“Faith without some doubts is like a human body without any antibodies in it. People who blithely go through life too busy or indifferent to ask hard questions about why they believe as they do will find themselves defenseless against either the experience of tragedy or the probing questions of a smart skeptic.” (Tim Keller, The Reason for God, xvii.)

by Cesar Vigili-Ruiz

Feliz Friday! It’s been one busy week, with all of the output for this week’s links. There are lots to go through, so here we go!

• Logos is giving away R.C. Sproul’s Surprised by Suffering. We also highlighted this book in the Weekly Links from two weeks ago. Get it while you can!
• John Knight at Desiring God asks a straightforward question to all men: “Men, Are You Settled on the Issue of Abortion?” I’d highly recommend thinking through this issue now, before the situation ever presents itself to you. Amy Hall at Stand to Reason gives a very thought-provoking post on the moral confusion that is inherent within pro-abortion arguments.
• Though I made mention of Andreas and Margaret Kostenberger’s post on gender last week, I didn’t realize they were interviewed on the Crossway blog previously on their new book God’s Design for Man and Woman: A Biblical-Theological Survey. They also wrote concerning the false notion that the Bible portrays a patriarchal bias, which feminist scholars themselves would reject as being reflective of the biblical narrative and teaching. They then make mention of the limited use of the word ‘complementarian’ to describe the biblical position of manhood and womanhood portrayed in Scripture, since there is more to this view than this term lets on.
• The Peacemaker blog highlighted an article that describes a situation we’ve all experienced: the mom at a grocery store whose baby is crying up a storm. A principle that was emphasized is thinking about “the moment before.” In other words, what could have happened that led up to this moment? This segues to an article Ken Sande wrote that discourages our natural inclination of critical judgments and promotes charitable judgments. This is peacemaking gold, and we would all be the better if we consider its implications for our lives. Nathan Busenitz reminds us of Jeremiah Burroughs’ wisdom in how to handle situations when others wrong you.
• Ever wondered why Christians should read the Bible every day? Dane Ortlund answers with some solid reasons.
• For what’s it worth, here’s a quick modesty checklist (comes with links focused on the issue).
• Matt Perman highlights Al Mohler’s book The Conviction to Lead by mentioning the two cultures of modern Christian leadership: the believers and the leaders. Makes me want to read the book again! Hopefully a book review will be forthcoming.
• For the ladies, another post from True Woman looks to be a source of encouragement: “Navigating the Undefined Relationship.”
• John MacArthur addresses some misconceptions concerning church discipline at the Grace to You blog. Good reminders for every believer.
• An ethical issue that has come up in the news over the years has been the issue of surrogacy, the act of carrying a child in the womb for someone else. Recently, Jennifer Lahl from the Center of Bioethics and Culture was interviewed concerning surrogacy in light of her recent documentary Breeders: A Subclass of Women? which deals primarily with this issue. Former co-host of The View, Sherri Shepherd has been in the news regarding this very issue, and Lahl wrote of the mess our culture is currently in. We need to pray for our moms, as well as families that have participated in this.
• Mike Riccardi over at The Cripplegate has a great post with recommendations of gospel tracts that actually present the gospel in a clear and faithful way. He even has book recommendations on evangelism. Don’t miss this!
• Reformed Theological Seminary President and New Testament professor Michael Kruger is beginning a new series of posts on dealing with difficult passages of Scripture, contending with biblical scholars about contradictions and historical errors they believe invalidate the inerrancy of Scripture. Andrew Wilson gets a head start. Don’t forget Kruger’s series on 10 misconceptions about the New Testament canon and 10 basic facts about the NT canon that every Christian should memorize.

That’s all for now! Looking forward to worshiping God together as He truly deserves to be this Sunday!

Soli Deo Gloria