Flotsam and jetsam (2/8)

HT James McGrath

• Trevin Wax addresses the question, “What Is a Personal Blog If Not Self-Promotion?“

Motivation matters here. Yes, personal blogs may be a tool of self-promotion. That’s a given. But if the blogger is motivated solely by the desire to self-promote, then the blog is about building a readership for the blogger’s benefit rather than for the reader’s benefit.

• Kyle Roberts discusses The New Apologetics.

For some, the term “apologetics” has taken on too many negative connotations to continue to be useful. They believe it is time to dispense with the term altogether. I am not convinced. Saving the term, however, is less important than revitalizing and re-contextualizing the concept. Christians need to continue to talk about the best way to communicate the heart of the gospel and the saving message of Christ in compelling and coherent ways. To that end, apologetics (or whatever one may call it) should be evangelistic, integrative, holistic, communal, and contextual.

• Mark Driscoll talks about how worship transforms us. (HT)

Because we worship our way into sin, ultimately we need toworship our way out.

• iMonk has a couple of great posts on reviving the use of catechisms (see part 2 here).

• Jason Hood discusses the problem with Eric Metaxas’ Bonhoeffer biography.

• Justin Taylor asks if we’ve recovered the Holy Spirit that prior generations forgot.

• And, here’s a list of the 10 Worst National Anthem Renditions.

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Finding subtle ways to believe that we’re “worthy” of God’s love

Dane Ortlund posted a great quote from C.S. Lewis today on our incredible ability to find ways of convincing ourselves that we’re really “worthy” of God’s love, even when we do it by being “humble.”

No sooner do we believe that God loves us than there is an impulse to believe that He does so, not because He is Love, but because we are intrinsically loveable. The Pagans obeyed this impulse unabashed; a good man was ‘dear to the gods’ because he was good.

Read the rest here.

Flotsam and jetsam (2/7)

• Russell Moore has an opinion piece in the WSJ on whether we are seeing the death of the denomination.

If denominationalism simply denotes a “brand” vying for market share, then let denominationalism fall. But many of us believe denominations can represent fidelity to living traditions of local congregations that care about what Jesus cared about—personal conversion, discipleship, mission and community. Perhaps the denominational era has just begun.

• David Mills warns against using terms like “prophetic” and “biblical” as ideological rhetoric.

Too many of us substitute being right for being good. Holiness is hard, ideology easy. A small step toward holiness, or at least away from speaking as an ideologue, can be made by avoiding our school or party or movement’s pet words. That can force us to try to make an argument, and that effort can lead us closer to truths we would not see otherwise.

• Richard Beck is starting a series on church giving, reflecting on his own desire to be more directly involved in the end result of the giving.

I think the real reason goes back to looking for a more direct experience with generosity and hospitality. Wanting to live like Jesus people struggle with the impersonal nature of the collection plate. It just doesn’t feel right.

I think the real reason goes back to looking for a more direct experience with generosity and hospitality. Wanting to live like Jesus people struggle with the impersonal nature of the collection plate. It just doesn’t feel right.

• Trevin Wax wrestles with the problem of self-promotion as an author.

• I finally got around to watching Stephen Colbert’s latest segment excoriating Bill O’Reilly and his “arguments” for the existence of God. (HT)

• Burgling advice of the day: don’t leave your phone charging in the house you just robbed.

• And, here’s a list of the 10 Most Shared Super Bowl Ads of All Time.