With an incredibly busy day on Wednesday, I was unable to put a Morning Mashup together. This turned out to be a real shame because there were many great articles floating around the web on Wednesday. Ah, c’est la vie! Nevertheless, I have a smorgasbord of articles dealing with the religious liberty violation in Houston, Mark Driscoll’s resignation, the Catholic Church and gay “marriage,” Ebola, the MLB playoffs, preaching, and much, much more.
Houston, We Have a Constitution – Russell Moore: “The separation of church and state means that we will render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s, and we will. But the preaching of the church of God does not belong to Caesar, and we will not hand it over to him. Not now. Not ever.”
Why Not Just Hand the Sermons Over? – Russell Moore: “Religious liberty isn’t ours to give away to Caesar, and soul freedom isn’t subject to subpoena from City Hall.”
Mark Driscoll Resigns from Mars Hill Church – With all of the hoopla in Houston, this story seemed to creep between the cracks. Driscoll’s demise is deeply saddening. However, I pray repentance would result from his fall.
Did the Roman Catholic Church Just Change Its Position on Divorce and Gay Marriage – Denny Burk says, based on news headlines, the answer is clearly, “Yes.”
American Evangelicals Should Expect Persecution – As one who will, Lord willing, be studying at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, these words from Albert Mohler are quite sobering: “Maybe the mission of this school is actually to train up a generation of preachers, missionaries, and evangelists who will be martyrs.”
What Happened to the Young, Restless, and Reformed in the SBC? – Blogger Tim Brister reflects on his journey in ministry as a Calvinist in the SBC and describes where many of his friends are. In my circle of friends in ministry who are Reformed, I see a similar trend. I pray this will be the trajectory of my life in ministry.
20 Ways to Be Refreshing in the Local Church – “It has been my pleasure to serve in the local church with some individuals that are truly “refreshing” to the saints. When you meet them, you know it! They are like an oasis in the midst of a desert. I walk away feeling encouraged, joyful, and spiritually stimulated. Unfortunately, they are an endangered species and much harder to find than should be the case.”
What Christians Should Know About the Ebola Crisis – Ebola is causing widespread fear in the United States and around the world. How should Christians respond to this deadly virus?
Making Sense of the MLB Playoffs – Chicks may dig the long ball, but small ball is king this postseason. Here are few surprising things this year’s MLB playoffs have taught us.
Best Trade in the History in the NFL? – This may surprise you.
Four Reasons Why Some Preachers Get Better and Others Don’t – Tremendous wisdom from a wonderful preacher and professor, Hershael York. He humorously writes, “Being a preaching professor is like getting paid to tell a mother that her baby is ugly. It might be the truth, but it’s not a truth anyone wants to hear.”
Ebola Fear – Marvin Olasky: “I had a heavy burden of fears and, unlike Pilgrim in John Bunyan’s wonderful tale, I can’t entirely shake that legacy.”
Preaching is War – David Prince: “As we preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ today, we would do well to keep the protoevangelium (first gospel) in Genesis 3:15 always in mind. It reminds us that preaching is warfare.”
Religious matters are to be separated from the state…because they are too high and holy and thus are beyond the competence of the state. –Isaac Backus
MATHEW GILBERT 