• How to Find a Good Church. Ligonier President Chris Larson and Ligonier Teaching Fellows Robert Godfrey and Burk Parsons recently discussed how Christians can exercise discernment when looking for a faithful church. The program begins at the 14:18 point.

• One of the Most Overlooked Arguments for the Resurrection. Michael Kruger writes “Even though Jesus was killed by the Romans, like all the other would-be Messiahs, his movement didn’t Indeed, it grew. It exploded. And these same followers of Jesus began to boldly proclaim that he was Lord and Messiah.”
• The Awakening We Need: Why the Reformed Pray for Revival. Ray Ortlund writes “Revival is ordinary Christians experiencing extraordinary power from on high, so that the gospel gets traction in us and through us with astonishing impact. It cannot be scheduled — not by us, anyway. It is of God.”

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• When Goodbye is Forever. Tim Challies writes “A fact of life in this tragic world is that any parting may be our last. If any goodbye may be final, then surely every goodbye should be loving.”
• Why Honoring the Gifts and Abilities of Women Is Relevant to Dechurching. On this episode of the As in Heaven podcast, Jim Davis and Michael Aitcheson welcome Jen Wilkin to discuss the importance of seeing and honoring women’s gifts and abilities in the church as it pertains to dechurching in America.
• The Most Important Thing Our Churches Have Forgotten to Do. On this episode of the Crossway Podcast, Paul Miller deepens our understanding of prayer by highlighting why we need to pray with one another if we really want to experience the full blessing of prayer.
• John Piper on Profanity, Crude Joking, and Using the Word “Dang”. John Piper states “Christians are called to high standards with the words we speak. On the tongue’s use and misuse of words, four general principles guide us.”

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• When the “Cancel Culture” Invades the Church. You may be aware of a recent media firestorm regarding a respected pastor, who had just celebrated forty years at his church.  The controversy dates to last summer, and some counsel pastor Alistair Begg, and host of the Truth for Life radio program, gave to a grandmother that he had not met before.

• The Calling & Hard Work of Marriage, Part 2. Russ Gehrlein writes “My goal in writing this two-part article is to explore marriage as a divine calling.”

• Amazing Grace in Deep Despair: The Rare Friendship of Newton and Cowper. I really enjoyed reading about the friendship of John Newton and William Cowper in this article from Bruce Hindmarsh.
• Creeds and the Crisis of Christian Faithfulness — A Conversation with Carl Trueman. On this episode of the Thinking in Public podcast, Albert Mohler visits with Carl Trueman (who I enjoyed a Covenant Seminary class on B.B. Warfield with), about his newest book, Crisis of Confidence: Reclaiming the Historic Faith in a Culture Consumed with Individualism and Identity.
• He Was a Kind Man. Tim Challies in writing about R.C. Sproul, states: “As much as we have benefitted from all of Sproul’s gifts and talents, from all he did and all he founded, his family gave us a gift of their own—a reminder that the greatest accomplishments are accomplishments of character and the greatest legacies are legacies of divine attributes displayed in a redeemed life.”

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• How Can the Church Remain Faithful in this Current Cultural Climate? Ligon Duncan offers wisdom in this short video from Reformed Theological Seminary.

• The Calling & Hard Work of Marriage, Part 1. Russ Gehrlein writes “My goal in writing this two-part article is to explore marriage as a divine calling.”
• Ask God for More of God: Lessons for a Better Prayer Life. Matt Smethurst writes “Few people have taught me more about prayer than Tim Keller. He himself taught eloquently on the subject for decades before (at least in his estimation) he truly learned to pray.”
• Questions for Our Pro-Abortion Friends, Church Leaders, and Politicians. Kevin DeYoung offers these important questions.

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• 2024 Bible Reading Plans. Nathan Bingham shares these helpful Bible reading plans for 2024.
• New ESV Reading Plan Podcasts. Listen to the Bible daily with eight new ESV reading plan podcasts from Crossway.
• Read the Bible With Us in 2024. On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, host Tony Reinke asks John Piper to “Motivate us to read our entire Bible in 2024. Explain why you use it. And perhaps end the episode with a prayer that God would bless our resolve and use it to draw us closer to him in the process.”
• 31 Questions to Ask for a More Christ-Centered 2024. Don Whitney shares these helpful questions as we begin a new year.

