Yet at the same time, because it is a democracy, there are things we ought to be doing to draw the line here and there, even if you understand the laws don’t finally engender justice. They might preserve it for a while. But finally they’re all broke, and you have to change the laws. There are things we ought to be doing. There are faithful things we ought to be doing…

But at the end of the day, if you can’t do it with compassion, and gently, and leave the doors open for evangelism, boy, you destroy everything. I think one of the devil’s tactics with respect to the church on the Right today is to make them so hate everybody else that at the end of the day they can’t be believed anywhere, not even the proclamation of the gospel. (D.A. Carson from his lecture on Revelation in 2005, quoted briefly here).

by Richard Shin

My, my… It has been another very busy week in the blogosphere. Shall we?

• Remember the video I linked last week on why the TGC is complementarian? Well, the discussion clearly did not end there. Carl Trueman, a leading figure in evangelicalism, was also curious as to why the TGC is unwaveringly complementarian but agnostic to the baptism and Lord’s Supper debate. And then Denny Burk responded with a defense here (with many links embedded in the article itself). And around the same time, Carl Trueman posted this. Justin Taylor also has a couple links here.
• Some call it the Young, Restless, Reformed (YRR) movement. Some call it the New Calvinism. Justin Taylor links to Mark Dever’s ten posts from 2007 that chronicle the rise of this movement, as well as a number of other helpful links. Tim Challies added his two cents on the Internet’s contribution and then Taylor came back with another two cents (that’s four).
• The term “gospel-centered” has become a household label for everything that we seek to do. But what does that mean? Jared Wilson links to four articles on what it means to be gospel-centered. I would like to point you particularly to Ray Ortlund’s article from 2010 and Joel Lindsey’s essay on gospel-centeredness and the missional church.
• “As we war against our own sinful anger, and seek to help others overcome theirs, it is critical that we distinguish between provocation and cause. The provocations are numerous. The cause of sinful anger is singular—it is always our heart.” Read the whole thing by Paul Tautges here.
• If you don’t already subscribe to Al Mohler’s blog, you’re really missing out. Every article he writes is insightful and a great blend of gospel and culture. You can find his thoughts on Richard Dawkins’ Clergy Project here.
• Dating’s always a hot topic,right? Well, here’s one mainly for the guys, but a great one for gals to reference as well. Guys, read carefully.

My goodness, that’s a lot, even after cheating with the multiple-articles-in-one-bullet-ness and articles linking articles linking articles. But hopefully they’re of interest to you and sharpening your mind. Hope you all have a good and safe Labor Day weekend!