Christian Life

Peter Leithart is characteristically rich in his Pentecost Homily from yesterday.

Jam Cary’s post on Evangelicalism and Art is well worth reading.

Rough Table of Contents.

• Trends in modern, Western, conservative evangelicalism. Things that modern, Western, conservative evangelicalism has absorbed from various influences… Things which make modern, Western, conservative evangelicals suspicious of art.

Neil’s 8 biblical personality types offers a very helpful analysis of the kinds of people we find in the church and in the world at large. I, for one, find his Venn diagram most helpful to see the map at a glance.

He concludes with one of the right questions: “As a minister, the question is, how should God’s word be ministered and applied to each personality type?”

See also my earlier post on William Perkins’ categories of hearer

I most enjoyed Jam’s discussion with himself on the issues surrounding work on a Sunday.

Many of us, instinctively, think that refusing to work on a Sunday is a bad thing. Ideally we wouldn’t do it very often, but we mustn’t make a rule out of it. Surely, in this day and age when grace rules, Sabbath observance has had its day?

Not quite so simple. It’s all about how we use our freedom.

Anyway: Enjoy reading New Jam in dialogue with Old Jam

Having finished reading Reformed is not Enough, I’ve done some reading of those who interact with the material.

There are some great quotations in the epilogue of Reformed is not Enough.

What’s going on in the passages (like those in Hebrews) that speak of Christians falling away? An extended quotation because it is so helpful:

I’m delighted to see that David Field is putting a series of notes about the relationship between Science and Christianity on his blog.

Acts 5:33-39 ³³ When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them. ³⁴ But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in honor by all the people, stood up and gave orders to put the men outside for a little while. ³⁵ And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do with these men. ³⁶ For before these days Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing.

But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in honor by all the people, stood up and gave orders to put the men outside for a little while.