How to get your kids to do their chores.

Good Reads

• Writing a Thesis Is Like Weaving on a Loom: Writing a thesis is like weaving on a loom. The balls of wool and other material available are the data gathered from the literature, the research and thinking about the topic. The finished material is the thesis. The mechanics of weaving the material are like the processes of putting the thesis together.

• 5 Myths about Reformed Theology: Calvinists can be pains in the neck. I should know—I’ve been one myself on occasion. Yet, it is a terrific irony that a theology that so exalts God and lays human beings low before his majesty and grace should be championed sometimes with a spirit that contradicts it.

• Jesus Existed: Contrary to some circles on the Internet, very few scholars doubt that Jesus existed, preached and led a movement. Scholars’ confidence has nothing to do with theology but much to do with historiographic common sense. What movement would make up a recent leader, executed by a Roman governor for treason, and then declare, “We’re his followers”? If they wanted to commit suicide, there were simpler ways to do it.

• Sunday! Sunday! Sunday! Why It Matters When We Gather for Worship: we need to remember that there is a deeper reason why the church has worshiped on Sunday mornings–one that is still relevant today.

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Flotsam and jetsam is back!

via Facebook

Good Reads

• Chick-fil-A Deserves to Be Punished: Move over, chicken sandwich — Chick-fil-A has invented a new meal. It’s the hate burger, and it comes with an extra side of hate sauce. (This one should provide you with enough sarcasm to last all day.)

• Syria’s Christians, Caught in the Middle of Worsening Chaos: Members of Syria’s diverse Christian communities are finding themselves engulfed in the fog of war and increasingly targeted, both as pawns of the regime and armed rebels as well as by the rising (if still limited) presence of al Qaeda-linked and other foreign militants in the conflict.

• Preaching “One-Time” Sermons: I should end with my bias. I don’t like single messages. I prefer series because I find I can present a clearer picture of scriptural teaching on an issue. But, do not despise the single message–nobody ever preaches a series in the Bible, and we don’t see it much until John Chrysostom in the 4th/5th century. Be faithful with the small things… even the small sermons.

• Could ‘Awe Therapy’ Make Us Nicer? Moments that make us feel small — like gazing out over the Grand Canyon or glimpsing the northern lights — can do a world of good for our mental health

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via BoingBoing

[If you're a regular F&J reader, I should let you know that F&J will have to go offline next week, and possibly the week after, while I'm traveling with my family in Europe. We'll see how it goes.]

Good Reads

• How the Mormons Make Money: Watching a religious leader celebrate a mall may seem surreal, but City Creek reflects the spirit of enterprise that animates modern-day Mormonism. The mall is part of a sprawling church-owned corporate empire that the Mormon leadership says is helping spread its message, increasing economic self-reliance, and building the Kingdom of God on earth.

• Does Quantum Physics Make It Easier to Believe in God? Not in any direct way. That is, it doesn’t provide an argument for the existence of God.  But it does so indirectly, by providing an argument against the philosophy called materialism (or “physicalism”), which is the main intellectual opponent of belief in God in today’s world.

• When the Spirit Moves: Finding God in Transition: I have something to report back to you from the trenches of transition and disquiet that are young adulthood: this is life. There is no plateau of calm and stability on the horizon. It doesn’t exist. Life is change and transition and being uprooted again and again. Period. But that doesn’t have to be a bad thing.

• The Most Common Edits: I like commas and tolerate them more than most. (I would have put one in the last sentence if I’d thought it could survive.) But few writers pay attention to their use of commas, and in the typical manuscript they appear across the page like ash from a cigarette, falling where they may.

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Good Reads

• 11 Reasons Why Working with Kids Is Not Second Rate Ministry: Sadly, children’s ministry in the local church can often be seen as second rate ministry, not much more than crowd control and waiting out the clock. This can be seen on the occasions when members looking to move on to bigger and better things will see children’s church or AWANA as merely something to cut their teeth on. Or when the church leadership, in a desperate attempt just to fill the volunteer gaps, will try and make children’s ministry as burden-less and non-committal as possible. Then, of course, there are those who take a shift with the kiddos just because they feel like they have to do something to serve.

• 10 Cliches Christians Should Avoid: We Christians have a remarkable talent for sticking our feet in our mouths. When searching the words most commonly associated with “Christian,” the list ain’t pretty. I think part of this can be attributed to a handful of phrases that, if stricken from our vocabulary, might make us a little more tolerable. Yes, these things may mean something to you, but trust me, non-Christians don’t share your love for these tried-and-true cliches.

• Is the Web Driving Us Mad? Tweets, texts, emails, posts. New research says the Internet can make us lonely and depressed—and may even create more extreme forms of mental illness.

• 5 Practical Thoughts on Rest: In practical terms, how do we figure out how much time we need for Sabbath rest, and how do we spend that time? The following are a few suggestions or guidelines, by no means exhaustive.

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via xkcd

Good Reads

• Women Bishops Vote Set to Be Suspended: An historic vote to ordain women as bishops is almost certain to be suspended for months after the Archbishop of Canterbury admitted the Church had “backed itself into a corner”.

• Get to Know Charles Spurgeon: Perhaps my favorite dead mentor is the great English Reformed Baptist Bible preacher Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834–1892). His biographies have provided some of my most enjoyable and formative reading.