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• What Encouragement Do You Have for Parents Whose Children Have Left the Christian Faith? All Christians long for their children to follow the Lord. What should we do if a child leaves the faith? From one of Ligonier’s live events, Steven Lawson gives words of encouragement to brokenhearted parents.
• Do You Have Advice for Someone Who is About to Enter Seminary? Seminary is a formative period for those seeking to enter the ministry. What should someone know before beginning these years of focused study? From one of the Ask Ligonier events, Sinclair Ferguson offers thoughtful advice to future seminarians.
• What Encouragement Can You Offer Christians Facing Hardship and Suffering? What consolation can Christians find in times of suffering and adversity? From one of the live Ask Ligonier events, Stephen Nichols reminds us to look to the goodness of God.
• Where is the Best Place to Start When We’re Sharing the Gospel with Someone? When we have an opportunity to share the gospel with someone, where should we begin? From one of our the live Ask Ligonier events, Burk Parsons explains why it is beneficial to start with God Himself.

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• Are We Really Beyond Religion Now? — A Conversation with Phil Zuckerman. On this episode of the Thinking in Public podcast, Albert Mohler visits with Phil Zuckerman, professor of sociology and secular studies at Pitzer College. Zuckerman’s most recent book, Beyond Doubt: The Secularization of Society is the topic of this episode.
• Introduction to the Life and Work of Tim Keller at TGC Netherlands. In this message from the TGC Netherlands 2023, Collin Hansen examines Tim Keller’s life and ministry through the concept of “rings on a tree,” revealing the different influences that shaped Keller as a believer and pastor.
• ‘The People’s Justice’ — A Conversation with Judge Amul Thapar about Justice Clarence Thomas. On this episode of the Thinking in Public podcast, Albert Mohler speaks with federal judge, Amul Thapur. They discuss his recent book, The People’s Justice: Clarence Thomas and the Constitutional Stories that Define Him.
  

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• After ‘Roe’: The Pro-Life Movement’s Next 50 Years. Daniel Darling writes “The half-century of work by pro-life activists that resulted in the Dobbs decisions must be met with an equal commitment to building a culture of life over the next 50 years.”

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• Is it Wrong to Have Sex Before Marriage? Kevin DeYoung writes “Sex before marriage, even for many Christians, has lost any sense of stigma.”
• Luther’s Advice for the Christian Life. Sinclair Ferguson writes “For Luther, the Christian life is a gospel-grounded, gospel-built, gospel-magnifying life that exhibits the free and sovereign grace of God and is lived out in gratitude to the Savior who died for us, yoked to Him in cross-bearing until death is swallowed up in victory and faith becomes sight.”
• Unpacking “Love is Love”. Rosaria Butterfield writes “Because the visible church is apparently slumbering, the slogan “Love is love” has allowed Satan to drag us to Babylon by the nose. It’s high time for a wake-up call.”

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• TGC Announces the Carson Center for Theological Renewal. Collin Hansen writes “This new initiative fosters spiritual renewal around the world by providing excellent theological resources for the whole church—for anyone called to teach and anyone who wants to study the Bible.”

• What Does the Bible Say About Transgenderism? Kevin DeYoung writes “In short, the Bible teaches that God made us male or female, and no matter our own feelings or confusion, we should act in accordance with the biological reality of God’s good design. Transgenderism falls short of the glory of God and is not the way to walk in obedience to Christ.”
• What is Casual Dechurching, and Is There Hope? On this episode of the As in Heaven podcast, Jim Davis and Michael Graham welcome Patrick Miller to discuss the meaning of casual dechurching. They provide insights into why roughly three-quarters of those who have dechurched fit this category. You’ll learn how we can better engage this group of people and why there’s tremendous hope that many of them will return to church.
• The Lies I Used to Believe: Transgenderism Is Normal. In this video, Rosaria Butterfield shares how the gospel changed the way she thought about gender.
• What If I Feel Abandoned by God? In this video, Sinclair Ferguson gives practical, biblical, and pastoral advice and encouragement for those who feel like God has deserted them.

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