Don Carson at KEC in 2005

Katoomba Easter Convention are giving away on talk by Don Carson for free: Don Carson:

The last time Don Carson spoke at katoomba easter convention was in 2005. You can watch his last talk entitled The Mission of the Spirit here

A Tale of Two Corners: Knowledge and Maturity

A Tale of Two Corners: Knowledge and Maturity – Kevin DeYoung:

So who would you rather have as an elder in your church? Mr. Bookworm is more impressive, but Mr. Simple-Faith is probably going to make better decisions and be better received by the members of the congregation. Personally, I’d rather have maturity outpacing knowledge instead of the other way around.

Should We Baptize Young Children?

Should We Baptize Young Children? – Justin Taylor:

There is an irony in the discussion—namely, that Jesus tells us to have faith like a child, and we often tell children that they first have to have demonstrate faith like an adult.

The Promise of Messiah in the OT

A nice list of the promise of the messiah in the OT: The Promise of Messiah in the OT « Expository Thoughts:

...with each new prophecy, more detail and color is added to the canvas and the picture becomes fuller and clearer:

The Cost of Discipleship

The Cost of Discipleship | Sermon Notes Part 2, Luke #63 | The Mars Hill Blog:

You’re either growing in faith and Christ, or regressing away from faith and Christ. … And what could kill it is this: If you have disciples and if you have non-Christians, everything will be fine, but what kills it are all the Christian consumers, all the people who don’t go to community group, don’t serve, don’t give, don’t become members because the bar is set too high. We intentionally set the bar high.

Provincialising God: Anglicanism, Place, and the Colonisation of Australian Land

This could be interesting: Provincialising God: Anglicanism, Place, and the Colonisation of Australian Land - LAKE - 2011 - Journal of Religious History - Wiley Online Library:

This article investigates the importance of Anglican religion and the physical structures of faith to how some believers understood their surrounds in a British settler colony. Its central figure, William Grant Broughton, was head of the Church of England in Australia during the 1830s and 1840s.

Two Cheers for Fox News

Fox News is good because it encourages debate: Two Cheers for Fox News:

Now these new guys have their biases and blind spots, some of them glaring. And some old-timey people on the left lament their polarizing presence, but what they are actually lamenting is the new and unpleasant reality of having to debate people -- something they are clearly not very good at.

15+ inspiring conferences happening in 201

A good list to check back on: 15+ inspiring conferences happening in 2011 | Communicate Jesus:

I’ve compiled a list of conferences (most in the U.S., unless stated otherwise) that are:

- helpful to those of us with a communications/technology interest,
- have speakers that I greatly admire, and/or
- look otherwise interesting.

Conflicted Feminism

Interesting take on feminism: Conflicted Feminism:

'Our feminist culture today hates women, despises them . . . The sexual revolution was a revolution of promiscuous males, for promiscuous males, and by promiscuous males' (Beyond Stateliest Marble, p. 237).

What to Do When Your Pastor Preaches a Sermon Dud

Newton on preaching: What to Do When Your Pastor Preaches a Sermon Dud:

Do you pity your pastor? Think about the struggles and the sacrifices and the challenges your pastor faces on a regular basis. The demands of pastoral ministry and preaching are great. And on top of the demands, in many cases the pastor carries within himself a greater desire to serve you than he has the gifts to make it happen. This chronic disappointment is a terrible weight upon the soul of a faithful pastor. Perhaps here Newton is writing out of personal experience.

Why I Have Cooled On Multisite

Some good thoughts on multisite churches: Why I Have Cooled On Multisite – Kevin DeYoung:

So upon further reflection, I just can’t see myself sacrificing the dynamic Holy Spirit give-and-take of the preaching event unless it seemed like every other option had been exhausted. I want to see the people I’m preaching to, even if there are lots of them to see.

Husbands: Headship Means Taking the Lead in Reconciliation

Piper on Male headship: Husbands: Headship Means Taking the Lead in Reconciliation – Justin Taylor:

"So husbands, your headship means: Go ahead. Take the lead. It does not matter if it is her fault. That didn’t stop Christ."

