Contextual Preaching is a helpful post by Ed Stetzer that discusses how to preach the intent of the text with the audience in view.
Pulpit Magazine is back in action, though not on their new website as of yet (see here and here), and Phil Johnson has started things off with a bang in his seven part series on Calvinism.
“You can take or extract payments on a debt from others’ sin in many ways: by withholding forgiveness, by dwelling on the wrong, by being cold and aloof, by giving up on the relationship, by inflicting emotional pain, by gossiping, by lashing back or by seeking revenge against the one who hurt you . . . . Your other choice is to make payments on the debt and thereby release others from penalties they deserve to pay. . . . This may involve fighting against painful memories, speaking gracious words when you really want to say something hurtful, working to tear down walls and be vulnerable when you still feel little trust, or even enduring the consequences of a material or physical injury that the other person is unable or unwilling to repair.”(1)
(1)Sande, Ken, The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2004), 207-208.
Today Justin Tapp e-mailed me a New York Times article on Mark Driscoll that no one seemed to be blogging about. The article, “Who Would Jesus Smack Down?,” was very interesting, although I do not think the author understands Calvinism, church discipline, or John Calvin I appreciated the article and was surprised to find it published in the NY Times.
Also Mark Driscoll posted a video interview with D. A. Carson at The Resurgence, concerning Carson’s book Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor: The Life and Reflections of Tom Carson. The video is available here. I really enjoyed the interview and hope to have the book read before school starts back up. Carson’s dad was a church planter and pastor in Quebec where we are hoping to plant churches as well and so the interview was very encouraging.
Missio Dei 