That last post on Ed Stetzer's take on the missiological benefits of denominations reminded me of great advice from Russell Moore to a pair of doctrinally divided Christians who are contemplating marriage. Calvin, a Reformed dispensationalist fundamentalist, and Aimee, a Pentecostal, have fallen in love and want to get married. Dr. Moore weighs in. … [Read more...] about Should We Marry If We’re Theologically Divided?
Theology
Benefits of Denominations for Missions Work
Membership in 90% of Christian denominations is in decline. Meanwhile, nondenominational churches have steadily grown since 2001—and the number of self-identified evangelicals is also on the rise. What's going on here? In a lengthy article in Christianity Today, Ed Stetzer explains that:According to many church leaders, denominations are not fading away—they are actually inhibiting growth. I have heard many pastors denounce denominations as hindering more than helping their churches' mission. Others carp at wasteful spending, bureaucratic ineffectiveness, or structural redundancies; these … [Read more...] about Benefits of Denominations for Missions Work
Song for Those with Disabilities
Bob Kaulfin sang this beautiful song at the recent NEXT Conference. It is a song for those with various forms of disabilities. The lyrics are below. You can listen to the song or download it. Within the womb I formed you I fashioned and made each part I thought of your fingers, your hands and your feet Your mouth, your lungs, your heart Though you might think that you’re different I made you the way that you are So you could discover the God who made you And find out all I am And though you might think you have limitations There are no limits with me When you turn your eyes to my … [Read more...] about Song for Those with Disabilities
The Faithful Parent: Martha Peace & Stuart Scott
Based on other books they've written, The Faithful Parent: A Biblical Guide to Raising a Family should be very helpful. Check out the sample pages, which includes a Foreword by Ted Tripp and the Table of Contents. Martha Peace is a conference speaker, Bible teacher, and biblical counselor to women through the Faith Biblical Counseling Center in Sharpsburg, Georgia. Stuart W. Scott is Associate Professor of Biblical Counseling at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, a fellow of NANC, and has over 25 years experience in counseling and pastoral ministry. … [Read more...] about The Faithful Parent: Martha Peace & Stuart Scott
Please Consider Helping Desiring God
Over the years I've been remarkably impressed by the humility of those who lead Desiring God. They have made so much available for free on the Internet (at great expense to their organization), their prices on books consistently beat Amazon, John Piper receives absolutely no DG salary, and their notifications of financial need are extremely polite and rare. Which is why now, at a time that they are facing the possibility of budget cuts, would be a great time to help them, even with a small contribution. Here's Executive Director Jon Bloom's explanation of the situation: … [Read more...] about Please Consider Helping Desiring God
Just Do Something – Kevin DeYoung
Last night I finished reading Kevin DeYoung's book Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God's Will. It is part of the research I'm doing for a manuscript I need to deliver to a publisher by the end of September (for a book on "doing college well"). As I had hoped, DeYoung's book is a helpful and brief corrective to the widely held and deeply flawed view that God has a discoverable, personal will for our amoral decisions (where to go to college, which job to take, which Christian to marry, etc.). DeYoung's writing is engaging and clear, and this short book is a quick read. The … [Read more...] about Just Do Something – Kevin DeYoung