Every week I like to collect interesting articles that I’ve read from around the web and share them with my readers. Here is this week’s list, check it out:
1. “Three Views on Marriage” David Brooks
Looking at the psychological, romantic, and moral views of marriage, and interacting with Tim Keller among others, Brooks strikes again at the moral decline of American culture. Here he notes that it is perhaps because the moral view of marriage is so lacking in our culture that marriages are so much worse now than they were generations ago.
2. “Clinton, Sanders miss the point on student debt” by James K.A. Smith
Smith writes a piece for USA Today on the need for internal reform within universities, stating that the presidential candidate plans to decrease student loan debt are merely shifting the costs, not addressing them. A good piece from an honest insider.
3. “Criminals Need God’s Mercy and Love Too” by Angela Shepherd
A wonderful little interview over at TGC’s Faith & Work channel. Here Shepherd interviews Amber Yoder, a counselor for juvenile sex offenders. Yoder discusses in her short interview her role as a counselor and how her faith informs what she does. I love the compassion and care behind this individual’s work.
4. “Why This Election Makes Me Hat the Word ‘Evangelical’” by Russell Moore
The Washington Post has run an opinion piece by Dr. Moore. In it his claims that Evangelical has been slowly co-opted by those who are less interested in morality than they are in majority, those more inclined towards power than gospel truth. He points to those who have chosen to back a candidate like Donald Trump, though he doesn’t outright name him, in spite of his myriads of moral failings. Support for such candidates has made the term “Evangelical” useless and embarrassing. So, until this season is over he won’t be labeling himself Evangelical. After the season, however, he says we need to “make Evangelical great again.”
5. “Lawsuit: Controversial Pastor Ran Mars Hill Megachurch Like a Crime Syndicate” by Brandy Zadrozny
This headline is just the worst, it’s absolute clickbait and a pretty unfair description of Mark Driscoll. Nonetheless this story goes on to describe the details of a lawsuit former members of Mars Hill have filed against Driscoll for racketeering. The suit comes just as Driscoll launched a new church in Phoenix. It’s a sad story honestly.
6. “Do I Admit I’ve Been Unfaithful?” by Julie Ganschow
A good piece from The Biblical Counseling Coalition blog. Julie advises here that a woman should tell her husband of an affair, even if that affair is old and has stopped. She points particularly to the fact that adultery is rooted in selfishness, which is the same thing that guards the secret of the affair. Confession brings healing. Confession is owed.
7. “The Doctrine of Election Saved Me From Depression” by Jimmy Needham
The doctrine of election is one of the most controversial doctrines within the church. It has bred more internecine debates than any other doctrine, I suspect. Yet, here Needham describes how his discovery of this doctrine brought him immense peace and joy. It secured his confidence in the face of suffering, inspired and freed his evangelism, and rested his heart in assurance of salvation. The doctrine does not do that for all people, of course. For some the doctrine is a source of real uncertainty and discouragement. But for some this article may be the help they need. I encourage you to read it, friend.
8. “Peace, My Animal” by Natalie Vestin
Written by a Catholic this is a rather sweet reflection on love and mercy and fear. The details of the theology behind this writing would not be consistent with my own, but I want the heart of it to be consistent. Utilizing the frustration of a mouse intruding in her workspace Vestin describes how we ought to seek to cultivate love for the undesirable. “How good it is to love live things.” It’s quite a beautiful reflection, friends, and I commend it to you.
Pastor Dave Online 