Israel, Gaza, Divine Right, and John Piper – Matt Smethurst of The Gospel Coalition writes a compelling and important article for Christians thinking through the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Does Israel have a divine right to the land that is being contested? Check out this article for a sobering and biblically sound answer.
What is a Disciple? – Jonathan Parnell: “To be a disciple of Jesus means to point people to him. It means to tell the old, old story of Jesus and his love so that others would know him and worship him. It means, in other words, that we gladly seek more worshipers-servants-missionaries. Which is to say, a disciple of Jesus makes disciples of Jesus, as Jesus tells us to.”
Anxiety and Depression, My Strange Friends – Scott Sauls: “Anxiety and depression have been God’s way of reminding me that I don’t have to be awesome. He has not called me to be awesome, or impressive, or a celebrity pastor, or anything of the sort. He has first and foremost called me to be loved, and to receive that love. He has called me to remember that because of Jesus, I already have a name, and I will be remembered even after I am long gone, because he is my God and I am his. He is my Father and I am his son.”
Why Tony Dungy Isn’t a Bigot – Barnabas Piper: “To make a decision from conviction, because one believes it is moral or for the best, is not bigotry. Bigotry is when one makes a decision in order to exclude or harm another. When we arrive at such a misunderstanding of “bigot,” all ability to reason, to share beliefs, and to discourse are gone.”
Moving In and Moving On – Scott Stanley: “If you want to marry, be careful about cohabitation. Sure, more and more people are cohabiting, but it’s also less likely than ever to lead to marriage.”
Really? You’re Going to Die on That Hill? – Thabiti Anyabwile: “In a time when many evangelicals feel as if the sky is falling and the culture is lost, it might be good for us all to step back, swear off controversy for a while, and determine what really matters most. I can see now that a lot of what I thought was dire was really the angst of someone else who loved controversy and felt like they were on ‘the losing side.'”
N is for Nazareth – The reason many Christians, myself included, have changed their Twitter avatars to the Arabic “n.” Russell Moore writes, “The Islamic militants mean it for evil when they mark homes with ‘N’ for ‘Nazarene.’ They assume it’s an insult, an emblem of shame. Others once thought that of the cross. But in that intended slight, we are reminded of who we are, and why we belong to one another, across the barriers of space and time and language and nationality. We are Christians. We are citizens of the New Jerusalem. We are Nazarenes all.”
Lay siege to your sins, and starve them out by keeping away the food and fuel which is their maintenance and life. –Richard Baxter
MATHEW GILBERT 