What a Marvel is Man

Humans vs Computers: What a Marvel is Man – Kevin DeYoung:

Of course, the win-win for humans is that even with Watson cruising to victory over the humans, the fact still remains he was created by them. He (really “it”) owes his existence to man. He would be nothing without the uber-smart people at IBM. So I’m left marveling at the genius of man to invent a computer that can surpass human knowledge in so many ways and yet is dependent on human knowledge for its existence and can still miss the Final Jeopardy clue many educated (and frequent flying) Americans would know.

Why We All Need the Gospel

I like Francis Chan. This is a good talk and 45 min into his talk he stops with his notes and prays that God would give him the right words to close his talk: Why We All Need the Gospel Wednesday Night Connection Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, MN - Desiring God

Adultery Incorporated — The Infidelity Industry

How to make money off setting up adultery: AlbertMohler.com – Adultery Incorporated — The Infidelity Industry:

The idea behind Ashley Madison is easy enough to understand. Biderman’s plan was to create a website that would appear to cater to women seeking an adulterous partner, while actually attracting men seeking the women for an adulterous liaison. Clients of the site establish a personal profile, check off their “availability status,” and mark their personal preferences. The real money flows to the site when men connect online with women and then have to pay rather steep fees for the privilege of continuing the conversation. If all goes according to plan, adultery soon follows.

New Atheists and the Dunning-Kruger Effect

Articles | New Atheists and the Dunning-Kruger Effect | Phillip Jensen:

And that brings us back to the Dunning-Kruger effect that the less competent you are the more confident you are likely to be. To launch out on a world-wide campaign on subjects over which you know little and have researched less – to say nothing of intentionally not studying because you do not believe – is less than acceptable as genuine public debate or academic discussion, to say nothing of failing in the art of war.

It was Prof. Dawkin’s great hero Charles Darwin who wrote in his introduction to The Descent of Man:''Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge.''

Gospel-Centered Life Audio

Conferences are starting to happen in the US it seems, which means more free audio: Gospel-Centered Life Audio – Justin Taylor:

Audio from the recent Gospel-Centered Life Conference at Coral Ridge

What the Bible Really Says About Sex . . . Really

Maybe the text means what it says...: AlbertMohler.com – What the Bible Really Says About Sex . . . Really:

The most important point I made to Lisa Miller is that revisionist interpreters of the Bible are playing a dishonest game. Consider the audacity of their claim: They claim that no one has rightly understood the Bible for over two thousand years. No Jewish or Christian interpreter of the Bible had ever suggested that the relationship between David and Jonathan was homosexual — at least not until recent decades. The revisionist case is equally ludicrous across the board. We are only now able to understand what Paul was talking about in Romans 1? The church was wrong for two millennia?

Christian Number-Crunching

Some interesting figures from Catholics and stats on world mission: InsideCatholic.com | Christian Number-Crunching | Feature | Articles:

For 27 years, the International Bulletin of Missionary Research has published an annual 'Status of Global Mission' report, which attempts to quantify the world Christian reality, comparing Christianity's circumstances to those of other faiths, and assaying how Christianity's various expressions are faring when measured against the recent (and not-so-recent) past. The report is unfailingly interesting, sometimes jarring, and occasionally provocative.

2011 National Conference

Another conference this year that will be worth downloading: 2011 National Conference - The Gospel Coalition

ESV Economy Bible (Paperback) [Pack of 240 Bibles]

240 ESV bibles for $240, thats not a bad price: Westminster Bookstore - Reformed Books - Low Prices - Flat Fee UPS Shipping - ESV Economy Bible (Paperback) [Pack of 240 Bibles] ESV, English Standard Version 9781433528460

Catholic church gives blessing to iPhone app

iPhone confession app: BBC News - Catholic church gives blessing to iPhone app:

The Confession program has gone on sale through iTunes for £1.19 ($1.99).

Described as 'the perfect aid for every penitent', it offers users tips and guidelines to help them with the sacrament.

Summary of the 2011 Conference for Pastors

More free stuff online. I'll download this soon (when i finish the other audio I am listening to): Summary of the 2011 Conference for Pastors - Desiring God:

Notes and full audio and video from each session are now available.

Get Off the Island!

