Above: Typing in tongues. A real page of Tim Keller sermon notes from which he preached a real sermon.
If today’s list ends up a bit short, it’s because I was busy playing Fiery Darts 2 “an Arcade Style game in which you maneuver Methuselah, and collect Biblical Prizes, while avoiding the Fiery Darts of the enemy.” (There’s even a DOS version available!)
- Values in Conflict: “She has a 4.0 average at Heritage Academy, the small private Christian school she attends; played on the soccer team; and served as president of the student council.” But the 18 year old is banned from graduating with her class because she is pregnant. The New York Times notes that anti-abortion group Students for Life “argues that she should be lauded, not punished, for her decision to keep her baby.”
- Flunked out of Confirmation class? Should some of the kids be turned down? Should 100% of people who apply for believer’s Baptism be accepted? You’re going to need to read the comments on this one to get answers.
- Best Podcast Guest List Ever: Where has this been all my life? It’s called Seminary Dropout, though the guests aren’t necessarily so, though the host admits to being one. Scroll down the right margin for a list of guests. (Seriously, I’m going to have to listen to all of these.) Also on iTunes.
- Calling it “excruciatingly painful to watch” the author nonetheless is encouraging pastor to watch all 13 episodes of 13 Reasons Why on Netflix. “…[P]arents, teachers, counselors, youth workers: 13 Reasons Why is a conversation waiting to happen, the strangest of gift horses plopped right in front of us. While the topics are still fresh in their minds, parents can catch up and take advantage of the opportunity to engage in dialogue about high school culture and the way individual students respond to it.”
- Summer in the City: Official celebrations have kicked off in Martin Luther’s hometown Wittenberg celebrating 500 years of the Reformation.
- Essay of the Month: The essay we felt was most worth reading this week came in a different form; a one-year-later health update from Zach Hunt. Sample: “I’m convinced now more than ever that the lines we try to draw around when and where and how and through whom God can act aren’t just an exercise in futility. They’re an act of blasphemy.”
- Concert Politics: Hillsong’s concert in Caesarea is ruined for this attender when the people on stage seem to be denying the possibility of Palestinian Christians.
- Matthew Vines is adamant that, “The global church will be fully LGBTQ affirming.” Much hinges on interpretation of scripture, and not every church which invites him to speak necessarily embraces the totality of his vision.
- Finance Department: You’ve heard of ethical bond market funds, right? Get ready for religious ETFs. Securities are monitored for “alignment with biblical values.”
- Dialing for Doctrine: A search for middle ground on the spectrum between Hyper-Calvinism and Pure Arminianism.
- Church Growth: This church went from 500 to 2900. 23-minute video podcast at unSeminary.
- Church Planting: “58% of church plants in Canada never become self-supporting…The days of expecting a church plant to reach maturity in three years are gone.”
- Timothy Mackie and Jonathan Collins of The Bible Project guest this week on Phil Vischer. (No excerpt though, so if you don’t know what this is, watch this first.) Fast forward to 19:18.
- Provocative Headline of the Week: A Creationist Sues the Grand Canyon for Religious Discrimination.
- Worship Workshop (1): Before there was contemporary worship and traditional worship, there was simply worship.
- Worship Workshop (2): 8 Common worship leading mistakes.
- Expensive Bibles (1): The Museum of the Bible has issued a $¼M (US) grant for the publication of a transcription of the Pauline Epistles.
- Expensive Bibles (2): The website Homebrewed Christianity is giving away not one, but two sets of the very esoteric Bible edition known as Biblioteca. (How’d they swing that?) Open to June 6th; winners to be announced June 7th.
- Listicle of the Week: 7 Things C. S. Lewis Didn’t Say. (One of these surprised me. Not saying which.)
- Bell Bashing: The best ChurchLeaders.com could do is simply mirror a book review The Gospel Coalition did of Rob Bell’s What is the Bible? so you know ahead of time how this ends. Ironically, the review is probably more speculative than anything Bell wrote. (Why would they even bother reviewing it?) …
- … Well, one reviewer enjoyed it; giving Bell an opportunity to respond to potential critics.
- “Blessed are the peacemakers… ” — a great verse to have on police patrol cars, right? Not in a country that enshrines the idea of separation of church and state.
- Wisdom of the Week: “The New Testament writers wrote and advised the church as if the most important stuff in their lives was happening in the churches and not in the halls of governmental powers.”
- You play a background role on Sunday mornings. You’ve never been on the platform. Nobody knows you. However, “Although you may not have the title of ‘worship leader’ you are actually a leader of worship nonetheless.”
- Devotional Illustration: Imagine a young Helen Keller suddenly realizing there was a means to connect her inner world to those outside. “Objects had names. Sensations could be described. Helen finally had a way to communicate from her dark, silent cell.” The lesser-known person behind the transformation.
- Parenting Place: Real reasons why your child is special.
- At no extra charge: My personal Twitter wisdom.
- Young Adult Fiction Department: This YA novel was written by a longtime friend who currently attends our church. It’s available through all the usual suspects in paperback, hardcover and eBook.
- ♫ At the Billboard Music Awards, Lauren Daigle won top Christian artist, while Hillary Scott and the Scott Family won top Christian song for “Thy Will.” Complete list of winners.
- ♫ Hit the Road, Jack! Making last minute summer travel plans? Here’s your complete list of Summer 2017 Christian music festivals in the U.S.
- ♫ Snoop Dog has announced he’s making a gospel album. I love how the music writers frame this: Snoop Dogg is taking it to chuuch and The Doggfather details his next plans.
- Infographic of the Week: Lumping Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons together is like comparing Star Wars to Star Trek.
Vintage Photo: Francis Chan talks to Tommy Smothers of the Smothers Brothers.
These days you can never be sure if the sign is real or generated, but either way this is brilliant.
In this case, what exactly do they mean by reveal?
Thinking Out Loud 
LOL- Apple’s Terms and Conditions
Comment by angie — May 24, 2017 @ 11:43 am