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Three things to do in the wake of the Oklahoma tragedy

By on May 21, 2013 in Christianity

Like many of you, I have been watching the aftermath of the storms in Oklahoma from afar. Also like you, I’ve been thinking about what an appropriate response might be. I don’t know that I have anything profound here, but I do have three quick thoughts about what you might do:

1. Weep. The Bible says that we are to weep with those who weep (Rom. 12:15). The most recent reports say that at least 24 people have been killed in this tragedy—many of which were school children who were trapped in the rubble at their school. I cannot imagine what it must have been like for some parents to have gone to bed last night still not knowing where their child is. It just takes your breath away even to imagine it. What must it be like to have to experience it? If you are feeling grief and horror at what has happened, those are the right feelings. Let them in, and weep with those who weep. The first and most obvious thing you can do to love those who are suffering is to feel it with them as best you can. Continue Reading →

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Job’s Suffering and Ours

By on May 21, 2013 in Christianity, Theology/Bible

Apparently the idea is abroad that the biblical book of Job is an inappropriate resource for Christians to turn to when addressing human suffering. I couldn’t disagree more. Is Job’s message the only thing to be said? No, of course not. There are countless other words of comfort that need to be delivered as we weep with those who weep and rally to support those in the midst of suffering (Psalm 34:18; Rom. 12:15). But neither can the message of Job be cast aside as insensitive or irrelevant to the current crisis. As tears stream down the faces of those grieving and hurting in Oklahoma, I’ll be praying that they encounter the compassion and mercy of the God of Job.

“Behold, we count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful” (James 5:11).

SERMON: “Job’s Suffering and Ours” (Job 1-2) [download]

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Mohler records special edition of “The Briefing” to address Oklahoma disaster.

By on May 21, 2013 in Christianity, Theology/Bible

Albert Mohler records a special episode of “The Briefing” to discuss the Oklahoma disaster and the difference between moral and natural evil. Download here, or listen below.

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Was Chris Broussard right?

By on May 19, 2013 in Christianity, Sports

Tony Reinke recently asked John Piper the question, “Was Chris Broussard right?” This question comes in the wake of Broussard’s very public comments about Jason Collins’ homosexuality. Download Piper’s response here or listen below.

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(HT: Tony Reinke)

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This Is No Ordinary Scandal

By on May 16, 2013 in Christianity, Politics

“We are in the midst of the worst Washington scandal since Watergate,” says Peggy Noonan in her weekly column for the Wall Street Journal. Noonan argues that this is no ordinary scandal. The IRS’s targeting of groups according to their political beliefs is serious, sinister business. She also reveals the breadth of the scandal in a way that few have. This is not simply about denying tax-exempt status to certain groups. It goes beyond that. The IRS scandal has two parts. Noonan writes: Continue Reading →

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A must-read on religious liberty in America

By on May 15, 2013 in Christianity, Politics

R. R. Reno is the editor of First Things, and his recent lecture at Hillsdale College on “Religion and Public Life in America” is not to be missed. Reno’s analysis of the current landscape may be the best that I’ve ever seen. I won’t summarize the entire article. I will leave it to you to take the time to read the whole thing. Just to give you a taste, however, here’s the intro: Continue Reading →

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Steven Curtis Chapman’s “Deep Roots”

By on May 15, 2013 in Christianity, Music

Steven Curtis Chapman has a new album out that I want to commend to you. It’s called “Deep Roots”. I suspect that the name reflects the fact that Chapman is not only going back to his musical roots in bluegrass, but also that he’s reprising songs that have meant a lot to him over the years.

The song selection includes classic hymns and old gospel songs. His duet with Ricky Skaggs on “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” may be the best track on the record. But probably my favorites are his fresh acoustic renditions of some of his early work. And by “early work,” I mean material that he recorded about 25 years ago—songs like “Hiding Place,” “His Eyes,” and my all-time favorite “My Redeemer Is Faithful and True.” Continue Reading →

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God help us if we don’t learn from Gosnell’s crimes

By on May 14, 2013 in Culture, Politics

Kermit Gosnell was convicted yesterday of three charges of first degree murder. He killed countless other live-born infants, but prosecutors could only prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he murdered these three. Some were killed after being delivered alive into toilets. Others had their necks “snipped” with scissors after clinic workers had played with them. The crimes were so heinous and the conditions so gruesome that it’s staggering to imagine that people have been witnessing and participating in this horror for decades.

Continue Reading →

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Gosnell is found guilty of first degree murder

By on May 13, 2013 in News, Politics

Kermit Gosnell has been found guilty of first degree murder in three of the four charges against him. For Gosnell, this will mean either a sentence of life in prison or the death penalty. The Washington Post reports:

Abortion provider Kermit Gosnell was convicted Monday of three counts of first-degree murder for severing the spinal cords of infants born during abortions at his West Philadelphia clinic. Continue Reading →

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Should Christians use birth control? See new JBMW.

By on May 13, 2013 in Christianity, Theology/Bible

The most recent issue of The Journal for Biblical Manhood & Womanhood has just released. The lead article is from Albert Mohler, who takes a critical look at the “contraceptive mentality” that so much defines the spirit of the age. Mohler writes:

The effective separation of sex from procreation may be one of the most important defining marks of our age—and one of the most ominous. This awareness is spreading among American evangelicals, and it threatens to set loose a firestorm…

A growing number of evangelicals are rethinking the issue of birth control—and facing the hard questions posed by reproductive technologies. Several developments contributed to this reconsideration, but the most important of these is the abortion revolution. The early evangelical response to legalized abortion was woefully inadequate. Some of the largest evangelical denominations at first accepted at least some version of abortion on demand. Continue Reading →

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