• How Good Books Can Change You: Ever read a book that’s changed your life? You’re not imagining it — the process of digesting a character or a series of events actually turns you into a different person.

• The Secrets of Failure: From global warming to our tangled financial system, some things are just bound to go wrong. Luckily, a new book claims to discover the key to bouncing back.

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most accurate pie chart ever

Good Reads

• Complementarianism for Dummies: I’ve read several posts on the internet lately from people who misunderstand and/or misrepresent the complementarian view.  I was at the meeting, 25 years ago, where the word “complementarian” was chosen.  So I think I have a good grasp on the word’s definition.

• The Mormon Lens on American History: a growing cadre of young scholars of Mormonism are enjoying their own turn in the sun, and not just on the nation’s op-ed pages. Books relating to Mormon history are appearing in the catalogs of top academic presses, while secular universities are adding courses, graduate fellowships and endowed chairs.

• 10 Real Reasons Pastors Quite Too Soon: Over 1,700 pastors leave the ministry every month. This staggering number includes some of the brightest, most inspiring pastors in the country. To prevent the continued flight of our pastors, we need to understand the cause of the problem.

• 5 Questions to Ask of a Book: In general, a good book will not simply repeat what others have said before, but it will somehow advance the discussion, either by bringing truth to bear in a new way or by taking into account contemporary issues or emphases.

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Good Reads

• Sexual Healing; Evangelicals Update Their Message to Gays: At the world’s largest ministry for homosexual Christians, there’s no more talk of “curing” same-sex attraction.

• 10 Tips on Solving Mysterious Bible Passages from Sherlock Holmes: Gaining insight into hard passages of the Bible is often an exciting adventure. But don’t forget that the Bible is less about a mystery to solve and more about an Author to know. As you tackle some of the tougher texts, don’t glory in your knowledge. Glory in God, who graciously reveals Himself through His Word.

• Thinking Inside the Box: Any good leader who has experience with thinking outside the box knows the practice is not that much fun. Despite its limitations, the current box is largely comfortable. Nobody inside will worry that the box is falling apart, because everyone has found his or her corner, curled up and relaxed.

• Timothy George on the Reformers’ Postmodern Movement: The historical theologian says Luther and Calvin show us how to read the Bible for the sake of the church.

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seahorse

Good Reads

• 5 Reasons to Study Old Testament History: Shakespeare said that history is “a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” The Christian view of history is quite a contrast; we believe God ordained it, organizes it, and moves it towards a meaningful, definite, and certain purpose.

• Why the Bodily Resurrection Matters–Especially to Women: We live during a time when women are encouraged to detach from our bodies. Some women do this by putting on male behavior and dress in male-dominated workplaces, while other women detach by using their bodies as sexual power tools. In the face of this ungodly dualism that undermines the holistic self, the Christian response should be more than a defensive reaction. It should be redemptive.

• Syria’s Threatened Christians: Watching their once-shielding dictators fall like dominos across the region, Christians have suddenly found themselves on the wrong side of history.

• What Does It Mean for an Elder to be “Able to Teach”? A Proposal: All elders should be able to stand before the congregation and expound the Bible, even if some elders are uncomfortable preaching in a corporate worship gathering.

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Good Reads

• 5 Problems with Unconditional Forgiveness: While automatic forgiveness sounds like an antidote to bitterness, this is not the case. Those who try and simply dismiss grave offenses, apart from resting in the justice of God, often encounter emotional and theological problems. Here is an incomplete list of problems that sometimes arise from unconditional forgiveness.

• Why Evangelicals Can’t Write: Evangelicals obviously do write, and publish, reams upon reams of prose.  What they have not tended to write is anything recognized as having literary value by the literary world.

• Why Are Evangelicals Supporting Immigration Reform? A big part of the answer, in the bluntest terms, is religious market share. Hispanics go to church; non-Hispanic white people increasingly don’t.

• You’re a Calvinist, Right? The one thing I wish Calvinists would stop accusing Wesleyans of is…Being anthropocentric in their soteriology. Caring more about human free will than God’s glory. [You really should read this outstanding interview with Fred Sanders, a Wesleyan theologian, on what he thinks about Wesleyan theology and Calvinism.]

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Good Reads

• 22 Rules of Storytelling, According to Pixar: On Twitter, Pixar storyboard artist Emma Coats has compiled nuggets of narrative wisdom she’s received working for the animation studio over the years. It’s some sage stuff, although there’s nothing here about defending yourself from your childhood toys when they inevitably come to life with murder in their hearts. A truly glaring omission.

• Hell Is Not Filled with People Who Repent of Sins: People who end up in hell do not repent, from what the Bible tells us, said respected New Testament scholar Don Arthur (D.A.) Carson on Sunday at The Gospel Coalition National Women’s Conference in Orlando.

• The Unfortunate Link between Cultural Castigation and Pitiful Preaching: Advocacy groups are looking at church sermon videos and finding plenty that will enflame the “middle” against those who believe that homosexual behavior is sin….Not surprisingly, videos of unhelpful remarks in churches have surfaced. And, these outrageous videos don’t help.

• Do Jews Have a Divine Right to Israel’s Land? This is the first part in an exchange between John Piper and David Brickner, executive director of Jews for Jesus. You should also check out Piper’s response in How to Treat Rebellious Israel and Brickner’s second post in God Doesn’t Keep Jews in a Pickle Jar.

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