I keep my eye out for exciting initiatives and ideas in the Christian community. Bethlehem Baptist Church of Minneapolis, MN has recently ramped up its Bethlehem Institute (TBI) to make it Bethlehem College and Seminary. That’s exciting. One of the answers to FAQ on the new website caught my eye. It relates to a question I constantly turn over in my mind, namely, what the ideal relationship is between the local church and ministry training programs. Check it out: “11.... Read more
I recently watched the movie “Stranger Than Fiction” and found that it suffers from a typically cinematic kind of mistake: it equates real living with a narcissistic, irresponsible, work-shirking kind of life. That, quite simply, is problematic. The title character, Harold Crick (played by former Saturday Night Live actor Will Ferrell) muddles through life as an IRS salesman until he has to audit a baker named Ana Pascal (played by Maggie Gyllenhaal, with a suspicious character name), after which he... Read more
If you have not heard of Houston Baptist University’s new journal called The City, you should have. I have read a few issues now and find it uncommonly interesting, broad, and, well, fun. Seriously. I’m in a PhD program, surrounded by all kinds of journals and books and very sober publications, and it’s not often you find a thoughtful source that’s engaging, expanding, and fun to read. In the last issue (sadly, not online), I thoroughly enjoyed an article by... Read more
1. If you are a young or aspiring pastor and/or elder, you need to get pastor Brian Croft’s Visit the Sick: Ministering God’s Grace in Times of Illness (Day One, 2008). I first heard about this book from my friend Adam Embry, and recently read through it. It is highly valuable as a practical resource for visitation grounded in the rich theology of Scripture. To give just a couple of examples, I found sections like that on having “fresh breath”... Read more
From the most recent edition of The Chronicle Review comes a compelling and must-read article by Tim Clydesdale, “Wake Up and Smell the New Epistemology,” about how today’s students approach education (not available online): “For decades, we professors and administrators drank deeply of notions like “knowledge for knowledge’s sake” and “the transformative power of the liberal arts,” paying little heed as the American populace shifted from widespread respect for the academy to considerable skepticism of it. Today our students occupy... Read more
From February 25-27, 2009, I have the privilege of blogging Union University’s “Making Men Moral” conference in honor of conservative public intellectual Robbie George. I can’t tell you how excited I am to live-blog this event in Jackson, TN, which features such conservative and Christian all-stars as George, Hadley Arkes, Jean Belke Elshtain, Russ Moore, and Greg Thornbury. Here’s the conference purpose: “Times change, but the challenge of applying moral principles to contemporary politics remains. Join several prominent thinkers as... Read more
In an age when many pastors are thoroughly confused about how to handle mystery, and many theologians offer less-than-satisfactory solutions, Jonathan Edwards offers some of the soundest advice around (though he may not always have taken it himself): “Don’t perplex your mind with the secret decrees of God, and particularly about the eternal decrees of God with respect to yourself, prying into those secrets which are hidden from men and angels, laboring to unseal that book which is sealed with... Read more
1. If you haven’t heard of the Urban Glory website, you should have. My friend Brad Cochrane has a great thing started over there, including a podcast with SBC President Johnny Hunt. Check out the site and its slick design. 2. Another great podcast to keep an eye on is the InSight podcast produced by the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. One recent podcast featured an interview with cutting-edge ecclesiologist Ed Stetzer; the most recent edition focuses on marriage,... Read more
From a nice post on the man: “Carl F. H. Henry was born on January 22, 1913. He has only been dead for a few years now (since late 2003), and it’s still a little hard to believe he’s gone. Henry stamped his identity onto some of the central institutions of the evangelical establishment: Christianity Today, the National Association of Evangelicals, Fuller Seminary, the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy. Generationally, he belongs to what Tom Brokaw calls “the greatest generation,”... Read more
Check out some great videos on interesting topics: 1. Desiring God talks with pastor Thabiti Anyabwile on Christian rap. Great little interview that’s only a couple of minutes long but offers good perspective. If you’re not familiar with Thabiti, you should be–he is an exceptional preacher and Christian leader. 2. The Catholic pro-life league has produced a moving 40 second video about the importance of giving all babies a chance to live. The ending will surprise you. 3. This isn’t... Read more
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