Challies Dot Com - Informing the Reforming

Asking Better Questions

Tim — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:32:58 +0000

So how many people go to your church?” That’s a question just about every pastor faces at just about every conference he attends. It usually doesn’t take long for a conversation to progress to that point. For the pastor this can be a moment of great pride or great humility, great freedom or great shame. Regardless, it is a question that always seems to come up. And it comes up for those who are not pastors as well; you begin to talk about your church and your friend inevitably asks that same question.

Today I’d like to make a two-part proposal: Let’s stop asking, “How many people go to your church?” And when someone asks us that question, let’s stop providing a direct answer.

We all pay lip service to the reality that we cannot necessarily measure the health of a church by its size. We all know that some of the biggest churches in the world are also some of the worst churches in the world. After all, the history of the church has long-since shown that it is not all that difficult to fill a building with unbelievers by just tickling their ears with what they want to hear. We also know that the Lord is sovereign and that he determines how big each church should be and we know that in some areas even a very small church is an absolute triumph of light over darkness. And yet “How big is your church?” is one of the first questions we ask.

Why is this? I don’t know all the reasons but I’d suggest at least three. First, I think our question betrays us and shows that in the back of our minds we equate size and health. Somewhere we make the connection between big and healthy, between big and blessing. We exacerbate the problem when we ask and answer this too-easy question. Second, we just haven’t taken the time and made the effort to form better questions. Instead, we gravitate to the easy one. Third, we are lazy and don’t really care. Asking “How big is your church?” is like asking, “How’s it going?” Neither one is a question that asks anything meaningful. If you are really interested in how a person is doing or how a church is doing, you will ask better, deeper, more meaningful questions.

I wonder, what would happen if we found better questions to ask and better ways to answer them. Instead of going to the easy question of, “How many people go to your church?” why don’t we ask things like this:

How have you seen the Lord working in the lives of the people in your church?
What evidences of the Lord’s grace has your church experienced in the last few months?
What are you excited about in your church right now?
Who are you excited about in your church right now?
What has the Lord been teaching you?
Who have you been discipling recently? Tell me about some of the future leaders at your church.

When asked, “How many people go to your church?” why don’t we consider answering something like this:

As many as the Lord has determined we can care for at this time.
Enough that we are actively working toward planting a church.
I don’t know, but let me tell you about a few of them…
You know, I have chosen not to answer that question, but let me tell you how the Lord is blessing us these days.

So tell me what you think. Do you think it would benefit the church to have us migrate away from asking and answering the number question?

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A La Carte (2/9)

Tim — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:21:52 +0000

Receiving Criticism - Dane Ortlund: “Seems to me there are two wrong ways to receive criticism and one right way. By ‘criticism’ I have in mind love-sent but hard words from a believing brother or sister that are meant for our good, in the spirit of so many NT passages (neglected by many today, first and foremost by me) that call us to exhort, rebuke, and sharpen one another.”

9 Good Purposes in Suffering - Rebecca has a helpful list, taken from scripture, of good results that come from the suffering of believers.

Radiant Inspiration - There are some nice Christian-themed wallpapers at this site.

Joke of the Year - “Comedian Tim Vine has cemented his reputation as king of the one-liners after he won the prize for joke of the year at the annual Lafta awards.” Some of the jokes here are pretty clever…

10 Digital Commandments - David has been reading a book about leadership in the digital age and provides what he is calling the 10 digital commandments. There’s some real wisdom there.

You cannot repent too soon, because you do not know how soon it may be too late. —Thomas Fuller

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Are You Living by "The Prius Fallacy?"

Tim — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:06:33 +0000

The Prius Fallacy: “a belief that switching to an ostensibly more benign form of consumption turns consumption itself into a boon for the environment.” That’s how David Owen, in his recent Wall Street Journal article, “It’s Too Easy Being Green,” defines the Prius Fallacy. Here’s how he illustrates it in action:

A favorite trick of people who consider themselves friends of the environment is reframing luxury consumption preferences as gifts to humanity. A new car, a solar-powered swimming-pool heater, a 200-mile-an-hour train that makes intercity travel more pleasant and less expensive, better-tasting tomatoes—these are the sacrifices we’re prepared to make for the future of the planet.

He lays on the sarcasm pretty thick in that last sentence, but in case you don’t catch it in the article he finishes with the clarification, “Our capacity for self-deception can be breathtaking.”

