Curated content for Christians
Be the Church?A long time ago I was part of a church that began to say “Don’t go to church; be the church.” Jeff Purswell has written an article showing why this is not good theology. “Now, despite the element of truth (God’s people are the church), there are all kinds of things wrong with…
Christians and VampiresOh boy. “Vamping Up: Christians Bite into Vampire Market” is a headline in Publishers Weekly’s Christians Bookline. Looks like Christians need their vampire fix, too. Illustration ChallengeLukas VanDyke, photographer extraordinaire, decided to take on a strange but cool little project. He read through the five most recent posts on my blog and then…
Turning the Bible into Toilet PaperDenny Burk shares a sad but interesting little fact about Ian McKellen. “In an interview with Details magazine, gay actor Ian McKellen says that he tears pages out of Bibles that he finds in hotel rooms. Some of the Bible pages are hung up in his bathroom as toilet paper.”…
The Prosperity GospelCanada’s The National Post featured an article this weekend on the prosperity gospel. Themelios 34.3The Gospel Coalition just announced the release of the latest edition of Themelios. It’s mostly for smart people but there are some things there for the rest of us as well. Rick Mercer’s Sleepover with Stephen HarperThis is something…
Women FightingOwen Strachan looks at women who fight and says “Femininity is a contested sphere nowadays, both literally and figuratively.” Porn in PublicAn article in the Washington Post deals with the phenomenon of public porn (or drive-by porn)–inadvertently seeing porn on another person’s portable device. Christian PublishingAllan Fisher, writing for Tabletalk Magazine, asks “Looking for…
Christmas Music RoundupCT has their annual roundup of this year’s Christmas music. At the top of their list is Downhere’s How Many Kings?. Walk HumblyMark Altrogge’s ninth Scripture memorization CD is now available. “Walk Humbly consists of 20 scriptures (including references) set word-for-word to contemporary music, and I don’t mean muzak…” You can download one…
Last WordsOn the Texas Department of Justice website, you can read the last words of over 400 executed human beings. Morbid, perhaps, but an interesting look into what a person thinks as he looks death in the face. The Guy Who Has Caught 3000 BallsHere’s an amusing video of a guy who has caught 3,000…
Steven Curtis Chapman’s New AlbumIt seemed appropriate to post a link to this review since I am listening to the album at this very moment. Scott Anderson has written up a review of Steven Curtis Chapman’s Beauty Will Rise. “Simply put, this album is a musical masterpiece. It contains 12 beautifully-written, mostly acoustic songs with…
Six Flags over JesusJared Wilson writes about the new $130,000,000 building program at First Baptist Dallas. “Nobody should fault FBC Dallas or anybody else for building a building. But this isn’t a building. This, and a bunch of other stuff, is Bible Belt Disneyland. This is evangelicalism with more cowbell. This is Field of Dreams…
Multiple Perspectives on Multi-Site ChurchesA panel at Southern Seminary discussed this topic. The participants are R. Albert Mohler Jr., Gregg Allison, Kevin Ezell, Greg Gilbert, and Daniel Montgomery. The Day I Went to ChurchI enjoyed this article simply for the perspective it offers on a person’s first strange and perhaps terrifying attempt at going to…
The Prosperity Gospel in AfricaThis may make you feel sick. Ask John Piper LiveToday from 8 to 11 CT, you can tweet your questions to John Piper. He will be answering them live. See the link for details. Apple’s Magic MouseHere’s a good review of Apple’s new mouse for anyone who is thinking of making…
Logos 4The best gets better with the release of Logos 4 which adds all kinds of great new features. Check out the link for a video introduction. DG FreeThis month’s free audio book from Christian Audio is just a minor book from a little-known pastor: Desiring God by John Piper. US Navy Ceremonial GuardThis is…
William Wallace Was a MonsterIt took fifteen years, but Mel Gibson has finally admitted that his portrayal of William Wallace in Braveheart was pretty much a complete rewriting of history. But even now he still gets Wallace wrong. T4G EarlybirdTomorrow is the last day to qualify for the early registration rates for T4G. As of…
How Willingly Do People Go to Hell?John Piper addresses one of the problems with C.S. Lewis’ teaching on hell. “What sinners want is not hell but sin. That hell is the inevitable consequence of unforgiven sin does not make the consequence desirable. It is not what people want–certainly not what they ‘most want.’ Wanting sin…
Where Do You Stand?Randy Alcorn: “I’ve often been asked, Where do you stand on the Calvinism and Arminianism debate, and what resources do you recommend?” He goes on to describe what he believes and how he got there. Do You Pray?“The following is a timely reminder adapted from an essay by J.C. Ryle, on the…
Open Tax RecordsHow strange is this? “In a move that would be unthinkable elsewhere, tax authorities in Norway have issued the ‘skatteliste,’ or ‘tax list,’ for 2008 to the media under a law designed to uphold the country’s tradition of transparency.” In other words, they release the income statements of everyone in the country. Benny…
Teen-Friendly DawkinsAtheist Richard Dawkins “is penning a new book which will target his most impressionable audience: teens. The controversial atheist, scientist and avid Darwin supporter, is planning to write, What is a Rainbow, Really?, an illustrated book which will take a myth-busting approach to questions about the natural world.” Dawkins ought to read Mark 9:42…
The Problem With Our EconomyAs usual Calvin (of Calvin & Hobbes fame) gets it just about right. The USS New YorkThis is a brilliant PR move, not to mention a great way of reusing material. “The Navy’s newest amphibious assault ship, the USS New York was built with 24 tons of scrap steel recovered from…
Should Christians Say Their Aim Is Conversion?John Piper asks this question–a good and fair question in today’s climate. Beware Your Seminary ProfessorsJonathan Leeman offers some good reasons to have a certain wariness toward seminary professors. “None of the rules for academic engagement are bad, per se. But they become bad in the Christian academy when…
Modern Day LepersAli writes about women afflicted with vesico-vaginal fistulas (VVFs). This is a problem almost unknown in the first world but epidemic in the third world. It leaves the women as social outcasts, utterly rejected by their families. Social Media in Real TimeThis site offers amazing counters, showing just how quickly social media is…