Some helpful thoughts! Let us not seek a legalistic community where we do not engage with the world, but let us seek understanding so that we be both compassionate and zealous for the truth. I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

A helpful article for those of us who find ourselves working with those in our churches who are offended at the inclusive exclusivity of Christianity. We must do a good job of teaching our children, students, and church members. They must understand why we believe what we believe and we must help them to see the issues with holding onto ideas like “Christianity is a relationship, not a religion” and “I’m spiritual but not religious”.

A good article on homeschooling. I recommend it! https://quillette.com/2020/05/23/the-fight-over-alternative-education/

Back in my high school days, we added a page to our school newspaper/journal/magazine for video game reviews and I was the writer. This article points out the rise of bigger new outlets beginning to cover video games; this in some ways is a surprise given how large the market is, but many people still don’t realize how big eGaming is or the like. A few years ago I listened to a YouTube channel called ExtraCreditz, which seeks to discuss how the game-making and gaming industry works, among discussing other things about video games.

A great article by Dr. Timothy Willard which seeks to argue what the church should be doing about art and the problems of contemporary art. I would hope that in good time Redemption Studio would be an aid to such a reclamation. https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/desecration-beauty/

We should be cautious about what kinds of pride we let dictate how we will serve our self-empyting (through addition) God. https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/dont-use-calling-avoid-serving/ UPDATE: 20200224 This is a great article that should be helpful for all those who think they have to wait to be hospitable. I encourage the read! https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/unfussy-hospitality/

A challenging idea! Our children’s books certainly need to be able to cover more ground than silly stories or political activism, and Jackie Gibson’s suggestion and her husband’s own publication may be one way forward! Something like this could accompany a catechism very well. https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/children-death/ UPDATE: 20200206 Simple but great advice for nourishing and admonishing our children in the way they should go! https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/point-kids-gospel-great-books/ UPDATE: 20200208 An interesting take on how we can use things like Frozen 2 to teach our children and understand our children.

While I disagree with the author’s interpretation/agreement with the book he is reviewing (and comparing to The Lord of the Rings) of who the Nephilim are and whether the sons of God are their fathers or not, and whether the sons of God are angels or not (I believe the sons of God are the sons of Seth, and thus they are marrying the daughters of Cain, and the Nephilim are not their offspring.

I have had interest in pursuing fasting as a spiritual discipline ever since reading Richard J Foster, Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth , 3rd ed. (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1988). and having met a friend of mine in the Coptic Orthodox (Oriental Orthodox) tradition. It isn’t a topic that comes up much in my theological circles; fasting is largely associated with the feast days of Anglicanism and the RCC and EO.

A good argument against pornography’s existence and use. There is so much more that could be said on the horrendous and heinous qualities of this sin, those who perpetuate this sin, and the nefarious industries which have arisen to satisfy the depraved desires of those lost in the sea of its destruction. What we do alone does not affect just us; all our actions are accountable before God and affects our community around us and around the world.

One group of Christians I have enjoyed learning more about and reading the works that they produced centuries ago are the Puritans. The Puritans were a prominent source for a paper I wrote on Christian leisure. They were so heavenly minded and of great earthly good, much to the opposite of the poorly stated converse. Further, I’ve found that the Puritans are oft maligned because they are oft misunderstood. They are viewed as if they had no fun, yet they were known for brewing a special beer for celebrating a minister’s ordination.

This interview with John Piper highlights an important question he has made before when it comes to questions about watching non-Christian media or media which displays sin in an approving manner: the question is not whether or not something is sinful but whether we are pursuing holiness. In the West, where our culture has become consumer-centric and consumption-heavy, Piper warns well: “Take heed that you not be consumed.” 4 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands.

Some great thoughts about sin and grace from Desiring God. Notably it starts off by talking about the importance of the words we use in our worship music and how one simple change has drastic effects upon the theology of the song! https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/does-grace-still-amaze-you UPDATE: 20200125 This site can help you worship through the psalter! Use it! http://www.thepsalmssung.org/ UPDATE: 20200130 Redemption Studio seeks to build up the Christian community through the arts, but a danger is that we would worship the things we create rather than the Creator.

Seven articles from five different sites each point towards a particular recurrent theme in today’s environmental movement. The first, from Quillette, highlights the history of today’s climate extremism. Another brings in asceticism. What is so fascinating about this is how environmentalism is easily its own religion now which means that religious and moral arguments now come into play in the discussions. While battles still loom over data and research regarding our climate, conservative political voices are highlighting the spiritual aspects of the movement.

A great discussion to begin the conversation about how can we work as Protestants to reclaim good Christian art. There is a lot of things briefly touched upon here which I have tried to highlight in the post’s tags, but utilitarianism is definitely a major component. https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/podcasts/tgc-podcast/christian-art-often-bad/ UPDATE: 20191016 It is good to see Christian arts perform well at the box office and in other arenas, but I still believe Christian art, especially evangelical art, has a long way to go and improve.