Tony Reinke posted a fascinating talk by Neil Postman on Technology and Society.  It is worth listening to, in part because we see 11 years of results of an uncritical use of technology, and in part, because we are still repeating the same mistakes.

Reinke provides this description,

Explore the depth and glory of the gospel by reading some of these articles.  Good stuff.

HT: JT

So scary it's funny. Thank God for faithful youth leaders.

    

HT: Between Two Worlds

The Resurgence posted two very good short blogs on the importance of home discipleship.  Definitely worth reading as we start a new school year, and a church activity year.

HT: Life Together Blog

Newsweek Reporter Witnesses an Abortion

What a need our world has for the gospel message.  It is salvation to individuals and transformation to entire cultures of people being bound in darkness.  May the Lord raise up an army of missionaries to transform this world.

  

HT: Between Two Worlds

First Things magazine shows how moderate evangelicals are doing nothing to reduce the number of abortions while pro-life groups like Focus on the Family are significantly helping to reduce the number of abortions by helping mothers.

 

Christianity Today posted this article about mega churches starting seminaries on their campus'.  They want to train men in the context of the church to go out and start new churches in the community.  Having gone to a small seminary in the city where I worked as an engineer (New Geneva in Colorado Springs), where the professors were primarily pastors, I was deeply connected with a church in its ministry.  It wasn't the prettiest thing as we had a painful church split which I observed, but I learned a lot about ministry from my home church (we obviously had many needs) and from sitting under pastor-scholars at school.  The best thing I received was their pastoral experience and relating complex theological truths to the pastoral ministry.

At New Life in Christ (not a mega church, by the way), Pastor Doug had the foresight to start a seminary almost 7 years ago for the purpose of training church leaders and church planters.  If we want to start new churches in our region (20 new ones by 2020), a seminary is the best place to train and release them into the community.  There are trade offs to a church based seminary for sure, but the scholarship at NGTS is good and the connection with the church is vital.  To show the trade offs, let me tell you my experience at seminary and after. 

I am "taking a class" with Reformed Seminary.  They allow you to download some of their courses and listen.  It is excellent scholarship for sure.  Much of it I did not work through during my seminary days.  But it is hard to relate any of it to my ministry, and I am certain that it has in no way hurt me as a pastor to not have that highly academic course in my seminary training.  New Geneva prepares leaders for ministry.

The seminary at New Life is open to all who want to take courses, whether you attend New Life or not.  It is a parachurch organization for those who want semianry training in Reformed theology.  Our hope is that it will unleash a swell of pastors, elders, ministry leaders, and educated laypeople into the community who will win many to Christ and transform our community for the kingdom of God.

Article: Peer-Reviewed Study Rocks Climate Debate! 'Nature not man responsible for recent global warming...little or none of late 20th century warming and cooling can be attributed to humans'

Article: Psychologists Show Change in Sexual Orientation is Not Harmful

John Piper shows us why prayer is so important for opening our eyes to see spiritual truth.  The first 7 minutes of this sermon reminds us that God must open eyes, no matter the eloquence or lack thereof of the speaker.

HT: Life Together

Here is a summary of and a link to DA Carsons talk on The Gospel and Social Action.  The summary brings out some very important issues the church is asking about.

Townhall.com :: Admitting the Power of Evil 

I've read bunches of studies saying that having children reduces happiness in life.  This just does not square with my experience.  In fact, I see tremendous happiness in parents, even with the sometimes frenetic pace of parenting.

I was happy to see that new studies, more nuanced, are finding that indeed children does makes us happy, especially when it comes to activity in "meaningful" events.

I enjoyed this quote by Charles Colson, "In fact, the ancient philosophers defined happiness as something one achieves only at the end of life, after spending a whole lifetime in character training." (How Now Shall We Life?, pg. 382).  Don't we often confuse pleasure with happiness?  I might have more pleasure without my children (I know I would!), but I wouldn't have more happiness!