- What is Your View of Proverbs 22:6? Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Does that mean every Christian parent should expect to have Christian children? From one of the live Ask Ligonier events, Robert Godfrey helps us interpret this verse.
- When Should I Leave a Church? On this episode of Ask Ligonier, Burk Parsons addresses when it is appropriate to leave a church.
- Why Is It Impossible for Christians to Lose Their Salvation? If we could lose our salvation, we would. From one of the Ask Ligonier events, John MacArthur invites Christians to find rest in the Savior who will never let them go.
- Should Christians Support Removal of Confederate Memorials? Joe Carter addresses a topic that has been in the news recently.
- What Does the LGBT-Discrimination Decision Mean for Religious Employers? Jon Melcon writes “As the Supreme Court recognized in Bostock, there can be no doubt the court’s decision will have serious and far-ranging implications for religious employers holding traditional, biblical views about human sexuality. And while a variety of protections are in place to safeguard the religious liberty of such employers, the precise contours of these protections remain undefined.” Read Joe Carter’s article on the Supreme Court decision here.
- Black Lives Matter: Affirm the Sentence, Not the Movement. Albert Mohler writes “An honest assessment of the movement demands that we take them at their word. When we read their comments and official documents, when we survey the policies they propose and the worldview that guides their moral claims, it is clear that the Movement for Black Lives promotes a revolutionary and destructive agenda that is completely antithetical to a biblical worldview.”
Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:
- More interesting article links
- Favorite Quotes of the Week
- Identity Politics and the Death of Christian Unity. Watch Jonathan Leeman’s message from the 2020 Together for the Gospel conference on the subject of identity politics, which he defines as an approach to politics based on one’s group identity.
- Memory, Monuments, Morality, and Mayhem: The Burden of Reckoning with Historical Symbols. Albert Mohler writes “Right now, especially in the United States and among American evangelicals, we need to hear our African American brothers and sisters as they speak to us about what these names, statues, and monuments mean to them. Among Christians, the only memories worth honoring are shared memories. It will not be easy to get there, but I think we all know that in Christ, we have to go there.”
- It’s Time for a New Culture War Strategy. Kevin DeYoung writes “Here’s a culture war strategy conservative Christians should get behind: have more children and disciple them like crazy.”
- 4 Reasons to Wear a Mask, Even if You Hate It. I’ve been surprised about how divisive wearing a mask has been, even within the church. I appreciate these four reasons Brett McCracken gives for wearing a mask, even if you hate to.
- Systemic Racism, God’s Grace, and the Human Heart: What the Bible Teaches About Structural Sin. Albert Mohler writes “Sin corrupts every institution and every system because, one way or another, sinful human beings are involved. This means that laws, policies, habits, and customs are also corrupted by sin.”
- With Liberty and Justice For All. Kevin DeYoung writes “We do not have to believe we are as bad as we’ve ever been to acknowledge that we aren’t what we can be.”
- Grace, Justice, & Mercy: An Evening with Bryan Stevenson and Tim Keller. In this video, Tim Keller provides an overview of what the Bible says about justice, and Bryan Stevenson, author of Just Mercy, speaks from a lifetime of working against injustice about how we can start on this journey.
- J.K. Rowling, Latest Casualty in the War of Transgender Ideology. Carl Trueman – who I enjoyed a wonderful week of classes with on B.B. Warfield at Covenant Seminary a few years back – writes “Rowling has pointed out that we can play around with words and remove from the mere term “woman” any reference to anything that distinctively reflects a woman’s biological makeup or how that shapes the way she experiences the world; but to do so is merely to engage in lexical gerrymandering to suit our ideological purpose and cultural tastes, not actually to transform reality.”
- What Does “Sola Scriptura” Mean? The final answer to any question is “What does the Bible have to say about this?” From one of the Ask Ligonier events, Derek Thomas explains the meaning of the doctrine of “sola Scriptura.”
- Does the Doctrine of Total Depravity Teach That We Have Lost the Image of God? Is humanity still made in the image of God after our fall into sin? From one of Ligonier’s Ask R.C. events, R.C. Sproul assesses the effects of total depravity on our image bearing.
- God’s Sovereignty and Our Responsibility. Derek Thomas writes “God is sovereign in creation, providence, redemption, and judgment. That is a central assertion of Christian belief and especially in Reformed theology. God is King and Lord of all. To put this another way: nothing happens without God’s willing it to happen, willing it to happen before it happens, and willing it to happen in the way that it happens”.
