Kevin DeYoung on Governor Mark Sanford

Kevin DeYoung has a great post entitled, What We Can Learn from the Latest Political Sex Scandal. He writes as his first point:

The best of men are men at best. I don’t know if politicians are always (or often) the best of men, but they certainly are among the most powerful. We look to them for leadership. We want them to voice our ideas and ideals. We want them to be strong, yet humble, personal, yet unaffected by the common stuff of life. We expect a lot from our leaders. They rarely deliver. They often fail miserably. Both parties have had their share of sex scandals in recent years. Neither one has a monopoly on holiness. I don’t think many of our politicians have even passed GO. And I’m sure there is plenty of infidelity we don’t even hear about, not to mention the back room deals, lies, slander, pride, and greed that take place all the time. Some trust in presidents and some in governors, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

Follow the link above to read the whole post.

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Challies' Take

Tim Challies offers these comments regarding Jackson's death:

Michael Jackson was in so many ways a product of this sick celebrity culture (that he helped create) that will never rest satisfied until it has both created and then destroyed the newest celebrity. We want our celebrities to start strong and finish weak, to begin with a bang and then fizzle, pop and sputter, all for our enjoyment and entertainment (Susan Boyle stands as the most recent example of this). Jackson gave us so much to talk about, so much to enjoy. More than any other celebrity he embodied the "vanities" of Ecclesiastes. He was at one time known for what he did so well and then was known for being a freak; he was at one time fantastically wealthy and then utterly broke; he was once loved and then despised. He had it all and yet, it seemed, he had nothing. All of it was meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

Read more here.

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Justin Taylor on Michael Jackson's Death

He writes:

It is hard to think of a sadder public figure in recent years. A black man who never found his identity as one created in God's image, and who never experienced the identity of being conformed to the image of Christ. Black and white, male and female, rich and bankrupt, genius and punchline, private and public, innocent and deceptive--everything seemed to be jumbled up.

The one thing that comes to mind about Jackson is how bad he was at hiding his brokenness. Even while living in a literal fantasy and, it was obvious to everyone that this was a person- enormously gifted--desperately seeking a mask to cover, in futility, who he was.

May God use even this to increase our compassion and ministry to the lost, broken, and confused.

Read his whole post, as well as an update by Andrew Sullivan here.

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Why John Piper Doesn't Have Television

John Piper has a great post on why he doesn't have a television and rarely goes to movies. He writes:

It’s the unremitting triviality that makes television so deadly. What we desperately need is help to enlarge our capacities to be moved by the immeasurable glories of Christ. Television takes us almost constantly in the opposite direction, lowering, shrinking, and deadening our capacities for worshiping Christ.

One more smaller concern with TV (besides its addictive tendencies, trivialization of life, and deadening effects): It takes time. I have so many things I want to accomplish in this one short life. Don’t waste your life is not a catchphrase for me; it’s a cliff I walk beside every day with trembling.

TV consumes more and more time for those who get used to watching it. You start to feel like it belongs. You wonder how you could get along without it. I am jealous for my evenings. There are so many things in life I want to accomplish. I simply could not do what I do if I watched television. So we have never had a TV in 40 years of marriage (except in Germany, to help learn the language). I don’t regret it.

Read his full reasoning here.

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Kevin DeYoung on Liking What the Bible Teaches

Kevin DeYoung has a powerful post on our attitude towards God's Holy Word. He writes:

This also means that we should do away with the pseudo-spiritual language of "I don't like what the Bible says about this, but I still believe it." Poppycock. While I suppose, all things considered, its better that someone embrace complementarianism kicking and screaming rather than not at all, why are you kicking and screaming at God's word in the first place? I understand that we may all have periods of struggle where we wrestle to fully understand and embrace some element of biblical teaching. But as an indefinite attitude, begrudging acceptance is not a good option. Don't we trust that God is good? Is not the law of the Lord our delight?

Read the whole thing here.

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Optimistic Outlook of the SBC

I have been deeply encouraged by the work of leaders such as Albert Mohler, Danny Akin and Mark Dever this year at the SBC. They are fighting for the future of the convention to be Gospel centered and focused on fulfilling the Great Commission. Michael Spencer writes a summary of what has been occurring at the SBC. Spencer's sixth point is especially encouraging, where he writes:

The patient teaching of the Gospel and church-centered theology by the Founders Ministries and 9Marks has paid off in more fruit than can be put in a basket. Hundreds and hundreds of young people, hungry to hear how to build a Gospel centered, God honoring, missionary focused church. It is astonishing. It may not be revival, but it is a solid outcome that will make a huge difference for a small number of churches.

Praise God for these men and their fight to stand firm and give hope for the future. Read the rest of Spencer's post here. Visit the Great Commission Resurgence for more information regarding the motion that has been a huge step forward at this years convention.

HT: JT

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Why We Love The Church

Here is a great sample from Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck's new book Why We Love The Church. I am very excited about this book and look VERY forward to reading it. Their last book, Why We're Not Emergent, was one of the best books I've ever read and perhaps the best book I've read on the subject of the Emergent Church. Kevin's blog shares this excerpt from one of Ted's chapters:

Church isn’t a magic pill that you take, that punches your ticket for heaven. Nor is it a glorified social/country club you attend to be around people who talk/think/look/act like you do. It’s a place to go each week to hear the Word of God spoken, taught, and affirmed. It’s a place to sing praises to our God, even if those songs do sometimes feel a bit awkward. It’s a place to serve others. It’s a place to be challenged. Sometimes you’ll feel uncomfortable with those challenges, because sometimes your life will need to change. This has been the case with me.

Read the whole excerpt Kevin offers here.

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