Does Your Child’s Cellphone Preach Another Gospel – by Russell Moore

Dr. Russell Moore has some interesting (convicting?) thoughts on unrestricted and unmonitored cellphone usage among our children.  Like virtually everything he writes, it is worth the time to read.  Here is an excerpt…

“The formation and discipline of children, after all, is built on the pattern of God’s fatherly discipline of his people (Heb 12:3-11), seen in his discipline of Israel (Deut 8:1-20) and, ultimately, in his discipleship of the incarnate Christ (Luke 2:20, John 5:19-20; Heb 2:10). Our discipline of our families is rooted, then, in the Fatherhood “from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named” (Eph 3:14).

I wonder, then, when it comes to cell phones, how many parents do precisely what our Father never does, and never will do. James tell us, “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one” (James 1:14). The Apostle Paul tells us that “God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it” (1 Cor 10:13).

That’s why our God, through the Law of Moses, treats his people as a tightly-governed child “under guardians and managers until the date set by his father” (Gal 4:2). He carefully works us toward maturity, seeing that we’re faithful in small things before putting us over many things. That’s what a good and loving Father does.

A pre-teen or a teenager with unrestricted cell-phone usage (or Internet or television consumption) is being placed in a very, very difficult place of temptation. The company of that young man or woman is now away from the scrutiny of parents, and is now left only to his or her discretion or conscience.  Are there some young Christians who can handle such? Of course. Should you assume your child is one of them? Your Father is more careful of you than that.”

Read the whole thing.  You can find it here http://www.russellmoore.com/index.php/2009/02/09/does-your-childs-cell-phone-preach-another-gospel/

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The American Experience and the Death of Evangelism – By Al Mohler

Do you believe that Jesus is the only way to heaven?

Jesus does (see Jn 14:6…)

But according to a recent study by the Barna Research Group, more and more American evangelicals are rejecting this crucial doctrine.

Dr. Al Mohler weighs in on this issue in a recent post which is worth reading.  You can find it here http://www.albertmohler.com/blog_read.php?id=3106 .

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Why are there never enough parking spaces at the prostate clinic? – by Carl Trueman

Dr. Carl Trueman never ceases to amaze me.  He is insightful, witty and incredibly smart.  I will admit that sometimes I find his sarcasm a bit much for my taste (maybe that is because I know that I could never get away with it???)  And I must admit that… sometimes… he speaks over my head.  But he makes me think.  I would add that he makes me think biblically… and for that I am thankful.

With this said, I found his most recent editorial at the Reformation 21 website entitled “Why are there never any parking spaces at the prostate clinic?” to be very thought-provoking.  It is long and heady, but worth the effort to read.  You can find it here http://www.reformation21.org/counterpoints/why-are-there-never-enough-parking-spaces-at-the-prostate-clinic.php .

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New Audio Interviews Available for Download

9 Marks Ministries has recently posted an audio interview of D.A. Carson conducted by Mark Dever entitled “Observing Evangelicalism.”  These men are two of the sharpest evangelical theologians out there.  Don’t miss this interview!  You can stream it or download it here http://media.9marks.org/.

Also new to the internet is an interview of Jerry Bridges by C.J. Mahaney.  In this interview, Jerry Bridges describes how to “preach the gospel to yourself.”  It is a short interview (I would have loved to hear more…), ubt well worth your time to listen to it.  You can find it here http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/Blog/post/Interview-with-Jerry-Bridges.aspx.

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Watching Movies to the Glory of God – By Adam Parker

Two days ago, I posted a link to an article written by John Frame on whether or not Christians should watch secular movies.  Today, I came across an article over at the Reformation 21 webpage by Adam Parker entitled “Watching Movies to the Glory of God.” 

After discussing the various worldviews presented in different secular movies, Mr. Parker makes the following comments:

“The biggest problem facing the Christian church is not that these types of films are made; after all, anyone who experiences secular society is going to be surrounded by contrary worldviews all day long.  The problem is that not all Christians use their minds to the glory of God, and thus give in to un-Christian ways of thinking, bit by bit.  If Christians are to make any difference, they are best advised not to join its mindless ranks.  This doesn’t mean abandoning the world for solitude, but it does mean observing it critically so we can wisely invest our time and attention in the right areas.”

