Category Archives: Weekly Links

Weekly Links (8/18/2011) – Tabletalk Edition

by Stephen Rodgers

Welcome to a slightly different edition of the Weekly Links.  I did something similar with a topical index of the 9Marks eJournal a while back, and we got some very positive feedback.  So this time instead of a topical index it’s going to be a chronological index, and instead of the 9Marks eJournal, let’s focus on Ligonier Ministries’ Tabletalk.

I’ve highlighted Tabletalk here on the Beacon for years now…it’s even part of our recommended resources catalog.  If you’d like more information about the magazine, I’d encourage you to check out their website.  And if you hadn’t read it before now…you’re in for a treat!

Tabletalk Issues:

Weekly Links (8/12/2011) – Evangelism Edition

If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our dead bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped about their knees, imploring them to stay. If Hell must be filled, let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go unwarned and unprayed for. (Charles Haddon Spurgeon)

by Stephen Rodgers

For reasons that will be made clear to anyone who comes to the combined College/Single Life Bible study tonight, I’ve been doing a lot of research and study on the topic of evangelism.  Today, on a special edition of the weekly links, I wanted to share a fraction of that with you, from a TGC series I bookmarked from a while back:

And if you need an example of evangelism done right, then look know further than DJP over at PyroManiacs.
Hopefully I’ll see many of you tonight; if not then, then I’ll look forward to seeing you on Sunday.  In the meantime, be sure to take some time to pray about, think about, and do evangelism.
Pro Rege

Weekly Links (8/5/2011)

If there is no absolute moral standard, then one cannot say in a final sense that anything is right or wrong. By absolute we mean that which always applies, that which provides a final or ultimate standard. There must be an absolute if there are to be morals, and there must be an absolute if there are to be real values. If there is no absolute beyond man’s ideas, then there is no final appeal to judge between individuals and groups whose moral judgments conflict. We are merely left with conflicting opinions. (Francis Schaeffer, How Then Should We Live?: The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture)

by Stephen Rodgers

Welcome back!  Hopefully you enjoyed our month off, caught up on some reading, maybe went on a missions trip.  I think that pretty much covers what most of our staff did, but we’re back now, and ready to go!  Don’t worry, we’ll ease you back into it a little bit with only a few links this week:

  • So first off, there’s a new edition of Tabletalk out, and this month the theme is Theological Reflections on Classical Literature.  Be sure to check that out, it should be very interesting.
  • And speaking of “new” and “free”…Christianaudio.com’s monthly free audio book is Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry. I’ll admit that I’d never heard of it before now, but Russell Moore gives it two enthusiastic thumbs up, and so that’s enough for me to throw it on the MP3 player.
  • Over at the TGC blog, James Anderson answers the question “Did God Change at the Incarnation?” And I may have mentioned this before, but if you have even a passing interest in theology, philosophy, and/or apologetics, you’ll definitely want to bookmark his blog, or add it to your RSS feed, or stalk him on Twitter or something.
  • RC Sproul Jr. (that’s RC Sproul’s son) offers up a hermeneutical principle you might not have thought of before.
  • And last but not least, over at the Cripplegate (how did I not know about that blog?) Nate Busenitz gives us his opinion on the 10 Best Online Study Resources.  I know that a number of these are already on the Recommended Resources page…but I’ll have to check about the others.

That’s it for now…see you Sunday!

Pro Rege

Weekly Links – John Stott Edition

by Stephen Rodgers

Last week, on July 27, John Stott went home to be with the Lord.  His life as an author, theologian, de facto evangelical elder statesman, and Anglican cleric spanned nine-tenths of a century.

For those of you unfamiliar with “Uncle John” (as he was affectionately known), he was a towering figure in conservative Christian circles, and his death has drawn the attention of both the secular and Christian media.  Justin Taylor has done a good job at giving a synopsis of his life, but very briefly I would offer a few of my own thoughts on the man, before I simply provide you with links to articles by far worthier contributors than myself.

  • John Stott was a model of faithfulness.  He converted to Christianity as a teenager, and lived a life of being quietly sold-out for Christ for the next 70+ years. I’ve only recently arrived in my 30’s and I already regret the time spent wasted earlier in my life.
  • He wrote 50 books, most notably Basic Christianity (a stellar introduction to the Christian faith), and The Cross of Christ (one of the seminal works on the doctrine of substitutionary atonement, which J.I. Packer called “a masterpiece” and D.A. Carson referred to as “a must-have book for every pastor.”). If you haven’t read either of those works, you really are missing out.  At the very least, run out and pick up The Cross of Christ since Tim Challies will be using it as the text for his next “Reading Classics Together” series. Kevin DeYoung also points out the importance of this book in a recent article.
  • He served for 60+ years in the same church preaching several times a quarter until well into his 80s. In an age where church-hopping is widely-practiced and openly encouraged, his steadfastness and loyalty serve as an example to us.
  • His preaching was noted for being unfashionably expositional for the time, which served as an example to a then-young John Piper.
  • He never married.  He would wryly comment that it didn’t seem like “a gift” to him (as many referred to it), but would quickly remark that God always provided the strength necessary for any and all circumstances.
  • Even in his disagreements with other prominent evangelical notables (Martyn Lloyd-Jones) or his flirting with unorthodox doctrine (annihilationism) he remained winsome and retained his dignity.  The differences he had with others were sometimes fundamental, but in those disagreements he remained charitable.

These may seem like such simple things…after all, while he was a renowned author, he never seemed to acquire the celebrity-status that some in our corner of Christendom do.  But his life is a tribute to what God can accomplish even through seemingly simple and humble accomplishments, as his death was commented on by the New York Times, the Telegraph, and even drew some shockingly kind words from the secular media. What may have seemed to be a rather simple life had a rather profound impact on a great many people.