Owen’s article is insightful and rather humorous as he considers what many of us find ourselves thinking about consumption: that by substituting what we would ordinarily consume with a different product (which, typically, also happens to be nicer, more expensive and “greener”) we’re somehow consuming less. But that’s not true. The result is that we actually end up consuming more, and justifying it more.

Even when we act with what we believe to be the best of intentions, our efforts are often at cross-purposes with our goals. Increasing the efficiency of lighting encourages us to illuminate more. Relieving traffic congestion reduces the appeal of public transit and fuels the growth of suburban sprawl. A robust market for ethanol exacerbates global hunger by diverting cropland from the production of food.

Near the end of the article he gets at the heart of what is going on:

We may believe that we care about the world’s deepening environmental challenges and are merely waiting for scientists, environmentalists, politicians and others to come to their senses and implement effective solutions. But we already know more than enough, and we have for a long time. We just don’t like the answers.

He doesn’t quite get into biblical terminology (“greed,” perhaps, or “selfishness;” maybe even “idolatry”) but that is essentially what he concludes is the heart of the problem with human consumption. In other words, the issue is not that we’re consuming the wrong things; the issue is that we’re consuming so much and still aren’t satisfied. And a great way we’ve found to feed this greed is to portray our new purchases as virtuous “sacrifices,” offerings made selflessly to the gods of environmentalism (neverminding that being “environmental” also happens to earn you a lot of praise these days).

I appreciate what Owen has to say here and think that, even though he doesn’t name it for what it is, he is identifying the real problem behind our planet’s environmental issues: the sinful human heart.

More greed will not save us from the effects of our past and present greed. Only by believing in Jesus Christ and his Word, and having our contaminated minds cleansed and our polluted hearts restored by his blood, can we rightly acknowledge the true source of our planet’s problems and learn how to steward it better. And all the while we know that our hope is not ultimately in seeing the earth in its present form restored but in one day witnessing Christ replace it, new and unbreakable and unpolluted, for his people to enjoy forever.

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A La Carte (2/8)

Tim — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:31:41 +0000

Keller on NYC’s Decision to Ban Churches from Schools - “I am grieved that New York City is planning to take the unwise step of removing 68 churches from the spaces that they rent in public schools. It is my conviction that those churches housed in schools are invaluable assets to the neighborhoods that they serve. Churches have long been seen as positive additions to communities.”

Asperger’s - “Psychiatrists working on the latest edition of their profession’s diagnostic manual are thought to be tightening the definition of autism and dispensing with Asperger’s completely.”

There Was No Cross - It’s amazing how often this subject comes up in scholarship. And somehow people react like the person is breaking new ground. “Jesus may not have died nailed to the cross because there is no evidence that the Romans crucified prisoners two thousand years ago, a scholar has claimed.”

Spiritual Cardio - Erik Raymond shares some wisdom from Jonathan Edwards and compares prayer to spiritual cardio.

Women Are Better at Parking - Well would you look at that. “Covert surveillance of car parks across Britain show women are better at manoeuvring into parking spaces.”

ISS Night Flight Over USA - This is pretty interesting—a short timelapse film of the International Space Station flying over the US of A.

To see a man humble under prosperity is one of the greatest rarities in the world. —John Flavel

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An Ordinary Podcast

Tim — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:49:38 +0000

Download the audio file.

This week’s episode of the Connected Kingdom Podcast (another of our new, shorter episodes) has David Murray answering a question I asked him last week: What’s it like to be ordinary? You can listen in or read along…

What would you say if one of your friends asked you, “David tell us what it’s like to be ordinary?”

Well I had the privilege of “enjoying” that experience last week. When offered the opportunity to challenge me to speak on a subject of his own choice, my friend Tim Challies said, “David, why don’t you tell us what it’s like to be ordinary.”

So that’s what springs into Tim’s mind when he thinks of me: “Ordinary.”

I mean it’s not a huge insult I suppose. He didn’t ask me to speak on being “Ugly” or being “Offensive” or being a “Fool.” But it’s not exactly the greatest compliment either is it?! “Ordinary”

OK, I didn’t expect him to ask me about being “Extraordinary” or “Super-intelligent” or “Tall, dark and handsome,” but I expected maybe something a bit more than “Ordinary.”

Maybe something like being “Loyal” or “Consistent” or “Reliable” or something like that. But “Ordinary!?”

I looked up ordinary.com and found that it’s owned by Tanglewood Ordinary Restaurant - serving grandmother’s Sunday dinner since 1986. Not exactly the most inviting name for a restaurant - Tanglewood Ordinary Restaurant. Ordinary.net hasn’t even been purchased yet. Shows you how popular a concept “ordinary” is!

