In last week's post, we briefly discussed James Davison Hunter's observation (from his book To Change the World) that our increasingly omnipresent "fragmentation of consciousness" poses significant challenges to foster a distinctly Christian faithful presence in our modern world, as it "cultivates a kind of absence in the experience of 'being elsewhere'".

If Hunter's assessment is correct, what (if anything) should we do? How will we resist the seemingly relentless dilemma of "being elsewhere" with all our distractions, electronic gadgetry, entertainment, social media, etc. while living in and attending to the "here and now"? Hunter is clear: "Faithful presence resists such conditions and …

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According to Jonathan Edwards, Satan's desire to destroy man in the garden grew out of envy. His haughtiness and pride were insulted to see earthborn creatures receiving such honor while he, a native of heaven with such natural strength and knowledge, was cast down and dishonored. Thus, in this jealousy, Satan deceived Eve to bring an end to the insult.

Edwards paints the scene, and then he exposes the irony:

And oh, how may we conclude Satan triumphed when he had brought 'em down! How did he as it were laugh, to think how sorrowfully they found themselves disappointed in their expectations of coming to higher honor and being like gods.

But their fall has been the occasion of the…

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On Friday we pointed to Justin Holcomb's response to Project Reason and Fast Company's mutual misrepresentation of the Bible. Since that post, a couple other notable responses have been issued as well.

While Holcomb gives a solid, high-level answer to the "contradictions in Scripture" claim, Doug Wilson's response serves readers by getting nitty-gritty with a sampling of supposedly contradictory verses and showing how, in context, they aren't antithetical after all.

And Matt Perman's response is helpful in its diagnosis of what is really happening when we think we see contradictions in the Bible, and why identifying and chasing them down (as Wilson has done) is really a healthy and good …

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At this very moment, you’re multi-tasking:

1. you’re likely at work, home, or at a “third space”;
2. have multiple windows open on your screen;
3. are listening to music;
4. are reading another blog post;
5. are talking to/thinking about someone;
6. reading or writing an e-mail;
7. are blinking;
8. have a pulse.

Okay, scratch the last two. (And lest you surmise I suffer from the “I’m okay, you’re not okay” malady, ironically I’m multi-tasking even as I compose this blog post.)

So let’s pause now—really, right now—stop all multi-tasking: turn off your cell phone, don’t check e-mail, take a break from anything media related, and slowly work your way through this quotation from James Davison Hunter:

The very na…

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One of our dear small group members recently sent all of us this hymn by John Newton. It was refreshing to my soul. Thank you, God, for John Newton—and for my friend!

If you’ve been praying for greater faith and love and freedom from selfishness and more of God, you probably need to read this and take heart. Our Father “disciplines us for our good that we may share his holiness” (Hebrews 12:10).

Prayer Answered by Crosses
By John Newton

I asked the Lord that I might grow 

In faith and love and every grace, 

Might more of his salvation know, 

And seek more earnestly his face.

‘Twas he who taught me thus to pray; 

And he, I trust, has answered prayer; 

But it has been in such a w…

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Greg Lucas is a dear friend who has contributed a gift to the Church in his new book Wrestling with an Angel: A Story of Love, Disability, and the Lesson of Grace.

Here's my endorsement of the book:

It is a rare book that makes much of God and our dependency on Him while also celebrating His goodness through hard things. Using his own example of parenting a child with significant disabilities, Greg demonstrates what relying on a sovereign God through extreme difficulty and suffering looks like. This book is a gift to the church, and particularly to men who need an example of masculine, Biblical leadership in the face of complex, confusing, and overwhelming circumstances. If you have eve…

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Recently I picked up William P. Farley’s book, Gospel-Powered Parenting and found exactly what I needed to hear as a young father. I’m not going to write a full review, since Tim Challies already did that, but I hope this post whets your appetite a little.

Since discovering that the gospel is the fuel that drives Christians to loving, joyful obedience, I’ve had my eye out for a book that would help my wife and I apply the gospel to our children as we nurture them in the Lord. We don’t want to train up a group of thespian (fake) Christians, but joy-filled, fruitful, enduring (real) ones. As Farley points out, the devil can produce outwardly “moral” children—our goal as parents ought to be …

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We commended Darrin Patrick’s new book Church Planterbefore, but here’s a particular word for the preface, titled “Why Focus on Men?” It may be one of the best short articles on biblical manhood now available.

Below are a couple paragraphs that give the flavor of Patrick’s even-handed perspective—an approach that critiques both the left and the right, and thus steers clear of both the liberal and conservative errors.

These sentences won’t sit well with the left:

The persons of the Trinity are equal, but there is, nevertheless, submission within the Godhead by the Son and by the Spirit to the Father. My interpretation of this divine deference is that submission is a characteristic of a

…

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Discussions about suffering and God's goodness must go to the cross. For an example of what that looks like, consider this portion of Randy Alcorn’s newest book The Goodness of God: Assurance of Purpose in the Midst of Suffering. 

Jesus Christ’s life and death demonstrate that God has never dished out any suffering he hasn’t taken on himself.

His death on the cross is God’s answer to the question, “Why don’t you do something about evil?” God allowed Jesus’ temporary suffering so he could prevent our eternal suffering . . .

God wrote the script of this drama of redemption long before Satan, demons, Adam and Eve—and you and I—took the stage. And from the beginning, he knew that the utterly …

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John Piper’s latest book, Think, challenges readers to use their minds for the glory of God and in service to others.  We love the message of Think, as it matches the heartbeat of Crossway’s ministry, where we strive to publish books that challenge, encourage, and strengthen the church.

Below are a few classics and some newer resources you may not be aware of—books that we believe will serve you as a thoughtful Christian.

• A Francis A. Schaeffer Trilogy: Three Essential Books in One Volume: Including The God Who Is There, Escape from Reason, and He is There and He Is Not Silent, Francis Schaeffer’s theological trilogy engages contemporary cultural and worldview issues while rooting readers …

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