All in all, “Uncle John” lived a life that was very much in keeping with the apostle Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 1:12: For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you.

May we take note, and strive to do the same.

Weekly Links (7/1/2011)

The worst thing about idols, as the Hebrew scriptures so tirelessly point out, is that they are utterly useless when you need them most (Jer. 2:28).” (Christopher J. H. Wright, “Editorial: ‘All Our Gods Have Failed,’ Themelios 18, no. 3 (1993)). HT: Andy Naselli

by Stephen Rodgers

I suppose this would be a good time to mention that you can find past issues of Themelios here.

Actually, this is a great week for journals in general:

  • The 9Marks eJournal has a new issue out, entitled The Pastor and his Staff.  I’ve also updated our 9Marks eJournal topical index.
  • The July edition of Tabletalk is out, and it focuses on Fraternity: The Bonds of Brotherhood.  Again, you can peruse the archive here. I really should create a topical index for that as well, one of these days.
  • Also, I recently discovered the that The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (CBMW) has a Journal of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (JBMW). And you can view the archive of those issues here.  I’ve also added it to the list of journals on the Recommended Resources page.

And that brings us to the links this week; I tried to select a few from some sources we don’t see as often.

  • From CREDENDAagenda we have a great article on family worship.  My favorite quote: “There is a reason kids loved to be around Jesus, and it wasn’t because he was lecturing at length about the Torah or the Five Points of Calvinism.”
  • Frontline Missions International has an article about the dangers of a missionary not raising up or supporting local leadership.
  • Ray Ortland reproduces five vows that his father made before God.
  • Skye Jethani has some words of caution regarding the current trend of investing a church too heavily into a single celebrity pastor in his article Blessed Redundancy.

That’s it for this week.  See you Sunday!

Pro Rege

Weekly Links (6/24/2011)

On Good Friday, at about noon, all of those whom God had chosen from every tribe and nation across the millennia of human history became legal beneficiaries of heaven, coheirs with Christ. (Michael Horton, The Gospel-Driven Life. HT: Matt Perman)

by Stephen Rodgers

Today’s Weekly Links will be a bit briefer than usual, but the potential benefit to you is larger than anything I’ve done.

The Recommended Resources page has been updated with Sermons.

That is all.

Pro Rege

Weekly Links (6/17/2011)

[When Paton declared his intention to take the gospel to the New Hebrides islands] a Mr. Dickson exploded, “The cannibals! You will be eaten by cannibals!” The memory of Williams and Harris on Erromanga was only 19 years old. But to this Paton responded:

Mr. Dickson, you are advanced in years now, and your own prospect is soon to be laid in the grave, there to be eaten by worms; I confess to you, that if I can but live and die serving and honoring the Lord Jesus, it will make no difference to me whether I am eaten by Cannibals or by worms; and in the Great Day my Resurrection body will rise as fair as yours in the likeness of our risen Redeemer. (HT: John Piper)

 

by Stephen Rodgers

Since we’re running out of time before they leave town, I thought this would be an appropriate time to take a quick break and do a missions-themed Weekly Links.

First of all, if you’re looking for a broad overview of word missions, then there are a few sites you should be aware of:

And of course, if you’re looking for a small treasure-trove of missions-related materials, you could do far worse than check out what John Piper and DG have made available.

Meanwhile, here’s a few articles to help you be missions-minded whether you are going, sending, or sent:

See you Sunday!

Pro Rege

Weekly Links (6/10/2011)

Ah, believer, it is only Heaven that is above all winds, storms, and tempests; God did not cast man out of Paradise that he might find another paradise in this world. (Thomas Brooks. HT: Josh Harris)

by Stephen Rodgers

Welcome back to another edition of the Weekly Links!  Today we’re going to do something a little bit different.  There’s a free audio book to bring to your attention, but once we’ve covered that, I want to point out a few resources here on the Beacon and the church website that you might not be aware of.

  • So first off, we have a free audiobook for you: Joni Eareckson Tada’s A Place of Healing. If you aren’t familiar with Joni’s story, you really need to check it out.  She’s a woman of amazing courage and strength.

So that brings us to a few other links that are closer to home…

  • As you may know, our missions teams are getting ready to head out to the Czech Republic and Argentina.  And here on the Beacon, we have a Missions category, which is further sub-divided into an Argentina section and a Czech Republic section if you want to review what past teams have done.
  • If you wanted to hear some messages from the pastors that we partner with, we actually have a message from Jorge Ahualli, and three messages from Meinolf Mellwig.
  • Last Sunday, during the Elders Q&A, a number of questions came up.  One lengthy response covered the subject of DTR, and it was mentioned that we had not had a DTR series this year.  However, if you’re interested in such things, you can listen to the first DTR series, the second DTR series, and/or the third DTR series.
  • And if interviews with our elders are something that interest you, we have a recording of last year’s interview as well.

Well, that’s it for this week.  I hope this was helpful to those of you who weren’t aware that we had such resources.

See you Sunday!

Pro Rege

Weekly Links (6/3/2011)

Christianity asserts that every individual human being is going to live for ever, and this must be either true or false. Now there are a good many things which would not be worth bothering about if I were going to live only seventy years, but which I had better bother about very seriously if I am going to live for ever. (CS Lewis, Mere Christianity. HT: Apologetics 315)

by Stephen Rodgers

Due to a scheduling conflict, the so-called “Weekly Links” can more accurately be described this time around as a “Weekly Quote.”  However, I think that it’s a quote well-worth dwelling on.  As the collegians wrap up finals, the singles stress over work, the parents face new challenges with the onset of summer, and the missions teams prepare to go forth…think about it.

Really think about it.

Pro Rege