Culture

FROM AROUND THE WEB

Below are a number of articles I found interesting and informative – even amusing. Happy reading. A Sensible and Compassionate Anti-COVID Strategy Early on the panic over COVID was understandable. We didn’t know anything about it. But after 9 months of amassing copious amounts of data, a new approach is needed. Dr. Bhattacharya, a physician,…

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HOW TO SURVIVE THIS POLITICAL SEASON

There are three truths about God every Christian must believe and rehearse daily in order to muddle our way through intense times: 1) God is completely sovereign 2) God is infinite in wisdom 3) God is perfect in love. The Church is going to need to be especially good at fixing our eyes on these…

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ON FEAR – PART 1

8/25/2020 Do not fear. This is the Scriptures’ most frequent command. Clearly, God knew fear would be a substantial problem for us. The past five months have revealed just that. Our fear of COVID, social unrest, and political outcomes have been the chief presenting symptom indicating an underlying disease. I would contend that for the…

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IDENTITY BY ASSOCIATION

In my previous post, I highlighted the reality that all cultures have blindspots. One of the best ways Christians can approach that is through the ministry of listening (James 1:19). Find out what life has been like for someone who isn’t part of your culture. You’ll discover more than you ever thought possible. Having said that, believers…

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SHAI LINNE ON CHRISTIANS LABELING EACH OTHER

6/24/2020 Back in January, we made arrangements for Shai Linne to visit Alliance Bible Church this October. Given our COVID saturated world, we’re praying this still happens. He’s a multi-talented man and, much more, a Jesus-obsessed man. He posted a tweet thread (posted to another blog) that I think is worth posting here. His words are directed…

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THE IMAGE AND WRATH OF GOD: A Reflection on the Events in Minneapolis

When the Coronavirus pandemic descended upon us, one of the many musings that ran through my mind was: will any news story be able to knock this virus off the front page? Tragically, something has: the murder of George Floyd. God is ultimate reality. Therefore, there’s nothing we do that doesn’t relate to him. This is what…

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WHAT DID CHRISTIANS DO IN THE PAST?

The year was 165 AD. Marcus Aurelius was emperor in Rome. A devastating epidemic swept through the empire. Some medical historians suspect it was the first appearance of smallpox in the West. Regardless of the actual disease, it was lethal. During the fifteen year duration of the epidemic, between a quarter and a third of the empire’s population…

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NO NEED TO HIDE – YOU’VE BEEN EXPOSED

Those who aren’t familiar with the Christian gospel may not realize this, but the cross of Jesus Christ is a public statement about the sin of each individual human being. The bloodied and eviscerated body of Jesus Christ serves as a visual demonstration of the heinousness of my sin.  In reflecting on this, Milton Vincent writes, “If…

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INNER DESIRES VS. OUTER CIRCUMSTANCES

Friction occurs when the desires of my heart and my external reality are at odds with one another. In order to resolve the friction, we are prone to believe the best way to do this is to change our external reality.  Think back to the temptation of Jesus in Luke 4. He’s fasted for forty…

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HOW TO IDENTIFY A FALSE GOD

“I believe in God.” These are four simple words that seemingly say much. When we hear someone make a statement like this, we might even conclude that person is a Christian. But if there’s one thing the Bible teaches about human beings it’s this: our true nature is often more complicated than the words we…

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