A couple of weeks ago I had the privilege of giving a break-out session at the Ligonier National Conference. My session was on Thriving at College, and the theme of the conference was The Christian Mind. The entire conference is now available online for free streaming. The video of the Q&A session (on topics ranging from evolution, politics, and pornography) is also online. … [Read more...] about Ligonier National Conference: The Christian Mind
Celebrity Pastors and the Roots of American Evangelical Dysfunction
A good word from Phil Johnson on three leading historical figures in the church, Cotton Mather, Henry Ward Beecher, and Frank Norris. An excerpt: Three centuries. Three celebrity pastors. Three completely different ministry philosophies. And yet there are so many similarities. Reading these three books in relatively close succession drove home the point for me that evangelicals historically haven't been very good at differentiating between men who have character and men who merely are characters. Read the whole thing. … [Read more...] about Celebrity Pastors and the Roots of American Evangelical Dysfunction
Trayvon Martin, Race, and the Gospel
John Piper weighs in on the tragic slaying of Trayvon Martin, as he prepares to go to New York City this week for a public conversation with Tim Keller, moderated by Anthony Bradley, about the gospel and race. Piper writes: What has enflamed this situation are the pieces that simply don’t add up. Zimmerman is a hundred pounds bigger and ten years older. He had the gun, not Martin. Reportedly he has been arrested before on assault charges. As he was following Martin in his truck, he called 911 and was told “we don’t need you to do that.” The police were on the way. But Zimmerman followed him … [Read more...] about Trayvon Martin, Race, and the Gospel
Economics For Everyone
Ligonier Ministries and Compass Cinema are working together on what looks like an excellent new video series on Economics and Christianity. The first lesson is below. Head over to EconomicsForEveryone to see what they're up to. Seems like more will be coming this summer. This is sorely needed in our day--a day in which many young Americans consider socialism to have greater biblical support than capitalism. (See this excellent book on the matter.) In this first lesson, I really like the way that Dr. R.C. Sproul, Jr. connects the study of economics to the generation of wealth---which in … [Read more...] about Economics For Everyone
Seven Christian Motivations For Excellence in Work
Matt Perman unpacks seven Christian motivations for work: 1. The glory of God 2. The good of others 3. Enjoyment of the work itself 4. To earn money to support yourself, give, and enjoy Perman does a great job here in showing that financially supporting yourself is a legitimate motivation in work, it just shouldn't be the first motivation or the primary one. I deal with this a lot in Thriving at College, and as a college professor. Remarkably, 80% of college students say that "income potential" is the primary thing they hope to gain from a college degree. On the one hand, that's … [Read more...] about Seven Christian Motivations For Excellence in Work
How an Affair Begins
Andrée Seu: A friend of mine told me that now she understands how adultery begins. She went to a woman’s house to drop off a package as a favor to someone, but the woman was not home. The husband was, and they exchanged pleasantries for a few moments. My friend noticed the carpentry project the man was working on and commented on his artistry. She asked him a few questions about it, and it didn’t take much to encourage him to spill forth for an hour and a half about every aspect of the work. It was fun. Read the rest of Seu's insightful commentary. HT: Denny Burk … [Read more...] about How an Affair Begins