‘What we offer the world is not ourselves or our moral example or our spiritual integrity. What we offer the world is our broken lives, saying, “We are sinners saved by grace.” What we offer the world is Jesus Christ and him crucified.’
-Mark Galli, Christianity Today

Mike Cosper and Sojourn Music have just released another CD, and it is a block-buster: “Over The Grave: The Hymns Of Isaac Watts, volume one.” I heard these guys play live last week at the Baptist21 meeting held at Sojourn Community Church, and that is where I first heard the song that is my favorite on the album, “Only Your Blood Is Enough.” You can preview this and other songs from the album on their MySpace or Facebook pages.

This is a great album, and I think you should buy it. The music and production value are excellent, and the lyrics are all from Isaac Watts. How can you go wrong with that? Answer: You can’t. Keep Reading →

I just finished reading Danny Akin’s reflections on the recent SBC meeting. Not only does he explain why he is encouraged about what happened in Louisville, he also answers questions about Mark Driscoll and Acts29. He writes:

“It is possible years from now that we will look back on the 2009 SBC in Louisville and see it as a historic watershed moment in our history. It is possible that on the 30th anniversary of the beginning of the Conservative Resurgence (CR), we will have witnessed the natural and hoped for outcome of the CR in the genesis of a new movement of God among His people in a Great Commission Resurgence (GCR) that signaled a new day in the advance of the gospel across North America and to all the nations of the earth. I know this is my heart’s cry and desire.”

Read the rest here.

President Obama hosted hundreds of gay and lesbian leaders in the White House yesterday for a “LGBT Gay Pride Month” reception. I want to comment briefly on three excerpts from the President’s remarks and conclude with some final thoughts at the end. Keep Reading →

“Through the grace of God, I have been fortunate to have achieved many of my artistic and professional aspirations realized early in my lifetime. But these, friends are accomplishments, and accomplishments alone are not synonymous with who I am. Indeed, the cheery five-year-old who belted out Rockin’ Robin and Ben to adoring crowds was not indicative of the boy behind the smile. . . I am the product of a lack of a childhood. . . when I was young I wanted more than anything else to be a typical little boy. I wanted to build tree houses, have water balloon fights, and play hide and seek with my friends. . . There was no respite from my professional life. . .

“My father was a managerial genius and my brothers and I owe our professional success, in no small measure, to the forceful way that he pushed us. He trained me as a showman and under his guidance I couldn’t miss a step. But what I really wanted was a Dad. I wanted a father who showed me love. And my father never did that.”

-Michael Jackson, speech at the Oxford Union, March 6, 2001

Trevin Wax has compiled a helpful piece for Christianity Today in which he sets in parallel the contrasting views of John Piper and N. T. Wright on the topic of justification. There is an HTML version that you can read, or you can download a PDF of the article as it appeared on the pages of CT.

This year’s meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) in Louisville, Kentucky was nothing short of amazing. For me, the totally unexpected happened. I came away feeling more optimistic about the SBC than I ever have before. Why did I feel this way?

1. The Great Commission Resurgence (GCR). Danny Akin first cast his vision for a “Great Commission Resurgence” at the “Building Bridges” conference back in 2007. If you have not ever listened to this sermon, I encourage you to do so (audio below). It was prophetic, timely, and courageous. Keep Reading →

Do dead people praise God? The Psalmist says that they don’t. Read for yourself the last two verses from Psalm 115:

The dead do not praise the LORD,
Nor do any who go down into silence;
But as for us, we will bless the LORD
From this time forth and forever.
Praise the LORD!

I wonder how many of you readers are shocked to learn that Holy Scripture says the “dead do not praise the Lord.” For those of us grew up in evangelical churches that teach about saints praising God in the afterlife, this text can come across as quite a jolt. Keep Reading →

In my last post, I noted that Russell Moore will be signing books next week in the SBTS booth at the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). In fact, SBTS will be hosting a number of its authors for book-signings. The full schedule for the SBTS booth is below, and I hope to see you there! Keep Reading →

If you haven’t done so already, you need to buy and read Russell Moore’s new book Adopted for Life: The Priority of Adoption for Christian Families & Churches. Not only is this book is a real page-turner, it also makes a compelling case for the cultivation of an adoption culture within churches for the sake of gospel witness. Moore writes,

“The gospel of Jesus Christ means our families and churches ought to be at the forefront of the adoption of orphans close to home and around the world. . . Adoption is about an entire culture within our churches, a culture that sees adoption as part of our Great Commission mandate and as a sign of the gospel itself” (pp. 18-19).

Among other things, Moore shows that Christians bear witness to the gospel in a unique way through adoption. He writes,

“I want to ask what it would mean if our churches and families were known as the people who adopt babies—and toddlers, and children, and teenagers. What if Christians were known, once again, as the people who take orphans and make of them beloved sons and daughters?” (p. 20)

Dr. Moore answers this question by setting the doctrinal issues within the framework of his own experience of adopting two baby boys from Russia. This book is not merely a page-turner; it’s heart-wrencher. You need to read this book. Expect to be changed as you do.

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Dr. Moore will be signing books at the Southern Baptist Convention next week in Louisville, Kentucky. If you are going to be in town, please drop by the booth of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary from 11-12pm, Monday, June 22. You can meet Dr. Moore, purchase a copy of the book, and have it signed. I hope to see you there.