When I looked up a dictionary, I found this definition: “Ordinary: a clergyman appointed formerly in England to attend condemned criminals.” It’s also used to describe “some of the fundamental elements of the Catholic Mass.” In Britain it can even be used of “a Tavern or eating house serving regular meals.”

But I don’t think Tim was meaning any of these possibilities; rather he was thinking along the lines of this definition: “ordinary - the regular or customary condition or course of things.” Some synonyms are “everyday” “normal” “run of the mill” “humdrum.”

Not much encouragement there, though, is there. Who wants to be ordinary, run of the mill, humdrum?

Well, the good news for me and for you is that God wants the vast majority of His people to be “ordinary.”

I know I’ve been expressing outrage over Tim’s choice of subject for me, but it’s all been somewhat tongue-in-cheek. I know the sense in which Tim is using the word and that’s why when he gave me the assignment, I didn’t give him a punch over the Internet. Rather I said, “Thank you, Tim. I take that as the highest compliment.” Because I believe that God’s will for me, and indeed for most of us, is to be extraordinarily ordinary!

Let me explain what I mean!

When you read through Ephesians 1-3, you scale the immeasurable heights and depths and breadths of Christian doctrine: predestination, election, redemption, justification, sanctification, union with Christ, and so on. It leaves you utterly breathless with wonder and awe.

And you think, “Right what’s coming. If God has done all that for me, what’s he going to ask me to do to show my gratitude?” You come to the end of the doctrinal depths of chapter 3 with the climactic doxology: “To him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages world without end. Amen.”

And you hardly dare turn the page.

Because you know that God’s about to demand that you go on mission to Africa or Antarctica for the rest of your life. Or He’s going to tell you to give away all your money and possessions and live in the ‘hood. Or He’s going to say “I want you to live on top of a pole in the desert for 40 days.” Or “I want you to evangelize the whole city by midnight.” Or “You must preach to 20,000 people every Sunday and plant 1000 churches before you die.”

But instead, when you summon up the courage to start reading chapters 4-6 you can hardly believe your eyes. God wants me to tell the truth, to exercise my gifts in the church, to be honest, to love my wife or obey my husband, to honor my parents, to bring up my children for the Lord, to be a faithful employee and a fair employer, to be good citizen, etc.

It’s hardly the stuff of bestseller biography or conference ministry is it! I mean it sounds so humdrum, so run of the mill, so…well, so ordinary.

And that’s exactly what God’s will for most of us is. Yes, there will always be a few Christians, maybe one in every hundred thousand, who are called to an extraordinary life or an extraordinary ministry. And yes, they’re the ones that get so much attention in this inter-connected media-saturated world. So much so that we begin to think that every Christian is like them and I’m just such a boring failure.

But the reality is that God calls most Christians to ordinariness, to serve him in the everyday, in the humdrum - in the home, in the workplace, in the church, in the community and in the nation.

And that’s not just found in Ephesians; you can see the same pattern in Romans, Colossians, Philippians, etc., too.

But remember I said that we are called to extraordinary ordinariness. Yes we are to serve God in these everyday run-of-the mill roles, but we are to excel in them. We are to be extraordinary wives, husbands, parents, children, employees and employers. We are to be the best ordinary we can be. And that’s what will make a lasting difference to the church and the world.

Extraordinary ordinariness will have a much greater impact than mere extraordinariness. Yes, the latest Christian sports star will get a million blog posts written about him every time he breathes. Yes, the latest kid to write about his last trip to heaven and back will make millions for his parents. Yes, the newest mega church pastors will wow CNN for a few weeks.

But the greatest and the most permanent good will come from the impact and influence of extraordinarily ordinary Christians excelling in their ordinary days and duties.

Isn’t that so encouraging! That will revolutionize the way I change my baby’s diapers, tidy my yard, talk to my employer, manage my money, drive my car, participate in politics, behave in my marriage, and so on. On one level, it’s so very ordinary. But God blesses faithful ordinariness, and especially extraordinary ordinariness to transform lives, families, churches, communities, and nations, one ordinary life at a time.

If you’d like to give us feedback or join in the discussion, go ahead and look up our Facebook Group or leave a comment right here. You will always be able to find the most recent episode here on the blog. If you would like to subscribe via iTunes, you can do that here or if you want to subscribe with another audio player, you can try this RSS link.

