There were lots of interesting articles floating around the web this week. You can check some of them out here:
1. “Porn and the Church Staff” by Jake Larson
Larson, over at the Resurgence, gives some helpful suggestions on how to deal with a staff member who confesses to struggling with pornography. This is a big deal! I have counseled pastors who struggled with pornography and watched churches that lost their pastors because of it. Increasing congregations and staff need to be aware of this potential and prepared to act.
2. “Thistles and Thorns: The Pastor’s Field Suffers from Adam’s Curse Too” by Derek Rishmawy
My friend Derek wrote this important reminder to pastors over at Leadership Journal. He doesn’t merely state the obvious here, pastoral ministry is hard, but rather reminds us that its hard in the same way that everyone’s work is hard: Pastors work in a fallen world. He makes a call for us to reconnect our vocational frustrations with the rest of the world, to not do so leads to some unhealthy perspectives.
3. “Something in the Water: How the Church Makes the Trial of Infertility Better (or Worse)” by Jeff Cavanaugh
The newest issue of the Christ and Pop Culture Magazine includes this moving piece from my friend Jeff. Having experienced the trial of infertility ourselves Krista and I were able to relate to this piece very wonderfully. Interestingly enough, Jeff attends the church we attended when we went through this trial. As the church we can either help families struggling with this sin or we can be insensitive to them. This piece is a great place to start in thinking through how to best support and love those struggling in our midst with infertility.
4. “Pastors Need Women Teachers” by Jen Wilkin
Over at The Gospel Coalition they are echoing some of the sentiments I have made in previous posts on this blog. I think the piece still has in mind solely women-ministering-to-women, a vital role for women in the church. I also think much of what it said here, however, can apply to why we need women to help us teach the whole church, not simply the female portion of it.
5. “Dietrich Bonhoeffer on Psychiatry” by Brad Hambrick
Hambrick gives some interesting quotes from Bonhoeffer on the value that Christian discipleship holds over modern psychiatry.
6. “A New Documentary on the Presidency of R. Albert Mohler Jr. at Southern Seminry” by Justin Taylor
Take 25 minutes and watch this documentary on Mohler. See not simply the beautiful way in which God used Mohler to turn around Southern Seminary, but see also the history and legacy of this great institution. After you’ve watched the documentary you can read this reflection from Mohler himself on his twenty years as president of SBTS.
7. Strange Fire Conference – I have learned a great deal of theology from John MacArthur. I remember his book Ashamed of the Gospel was the first real theology text I ever read and it shook me to the core of my being. Perhaps that is why I was so deeply saddened to find that he was hosting a three-day conference in which he painted with a broom, calling the Charismatic movement a tool of Satan. Many godly men and women have arisen within this movement, many godly theologians and pastors (John Piper, Wayne Grudem, Sam Storms, Gordon Fee, etc.). It grieves my heart that MacArthur wants to host a whole conference devoted to rebuking Charismatics. The entire tone of the conference appears to have been full of hyperbole, disrespect, and myopia. I appreciated this response from Michael Brown, A Final Appeal to Pastor John MacArthur on the Eve of His “Strange Fire” Conference, and this one from Adrian Warnock, Strange Fire: John MacArthur Claims No Good Has Come Out of the Charismatic Movement. The whole thing is sad to me. No one denies that there are abuses and gross aberrations of Charismatic theology around, but to call all Charismatics as false teachers is extreme. This is not a respectful dialogue, and that is the biggest shame.
8. “Taken for Granted: Why the Church Must Acknowledge Illness” by Richard Clark
A compelling piece from my friend Rich on an issue that is often neglected in church conversations.
9. “Hijacking Back Your Brain from Porn” by John Piper
It has been well documented and established that pornography can kidnap your brain! Here Piper outlines four ways people can recapture their brains from pornography. While Piper acknowledges what neurologists like William Struthers and medical doctor Norman Doidge have demonstrated, he also affirms that man is more than his biology. So despite the power and control that pornography can have over a person there is hope in the power of God to change! This is a worthy read.
10. “Mental Floss Exclusive: Our Interview with Bill Watterson” by Jake Rossen
As an avid lover of Calvin & Hobbes, and for that matter of Bill Watterson, I was excited to read this interview. And while it doesn’t give us anything new in terms of hopes for C&H ephemera it is another reminder of what makes Watterson and his comic so great.
11. “Reformation Theology or Theologies?: A Conversation with Timothy George (Part 2)” by Trevin Wax
I love Timothy George. For a season I considered pursuing a PhD in Church History on the work of Martin Luther, and it was George’s own work that inspired me to do it. Here he answers some thoughtful questions about the Reformation, Reformation scholarship, and the value of history for today.
Sparrow & Heart Soul Care 