January 30, 2012 in
Flotsam and jetsam with
HT Brian LePort
Good Reads
- Reclaiming Jesus’ Sense of Humor: The Bible clearly paints a picture of Jesus of Nazareth as a clever guy, but he never seems to laugh, much less crack a smile. Did Jesus really have no sense of humor; didn’t he ever laugh?
- 3 Reasons I Manuscript: While I’m fully aware that different preachers require different types of notes, I also believe that every preacher should cut their teeth on the discipline of some form of manuscript. I believe this for the same reason I believe guitar players should learn to play an acoustic prior to an electric: It helps you cultivate healthy habits.
- Jesus and the Goodness of Everything Human: The great Swiss theologian Karl Barth, fittingly called the “church father” of the 20th century, put it this way: “As the man Jesus is himself the revealing Word of God, he is the source of our knowledge of the nature of man as created by God.”
- How Do You Discern the Conversion of a Child?: There are commonly 2 extremes as we all wrestle with this question. The first is the careless lack of discernment of many churches who have an alter call for 4-5 year olds, ask them to raise their hand if they love Jesus, then baptize them as converted followers of Jesus. The other extreme often results from the carelessness of the first. Continue Reading…
January 27, 2012 in
Flotsam and jetsam with
Good Reads
- The New Black Theology: Accordingly, the new black theology is best described as the new theology, no (dis)qualifying adjective necessary. In it we see Christian theology at long last incarnating the material conditions whereby the good news becomes good news. (On a related note, you should check out Anyabwile’s Where Does Blackness and Whiteness Come From?)
- Depression and Serotonin: If you have been a pastor for longer than one week, you have probably counseled someone who was taking medication for depression. This presents a consummate pastoral dilemma because pastors want to bring the Bible to bear on all of life, and at the same time, we didn’t go to medical school.
- Grace and Truth Beyond the Elephant Room: We need charity and clarity. But civility is not a love-fest. We will disagree – strongly at times. Why? Because theology matters. The stakes are high. Bad theology hurts people.
- Why Evangelicals Don’t Like Mormons: The real issue for many evangelicals is Mormonism’s remarkable success and rapid expansion….Put simply, the Baptists and Methodists, while still ahead of the Mormons numerically, are feeling the heat of competition from Joseph Smith’s tireless progeny.
January 25, 2012 in
Flotsam and jetsam with
Good Reads
- How Our Words and Actions Change the Lives of Children: A life can be literally launched with as little as a single word, an uplifting comment, a well-timed hug, a tender prayer, a compliment, the holding of a frightened hand, or the gentle wiping of a tear — all in just a minute.
- We’re on the Cusp of a Golden Age in Apologetics: I’m very optimistic about the future of Christian apologetics. Apologists are effectively refuting the recycled objections of the atheists while at the same time presenting a clear and compelling affirmative case for the truth of Christianity.
January 23, 2012 in
Flotsam and jetsam with
Good Reads
- Blowing Up the Book: A new crop of digital books comes loaded with videos, songs, animated shorts and pop-up graphics. Is this the future of publishing?
- Leadership Starts at Home: I am not your average leader. My leadership decisions don’t affect the boardroom, but they do the future of the world because I am raising two future leaders. I am a domestic engineer, a home economist, a housewife, a mom. I have found that my leadership at home has taught me lessons that any leader, whether in the board room or the laundry room, can use.
- The Difference a Comma Makes – Acts 5:18: We all know that commas are not part of the biblical text, and yet they are required by English. To someone just starting their Greek career, it may not seem that commas deserve much attention; but Acts 5:18 gives a good example of why a comma can make all the difference.
January 20, 2012 in
Flotsam and jetsam with
Good Reads
- Is There Enough Teaching in the Church?: I know this sounds like a crazy notion. I’m not 100% convinced myself. But I’ve begun to wonder if there might not be enough public teaching in today’s church.
January 18, 2012 in
Flotsam and jetsam with
Good Reads
- The Rise of the New Groupthink: Speaking for introverts everywhere, this one’s a must read – “Research strongly suggests that people are more creative when they enjoy privacy and freedom from interruption. And the most spectacularly creative people in many fields are often introverted.”
- How to Build Unity in Your Church: “You need to plant yourself in a local church. Why? Because you need the gifts of the Christians there and they need your gifts. There is a church that is incomplete without you and you are incomplete without that church.”
- A No Win Scenario: “There are some times in which there simply is no good way to translate a verse. No matter how hard you try, there will always be some ambiguity.”
January 13, 2012 in
Flotsam and jetsam with
The Joker meets Dr. Seuss
Good Reads
- Service Is Not Scandal: Responding to Mark Noll: “In a time in which work tends to overtake life, an approach that both relishes the intellect and keeps it in its place is a pearl of great price, and we should display it readily even in settings where it is not recognized as such.”
- Everything You Know about Education Is Wrong: “Think of the ingredients that make for a good school. Small classes. Well-educated teachers. Plenty of funding. Combine, mix well, then bake. Turns out, your recipe would be horribly wrong, at least according to a new working paper out of Harvard. Its take away: Schools shouldn’t focus on resources. They should focus on culture.”
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Just for Fun
January 11, 2012 in
Flotsam and jetsam with
Good Reads
- The Secret Lives of Seminary Presidents: “These leaders get shot at from all sides, yet they have a trust from the Lord to be faithful. They have an obligation to stay close to and to serve the church. And they exert great influence in shaping the theological discussions of our day.”
- Can We Judge the Morality of God? A Response to Roger Olson: “There are two primary reasons why I believe Dr. Olson’s approach will have little to no impact upon believing Calvinists like myself—people who were not born and raised in an explicitly Reformed tradition and hence do not hold their views out of a commitment to tradition.”
- Why There Are No Theological Problems: “I propose (with no claim to originality) that the interesting questions in theology are all mysteries: we shouldn’t expect answers, so much as hints and definitions that serve to clarify our thoughts about the question.”
Continue Reading…
January 9, 2012 in
Flotsam and jetsam with
Good Reads
- Why Didn’t Tolkein Win the Nobel Prize: I’m not a fan of The Lord of the Rings, but I have wondered how such a monumentally influential author was overlooked for a Nobel Prize in literature. C.S. Lewis nominated J.R.R. Tolkien in 1961. The governing committee considered him, but ultimately awarded the prize to the Yugoslavian writer Ivo Andric. Why? Recently declassified documents explain the committee’s reasoning.
- The Missing Ingredient in Most Goals: “A clearly written goal is not enough. A carefully thought out action plan isn’t either. You need more than this if you are going to accomplish really big goals. Let me explain.”
Continue Reading…
January 6, 2012 in
Flotsam and jetsam with
Good Reads
- What Do We Do With Our Slavery-Affirming Theological Heroes?: “How is it possible to believe the gospel and articulate so clearly the doctrine of justification by faith alone, yet miss how this doctrine severs the root of racism and ethnocentrism forever? Even more, how can one’s life be so out of step with one’s theology?”
