John Beeson

February 1, 2024

Recommendations, Christian Living, Culture

This Week's Recommendations

John Beeson

February 1, 2024

Recommendations, Christian Living, Culture

What are non-Christians’ view of God? Barna reports, “While a significant 30 percent of non-Christians who are not spiritually open is simply unsure what they believe about God, about half (47%) firmly do not believe there is a God or higher power.”
How the customer review changed the world: Samuel James nails the impact of democratization on the contemporary world, “The word for this is democratization. Democratization is literally the process of democracy, or the process by which democracy emerges.

John Beeson

September 7, 2023

Recommendations, Marriage, Family, Relationships, Christian Living, Forgiveness, Parenting

This Week's Recommendations

John Beeson

September 7, 2023

Recommendations, Marriage, Family, Relationships, Christian Living, Forgiveness, Parenting

The top 100 brands by value: Interesting infographic from visualize. Most surprising to me was that US companies made up half of the 100 brands. Unsurprisingly, China has a lot of companies represented as well.
Thirteen years of coming back: I just love this post from Brianna Lambert. “Thirteen years of marriage, and Lord-willing many more ahead. I look back, and I see the beauty of a promise that won’t let go. I see two people, linked by an invisible cord. Though trial, sickness, and sin stretches it taut, the Lord won’t see that it breaks. Instead, the cord leads us back together, as we slowly pull ourselves nearer. Back to rest, back to forgiveness, back to joy, back to the hand I love to hold, and back to the love that started it all.”

John Beeson

August 18, 2022

Recommendations, Abortion, Christian Living, Church, Culture, Sexuality

This Week's Recommendations

John Beeson

August 18, 2022

Recommendations, Abortion, Christian Living, Church, Culture, Sexuality

How I Would Explain a Christian View of Trans-Genderism to a Non-Christian: Samuel James takes on this loaded topic. He says, “Our broken, sinful world facilitates the deepest kind of frustration and shame toward our own bodies.”
An Open Letter to a Young Woman Contemplating an Abortion: Leah Savas’s article is a must-read. She says, “You’re not an accident, and neither is that baby inside of you. A Creator formed you and formed your baby with the same intentionality that your grandma has when she knits a pair of mittens.”
Four Guidelines for Dating Without Regrets: Simple wisdom from Tim Challies. “Stop acting like you’re married when you’re not. We tend to see exclusive dating relationships as quasi-marriages in which couples quickly become strongly entangled emotionally, romantically, and even physically.”
What Does “Heap Burning Coals On His Head” Mean? Interesting stuff from Steve Cornell. He considers five possible interpretations of this verse.
Before You Pack Up and Leave: Tim Challies offers counsel to someone considering leaving a church. He asks, “[W]hat should you do when you begin feeling discontent at your church? What should you do when you feel that yearning to pick up and move on? What should you do when you find yourself eager to slip out of one church and into another? I’d like to offer just a few suggestions that I hope you’ll consider and put into practice.”

