As well as reading a lot of books, I also read a ton of articles every week. Here are some of the articles that I’ve read recently and have found interesting, helpful, challenging and encouraging. I hope that they will be the same for you, my dear readers…
Arriving late to the Potter Party
” These novels have given me perspective on my own reaction to the creativity of others, renewed scepticism about Christian subculture’s critical senses, and room for redemptive talk with my daughters rooted in a story they love which points to the Story of God’s love.”
5 Myths About Deacons
“Deacons are not the church’s spiritual council of directors, nor the executive board to whom the pastor answers. They are a cavalry of servants, deputized to execute the elders’ vision by coordinating various ministries. They are like a congregation’s Special Ops force, carrying out unseen assignments with fortitude and joy.”
How to Spot a Personality Cult
“If the church is to reclaim its power as a countercultural witness for Christ, we must assess the effects of this sort of idolatry. We must learn how to spot cults of personality, whether large or small.”
Should I Choose a Church for Its Pastor?
“If you are looking for a good church, the role of the preacher of God’s Word is the most important thing to consider. I don’t care how friendly you think the church members are. I don’t care how good you think the music is. Those things can change.”
Can You Hear the Congregation Singing?
“When the congregation is focused on the glory of God, the glory of man dwindles. In a very real sense, the reason we search for a church that has congregational singing is because it reveals the attention is not on man, but God—the object of our worship.”
Beware of Stoical Dangers
“gritted teeth Christianity is not Christianity, for mere external obedience has never been the Christian’s obligation.”
Abortion Is Unjust Discrimination
“Abortion-choice advocates consider their view morally superior. They believe they are defending a woman’s right to control her body. What they don’t realize, though, is that their position leads to an act of unjust discrimination.”
What is Heaven Like?
“Heaven is a place, yes – but it is so much more. It is a place for us. A home. Our home. An end to wondering where we belong, trying to fit in a world seemingly designed against us.”
The Hidden Gift of Spiritual Amnesia
“My forgetfulness won’t be easily overcome in this lifetime, but it does serve to drive me back to studying the Bible, back to sermons at church, back to daily devotionals, and back to conversations with Christian friends, over and over again. That’s something to be thankful for.”
Chalmers' Blog 
Interesting (intentional?) juxtaposition of “How to spot a personality cult” and “Should I choose a church for its pastor”. If you are defining a church by its pastor then you are maybe on the first tentative steps of creating a personality cult. If the question was “Should I choose a church by the quality of its Bible teaching” then I would be far more comfortable with it – although we always run the danger of raising teaching above all else that we fall into the trap of the church in Ephesus which managed to sort out all its false teachers and get its doctrine straight and yet had lost its first love.
(of course, the choice of pastor will give a clear indication of the priorities of the church that appointed them)
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