The downside of individualism: Get Off the Island!:

Christianity is so often just a fake, plastic world that millions of people live in—not being real, not being honest—pretending that everything is “just fine!” They give everyone around them the impression that they are “just great!” It’s baloney! The bible says we should confess our faults one to another. We need to shine the light on this stuff, but we’re not doing it. We hide and pretend that everything is wonderful and have to keep up this false front, where no one can know what is really going on. It’s just between you, the devil and the dark and it keeps getting worse and worse. It’s exactly what the enemy wants.

Three Ways with Families

Interesting point by Keller on the family: Three Ways with Families – The Gospel Coalition Blog:

Nearly all religions and cultures made an absolute value of the family and of the bearing of children. There was no honor without family honor, and there was no real lasting significance or “legacy” without leaving heirs. By contrast, the early church not only did not pressure women to marry but it institutionally supported poor widows so they were not forced to remarry as they were out in the culture at large.

Why? The Christian gospel and hope of the kingdom-future de-idolized marriage.

How does the gospel conquer the sin of pornography?

Piper, Keller and Carson on porn: YouTube - How does the gospel conquer the sin of pornography?

One Third of Americans Affiliate with Evangelical Churches

30% is massive, if it is accurate. Lots of people say on forms that they are part of a church when really they don't attend. But that is mostly in the mainline ones: One Third of Americans Affiliate with Evangelical Churches - Desiring God:

Those who argue that a new American landscape is emerging—one in which the conservative evangelicalism of the past few decades is losing numbers and influence—are simply ignoring the data.

Membership in the mainline denominations declined 49 percent from 1960 to 2000; membership in evangelical denominations increased 156 percent in the same period.

Fully one-third of Americans (approximately 100 million) affiliate with an evangelical Protestant congregation. Indeed, evangelicals remain the numerically dominant religious tradition in the United States.

The New Atheism and the Dogma of Darwinism

Or should the last bit be "never underestimate the power of an idea stretched beyond what it can prove": AlbertMohler.com – The New Atheism and the Dogma of Darwinism:

The New Atheists would have no coherent worldview without the Dogma of Darwinism. With it, they intend to malign belief in God and to marginalize Christians and Christian arguments. Thus, we can draw a straight line from the emergence of evolutionary theory to the resurgence of atheism in our times. Never underestimate the power of a bad idea.

Christians Protecting Muslims in Egypt During Prayers

In Egypt: Christians Protecting Muslims in Egypt During Prayers | The Islamic Workplace

Global Awakening: Korea in the 1910s

I didn't know this: Global Awakening: Korea in the 1910s | The Resurgence:

Today, Korea sends more cross-cultural missionaries than any other nation except the United States.

Turning Conversations to Christ

A little bit of a J.I. Packer quote on evangelism: Turning Conversations to Christ | 9Marks:

first, that personal evangelism, like all our dealings with our fellow-men, should be courteous. And they remind us, second, that personal evangelism needs normally to be founded on friendship

Like a Slide Rule in a Salvador Dali Painting

Doug Wilson knocking the arts: Like a Slide Rule in a Salvador Dali Painting:

There was a time when the humanities were a demanding course of study (which they still frequently are at the graduate level). But now relativism has rotted out the core curriculum in a way that relativism has not rotted out mechanical engineering.

Theses for a new reformation in the Anglican Communion

12 points for the Anglican church to think about: Theses for a new reformation in the Anglican Communion : Anglican Church League, Sydney, Australia:

So here is a shot at my top twelve (it is presumptuous enough to do this without attempting to get anywhere near ninety-five, and anyway each of mine is a little more long-winded than Luther’s and so should by rights be called ‘paragraphs’ rather than ‘theses’. However, they are like Luther’s in one respect: they are by no means comprehensive and by no means present an outline of a complete systematic theology.

EPIC FAIL Pastors’ Conference: an event for Christian failures » Attempting to behold the miracle long enough without falling asleep

Interesting, I hope the audio is free: J.R. Briggs » EPIC FAIL Pastors’ Conference: an event for Christian failures » Attempting to behold the miracle long enough without falling asleep:

The EPIC FAIL Pastors’ Conference will be held April 14-16, 2011 in Lansdale, PA (Greater Philadelphia Area).