Mr. Parker offers the following suggestions for watching movies to the glory of God:

“First of all, Christians are to remember that God is involved in every affair of life.  When they watch a movie and think they are seeing something un-theological, it is important to recall that everything always has something to do with God, even if it does not reflect an accurate understanding of Him.”

“Second, let me suggest that Christians should avoid movies which will promote sin in their lives.  What I really have in mind is films with sexual themes which can stir up the heart to pursue after things which God has forbidden.  Movies are entertainment, first and foremost, and so it’s important that we prioritize.  The entertainment offered by a film should never outweigh its cost to our souls.”

“Third, Christians should watch films attentively for themes of fall and redemption. ”

Mr. Parker’s thoughts are worth pondering.  You can read the whole thing here http://www.reformation21.org/articles/watching-movies-to-the-glory-of-god.php .

 

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A Knight Too Dark – by Matt Kaufman

A while back I posted a couple of links to some articles written by Matt Fudge over at the Ikonograph blog analyzing the worldview of the recent Dark Knight movie (found here http://theimageiseverything.wordpress.com/2008/08/03/heath-ledgers-joker-crazy-like-a-fox/ and here http://theimageiseverything.wordpress.com/2008/08/08/sweet-eureka-the-ironically-dark-knight/.)  They are very insightful.

However, I would also point you to a recent post by Matt Kaufman over at the Boundless blog where he also discusses the new Dark Knight movie and deals with the issue of whether or not Christians should watch movies/television which is so dark.  It is well-thought out and worth your time to read.  You can find it here http://www.boundless.org/2005/articles/a0001824.cfm .

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More Worldview Insights from the Dark Knight

Matt Fudge over at the Ikonograph blog has posted another article on the worldview implications found in the recent Batman movie,  “The Dark Knight.”  Like his earlier post on the worldview of the Joker (found here http://theimageiseverything.wordpress.com/2008/08/03/heath-ledgers-joker-crazy-like-a-fox/), this is worth reading… even if you aren’t a Batman fan.  You can find it here http://theimageiseverything.wordpress.com/2008/08/08/sweet-eureka-the-ironically-dark-knight/

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The Joker’s Worldview

Matt Fudge over at the Ikonograph blog page has a fascinating post evaluating the worldview of the Joker in the recent movie “The Dark Knight.”  Following is a snippet of this interesting article:

“In this film, the Joker is the only character who isn’t crazy.

“The joker is a character who poses at first simply as a really crazy villain. Then we start to see that he seems to engage in evil just for it’s own sake. And then we see that the Joker has a very profound and deliberate point to make. About two thirds of the way into the movie, adding a nurse’s uniform and curly red wig to his already grotesque appearance, the Joker makes this assertion: “The only sensible way to live in this world is without rules.”…

What’s fascinating to me is that the Joker rejects the belief of secular humanism that man is basically good. He believes that all that is needed to reveal man’s depravity is a little push. As in, when a man’s life is at stake he will take another’s to preserve his own. As a Christian, I agree with the Joker on this one. When you mix man’s depravity with the “anything goes” mentality of moral relativism, what you get is anarchy. My point is that the Joker is the only character in this movie who doesn’t try to live in denial of this. The Joker is right.”

You can read the whole thing here http://theimageiseverything.wordpress.com/2008/08/03/heath-ledgers-joker-crazy-like-a-fox/

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What Is the Purpose of Education?

Always insightful… Dr. Albert Mohler weighs in on what schools are supposed to do and what is the purpose of education.  You can find the post here http://albertmohler.com//blog_read.php?id=1183

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Jesus and Buddha on Happiness

Jon Bloom has a great post over at the Desiring God blog contrasting the views of Jesus and Buddha on happiness.  You can find it here http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/1274_jesus_and_buddha_on_happiness/

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