Bible Translation – Dan Wallace covers five common myths related to…
When the Black Dog Howls – “The term ‘black dog’ was used by Winston Churchill to describe depression and, though it predates the British prime minister, is the sum total of familiarity most seem have with it. Regardless of who coined it, ‘black dog’ is as apt a descriptor of the frustrating experience of depression…
An Encouraging Word – Andy Naselli dug up some encouraging words for young mothers. “Martyn Lloyd-Jones once spoke with a group of medical students who complained that in the midst of their training and the ferocious work hours they really didn’t even have time to read the Bible and have their devotions and so on.”…
The Next Bible – “Scripture? There’s an app for that. In his first column for The Daily Beast, Obama’s former faith adviser talks to the tech-savvy entrepreneur bringing the gospel to a new generation of Christians.” Cross – Cross is a new conference targeted at teens and twenties. Thabiti introduces it. The NT’s Favorite OT…
Your Baby’s Ugly – “Being a preaching professor is like getting paid to tell a mother that her baby is ugly. It might be the truth, but it’s not a truth anyone wants to hear. Most guys I have taught dread my comments and cringe when I tell them they missed the point of the…
When Evangelicals Awoke – The title of this article is a little bit dense, but don’t let that intimidate you. “How the Evangelical Church Awoke to the Abortion Issue: The Convergent Labors of Harold O. J. Brown, Francis Schaeffer, and C. Everett Koop.” A Great Place to Begin – David Powlison on prayer: “For example,…
Sex in the Sermon – Melissa Kruger writes about the Bible’s frank discussions of sexuality. “While parents have a clear duty to initiate these discussions with their children, they also need the church to provide repeated input and guidance. Deliberate preaching of the ‘whole counsel of God’ (Acts 20:27) will naturally encourage parents to continue…
Seven Things to Pray For Your Children – Jon Bloom offers seven helpful, specific things to pray for your children. “Some years back a good friend shared with me seven Scripture texts that he and his wife prayed for their two daughters from the time they were infants. The girls are now grown. And it’s…
23 Days – “You spend more than three weeks a year looking at your phone, according to new figures that illustrate just how central to our lives the mobile phone has become.” It doesn’t sound like a particularly rigorous study, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it is just about accurate. (True of other people,…
A Surrogate’s Dilemma – This is a horrible story from CNN that so clearly displays the horrors of a culture that devalues life in the womb. “Crystal Kelley was offered $10,000 to have an abortion after ultrasounds showed the baby she was carrying for another couple had severe medical problems.” The Link Between Spirituality and…
Lifestyle Liberalism – “A friend of mine who is generally liberal in his politics, cultural and otherwise, wrote the other day to describe a crisis of sorts that he’s going through in his family.” It is always fascinating to see someone realize the inherent insanity of liberalism when applied to all of life. Smithsonian’s Photo…
The Bible – CNN covers Mark Burnett and his miniseries The Bible (which I’m sure you’ve been hearing about). The hotel I was in on Sunday night didn’t offer the History Channel so I didn’t get to see it. Melinda Penner of Stand to Reason offers some positives and some negatives. Peace that Trumps Tribe…
A Wedding Speech – I enjoyed this little clip of a father giving away his daughter at her wedding. Passion Week Infographic – “This week’s infographic, The Passion Week, is a chronological timeline of the major events that happened that happened during Jesus’ last week before he died and rose again.” Monergism Books – Monergism…
Sequestageddon – I guess the best reason to read this article is that Mark Steyn deals so well with the radical overstatement that is happening. “If I understand correctly, by the time you read this, the planes will be dropping from the skies; the drip-feeds in every emergency room will be dry; every creature on…
Baseball and the Christian Walk – Because baseball season is nearly upon us. “The reality that baseball is a game of managed failure for every player, even the great ones, is one of the reasons the game imbedded so deeply in the fabric of American culture.” Page CXVI – Page CXVI, which is a project…