Due to Remembrance Day tomorrow, and it making sense to post about it on the day, this week’s Snippets are out a day early.
A Tale of Two Numbers
Kevin DeYoung addresses the all too common gap between membership rolls and church attendance. In the UK, typically, attendance outstrips membership but this isn’t always for the happy reason of a growing church.
Where to find hope and help amid the sexual revolution
‘The Christian view of marriage as being between a man and a woman, and the basic assumption that we’re all made as men and women, may not have always been championed by our culture, but it was at least seen as a legitimate (if quaint) part of Western thought. Now such views are increasingly seen as an actual danger to society. So how did we get here, and what should we do about it?’
The British and the unreached
Eddie Arthur offers some pretty grim statistics. The two standout headlines concern the amount of money given to mission agencies actually doing evangelism and the money going to those reaching the unreached. Neither figure should be cause for celebration.
Is Islam a religion of peace?
Tim Dieppe answers no. Our Muslim-background Iranian converts would concur. ‘In saying that Islam is not a religion of peace, we are not saying that all Muslims are violent people, or even that the majority are such. We are referring to the teaching and history of the religion, not to the behaviour of the majority of people who claim adherence to it. It is important that as a society and as individuals we are clear about this. It is honest and correct to say that most Muslims are peaceful people. But it does not follow from this that Islam is a religion of peace.’
Saying “God called me” can be dangerous
‘Let’s be honest with ourselves. Often, “God called me” basically means, “I want to” but with a spiritual veneer.’ Yup.
The identity merry-go-round
Lots of people have been commenting on the story of a man who wants to legally change his age. Here is one that sums up many of the others.
From the archive: Know your limits – not all opinions should have equal weight
‘I want to go on the record: all views and opinions are not equal. We do not have to take each opinion and viewpoint as equally valid. We should afford people the right to voice and hold their opinions and views, for sure. But that right is not the same as acknowledging every view is equally valid. In fact, some views are incoherent and, therefore, invalid. Whilst I believe people should be entitled to hold them, I am not as a consequence bound to treat that position as though it has been articulated by an intellectual colossus. We need to be clear on this. All views can be held by rights; not all views are equally valid.’