- On the Difference between Revival and Revivalism. In this episode of the Pastors Talk podcast, Jonathan Leeman asks Mark Dever to take a brief tour of church history so that pastors and Christians today can discern the difference between revival—a good thing—and revivalism—a bad thing.
- Tim Keller on How to Bring the Gospel to Post-Christian America. On this episode of the Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast, Carey talks to Tim Keller about how to bring the Gospel to Post-Christian America, how he’d preach today if he was starting over again, why founders get addicted to their churches, and why he left Redeemer Presbyterian Church.
- Hope for When Sanctification Feels Slow. In this short video, John MacArthur states “Sanctification isn’t a necessity, it’s a reality. By your obedience to the Lord, your time in the word, and your time in prayer using the means of grace, you decide the speed at which that sanctification takes place. But it is taking place if you are genuinely a regenerate person.”
- What If the Worst Comes? How God Calms a Fearful Heart. Courtney Reissig writes “Bad news may come, but we won’t fear because of who God is, not because of what we can control.”
- 4 Ways Not to Be a Jerk Online. Matt Smethurst writes “Scripture calls us to “honor everyone” (1 Peter 2:17). Obeying that command has never been easy, but has it ever been harder than in our social media age?”
- 10 Things You Should Know About John Stott. Tim Chester shares these ten things from his book Stott on the Christian Life: Between Two Worlds.
- Is Homosexual Orientation Sinful? In this short video, Kevin DeYoung states “Is homosexual orientation sinful? I wouldn’t want somebody watching this who has a struggle with same sex attraction to think that they are beyond the pale of God’s mercy or forgiveness. At the same time, I want them to know that Scripture clearly says that to act upon those attractions and to engage in that behavior is sinful.”
- Psalm 46:1; Isaiah 46:9–10: A Moment of Steadfast Hope. In this video, Courtney Doctor and Melissa Kruger chat about Bible passages they frequently visit for encouragement: Psalm 46:1 and Isaiah 46:9-10.
- What is Self-Discipline? Steven Lawson writes “Growth in personal holiness is largely determined by our progress in self-discipline. Without this foundational discipline, there can be no advancement in grace.”
- How Has Your Book Surprised by Suffering Helped You to Face Your Own Health Challenges? Over the years, countless people have been encouraged and comforted by C.Sproul’s teaching on the topic of suffering. From one of Ligonier’s live events, R.C. Sproul conveys how the truth of God’s Word ministered to him amid his then declining health.
- Ligonier Teaching Series Free to Stream Through August 31. One of the few blessings during the COVID-19 pandemic has been that Ligonier Ministries has made their many theological teaching series free to stream. They recently extended this benefit through August 31. I’ve already listened to several of these series on my afternoon walks. Check them out.
- Blessed Hope: The Book of Revelation. I recently enjoyed listening to the new Ligonier teaching series Blessed Hope: The Book of Revelation, taught by Robert Godfrey. You can watch/listen to the series free through August 31 at Ligonier.org or on their excellent app.
- Revisionist History. One of my favorite podcasts is Malcolm Gladwell’s Revisionist History. Gladwell is back with a new season of episodes.
- Let us come to the cross as we are: children desiring love, sinners needing mercy, souls weary of running through our nights and days, and ready to follow the One who ordains us. Ravi Zacharias
- Where there is no consistent biblical preaching and teaching, expect theological chaos—and worse. Albert Mohler
- Jesus does not love like us. We love until we are betrayed. Jesus continued to the cross despite betrayal. We love until we are forsaken. Jesus loved through forsakenness. We love up to a limit. Jesus loves to the end. Dane Ortlund
- You may be parched and dry, but grace will rain again today. Go stand in God’s downpour until you’re soaked in his mercy. Paul Tripp
- The secular age exerts a subtle but constant influence on churches and Christians. If not careful, churches will look less and less like churches and more and more like the secular world around them. Albert Mohler
- That Jesus is “lowly in heart” means you don’t work your way up to get to him; you collapse your way down to get to him. Dane Ortlund
- Hasten the day when we will finally and fully love one another as you love us Jesus. Until that day keep us groaning and growing in grace. Grant us quick repentances when we love poorly. May the world recognize us as your disciples by the way we love one another. Scotty Smith
- God makes it clear that He has the sovereign prerogative to give mercy and bestow grace on whomever He wants to. He can give an executive order of unmerited clemency to those whom He pleases. That is why it is mercy. That is why it is grace. R. C. Sproul
- Dear doubting Christian: When Abraham counted the stars, he was counting you. Burk Parsons
- It costs us dearly to forgive somebody. It costs us even more not to forgive. Scott Sauls