Podcast:
- The season finale of “Living and Effective,” a new podcast hosted by Richard Clark in partnership with the Christian Standard Bible and Christianity Today is out. This episode is “The Bible Tormented Bonhoeffer,” on how Scripture both haunted and comforted the German theologian.
- The newest episode of Word Matters is also available. Patrick Schreiner joins me and Brandon Smith to answer the question: “Can We Enter the Kingdom of God By Force?”
Kindle Deal: A Prophet with Honor: The Billy Graham Story by William C. Martin. $1.99.
Seven of the best articles I came across this week:
1. Ed Stetzer in The Washington Post – Slain Missionary John Chau Prepared Much More Than We Thought, But Are Missionaries Still Fools? Christianity has been a missionary movement since its beginning.
2. Mike Mariani in The Atlantic – American Exorcism. Priests are fielding more requests than ever for help with demonic possession, and a centuries-old practice is finding new footing in the modern world.
3. Harriet Connor – Children Need a Better Story Than “Kingdom of You”. Looking inside ourselves for meaning just leaves us feeling confused and disappointed. Having cut ourselves loose from the beliefs, traditions and commitments that bound previous generations, we now drift along with nothing to anchor us, with nothing to guide us except our own fleeting feelings.
4. Peter Baker – “I Love You, Too” George H. W. Bush’s Final Days. A beautiful finale to a well-lived life.
5. D. A. Carson – Christian, Be Aware of the Changing Meaning of Words. Far more inimical to careful conversation are those expressions whose meanings, or whose associations, are frequently unrecognized. Here are a few of them.
6. Fleming Rutledge – John the Baptist Points to the Real Hope of Advent. We’re not awaiting a helpless baby, but a righteous and powerful judge.
7. Marie Myung-Ok Lee – We Need to Destroy the Blurbing Industrial Complex. Where the practice of writing endorsements for books came from, and how it has expanded.
