This song, “Ghosts That We Knew,” is from the Grammy-award winning Mumford & Sons. In case you haven’t heard about this group, it’s led by the son of a charismatic British pastor. Marcus Mumford, the band’s leader, frequently sings about faith, heartbreak, and pain. I don’t know where Marcus stands with the Lord, but I do know that the songs he sings capture something of the fleeting hope and desperation of a life lived in awareness of–and perhaps separation from–God.... Read more
Christianity Today reports on growing persecution of Chinese Christians by the government: Incidents of persecution of Christians rose by about 42 percent last year compared with 2011, according to the report by human rights group China Aid. Many of these incidents involved groups of Christians. In total, the number of individual persecuted Christians rose by roughly 14 percent and total individual detentions increased by nearly 12 percent. China Aid said overall total persecution in six categories was about 13 percent worse than... Read more
Got two resources on the fight against abortion for you. First, a Huffington Post piece today noted the closure of four Planned Parenthood clinics in Wisconsin (HT: Sarah Pulliam Bailey). Somewhere, the angels are rejoicing. Four less houses of death. God is good. Bless you, Scott Walker, and your courageous public leadership. State governors and legislatures, we need to remember, have tremendous opportunities to do good. Here’s one example of that reported on by USA Today. You’ll almost never hear this, but the... Read more
If you were suffering through the once-awesome NBA Slam Dunk Contest last night as I was, then you may need a boost. A pick-me-up. Something to revive your flagging spirits. Here it is: Vince Carter’s 2000 exploits. The music is a little suspect, but the dunks alone should be enough to erase horrible memories of last night’s “Miss 9 Dunks Before Belatedly Making the One We’re Now Embarrassed to See” charade. Turn on some late-90s rap if you really want... Read more
Wright Thompson just published a powerful long-form profile of Michael Jordan at 50. It’s got some rough language, but it’s a penetrating character study of one of the most interesting men of our time (HT: Vitamin Z) The piece shows two major things to me: first, how Michael Jordan so beautifully displayed the image of God in his career; second, how Jordan so incontrovertibly is a selfish sinner, fallen just like all of us. It’s impossible to miss either of... Read more
I just heard this song this week. I think I’d heard it before, but not as powerfully as in the chapel of Southern Seminary this past Thursday, February 14. John Piper was about to deliver his quiet and moving sermon, which meant that there was an electricity in the air. The chapel itself was full to overflowing. It was a good day, a day to celebrate the Lord. That’s what the song above does: it celebrates the transcendence of Almighty... Read more
So the New England Patriots’ season ended surprisingly about a month ago as the team fell to the hated Baltimore Ravens. They did so without their tight end Rob Gronkowski, a touchdown machine. But that’s not all “Gronk” is: he’s a world-class partier. His exploits are well-documented; he sometimes introduces himself as “Yo Soy Fiesta,” which means “I am a party.” This is a fun-loving dude, an internationally known athlete who breaks records and is paid to go to kids’... Read more
So there you go: What We Talk About When We Talk About God (HarperOne, March 2013). We’ll see what this book ends up doing. It looks like it will be another epistle for the “spiritual, but not religious” crowd, and at least the book trailer is–well, confusing. I’m guessing the book will be about getting in touch with God without all the trappings of organized evangelicalism, all the unpopular stuff. Love Wins redefined biblical love and justice, leaving no place for the holiness... Read more
Got a couple of resources for you here, both dealing with manhood, womanhood, marriage, and the gospel of Jesus Christ. The first is a 36-minute interview with the Family Policy Council of West Virginia. I did this with Jeremiah Dys of the FPC and thoroughly enjoyed myself. The second is a two-part interview with Carroll Conley of Faith Matters in Maine (and Executive Director of the Christian Civic League in Maine). Part one is archived in the “Weekly” section under... Read more
One of the most encouraging things that we get to see as believers is the emergence of faithful younger voices. I guess I should note that I’m not, uh, old, but still, I’ve been encouraged by the recent release of two books written by talented and faithful young men. The first is called Reformational Manhood: Creating a Culture of Gospel-Centered Warriors (BorderStone Press, 2012). It’s written by a young pastor named Greg Gibson who runs this resource network. Greg’s a great guy... Read more
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