John Beeson

August 11, 2022

Recommendations, Christian Living, Church, Culture, Identity, Prayer

This Week's Recommendations

John Beeson

August 11, 2022

Recommendations, Christian Living, Church, Culture, Identity, Prayer

Why the Search for the Church that Meets Your Needs is Futile: Carey Nieuwhof asks, “Should the criteria of a church meeting your needs be the reason you change churches? Well, what if the church was never intended to meet your needs? What if the furthest thing from God’s mind when he created the church was to meet your needs?”
Why You Should Name and Feel Even Negative Emotions: Lara D’Entremont reflects, “I rarely dealt with or named my emotions—at least not the “negative” ones. They had to be killed, banished, ignored, and stuffed. I learned this from both Christian circles (like the counselor above) and my own fears. I didn’t want others to see my emotions. Negative emotions always equaled sin and weakness in my mind, a reason for people to look down their noses at me. So I tried to kill my negative feelings with kindness—or gratitude. But what if there’s goodness in every emotion—even in the ones we don’t like so much?”
Expressive Individualism and the Death of Mental “Illness” Samuel James’s point is worth considering. He says, “Here’s one guess: Personality profiling is the last politically-acceptable way of receiving an identity, rather than crafting one. And many people today are weary of crafting their own custom identity and would very much like to belong to something instead.”
Prayers That God Will Not Answer: Tim Challies begins, “There are times when it seems like God does not hear us. There are times when it seems like God has become deaf to our prayers and unresponsive to our cries. There are times when we seek but do not find, knock but do not find the door opened. Why is it that God sometimes does not answer our prayers?”
Beneath Our Social Justice Strife: Thaddeus Williams has four questions for both sides. He begins, “Over the last five years, the topic of social justice has become something of a jackhammer in some churches, reducing congregations to rubble, shaking denominations, even fracturing fellowship between old friends. Online cloisters have formed in which anyone to our left must be a social-justice-warrior snowflake or a neo-Marxist. And, in other cloisters, anyone to our right is probably a white supremacist or a neo-Nazi. Meanwhile, the exhausted majority feels caught in the crossfire, hoping for some new way forward.”

John Beeson

June 9, 2022

Recommendations, Abortion, Consumerism, Culture, Forgiveness, History, Identity, Theology

This Week's Recommendations

John Beeson

June 9, 2022

Recommendations, Abortion, Consumerism, Culture, Forgiveness, History, Identity, Theology

Jesus Versus the Trade-In Society: Samuel James begins his excellent article, “It seems to me that if there’s one thing that our current version of advertising-based capitalism teaches us all, it’s that everything is replaceable: everything can be reproduced, or traded in for a new and improved model. And that applies to coaches, to churches, to spouses. We live in a trade-in society.”
9 Myths About Abortion Rights and Roe v. Wade: Kevin DeYoung considers some misconceptions. For instance, “Myth #6: Our abortion laws are mainstream compared with the rest of the world. Truth: The United States is one of only 10 nations that allow abortion after 14 weeks of gestation. Only four countries allow abortion for any reason after viability: Canada, North Korea, China, and the United States
The Ukelele and the Cross: J.A. Medders says, “Theologians have wrestled with the various angles that describe what Jesus did for us on the cross. Some will even argue that there is only one way to describe and define what Jesus did for us on the cross. Rather than pick sides on the theological playground, I want to propose a harmony of notes that are played at the cross of Christ.”
How Not to Pray with a Hurting Loved One: Blake Glosson’s post is helpful to all of us. He says, “There’s certainly a time to give advice, but prayer isn’t the place for it. Prayer is not a free pass to share your opinions with the other person while pretending to talk to God (this is manipulative and the other person will feel it).”
Constructing the Roman Road: A short video on what became a significant cause for the spread of the gospel.

John Beeson

April 28, 2022

Recommendations, Christian Living, Church, Death, Culture, Religion

This Week's Recommendations

John Beeson

April 28, 2022

Recommendations, Christian Living, Church, Death, Culture, Religion

The Universe Demands a Cross: This post by Samuel James is brilliant and moving. Please read it. Here is a taste, “The sterilized metaphysics of Western spirituality, the liturgies of eat-pray-love, are sieves when it comes to the bloodiness of reality. I could, if I chose, close my eyes and insist on believing in the inherent goodness of man, the brotherhood of all, and the common destiny of all but the worst people. But I could not close my eyes hard enough to un-see the blood of vaginal delivery. The blood does not merely sit there. It calls out, just as the blood of Abel cried “out from the ground.” It calls out for reckoning.”
200 People Left Our Small Church: my friend Benjamin Vrbicek asks, “How does a pastor keep his heart from growing cynical when, over 350 weeks of pastoring the same church, I have lost an average of one person each week? And why are these congregants leaving our church anyway? What role might I play, even unintentionally, in sending sheep to what they perceive to be greener pastures?”
An Open Letter to Death: Cindy Matson begins, “Dear Death, I’m writing to you today with a simple message: Stop boasting. I realize that you have some reason for pride. You have had your way with nearly every human to ever live. (Do Enoch and Elijah keep you up at night?)”
True Humanism: Jesus, Marx, or Jenner? Bruce Ashford considers the options to Christianity in contemporary culture, “[T]hese thought leaders often pose as anthropologists who find Christianity dehumanizing and as tea-leaf readers who discern in the anfractuosities of history a movement toward a more “humanized,” Christ-less future.”
Tom Brady in Retirement: Football fans out there will enjoy this.

