Coram Deo ~

Looking at contemporary culture from a Christian worldview

This and That

THIS & THAT: A Roundup of Favorite Articles and Quotes

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  • How to Argue Against Gender-Transition Interventions in Children. Joe Carter writes “A new study finds that an increasing number of Americans support hormonal and surgical interventions for adolescents experiencing gender dysphoria. How should Christians convince them to oppose this harm to children?”
  • 6 Things Christians Should Know About Gen Z. Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra writes “The leading edge of Gen Z turns 25 this year, which means this cohort is starting to graduate from college, get jobs, and rent apartments. They’re old enough to drink alcohol, vote, rent a car—and walk into your church.” She shares what campus ministry workers across the country say about the trends all church leaders should prepare to address in the next generation.
  • Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp’s Example of Boldly Acknowledging Christ. Randy Alcorn writes “I enjoyed Sports Spectrum’s article Rams WR Cooper Kupp finds ultimate purpose in honoring God on journey to Super Bowl. It included these two short videos of Kupp being interviewed before the game.
  • Toward a More Comprehensive Pro-Life Vision. Scott Sauls writes “My conclusion is that the core issue in the pro-life vs. pro-choice debate is whose rights matter most. Is it the rights of the mother or the rights of the infant in her womb? Scripture confirms that the answer is “yes” to both, and with a caveat. Neither mother nor infant has a right to do violence to the other. Both have a right to the life, nurture, and care due to all God’s image-bearers.”

Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:

  • More interesting article links about Christian living, theology, etc.
  • Favorite Quotes of the Week

  • Will the Next Tech Upgrade Satisfy the Longings of Your Heart? Tony Reinke writes “When we seek happiness in the latest tech feat of man, we must first assume (knowingly or not) that God is not enough. Our latest gadget promises to complete us. But God knows that it won’t.”
  • The Pilgrim’s Purpose in Life. Bryan Chapell taught a message from Hebrews 12during The Gospel Coalition 2021 National Conference titled “The Pilgrim’s Purpose in Life.”
  • Why Circumcision? In this video, Tim Keller explains what it means to have a “circumcised heart”.
  • A Good Marriage Needs These 2 Things. In this short video, Paul Tripp says that a good marriage needs us to admit our faults and forgive.
  • 3 Practical Ways to Battle Depression. David Murray writes “Some people think when a teen gets anxiety or depression, We’ve got to get medsor We need to get counseling or You need to get repentance in there. There’s no doubt that these areas may eventually need to be thought about, but I would say there are some basic steps we shouldn’t miss before we go to these areas.” Check out this short video.

  • How Should We Think About Violent Events in Christian History? In this short video, Robert Godfrey considers how to speak about sinful, violent events in Christian history.
  • What Does “Deconstruction” Even Mean? Jon Bloom writes “Deconstruction” is a term that has increasingly been used in evangelical circles, especially over the past decade. But it is a confusing term, because there’s no single or simple definition for “deconstruction.” It has different meanings in different contexts.”
  • Why We Should Not Redeem “Deconstruction”. Alisa Childers writes “As Christians, the process of evaluating our beliefs, traditions, and church culture in light of Scripture, and rejecting any unbiblical beliefs with the goal of living more authentically as Christians should be a daily reality. But this isn’t deconstruction.”

  • If Every Gift Comes From God, Why Thank Anyone? On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to a question which reads in part How can we genuinely thank anyone but God? If God is sovereign over all things, what role do people themselves play?”
  • Did Bathsheba Sin with David? On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to the question “Is there any evidence in the Bible of whether Bathsheba was willing or unwilling? And, from what I hear from feminists on this text, his power as a male king over her, a subject, would immediately classify this as a rape, even if she put up no resistance. Are there any pointers for us in the text itself?”
  • Is My Salvation an Event or a Process? On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to a question that can be summarized as “Is our salvation an event, or is our salvation a process? Are we saved in a moment, or are we saved in a series of unfolding events?”
  • Has the Gospel Already Reached the Entire World? On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to the question that can be summarized as “Did the apostle Paul say the gospel had already reached the ends of the world in his own lifetime? It appears he did, and that raises implications about the urgency of the Great Commission today.”
  • How and When was the Canon of Scripture Established, and by Whom? How did we get 66 books in our Bible? From one of Ligonier’s live events, Stephen Nichols and Steven Lawson discuss how the early church received the divinely inspired books that were handed down to them from the Apostles.
  • What Does it Mean to Cry ‘Abba, Father’? On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to the question “Abba! Father!” What exactly is this experience? What’s happening to us — and in us? Is this “Abba! Father!” cry my own cry? Is it the Holy Spirit crying in and through me? Explain that. And then, does this text apply to struggling believers? How so? Explain all this for us on the podcast if you would.”
  • Does God Love Me Just the Way I Am? Ligon Duncan answers this question.

  • The Life and Legacy of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. On this episode of the Crossway podcast Stephen Nichols discusses the remarkable life, tragic death and enduring legacy of the German theologian and pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

  • We want the storyline of our lives to go from strength to strength, from success to success, and end happily ever after. But throughout the Bible we see something completely different — a persistent narrative pattern of life through death or triumph through weakness. Tim Keller
  • If we feel more righteous as we read the Bible, we are misreading it; we are missing its central message. We are reading and using the Bible rightly only when it humbles us, critiques us, and encourages us with God’s love and grace despite our flaws. Tim Keller
  • We are saved by faith alone (apart from good works) but not by a faith that remains alone (i.e. without producing good works.) Tim Keller
  • The gospel says you are more sinful and flawed than you ever dared believe, but more accepted and loved than you ever dared hope. Tim Keller
  • Theology is not simply the pursuit of knowledge about God, it’s the pursuit of God himself. The more we know about God the more we know God and the more we’re able to worship and glorify God as God. Burk Parsons
  • What a man is on his knees before God, that he is – and nothing more. Robert Murray M’Cheyne
  • The real Jesus requires more from you than you ever thought, but offers and gives more to you than you ever imagined. Tim Keller
  • One man with God is always a majority. John Knox
  • Being cool, good-looking, full of charisma, entertaining, and a great communicator who can tell the best ear-tickling stories aren’t biblical qualifications for pastors, but sadly those qualifications are what many churches are looking for today. Burk Parsons

Author: Bill Pence

I’m Bill Pence – married to my best friend Tammy, a graduate of Covenant Seminary, St. Louis Cardinals fan, formerly a manager at a Fortune 50 organization, and in leadership at my local church. I am a life-long learner and have a passion to help people develop, and to use their strengths to their fullest potential. I am an INTJ on Myers-Briggs, 3 on the Enneagram, my top five Strengthsfinder themes are: Belief, Responsibility, Learner, Harmony, and Achiever, and my two StandOut strength roles are Creator and Equalizer. My favorite book is the Bible, with Romans my favorite book of the Bible, and Colossians 3:23 and 2 Corinthians 5:21 being my favorite verses. Some of my other favorite books are The Holiness of God and Chosen by God by R.C. Sproul, and Don’t Waste Your Life by John Piper. I enjoy music in a variety of genres, including modern hymns, Christian hip-hop and classic rock. My book Called to Lead: Living and Leading for Jesus in the Workplace and Tammy’s book Study, Savor and Share Scripture: Becoming What We Behold are available in paperback and Kindle editions on Amazon. amazon.com/author/billpence amazon.com/author/tammypence

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