• Encouragement for Parents in Our Sexually Confused Culture. Carl Trueman, author of Strange New World, offers three pieces of advice for parents.
• Trials and Suffering: A Conversation with Burk Parsons and Derek Thomas. Watch this conversion between Chris Larson, Burk Parsons and Derek Thomas. They discuss the reality of suffering from a biblical perspective, and consider God’s heart for His children in difficult times, correct wrong views of suffering, and provide pastoral counsel for sufferers and caregivers alike.
• Before You Share Your Faith. How to be “Evangelism Ready”. Are you ready to tell someone about Jesus? How can you be prepared? In this practical short talk from the Gospel Coalition, Matt Smethurst—author of Before You Open Your Bibleand a forthcoming companion book, Before You Share Your Faith—outlines seven tips for becoming “evangelism ready.”
• How to Prepare Yourself for the Lord’s Supper. Watch this short video from our friend Kevin Halloran.

• We Should Talk About Disney. Trevin Wax writes “It’s not only the overt aspects of gender ideology that we ought to be looking for when we watch Disney movies, but also the subtle aspects of the expressive individualist philosophy that undergirds the sexual revolution. That is where the real and most urgent battle is fought.”
• 10 Things You Should Know About the Sexual Revolution. Carl Trueman, author of Strange New World, shares these ten things we should know about the sexual revolution.
• The Strange New World of the Modern Self: A Conversation with Carl Trueman. On this episode of the Thinking in Public podcast, Albert Mohler visits with Carl Trueman about his new book Strange New World.

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• What is Transgenderism? Rosaria Butterfield writes “Ultimately, the feeling of disconnect between one’s body and one’s sense of gender is a consequence of the fall and its effect on our hearts, minds, and bodies.”
• We’re in a Strange World. Now What? In this episode of the Crossway Podcast, Carl Trueman explores the history of Western thought with the view of answering two simple questions: How did we get here? How should the church respond?
• Rescuing Ukrainians with Disabilities—It’s Now or Never. Joni Eareckson Tada writes “Recent estimates suggest there are at least 7 million peoplewith disabilities living in Ukraine. During wars, people with disabilities are often forgotten and abandoned.”
• 3 Advantages of Understanding Identity Politics. Carl Trueman addresses this subject in this short video.
  

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• Should Our Sexual Desires Determine Who We Really Are? Watch this short video from Carl Trueman, author of Strange New World: How Thinkers and Activists Redefined Identity and Sparked the Sexual Revolution.
• How to Focus in Prayer: 7 Tips. Wondering how to focus in prayer and fight the distraction that derails you? Kevin Halloran, author of When Prayer Is a Struggle shares 7 practical tips for fighting distraction in prayer in this video.
• How to Offer Correction. Guy Richard writes “Giving criticism is frequently necessary, but if we cannot give that criticism constructively then we ought not to give it at all.

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• Paralyzed and Blessed: My Unlikely Path to Happiness. Joni Eareckson Tada writes “A godly response to suffering places you under a deluge of divine blessings.”
• Pornography Use is Becoming an “Acceptable Sin”. Joe Carter writes “A recent poll shows pornography is affecting relationships between men and women—and reveals how indulging in porn is becoming an acceptable sin.”
• When It Doesn’t Feel God Is With You. Courtney Reisigg writes “Suffering has a way of making you feel like God has left you. Where is God in these moments? How do you find him? Let’s be honest. Sometimes you can’t. This is where Genesis 39 comes in.”
• Is Attending a Wedding an Endorsement? “Since attending a wedding means more than just showing up, but actually showing approval, we should ask ourselves if this particular union is one we can add our affirmation to cheerfully and with a clear and biblically informed conscience.”

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• The Fear of God Is the Antidote to Our Anxiety. Michael Reeves writes “My aim now is to cut through this confusion. I want you to rejoice in this paradox that the gospel both frees us from fear and gives us fear. It frees us from our crippling fears, giving us instead a most delightful fear. And I want to show that for Christians “the fear of God” really does notmean being afraid of God.”

• The Countries Where It’s Most Dangerous to Be a Christian in 2022. Joe Carter writes “Persecution is extremely high in Afghanistan, which for the first time has supplanted North Korea as the most dangerous country to be a Christian.”
• Will Your Church’s Preaching and Counseling Be Criminalized? Will Parents Be on Wrong Side of the Law Just for Talking to Them About Sexuality and Gender? A Warning from the American Heartland. Albert Mohler writes about a shocking proposed ordinance against religious liberty in West Lafayette, Indiana.