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Know the Enemy

Tim — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:54:11 +0000

For thousands of years soldiers have known that to defeat your enemy you must know your enemy. If you go into a battle blind, with no knowledge of the army against you, you can expect to be defeated. But the better you know your enemy—the way he moves, the way he attacks, the kinds of weaponry he uses—the more you can be prepared to defeat him.

In Ephesians 6, as Paul draws to the close of this letter, he begins to speak about spiritual warfare and portrays the Christian life as a battleground. When he does that, he introduces the enemy of the Christian and tells us five things about him.

The enemy leader is Satan

The enemy is led by Satan. Paul tells us that we need to “put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.” The first thing he does is name the enemy general or the enemy king. This army is led by Satan. Ever since he fell into sin, Satan has been the enemy of God and God’s people. He is not the only enemy, but the arch-enemy, the leader of all the others.

Satan is unlike God in that he is not omnipresent—he is not present everywhere. He is a created being who can be in only one place at one time, but like any general, he has many captains and soldiers to do his work for him. So we battle against Satan the way Allied soldiers in the Second World War battled against Hitler: Not directly, but by battling against his foot soldiers. But all the while, we know that it is really Satan who is behind the enemy forces and that he is the ultimate enemy.

The enemy is spiritual

The enemy is spiritual. Paul says “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of evil.” This tells us that our enemy is a spiritual enemy. If we are to battle a spiritual enemy, it stands to reason that we need spiritual armour. Paul goes on to say, of course, that the Lord provides us exactly the armour we need. This also means that our battle is not against other people—not first and foremost—but against spiritual forces. Your unbelieving neighbor is not your enemy; he is a person created in God’s image who has been taken captive by the enemy and is in dire need of rescue. But your battle is not with him; your battle is a spiritual one against spiritual forces.

The enemy has many allies

The enemy has many allies. Again, Paul says that our battle is “against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” There are some Christians who look at this list and try to suggest what each of them mean—like rulers are demons who rule over one area of the country and cosmic powers rule a smaller area, and so on. But that’s not what Paul is getting at here. What he is saying is that Satan is not alone, but that he has a vast army with him. These beings, whatever they are, vary in their rank and their power and their authority and their capability. We just need to know that the enemy is there, he is spiritual, he is many, and he is out to get us. Satan fights his battle through a myriad of captains and foot soldiers.

The enemy uses many tactics

The enemy uses many tactics. Paul says that we need to stand against the schemes of the devil. Do you know someone who is a schemer? This is a person who wrings his hands and who plots and plans. He is a cunning person who loves to plan how to find another person’s weakness and exploit it.

Satan is a schemer. He will use any tactic, any strategy. He has spies who study you and look for your weaknesses and he will exploit any weakness he finds. He will try everything he’s got to see what works well and what doesn’t. He may use temptation like he did with Jesus. He may use false doctrine, trying to get you to deny what is true or trying to get you to believe and teach error. He may use division, doing what he can do come between you and other Christians, giving you reasons to turn your back on other Christians. Whatever it is, he will do all he can and he is always plotting against you.

The enemy is out to destroy you

The enemy is out to destroy you. Satan schemes against you and enlists his allies against you in order to destroy you. Paul uses this word “wrestling” to describe the kind of battle we’re engaged in here. This is hand-to-hand combat. We are face-to-face with the enemy and grappling with him. The enemy is out to destroy you. We know that in Christ we are secure, we also know that this enemy is aiming at the uttermost, doing all he can to utterly destroy us.

That is the enemy we are battling against here. It is good to know your enemy so you can know his tactics and be prepared to defeat his tactics. But let me offer one warning. While you do need to know who your enemy is and while you do want to know how he operates, you need to be careful not to become obsessed with him. There are too many Christians who spend far too much time thinking about Satan and studying the ways he acts. When you do that, you put yourself on dangerous territory. This enemy is so evil that if we study him too closely, we may become like him. We are told to think about what is good and true and pure and holy and lovely. Know your enemy, but know your Saviour far better. For every one look at Satan, take ten looks at Christ!

So that is the enemy—your enemy. Satan is the ultimate enemy; he is a spiritual enemy and he has enlisted all kinds of spiritual allies. All of these beings are out to destroy you and they have many ways and means of doing just this. You and I are in the middle of this great, cosmic battle. And the battles are often simple things, like not provoking your child to anger even when he is disobedient or choosing whether or not you will show love to your wife by making the bed. It is simple things like deciding whether or not you will read your Bible today or show up to church on Sunday. Each of these is a small conflict in a much bigger war.

