My most common pastoral advice
Yes and amen to this one. So many of our issues in the Christian life would be resolved if we just understand that God may not be as concerned about the specifics of this decision as we are! Tim Challies qualifies this a bit, but in essence, wants to help us live in freedom not in hoc to assumed rules by which we hamstring ourselves that God hasn’t given.
What’s your screensaver?
Listeners have a duty to help preachers to teach them and to listen well. This one looks at how we can engage by thinking about our facial screensaver.
What my All Star MLB pitcher dad taught me about godly competition
This is a really nice one about being Christian in sport.
What is evil – biblically?
‘This essay addresses many of the tough and controversial questions we have about evil: How do we define it? What about the problem of evil? What is good, what is evil? Where does evil come from and get its power? What’s God’s answer to evil? How do we overcome evil? How does evil impact faith?’
Does Christian sex need rescuing?
This is a fair and balanced review of Sheila Wray Gregoire’s book The Great Sex Rescue. The reviewer is very much alive to Gregoire’s critique, and recommends we hear it well and respond to its legitimate challenge, whilst noting the book is not without its flaws.
Is temptation sin? – Not according to Sinclair Ferguson
Continuing his campaign to tell us about the relationship between temptation and sin, John Stevens has shared messages from John Calvin, Charles Spurgeon and Martin Lloyd-Jones. This time he points to Sinclair Ferguson’s comments on the subject, which lines up with the others.
From the archive: Are you actually capable of real friendship?
‘I appreciate we’re all going to draw our lines differently. But there really is nothing stopping us being friends. I don’t mind if you won’t let me join your church because I don’t share the convictions on which you stand – realistically, neither are going to be that happy if you let me in under those circumstances – but that doesn’t mean we can’t be friends. Non-essential theological matters shouldn’t impede basic friendship. If it does, it is likely that we are only able to be friends with people who affirm all our views. And if that is true, as much as it holds in the political realm, it may well be the case that we aren’t capable of real friendship at all. And for believers, that should not be so.’