• What Happens When a Believer Dies? Randy Alcorn writes “The place of our arrival will be a beautiful, though temporary, place where we’ll await the culmination of history: the return of the risen Jesus, who will resurrect us. When His millennial reign is accomplished (whether that’s a nonliteral present reign or a literal thousand-year future reign), we’ll join Him in ruling the New Earth, free of sin and the Curse.”

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• U.S. Population Growth Falls to Record Low. Joe Carter writes “A new report by the Census Bureau finds that the population of the United States grew at the lowest rate since the nation’s founding. How will that affect the church in America?”
• The 2021 Word of the Year – “Allyship”. com has an annual tradition of naming a ‘word of the year,’ and this year’s winner is the term allyship.” Denny Burk explains why this is significant.
• How ‘Conversion Therapy’ Bans Are Akin to Apostasy Laws. Joe Carter writes “A proposed city ordinance in Indiana highlights why bans on “conversion therapy” can be a threat to the gospel.
• Should Christian Parents Use Prenatal Genetic Testing? Joe Carter writes “Recent analysis by the New York Times finds that prenatal tests are usually wrong when they warn of rare disorders—which increases the number of abortions.”

• Ten (More) Questions for a New Year. Don Whitney writes “Two years ago, I wrote in “Ten Questions for a New Year” that the close of one year, and the beginning of a new one, is an ideal time to “consider your ways” (Haggai 1:5). In other words, many find it an appropriate season for reviewing our walk with Jesus and reconsidering our priorities. To that end, I suggest ten more questions.”
• Words Matter Because the Heart Matters. Paul Tripp writes “Words matter because they flow out of our hearts. Communication mat­ters because what the heart is and does matters.”

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• “All Lives Matter to Our Lord and Savior” Sign Gets Football Coach Fired: Lawsuit. This story is interesting to me on several levels, including the fact that this happened just a few miles away from my home at Illinois State University, where I graduated from. I’ll be following this religious liberty case closely.
• Engaging CT’s Piece on “Side B Christians”. Denny Burk helpfully engages with the article “Side B Christians Like Me Are An Asset Not a Threat” by Bekah Mason, recently published in Christianity Today.
• Why Pro-Lifers Can Be (Cautiously) Optimistic About Dobbs. Joe Carter writes “While pro-lifers should be careful about reading too much into the oral arguments, we have reason to be cautiously optimistic that at least five justices are ready to overturn the evil precedent of Roe. Pray that God will lead them to make the right decision next June.”

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• The FAQs: What You Should Know About the ‘Women’s Health Protection Act’. Joe Carter writes “In September, the House voted 218–211, largely along party lines, to pass the pro-abortion legislation called the Women’s Health Protection Act (only one Democrat, Representative Henry Cuellar of Texas, voted against the bill). The Senate is expected to consider it soon, as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer promised a vote “in the very near future.”
• Dansby Swanson Helps Hometown Braves Win World Series: ‘The good Lord, He’s blessed me so much’. Cole Claybourn writes ““If anything, the lesson that I’ve learned was that you can’t go wrong trusting and growing closer to God,” Swanson said. “Whatever way that works for you is what works for you. But spend time with God. Legitimately spend time in the words that He wrote through people that were on this earth. Spend time in prayer and meditation and silence. Do these things to grow near to Him.”
• Two New Films About Faith and Skepticism. Brett McCracken reviews The Most Reluctant Convert: The Untold Story of C. S. Lewis (which we have seen, and is excellent), and Send Proof.

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• A Reason to Be Vaccinated: Freedom. John Piper writes “My aim in this article is to encourage Christians to be vaccinated, if they can do so with a good conscience and judicious medical warrant.”
• Why Your Employer Can Deny Your ‘Religious’ Vaccine Exemption. John Melcon writes “I’m not arguing Christians should be vaccinated, or that Christians should necessarily acquiesce to employer vaccine mandates. I’m only arguing Christians shouldn’t demand religious exemptions if they choose not to be vaccinated.”

• Why You Must Leverage Your Self-Despair. Dane Ortlund writes “Repentance is turning from Self. Faith is turning to Jesus. You can’t have one without the other.”
• When You’re Overwhelmed with Prayer Needs. Kevin Halloran shares six suggestions on how we can persevere as intercessors and not let the weight of the world’s problems crush us.
• Grief Is Not an Enemy of Faith. Trevin Wax writes “You can cry, to the glory of God. You should never feel guilty for doing something Jesus did. Grief is an appropriate response to loss.”
• How Gentleness Raises Us Above Cancel Culture. Listen to Scott Sauls’ session at the 2021 The Gospel Coalition National Conference titled “Rising Above Cancel Culture with the Fruit of Gentleness.”

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