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A La Carte (2/7)

Tim — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:44:03 +0000

The Cross and the Crescent - Michael Horton: “Newsweek’s current cover-story is ‘The Global War on Christians in the Muslim World,’ by Ayann Hirsi Ali, who fled her native Somalia and served in the Dutch Parliament before taking a position at the American Enterprise Institute. As the article points out, widespread anti-Christian violence is exploding even in countries with Muslim minorities. How do we respond wisely as Christians to this growing threat?”

The Holy Superbowl - This is an interesting article to find in a secular publication. “To my way of thinking the Super Bowl is holy if by holy we refer to something that garners the simultaneous attention, interest, commitment and passion, of imponderably large numbers of people.”

Social Media Explained - This explains it all.

The Journal of Biblical Counseling - CCEF is bringing back The Journal of Biblical Counseling. The information hasn’t been posted yet, but check in at the CCEF site and it should be there this morning.

More Women Priests - “More female priests are joining the Church of England than male ones for the first time ever, it can be disclosed as it takes another step towards the introduction of women bishops.”

Sproul and Ferguson - “On January 20, 2012, Saint Andrew’s was the location for ‘Theology Night with Sinclair Ferguson and R.C. Sproul.’ Topics addressed included the doctrines of grace, when to leave a local church, Tim Tebow, dispensationalism, free will, and the peccability or impeccability of Jesus.”

Coffer - I like the way this guy rolls.

Is there nothing to sing about to-day? Then borrow a song from to-morrow; sing of what is yet to be. Is this world dreary? Then think of the next. —C.H. Spurgeon

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Putting Sin to Death

Tim — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:59:00 +0000

This is my once-monthly post on the Puritan John Owen. In this series of posts I am sharing some of what John Owen says about putting sin to death, or what he calls mortification. I have been going through John Owen’s book Overcoming Sin and Temptation and trying to distill each chapter to its essence—to a few choice quotes that capture the flavor of what Owen is trying to communicate.

So far we’ve looked at The Foundation of Mortification, we’ve been encouraged to Daily Put Sin to Death, to understand that It Is the Holy Spirit Who Puts Sin to Death and to acknowledge that Your Spiritual Life Depends Upon Killing Sin. Last month we saw What It Is Not to Put Sin to Death. Today we look to the flip-side of last month’s teaching and see what it is to put sin to death.

Here are the three things Owen teaches…

Mortification Consists of a Habitual Weakening of Sin

Though this quote serves as introduction rather than the main point, I thought it was too good not to share:

The reason why a natural man is not always perpetually in the pursuit of some one lust, night and day, is because he has many to serve, every one crying to be satisfied; thence he is carried on with great variety, but still in general he lies toward the satisfaction of self.

Owen is a straight-shooter! He says that the only reason you are not absolutely consumed with any one sin is that you have many other sins to serve. And then he goes on to share the first thing you need to know about putting sin to death.

The first thing in mortification is the weakening of this habit of sin or lust, that it shall not, with that violence, earnestness, frequency, rise up, conceive, tumultuate, provoke, entice, disquiet as naturally as it is apt to do.

The first thing to observe as you begin to put sin to death is that sin becomes progressively weaker so that over time it does not rise up with the same violence, frequency or force. This means that success against sin is not only in destroying it entirely, but in weakening its grasp on us.

Owen goes on to draw an amazing parallel between the cruficixion of a man and the mortification of a sin:

As a man nailed to the cross he rst struggles and strives and cries out with great strength and might, but, as his blood and spirits waste, his strivings are faint and seldom, his cries low and hoarse, scarce to be heard; when a man rst sets on a lust or distemper, to deal with it, it struggles with great violence to break loose; it cries with earnestness and impatience to be satised and relieved; but when by mortication the blood and spirits of it are let out, it moves seldom and faintly, cries sparingly, and is scarce heard in the heart; it may have sometimes a dying pang, that makes an appearance of great vigor and strength, but it is quickly over, especially if it be kept from considerable success.

Mortification Consists in Constant Fighting and Contending Against Sin

Putting sin to death requires constantly fighting and contending against it. It is not a one-time pursuit but a life-long battle.

When sin is strong and vigorous, the soul is scarce able to make any head against it; it sighs, and groans, and mourns, and is troubled, as David speaks of himself, but seldom has sin in the pursuit.

Owen goes on to show that to fight against sin you need to know that…

… a man has such an enemy to deal with it, to take notice of it, to consider it as an enemy indeed, and one that is to be destroyed by all means possible.
… to labor to be acquainted with the ways, wiles, methods, advantages, and occasions of its success is the beginning of this warfare.
… to load it daily with all the things which shall after be mentioned, that are grevious, killing, and destructive to it is the height of this contest.

