Screwtape to Wormwood: “It sounds as if you supposed that argument was the way to keep him out of the Enemy’s clutches. That might have been so if he had lived a few centuries earlier. At that time the humans still knew pretty well when a thing was proved and when it was not; and if it was proved they really believed it. They still connected thinking with doing and were prepared to alter their way of life as the result of a chain of reasoning. But what with the weekly press and other such weapons we have largely altered that. Your man has been accustomed, ever since he was a boy, to have a dozen incompatible philosophies dancing about together inside his head. He doesn’t think of doctrines as primarily ‘true’ or ‘false’, but as ‘academic’ or ‘practical’, ‘outworn’ or ‘contemporary’, ‘conventional’ or ‘ruthless’. Jargon, not argument, is your best ally in keeping him from the Church.” (C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters. HT: AOM)

by Stephen Rodgers

Welcome back to another edition of the Weekly Links! So, assuming you’re ready to move on to the weekly links…

• Since our annual missions trips are coming up (if you’re not familiar with them, here’s a great place to start reading), so I was particularly excited to see this article over at DG on 30 Ways to Stay Alive to Missions. (WEB)
• Also, I know a lot of people are doing some shopping for books.  We all know places like Amazon and Christanbook.com have deals, but did you know that the Westminster Bookstore has a special section of “imperfect books?” Most of these are in pretty good condition; they just have a crease here or a scuff mark there.  And they discount them a little bit extra.  If you love books and love being frugal, this is a good place to start looking.  (WEBSITE)
• Over at the Ligonier blog, Sinclair Ferguson wrote an article on discernment that I thought was particularly well-put.  You definitely should check that out. (WEB)
• I’ve mentioned before that Jon Acuff can be rather hit-or-miss for me, but his three points of what to do when you encounter a confusing Bible passage were helpful.  And actually funny as well. (WEBSITE)
• Back to the DG website, they have an very brief article that sets up a quote from John Frame on “avoiding smarty-pants theology.” The more I read Frame, the more I benefit from his insight into both the Scriptures and the human heart. (WEB)
• This week, I have a special article for those in the Single’s Ministry (although honestly, anyone with a job will benefit from it).  Matt Perman offers a summary of a recent Tim Keller article on how both spiritual and secular jobs are God’s work. (WEB)

That’s all for now.  The Recommended Resources page should be updated sometime this weekend.  I’ll let you know when that happens.

See you Sunday!

Pro Rege