I Recommend
This past week, I shared the following links on social media and I think they’re worth sharing here too:
A tip of the hat to my dear wife Rose for alerting me to this helpful post. For some people, going to church can be really difficult — and it’s certainly not limited to the types of people mentioned here. Rose added: “Hard for those who are full of anxiety, hard for those who are grieving, hard for those who are going through things they cannot talk about with anyone, hard for those who have experienced church as an unsafe place, hard for those who have been deeply judged and betrayed.” The post ends with a healthy perspective.
5 Misconceptions about Spiritual Abuse: #1 “Loving the Church Means You Don’t Call Out Her Problems”
Michael Kruger has a book forthcoming on the topic of spiritual abuse — I have it pre-ordered for review purposes. In the meantime, he’s continuing to share his work on it.
Is there ever a time when idolatry isn’t relevant to me and you? Tim Challies gives us that regular reminder we all need about its utter foolishness:
When you encounter times of deep grief and sore loss and long to be comforted, let the women of your pornography rush to your side. Let them minister to your sorrows.
When you are old and infirm and need someone to care for you or simply care about you, let your career come to your side and nurse you. Let it bring you comfort as you prepare to face eternity.
When you have sinned and transgressed and long for someone to love you and walk with you through repentance and restoration, let the characters in the books or movies or games that so consumed your time be with you. Let them be the friend who sticks closer than a brother.
Why are Christians STILL Watching Game of Thrones?
And to that, we might add: why would they ever watch the House of the Dragon, the sequel series? One secular news outlet bemoaned its “over-reliance on gratuitous sex.” That should be a not-so-subtle message to Christians.
What the Federal Vision Still Does to the Definition of Faith
An online research group is doing good work exposing and publicizing the problems connected with Doug Wilson, including his advocacy of Federal Vision theology — see here for their website, here for Facebook, here for Twitter. Chris Gordon discusses one of the key issues — how faith, in the context of justification, gets redefined to include works. I’ve discussed this in my 2014 booklet, Federal Vision: A Canadian Reformed Pastor’s Perspective.
Every School is a Religious School
Paul Matthews: “In education, the words secular, government, and public are not synonymous with neutrality. A public school is every bit as wedded to worldview-shaping religio-philosophical underpinnings as any religious school. It is not neutral because it is not possible to be neutral.”
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Position Statements on Reformed Churches and Sexual Abuse
“I wish I knew less about sexual abuse. In my personal and pastoral life, I have learned far too much about the horrific reality of what some human beings will do to others for the sake of their own pleasure. However, the knowledge God has providentially placed in my life has motivated me to advocate for the abused. I have developed the following position statements with the purpose of creating awareness and provoking discussion in our Reformed communities.”
