IN THE NEWS:

• For the Bible Tells Me So: Biblical Authority Denied … Again. Albert Mohler writes “Andy Stanley is no Friedrich Schleiermacher, but the path he charts for the church is a road to abject disaster.” For a lighter perspective on this serious issue, check out “Andy Stanley Wanders Dangerously Close To Slippery Slope While Hiking”, from The Babylon Bee.
• What Andy Stanley Has Forgotten. Richard Phillips writes “What Andy Stanley has forgotten is that conversion to Christianity involves a supernatural rebirth that requires the Word of God. Forgetting this essential truth has been the tendency of the seeker-sensitive church-growth movement.
• 3 Nagging Problems with Andy Stanley’s Approach to the Bible. Jared C. Wilson writes “There are some glaring problems with Pastor Stanley’s approach to the Scriptures that not many are addressing. Certainly he isn’t addressing them himself. I am not certain he is even aware of them.”
• Russell Moore Weighs-In on the InterVarsity Decision Concerning Sexuality. Denny Burk shares this six-minute video from Russell Moore about the recent controversy. Here is Trevin Wax’s take “InterVarsity and the Revisionist Hope for a Place at the Table”
• Findings from the New Atlantis Report on Sexuality and Gender. Albert Mohler writes “I would like to draw your attention to one of the most important research events in recent history, and that is the publication in the Fall 2016 issue of the New Atlantis: A Journal of Technology and Society, of a special report on sexuality and gender, subtitled, “Findings from the Biological, Psychological, and Social Sciences.”
• Following Trans Bathroom Policy, Target Sales Tank. Glenn T. Stanton writes “Target’s leadership refuses to concede their controversial bathroom policy has anything to do with their poor fortunes. However, the very day Target announced its sad sales figures, it also announced it would spend $20 million to install single-use bathrooms in the rest of their 1,800 stores. This is a ton of money to fix a serious problem they created by trying to fix a problem that didn’t exist in the first place. They won’t soon recover.”
• This is the Last Spastic Breath from the Religious Right Before Its Overdue Death. Collin Hansen writes “Grace abounds for Christians who fall short of the glory of God and call on the name of Jesus for forgiveness and salvation. But woe to the hypocrites who hold the most powerful leader in the world to a lower standard than they do the searching young believer who desires to serve God and neighbor.”
• 4 Cultural Trends Leading to the Decline of Religious Liberty. Trevin Wax writes “Religious liberty, America’s “first freedom,” has fallen on hard times lately.”
• Can You Vote Your Conscience? Bryce Young writes “Biblically, your conscience doesn’t have a vote. To be precise, you don’t “vote your conscience” — but your conscience does have something to say about your vote, once you begin to formulate it.”
• Tim Kaine Mangles the Bible to Score a Political Point. Trevin Wax writes “Vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine has figured out a way to reconcile his “devout” Catholic faith with his support for same-sex marriage: a new reading of Genesis 1.”
• Tim Kaine and Mike Pence Both Used the Bible to Say Opposite Things. Jonathan Ernst writes “Kaine and Pence have a strikingly divergent approach to faith and public life, an issue raised in Tuesday’s vice presidential debate (Oct. 4) when moderator Elaine Quijano asked how the candidates balance their personal faith with their public policy positions. While their responses couldn’t be more different, both candidates cited biblical scripture to support their conclusions.”
• How Good Manners Helped Make This Restaurant the Best-Selling Fast Food Chain in America. Justin Bariso includes this quote “I’ve found people are more motivated and respond better when you care about them,” said Kevin Moss, a Chick-fil-A manager of 20 years.
• Emotional Matt Holliday Home Run. Matt Holliday, a Christian, has been one of my favorite players with the St. Louis Cardinals over the past 7 ½ years. He had been hurt and was told recently that the Cardinals would not be picking up his option for 2017. He asked to be activated off of the disabled list so that he could have a final special moment with the Cardinal fans. I was at this game and is was unbelievable. He had tears in his eyes from the standing ovation he received. Watch what he did next.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES:

