Is it Anti-gospel to Teach Kids Self-control Before Conversion?

Last updated on: August 27, 2012 at 2:45 pm By Owen Strachan

Right now in conservative evangelicalism, there is an ongoing conversation about children, the gospel, and sanctification. Kevin DeYoung’s book The Hole in our Holiness is the latest entry on this topic, and looks to be very helpful. One side of the discussion emphasizes that no true transformation can happen without miraculous grace. There is surely truth to this argument. Without the gospel, we are slaves to sin. We cannot conquer sin or master it; as long as we are unconverted, sin... Read more

Ravi Zacharias: It’s Not Okay to Practice Homosexuality As a Christian

Last updated on: August 25, 2012 at 4:48 am By Owen Strachan

http://youtu.be/CIw6ngIqaD0 Some of you will be aware of the recent controversy surrounding Alan Chambers, the head of Exodus International, a ministry that helps gays and lesbians embrace the gospel. Chambers recently suggested that one can be a born-again Christian and continue to practice homosexual sin, which touched off a firestorm. This is a tricky matter, but I appreciated Ravi Zacharias’s careful response above. Eric Teetsel of the Manhattan Declaration pointed me to it a few days ago. It strikes me... Read more

The Aesthetics of Work

Last updated on: August 24, 2012 at 2:37 pm By Owen Strachan

A little while back I blogged about the workrooms of famous men. Today comes news of a great-looking new book called Where They Create (Frame, 2012). It’s very expensive and features the photography of a talented man named Paul Barbera. The little I’ve seen from the PR of the book reminds me that aesthetics matter. Design has practical significance for our everyday lives. That may seem counterintuitive. Aren’t we supposed to just, well, work in whatever surroundings we find ourselves? ... Read more

Matthew Perryman Jones, One of Evangelicalism’s Finest Singer-Songwriters

Last updated on: August 23, 2012 at 2:56 pm By Owen Strachan

http://youtu.be/KHeOy98gZ4I If you haven’t heard of Matthew Perryman Jones, he’s one of the finest singer-songwriters I know of. Jones has a new album out called Land of the Living that looks great (here’s an interview about it with Relevant magazine, and here’s a laudatory review from a leading music website). The song above is from the new album (Update 11:24am: the album is free on Noisetrade for a couple more days. Go get it!) And here’s a terrific song that... Read more

Guard the Flock: David Jang & “Second Coming Christ” Theology

Last updated on: August 22, 2012 at 4:31 am By Owen Strachan

Christianity Today has just published a major piece on a mega-leader named David Jang, whose followers may claim that he is the “Second Coming Christ.” Ted Olsen and Ken Smith have published this work of investigative journalism that I commend to you in order that you might know about a potentially dangerous theological movement that is associated with California’s Olivet University and Apostolos Campus Ministries. Over the last five years, ministries and organizations founded by or connected to Jang have... Read more

MIT Prof Vs. Bowdoin Prof: Are Science & Faith Foes?

Last updated on: August 21, 2012 at 4:02 am By Owen Strachan

http://youtu.be/P7jJDab_2rs On April 12, 2012 at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, scientists Troy Van Voorhis of MIT and Richmond Thompson of Bowdoin debated the question, “Science and faith: friends or foes?” Van Voorhis and Thompson each gave 20-minute presentations on the topic, with Van Voorhis presenting an evangelical take on the matter and Thompson arguing for a non-Christian position. I had the opportunity to moderate this debate at my alma mater (my voice was suffering from allergies and a cold,... Read more

Things You Should Emulate: Speak for the Unborn

Last updated on: August 20, 2012 at 5:48 pm By Owen Strachan

One of the best ministries I know of is called Speak for the Unborn. It’s based out of Louisville’s Immanuel Baptist Church, a congregation led by powerful preacher Ryan Fullerton that is absolutely on mission for Christ. The ministry opposes Satan by sharing the gospel with women at abortion clinics, praying for them, and generally doing whatever it can to promote life in a gracious and bold way. Here’s a bit of info on this ministry: We are a group... Read more

Basketball Classic: Jeremy Lin Destroying John Wall

Last updated on: August 18, 2012 at 4:01 am By Owen Strachan

If you come within 5000 yards of this blog on any kind of semi-occasional basis, you know I am a Jeremy Lin fan, both for his faith and his stellar basketball skills. The video above shows you the talent that almost never was expressed on an NBA court–in a game in which Lin technically should have been destroyed by his much-hyped opponent, John Wall. (Update: this is from July 2010, just before Lin’s rookie season with the Golden State Warriors. He... Read more

Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters

Last updated on: August 17, 2012 at 4:47 am By Owen Strachan

I recently got a hold of Dr. Meg Meeker’s book Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters: A 30-Day Challenge (The A Group, 2012). It’s based off of Meeker’s best-selling book by the same name, and it’s geared at getting dads to invest in their daughters. Meeker writes from a perspective that religious people of various groups can appreciate, and she goes, it seems, to an evangelical church. She offers the reader strong practical wisdom that I found helpful and challenging. For example,... Read more