John Beeson

April 21, 2022

Recommendations, Christian Living, Church, Death, Culture, Religion

This Week's Recommendations

John Beeson

April 21, 2022

Recommendations, Christian Living, Church, Death, Culture, Religion

The Universe Demands a Cross: This post by Samuel James is brilliant and moving. Please read it. Here is a taste, “The sterilized metaphysics of Western spirituality, the liturgies of eat-pray-love, are sieves when it comes to the bloodiness of reality. I could, if I chose, close my eyes and insist on believing in the inherent goodness of man, the brotherhood of all, and the common destiny of all but the worst people. But I could not close my eyes hard enough to un-see the blood of vaginal delivery. The blood does not merely sit there. It calls out, just as the blood of Abel cried “out from the ground.” It calls out for reckoning.”
200 People Left Our Small Church: my friend Benjamin Vrbicek asks, “How does a pastor keep his heart from growing cynical when, over 350 weeks of pastoring the same church, I have lost an average of one person each week? And why are these congregants leaving our church anyway? What role might I play, even unintentionally, in sending sheep to what they perceive to be greener pastures?”
An Open Letter to Death: Cindy Matson begins, “Dear Death, I’m writing to you today with a simple message: Stop boasting. I realize that you have some reason for pride. You have had your way with nearly every human to ever live. (Do Enoch and Elijah keep you up at night?)”
True Humanism: Jesus, Marx, or Jenner? Bruce Ashford considers the options to Christianity in contemporary culture, “[T]hese thought leaders often pose as anthropologists who find Christianity dehumanizing and as tea-leaf readers who discern in the anfractuosities of history a movement toward a more “humanized,” Christ-less future.”
Tom Brady in Retirement: Football fans out there will enjoy this.

John Beeson

March 10, 2022

Christian Living, Culture, Recommendations, Relationships, Religion, Biblical Studies, Identity, Science

This Week's Recommendations

John Beeson

March 10, 2022

Christian Living, Culture, Recommendations, Relationships, Religion, Biblical Studies, Identity, Science

Humility is the Main Ingredient in Prayer, Thanksgiving, and Repentance: This post by Thomas Schreiner is so simple but so profound! I need to read this regularly. He says, “One of the most humble prayers in the world is “Help me, Lord.” We remember the simple prayer of the Canaanite woman when everything seemed to be against her. She cried out to Jesus, “Help me” (Matt. 15:25). Prayer is humble because when we pray, we are saying that God is merciful and mighty, that He is wise and sovereign, and that He knows far better than we do what is best for us.”
7 Encouraging Trends of Global Christianity: Aaron Earls reports good news emerging primarily from the global south. He shares, “Not only is religion growing overall, but Christianity specifically is growing. With a 1.17% growth rate, almost 2.56 billion people will identify as a Christian by the middle of 2022. By 2050, that number is expected to top 3.33 billion.”
6 Concerning Trends in Global Christianity: Aaron Earls shares the other side of the coin. He concludes, “At the turn of the 20th century, fewer than 900 million people were unevangelized. Today, that number is more than 2.2 billion who’ve never been told of Jesus. By 2050, the Gordon-Conwell report estimates the global unevangelized population will top 2.75 billion.”
The False Philosophy of Cancel Culture: Jonathan Hoyes explains why cancel culture reduces human relationships to a power struggle, “Put simply, cancel culture is a culture of bullying. What starts with a difference of ideas ends with a willful public destruction of other human beings. Those who claimed to be the ones bullied have now become the bullies themselves, all because of a shift of power.”
What’s the Tallest Thing We Could Possibly Build? Something a lot taller than I would have possibly imagined.