• The Holiness of God and Chosen By God: Stream These Classic Series for Free. You can stream all of the messages in C. Sproul’s classic series’ Chosen by God and The Holiness of God for free. You can also stream these series for free on YouTube.
• New Teaching Series on Prayer from Albert Mohler. I’m excited about this new (not yet released) teaching series from Albert Mohler on prayer titled “The Lord’s Prayer. Ligonier’s description is “When the disciples asked Jesus how to pray, little did they know that they would be given a model for prayer that would be used for generations. Prayer is central to our fellowship with God, and our prayer life is directly affected by what we believe about God. In this series, Dr. R. Albert Mohler Jr. shows that the pattern of prayer Jesus provides is few in words, yet massive in meaning. His prayer reflects true theology and proper doxology—a perfect guide for our own lives.”
• Sorrow and Restoration. I’m currently listening to Derek Thomas’ wonderful new teaching series The Book of Job. Watch this two-minute except from the series in which he discusses sorrow and the power of God to bring restoration and change.
• 2016 Fall Conference at Reformation Bible College: The Dawn of the Reformation. Nathan W. Bingham provides a summary and highlights from this recent conference.  You can watch or listen to all the messages here.
• The State of Theology: A Poll of Eternal Significance. Stephen Nichols writes “Ligonier Ministries teamed up with LifeWay Research, the research arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, for The State of American Theology Study 2016, a poll which gets at the theological beliefs of Americans.”  Read this related interview Stephen Nichols had with Chris Larson.
• The Essence of Reformed Theology. Watch this brief video excerpt from R.C. Sproul’s classic teaching series What is Reformed Theology?, in which he explains that the essence of Reformed theology is the knowledge of God.
• Has Rome Really Changed Its Tune? Gregg Allison writes “While some things have changed with the Roman Catholic Church to bring Catholics and Protestants closer together after five hundred years, many major differences remain to divide them.”
• 9 Things You Should Know About Alzheimers Disease.
• What I Learned This Summer. Listen to this seven-minute update from John Piper. He writes “When I look back over the last few months, five big things leap out at me.”
• Teach Us to Pray. “In this new video from Desiring God, John Piper rehearses some of the most profound and familiar words ever spoken. We hope these four minutes, with stunning aerial footage, will help inspire you to new heights in the life of prayer. Sit together with Pastor John at the feet of Jesus, and learn to pray all over again.”
• Yes, You Should Say Something: Overcoming Awkwardness with Grieving People. In this eleven-minute video, Nancy Guthrie shares her story of grief as she recounts her experience dealing with the death of not one, but two children—and the hope that God provided in the midst of that painful experience through those around her and her husband.  Also, check out her outstanding new book What Grieving People Wish You Knew about What Really Helps (and What Really Hurts), which I am reading now.

TO MAKE YOU SMILE:

• Jesus Calling Added To Biblical Canon. The Babylon Bee | Your Trusted Source For Christian News Satire reports “Citing the work’s clearly biblical and authoritative tone and content throughout its inspired prose, a convention of Evangelical leaders recently signed a statement of faith affirming that Sarah Young’s popular devotional Jesus Calling represents the sixty-seventh book of the canon.”
• Jesus Always Website Ominously Unclear Whether ‘Buy Now’ Direct Command From Jesus. The Babylon Bee reports “New devotional Jesus Always, in which—as she did in her bestseller Jesus Calling—author Sarah Young dictates words spoken through her by Jesus Himself, debuted to strong sales during its Tuesday release. But according to multiple reports, at least part of its initial sales spike was due to the book’s promotional website being ominously unclear about whether the “BUY NOW” button was a direct command from Jesus, written with the same power as the book—or perhaps just the words of the site’s developer.”
• Horrified Joel Osteen Learns About Crucifixion. The Babylon Bee reports ““Jesus…crucified? But how is that…victorious?” the perplexed pastor exclaimed to no one in particular, his heart still racing from the shocking news he was still trying to process. “Jesus’ followers were promised prosperity and blessing—how could Jesus get killed in such a horrible way? It just doesn’t add up.”
• Rob Bell Lists Mint Condition Bible On Craigslist. The Babylon Bee reports “One Bible, never used,” the ad read. “$5 obo. You pick up. No guarantees as to accuracy of the contents of the book—all sales final. Will consider trades for books by Oprah or any other new age gurus. Call or text, ask for Rob.”
• Donald Trump Calls Madea. Did you see this phone call recently on The Tonight Show?

• I would be a coward if I saw that God’s truth is attacked and yet would remain silent. John Calvin
• Culture is never so bad that it can’t be redeemed, nor so good that it can’t be critiqued. Tim Keller
• The grace that saves the sinner is the power that must supply the sinner. Jerry Bridges
• Suffering will come whether we allow it to make us more like Christ or not, but if we don’t, we waste that suffering. Randy Alcorn
• One day America and all its presidents will be a footnote in history, but the kingdom of Jesus will never end. John Piper
• The gospel doesn’t add to who we are; it transforms who we are. The gospel isn’t about addition; it’s about exchange. Rosaria Butterfield
• Your prayer life reveals how much you really want communion with God and how much you really depend on him. Michael Reeves
• I have held many things in my hands and have lost them all, but whatever I have placed in God’s hands, that I still possess. Martin Luther