In that final bullet point he hints at what he will soon teach—the long-awaited method of actually putting sin to death. For now, though, he offers only this teaser, saying that putting sin to death will require daily discipline. In the second bullet point he says that we need to know our sin, to understand how any particular sin tends to manifest itself in our lives and what occasions tend to bring it about. And in the first point he tells us that in order to fight against sin we must understand and acknowledge that sin is a great enemy and one that needs to be dealt with. In other words, admit your sin, know your sin, and then do battle with it.

Mortification Consists in Frequent Success

He closes with a note of encouragement:

Frequent success against any lust is another part and evidence of mortification. By success I understand not a mere disappointment of sin, that it be not brought forth nor accomplished, but a victory over it and pursuit of it to a complete conquest. For instance, when the heart finds sin at any time at work, seducing, forming imaginations to make provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof, it instantly apprehends sin and brings it to the law of God and love of Christ, condemns it, follows it with execution to the uttermost.

He has already told us to understand that we will never completely and absolutely eradicate any one sin in this lifetime. We aim at the utter destruction of sin and genuinely expect to see particular sins weakened and nearly destroyed. Yet we know that the final destruction of sin will come only when we die or when the Lord returns. In the meantime we battle against sin, seeing frequent success and glorifying God for victory in every battle.

Don’t miss that as we discover sin in our lives, we need to “bring it to the law of God and love of Christ.” Here is the law as the revealer of sin and the love of Christ, the gospel, as God’s power of forgiveness. Owen was gospel-centered long before it was cool to be!

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Visual Theology - The Books of the Bible

Tim — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:25:48 +0000

I have now released the first two infographics in a series I am titling “Visual Theology.” Just as there are many words that can be used to describe any one fact, there are also many ways to display facts. I have been working with a few graphic designers in an attempt to display theological realities in infographic form. If you scroll down a little bit you can find links to infographics dealing with The Ordo Salutis and The Attributes of God.

Today I have the third entry in this series and it looks at the books of the Bible. Our inspiration for the way they are displayed was the periodic table of elements. I guess that means that you can consider this the periodic table of the books of the Bible.

Note: If you click on the graphic you will be able to see it full-size.

Update #1 - When I first released this graphic Titus was missing; it has now been restored. You may need to download this newer version.

Update #2 - All other issues have been fixed and a white background version has been added below.

You can also download this infographic in a high-quality PDF (1.2 MB). As with all of the inforgraphics in this series, you are free to print it, copy it, distribute it, and so on. Just don’t sell it, please. (Be careful printing it as that black background will gobble up your toner!)

Also, as a bonus, we’ve made up some desktop wallpapers if you’d like to use it for that purpose:

iPhone, iPad, 1440x900, 1920x1200, 2560x1600

And as a further bonus, you can also download it with a white background so it’s easier to print.

If you have other ideas for theological infographics, please feel free to leave a comment.

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A La Carte (2/6)

Tim — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:02:19 +0000

11 Things Thabiti’s Thinking - Thabiti Anyabwile (can we agree that, like Price and Madonna, we can just refer to him by only his first name?) shares 11 things he’s thinking about the whole Elephant Room controversy. You may also enjoy Carson’s and Keller’s take. I think we’re all growing a little weary of this issue, but it’s an important one as it highlights some real fault lines within evangelicalism today.

Servanthood as Worship - This book is on sale at Amazon for just $0.99 (in Kindle format).

Tattoos - I appreciate Clint Archer’s take on tattoos and hermeneutics. “This is not a pointed tirade against tattoos, nor a defense of them; it’s a jab at bad hermeneutics. I have found that some like to decorate their arguments with Bible verses that have no place in the debate.”

JOB - In case you aren’t a weekend reader of the site, be sure to check out these amazing wallpapers Chris Koelle designed.

Finding a Solid Church - Bob Glenn offers some useful pointers on how to find yourself a solid church.

Reality Snapshot of Missions Teams - Here’s an interesting Q&A with a missionary on whether or not he finds short-terms missions teams to be helpful in his ministry.

A Pastor’s Final Words - This is something for pastors to think about: “Pastors, if you had one last word to give your congregation before you died, what would it be? Most congregations do not get that final word, but Dayspring Fellowship was given such a gift.”

I am walking toward a bright light and the nearer I get the brighter it is. —D.L. Moody

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