John Beeson

August 31, 2023

Recommendations, Marriage, Nature, Family, Relationships

This Week's Recommendations

John Beeson

August 31, 2023

Recommendations, Marriage, Nature, Family, Relationships

What Americans drink: Interesting infographs on what Americans drink and how that changes by age and how it has changed over the past fifteen years.
Oneness not just faithfulness: Al Gooderham asks, “What’s the goal of marriage? I wonder how you answer that?”
Should we live together before we get married? Les and Leslie Parrot look at the data to respond (obviously the moral and biblical grounds are much more important), “While cohabitation might seem practical on the surface, research suggests that it’s actually not as good for your relationship as you think. Before you make this life-changing decision, it’s important to think about the potential outcomes.”

John Beeson

August 8, 2019

Recommendations, Culture, Sexuality, Theology, Church, Consumerism, Relationships

This Week's Recommendations

John Beeson

August 8, 2019

Recommendations, Culture, Sexuality, Theology, Church, Consumerism, Relationships

1. Is This the End of Recycling? What a bizarre turn of events: in a day and age with more environmental awareness, recycling is disappearing because of financial realities. Alana Semuels reports, "For decades, we were sending the bulk of our recycling to China—tons and tons of it, sent over on ships to be made into goods such as shoes and bags and new plastic products. But last year, the country restricted imports of certain recyclables... These municipalities have two choices: pay much higher rates to get rid of recycling, or throw it all away. Most are choosing the latter."

2. How to Create a Culture of Happy Complementarians: Whitney Woolard's excellent post begins, "If I were a man, I would be a church planter... But I’m a woman—a woman who believes God has spoken authoritatively in his Word on all matters pertaining to life and godliness."

3. What Should My Sunday Look Like? Chad Asby's article might look simple, but it packs a punch. He begins, " Week after week, many of us attend a worship served not a worship service."

4. Christians More Likely to Have Intergenerational Friendships: Here is an encouraging study by Barna. Aaron Earls reports, "Twenty-six percent of those who have an older friend and 18 percent who have a younger friend say they met them at church. Among Christians, 26 percent say they lack a friendship outside their age group, compared to 41 percent of non-Christians."

5. Americans Less Certain in God's Existence: Aaron Earls reports that, " In the past 15 years, the percentage who say they know God exists and have no doubts dropped from 65% to 53%, according to the latest research from the General Social Survey."

John Beeson

March 28, 2019

Recommendations, Christian Living, Culture, Politics, Leadership, Mission

This Week's Recommendations

John Beeson

March 28, 2019

Recommendations, Christian Living, Culture, Politics, Leadership, Mission

1. Poll Shows that Americans Like the Idea of the Bible, but Don't Actually Read it: Lifeway reports, " About half of Americans (53 percent) have read relatively little of the Bible. One in 10 has read none of it, while 13 percent have read a few sentences. Thirty percent say they have read several passages or stories."

2. More Than a Quarter of the Deaths in Holland are Induced: This sobering report by John Burger finds that, "Fifteen years after the Netherlands decriminalized euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide, more than 25 percent of all deaths in the nation are induced, rather than by illness or other natural causes."

3. My Declaration of Faithful Disobedience: Dr. Wang Yi, Chinese pastor who was imprisoned in December, wrote this manifesto. Please read it. Among the many jewels in the letter, Yi writes, " As a pastor, my disobedience is one part of the gospel commission. Christ’s great commission requires of us great disobedience. The goal of disobedience is not to change the world but to testify about another world."

4. The Importance of Clarity in Leadership: My friend and pastor Glen Elliott with a great post: " There’s too much noise and too many distractions in our world and anything short of being crystal clear won’t be heard. More than ever, folks want and need the clarity of a compelling vision, mission and purpose. And great leaders provide that."

5. Hearing His Voice: Please watch this marvelous story of an unreached people group who are introduced to the Word of God. It's 25 minutes of encouragement.

John Beeson

August 23, 2018

Christian Living, Politics, Parenting, Theology, Nature

This Week's Recommendations

John Beeson

August 23, 2018

Christian Living, Politics, Parenting, Theology, Nature

1. When Pot is Legal, What Do We Say? Ben Tertin navigates this tricky issue that is on our doorstep. "When a pastor's advice on a moral issue fails, the usual culprit is oversimplification. I feel this keenly on the pot question, having fought on both sides."

2. I Want My Child to be an Alien: The pressure is strong to raise children who are popular. Jen Wilkin pushes against that impulse, " Sweet child, study the way you are feeling today. Because I love you, I ask this of you: Lean into your “otherness”—learn the contours of its face, feel out the steady grip of its hand. Because I intend it to be your lifelong companion. It is a truer friend than those who surround you now. More than I want your comfort, I want you to be an alien and a stranger."

3. Was Gnosticism Tolerant and Inclusive? Contrary to public perception, Michael Kruger responds with a resounding "No." "After all, it is argued, traditional Christianity was narrow, dogmatic, intolerant, elitist, and mean-spirited, whereas Gnosticism was open-minded, all-welcoming, tolerant and loving. Given this choice, which would you choose?"

4. The Consequences of Gendercide: For years China and India have been aborting millions of baby girls. Gene Veith reports on the devastating consequences, "Today, China has 34 million more men than women, which is equivalent to the population of California. India has 37 million more men than women... Both countries are experiencing an upsurge in sexual assaults, including rape, and human trafficking."

5. The Deepest Dive in the Antarctica Reveals a Sea Floor Teaming with Life: Wow. What a Creator.