The latest issue of Christianity Today arrived in the mail yesterday, and I was interested to note an editorial about the Southern Baptist Convention’s resolution concerning the 2011 NIV. The article represents the editorial opinion of CT, and predictably it disagrees with Southern Baptists about the new NIV. Readers of this blog will not be surprised that by and large I disagree with CT’s editorial (see my previous posts: reviews of NIV, SBC Resolution, response to translators, response to Bock). But there was at least one item in the article that I do agree with. Here it is: “The only criterion for a good translation is this: Does it accurately…
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Are we on the verge of a Kuyperian reformation?
Doug Wilson thinks that the young, restless, and reformed are on the verge of a Kuyperian aesthetic revolution. He also thinks that the young, restless, and reformed are a “jungle full of monkeys.” If you need a good belly laugh, go read Wilson’s post.
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More Thoughts Proverbs 27:2 and Self-Promotion
I posted a note on Monday about Dane Ortlund’s excellent blog post on Proverbs 27:2 and self-promotion. Today, Jim Hamilton reflects on Ortlund’s essay as well. Jim argues that posting one’s teaching to the web is not inherently sinful. I agree with Jim that the matter does come down to how it’s done and the motives of one’s heart. Still, I think we need to take Proverbs 27:2 to heart and consider what kind of culture we are creating. Are there biblical examples that might help us think through how to flesh out the wisdom of Proverbs 27:2? I think there are. How did Jesus and the apostles get the…
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Must We Preach with Passion?
The first time I heard John Piper preach I didn’t like it. It was about sixteen years ago. Someone had given me a cassette tape of Piper speaking on the topic of the supremacy of God in preaching, and in this particular message he stressed that the preacher’s delivery must be done with great passion and feeling. I disagreed with Piper. As far as I was concerned, the Bible was the point of preaching not the preacher’s delivery. I thought that Piper was promoting an anthropocentric view of the preacher’s task. I didn’t understand how Piper could be so wrong.
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Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth
Dane Ortlund has written a little exhortation that is by far the best thing I read online all weekend. Dane’s remarks are about internet narcissism among Christians. The scriptural basis is Proverbs 27:2: Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth; Someone else, and not your own lips. Here’s the heart of Dane’s meditation on this text: Blogs, Facebook, and Twitter are fantastic tools with unprecedented potential for strategic, efficient kingdom instrumentality… But… the amount of self-foregrounding that takes place on these media–by Christians–by pastors–is troubling. Promotion of our own books, letting everyone know where we’ve been and whom we’ve met, drawing attention to what others are saying…
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LSU Gets the “W” with Smashmouth Football
What a great season-opener for the LSU Tigers. In a high-stakes match-up, they defeated the number 3 Oregon Ducks with good old fashioned smashmouth football. And they did it without their starting quarterback and star wide receiver. LSU had very few penalties and only one turnover. They played with great field position most of the evening because of a punter who has a cannon for a leg.
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Did you see the Baylor Game? (When’s the last time you heard that?)
Did you see the Baylor game? The unranked Bears beat #14 TCU tonight in dramatic fashion and give us the first big upset of the season. See the highlight reel above.
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A Little Boy Who Wants To Live as a Girl
The video above is the story of a little boy named Jack who “feels” like he is a girl. His parents have affirmed his intuition and are now letting him live the life of a little girl with the name Jackie. The parents are tragically wrong in this case. And the grandfather is right to insist that 10 year olds do not know what’s best for themselves and that parental guidance is needed (Proverbs 22:6).
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TV Appearance of Last Living Witness of President Lincoln’s Assassination
Samuel J. Seymour was five years old when he went to Ford’s Theater with some family and friends. After arriving in Washington, D.C., he was told, “Sammy, you and I and Sarah are going to a play – a real play. And President Abraham Lincoln will be there.”
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Marvin Olasky Sizes-up GOP Front-runner Rick Perry
Marvin Olasky has begun to size-up the new GOP front-runner in the latest issue of World magazine. Olasky has lived in Austin for two decades and has known many of Rick Perry’s political allies, critics, and former staffers. After reading Olasky’s article, I have to say that his take on Perry is rather cool. It’s not negative, but it’s not positive either. It is a bit wait-and-see-ish. Olasky gives a thumbnail sketch of Perry’s very conservative record as the governor of Texas. Olasky raises the specter of some “crony capitalism” in Perry’s record as well. Olasky finds no evidence of any personal corruption on Perry’s part.