Facebook rant vs. facing up: Which would you choose?

“Facebook now has over 2 billion active users. More than a quarter of the world’s population now has an active account. Clearly, they are doing something right!

But of course, there are cons to every pro. So it’s not surprising that my newsfeed contains a few of these every day:

“I was at / doing this ____ today and a person said / did ______. How terrible / insensitive / hurtful!”

Living in a fallen world where things aren’t perfect, it’s inevitable that there will be many things that upset, sadden and hurt.…”

– At The Australian Church Record, Susan An writes about counter-cultural use of social media.

Moore College Public Events for 2018

Moore College has published a one-page guide (PDF) to the public events they are running in 2018.

Note, for example, that Os Guinness is speaking at a CCL event in May!

‘Intersectionality, the Dangerous Faith’

“The demise of religion among American youth is greatly exaggerated. It turns out that America isn’t raising a new generation of unbelievers.

Instead, rising in the heart of deep-blue America are the zealots of a new religious faith. They’re the intersectionals, they’re fully woke, and the heretics don’t stand a chance. …”

– David French in The National Review.

Student mob smashes window in protest against Jordan Peterson – LifeSite. (Language warning in associated video.)

Wearing the Rainbow Badge

“Christians in Ancient Rome were regarded with deep suspicion.

In a nutshell, they did not attend the pagan temples or participate in their rituals and activities.

These were the centres of community. Participation made you ‘one of us.’ It was a seal of acceptance in society.

To walk away from it all was practically an act of subversion.

These people did not belong. They weren’t part of the fraternity. They were not part of society.

They were the subject of suspicion and rumour.…”

– Martyn Iles, Managing Director of the Australian Christian Lobby, writes this commentary.

(Photo: The Hon. Malcolm Turnbull MP / Facebook.)

EPIC Australia/New Zealand — Tim Challies

Tim Challies was in Australia and New Zealand a week or so ago. He’s posted his video blog here.

The New Heart — Lent reflections from Dr Peter Jensen – Part 4

?

In the fourth of seven videos during the season of Lent, GAFCON General Secretary Dr. Peter Jensen asks ‘How’s your heart?’, looking at the new heart.

Do whatever makes you holy

“We all face the struggles of living in a world that doesn’t know Christ.

The Christian life is like an iceberg: one tenth of it is spent at church or with other Christians, and nine tenths is spent in the world where, much like salt water, that world attempts to erode our Christian character. …”

– ACL Council member Mike Taylor writes to urge you to pursue holiness. Read it all, at GoThereFor.com.

Reflections on “What can miserable Christians sing?”

“Of all the things I have written, my little essay, “What Can Miserable Christians Sing?” has provided me with so many delightful surprises over the years.

I wrote it in about 45 minutes one afternoon, infuriated by some superficial comment about worship I had heard but which I have long since forgotten.

And yet this little piece which took minimal time and energy to author has garnered more positive responses and more touching correspondence than anything else I have ever written. It resonated with people across the Christian spectrum, people from all different church backgrounds who had one thing in common: the understanding that life has a sad, melancholy, painful dimension which is too often ignored and sometimes even denied in our churches. …”

– Published at the 9Marks website in 2014, Carl Trueman’s reflection is well worth contemplating. What message do people take away from your church gatherings?

(From the 9Marks Journal issue entitled ‘The Church Singing’.)

The incredible story of Captain Gardiner

?

Bishop of Chile, Rt. Rev. Héctor Tito Zavala Muñoz, tells the story of Captain Allen Gardiner and his mission to bring the gospel to Chile.

From GAFCON.

The Repentant Heart — Lent reflections from Dr Peter Jensen – Part 3

?

In the third of seven videos during the season of Lent, GAFCON General Secretary Dr. Peter Jensen asks ‘How’s your heart?’, looking at the repentant heart.

Published by GAFCON.

Debate or theatre?

“I love our political process and I love the freedom we have in Australia to engage in it. There are many places in the world where old men cling to power without regard to the people. By comparison, Australia’s democratic governance is transparent, consultative and accountable. …

Last week I represented the PCA before the Ruddock Review Expert Panel – a panel charged with the responsibility of constructing an acceptable parliamentary legal framework for the protection of religious freedom in Australia. …”

– Presbyterian Moderator-General, John Wilson, reflects on his meeting with the Expert’s Panel, and encourages Christians to pray for Members of Parliament.

Should I do a PhD in theology?

“I’m asked this question every so often, so here’s some questions that help answer it. …”

– Some helpful tips from Moore College’s Dr. Lionel Windsor.

Reading into discipleship: Knowing vs knowing of God

“Do you ever feel a sense of guilt or embarrassment when someone mentions one of the great Christian classic works and you’ve never even looked at it? …”