John Beeson

March 3, 2022

Christian Living, Culture, Recommendations, Relationships, Religion, Suffering

This Week's Recommendations

John Beeson

March 3, 2022

Christian Living, Culture, Recommendations, Relationships, Religion, Suffering

1 in 7 Global Christians Faced Persecution in 2021: Aaron Earls shares the sobering Open Doors Report, “In the past year, 360 million Christians, or 1 in 7 believers around the world, suffered significant persecution for their faith. Every day in 2021, an average of more than 16 believers were killed for following Jesus. With close to 6,000 total martyrs, 2021 saw a 24% increase in Christians killed for the faith.”
Escapism and the False Narrative of Shame: Brady Goodwin explains, “Whatever its expression, escapism reflects a response flowing from within us. Deep in our hearts, we seek to escape from what we find unbearable. For some of us, such choices come in response to the everyday challenges of life. For others, it is the very perception of ourselves that we flee.”
Whose Purpose in Your Suffering Will Prevail? Randy Alcorn explains that every time we come to the crossroads of suffering we meet the choice between God and Satan’s purposes, “The very thing Satan intended for Job’s destruction, God intended for his betterment and ultimate reward (though certainly at a terrible cost).”
Why Most People Avoid Conflict and Why You Shouldn’t: Todd Linaman says, “By avoiding conflict, you miss opportunities for growth. Growth always involves change, and even positive changes often involve some level of tension and discomfort. To choose to avoid conflict is to choose personal stagnation – the opposite of growth.”
Did Jesus Die for the Sins of Every Person? Helpful video that considers this challenging question.

John Beeson

February 24, 2022

Recommendations, Science, Biblical Studies, Christian Living

This Week's Recommendations

John Beeson

February 24, 2022

Recommendations, Science, Biblical Studies, Christian Living

No Creaky Wallet Love: Glenna Marshall considers God’s love. “I used to think that love was something God doled out with miserly resistance. I pictured Jack Arnold, the disgruntled dad of the 1988 television series, “The Wonder Years,” slowly opening his wallet, which creaked with stinginess as he forked out a couple of dollars for Kevin’s allowance. Kevin held his breath, eyes fixed on his dad’s tight-lipped grimace.”
Defending Sound Doctrine Against the Deconstruction of American Evangelicalism: This is a long article from Jonathan Leeman, but helpful in engaging some serious questions confronting the church. I appreciate Leeman’s measured and non-reactive approach. He shares, “Too often I read on social media, “I don’t have time to listen to people who belong to group ‘x.’” Intentionally or not, I fear that such claims make Story authoritative over the Bible. It communicates, “My Story disqualifies whatever you might say from the Bible.” And to me, this sounds like truth-in-service-of-power.”
Secularism Proves Christianity’s Influence: Glen Scrivner asks what will happen to our understanding of equality and compassion when cut off from its Christian roots, “When equality is divorced from the Christian story, it risks becoming a radical individualism.”
Yes, You Need to Talk to the Manager: Samuel James shares a generational difference that younger generations might want to reclaim from our elders. He says, “If you ask to speak to the manager, you are a “Karen,” which is what the Internet calls someone who is ridiculous and overbearing. But in real life, often times it is the most cringe, most apparently overbearing responses that actually do achieve meaningful redress. By contrast, the contemporary spirit is to get revenge on the people and places that offend you by working remotely for their destruction. Don’t actually speak to them, don’t actually complain, don’t actually risk your sense of self in the (misplaced) hope that they will fix it. Speak about them, complain to others, make the solution both obvious and unworkable, and bask in the affirmation of your peers.”
Cacti in Bloom: So cool.