Alex Chediak

Helping young adults thrive at college and beyond

Header Right

Alex Chediak

David Powlison: The History and Context of the Biblical Counseling Movement

by

This looks like a fantastic, meaty (432 page) resource for pastors and counselors, and those in training to serve in those vocations. Powlison is highly qualified to write such a book, having (years ago) written a Ph.D. dissertation on Jay Adams and his contribution to the emergence of the biblical counseling movement. If you're not familiar with it, Powlison gives both praise and some constructive critiques of Adams' emphases with regard to the Bible, counseling, and the emotional life in general. Another place to get a good introduction to David Powlison is the three lectures he gave at … [Read more...] about David Powlison: The History and Context of the Biblical Counseling Movement

John Piper on the Consideration of God’s Love

by

At a chapel message at Westmont College last week John Piper gave a repackaging of an old idea (for him). He explains: I used to ask, How is it loving for God to make so much of himself and do everything for his glory? Now I ask: Why does God reveal his love for us in such a way that it turns out to be for his glory? Or: I used to say: Do you feel more loved when God makes much of you or when he frees you to enjoy making much of him? Now I say, “Why does God make so much of us in a way that winds up making much of him?”Check it out: … [Read more...] about John Piper on the Consideration of God’s Love

The Value of Admitting Mistakes

by

In my experience, apologizing to a subordinate or customer is one of the most difficult things for a person to do. Matt Perman posts the following excerpt from Jeff Jarvis's book What Would Google Do?: We are ashamed to make mistakes — as well we should be, yes? It’s our job to get things right, right? So when we make mistakes our instinct is to shrink into a ball and wish them away. Correcting errors, though necessary, is embarrassing. But the truth about truth itself is counterintuitive: Corrections do not diminish credibility. Corrections enhance credibility. Standing up and admitting … [Read more...] about The Value of Admitting Mistakes

Co-Habitation Before Marriage Increases Divorce Rate

by

Sam Roberts, writing for the NY Times, breaks down a study of men and women ages 15 to 44 performed by the National Center for Health Statistics using 2002 data from the National Survey of Family Growth. The study found that cohabitation (living together with a sexual partner of the opposite gender) is now an experience of over 60% of women in their thirties. This percentage doubled from 1987 to 2002 (so it might be even higher now). Roberts reports that "half of couples who cohabit marry within three years, the study found. If both partners are college graduates, the chances improve that … [Read more...] about Co-Habitation Before Marriage Increases Divorce Rate

Gene Veith on Immorality Often Preceding “Intellectual” Apostasy

by

It is often the case that moral decline paves the way for the intellectual abandonment of the Christian faith. In Loving God With All Your Mind, Gene Veith unpacks a common observation:A young man is raised in a Christian home and has some measure of belief in Christ. He then becomes involved in some sort of overt sin. This can be any sin—pride, covetousness, addiction, dishonoring of parents, worldliness. It is often a sexual sin. He has the honesty and presence of mind to realize that this favorite sin is incompatible with the Christian faith. He has the moral sensitivity to experience … [Read more...] about Gene Veith on Immorality Often Preceding “Intellectual” Apostasy