A Few Good Reads

“Doctrine and Devotion”

Joe Thorn and Jimmy Fowler launched a new podcast in which they will be talking about topics related to Christian doctrine and experience. I think you’ll find they will both challenge and encourage you. “In episode 01 we talk through the issue of ‘backsliding.’ This was our first run, so the sound is pretty bad, but still worth checking out.”

“You Have Enough Time to Read the Bible“
I hear it often, “I don’t have enough time to read the Bible.” Ryan Higginbottom thinks you do have plenty of time in which to read your Bible and that the issue is one of importance and priority. “There are exceptional life situations that leave us too busy to study the Bible. Illness, intense family duties, and extraordinary job demands come up. For most of us, these are the exception and not the rule.”

“Why We Don’t Punish Our Kids“
Parents often struggle with the best way to correct our children when they are wrong and why we should do so. Sara Wallace shows why even the nomenclature we use to refer to this correction affects our view of it. In this helpful post she shows we why discipline our children instead of punishing them. “Though discipline and punishment may look and feel similar in many ways, they are radically different. Punishment seeks retribution; discipline seeks restoration. Punishment looks to the law; discipline looks to grace.”

“Christians Must Embrace the Role of Villain“
It’s been both interesting and disturbing to see the changing way in which Christians are viewed in American culture. Think of The New York Times caustic obituary for Timothy Lahaye for one small example of the antipathy towards us in mainstream culture. Some believers think the answer is to seek to reestablish ourselves in places of power and others argue we can change minds by capitulating on the message we share. Aaron Earls argues that we should embrace the role of cultural villain because of Scripture’s teaching on the way society will view faithful followers of Jesus. “Instead of getting our way and living how we want to live, we are asked to pick up our cross and die to ourselves. Following Christ means you should be interdependent with others. You should use your gifts to serve the church, working with others who are doing the same.”

Knowing God
Christian author J.I. Packer recently turned 90, and this led to several wonderful tributes to him being published. If you have not read his classic book, Knowing God, I highly encourage you to do so. This book is the best combination I have ever seen of serious biblical scholarship and devotional warmth.