Darren Carlson gives a chilling personal account of how people euphemize the evil of abortion. He writes: My wife is five months pregnant. Last month we went for an ultrasound to see the baby and have the doctors check to make sure everything was progressing nicely. We had done this three times before and were excited. As we met with the doctor and ultrasound technician they referred to what they saw as “your child.” They must have said it 50x during the ultrasound as they referred to “your child’s hand,” “your child’s heart,” etc. But then something changed.
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Alcohol and Christian Freedom
I’m a teetotaler; Tim Challies is not. Nevertheless, I think that everyone should read what Tim has to say about alcohol and Christian freedom. He notes a subtle contempt that the “young, restless, and reformed” sometimes exhibit toward their more scrupulous forebears. He writes: This older generation sees the younger crowd as celebrating freedom by rubbing it in their face. They hear us saying, “We are liberated by grace; you are bound by law.” They are convinced that instead of respecting them and honoring them, we are sneering at them and looking down at them. Instead of using our freedom in love and respect, we are using our freedom carelessly…
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Christmas Music – Sacred
Music is so much a part of this season of the year that I thought it would be worth a few posts to talk about the music that my family listens to most at Christmas time. I’m certain you’ll find some items here that you are already well-acquainted with. Perhaps there will be some other items that are new to you or that you had forgotten about and are glad to be reminded of. So for what it’s worth, here it goes.
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Should you tithe to your church?
Evangelicals disagree about how the Old Testament law functions as a normative ethic for Christians. Has the law been abrogated? Fulfilled in Christ? Is it still morally binding? When it comes to the ten commandments, nine of the ten are directly reiterated by the apostles in the New Testament, so the binding nature of those commands is a no-brainer. Some controversy still exists about keeping the Sabbath since it isn’t reiterated in the New Testament in so many words. One other issue that sometimes comes into contention is the tithe. Under the Old Covenant, God’s people were required to give a tenth of all of their increase. Some people believe…
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Give Thanks to the Lord!
Sing praise to the LORD, you His godly ones, And give thanks to His holy name.For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning. -Psalm 30:4-5
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Chris Thile Teams-up with Yo-Yo Ma
I was a big fan of Chris Thile when he was the lead singer for the bluegrass-ish band Nickel Creek. In the video below, you can see that he has recently teamed up with Yo-Yo Ma on a new single titled “Here and Heaven.” The song is part of a larger project called “The Goat Rodeo Sessions.” I once heard Chris Thile and Nickel Creek perform live here in Louisville, Kentucky. It was a very secular venue and a very secular crowd, yet the band closed the show with one of the most beautiful renditions of “Be Thou My Vision” that I have ever heard. The band (including Chris Thile)…
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Strachan Mixes It Up on the Her.meneutics Blog
Owen Strachan wrote a blog a couple of weeks ago critiquing the “Dad Mom” mindset that is often praised in popular culture. His article provoked a response from Laura Ortberg Turner at Christianity Today’s Her.meneutics blog. Turner contests Strachan’s reading of Titus 2:5 and Genesis 3:16 and argues that Strachan’s vision of manhood is not the same as Jesus’. She writes:
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John Piper on the Work of a Christian Leader
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The Dragon’s Tooth on “All Things Considered”
N. D. Wilson is a great writer, and he has a new novel out titled The Dragon’s Tooth. He was interviewed recently on the NPR program “All Things Considered,” and you can listen to the audio below or download it here. [audio:http://pd.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/atc/2011/11/20111110_atc_08.mp3] The book is fantasy-fiction on the order of C. S. Lewis’ “Chronicles of Narnia.” According to the report, here is what the book is about:
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Penn State and Nebraska Pray Together before Game
The players of Penn State and Nebraska came together at midfield for prayer before today’s game. Nebraska’s running backs coach Ron Brown led the teams, and you can watch it above.