Month: May 2015

Book ReviewsLeave a comment

Review of ‘Sidney Chambers and the Forgiveness of Sins’ by James Runcie

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James Runcie, Sidney Chambers and the Forgiveness of Sins (London: Bloomsbury, 2015). Hardcover | Paperback | Kindle I am an ordained minister with a penchant for reading mystery novels. It is not entirely surprising, then, that I so thoroughly enjoy The Grantchester Mysteries, which narrate the exploits of Sidney Chambers, a priest in the Church of England and an amateur sleuth. Sidney Chambers and the Forgiveness of Sins is the fourth installment in James Runcie’s series, and in my opinion, the best. (All of them are good, however.) Set in Grantchester, a village near Cambridge, The Grantchester Mysteries begin in … Continue reading Review of ‘Sidney Chambers and the Forgiveness of Sins’ by James Runcie

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Review of ‘The Rise of the Nones’ by James Emery White

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James Emery White, The Rise of the Nones: Understanding and Reaching the Religiously Unaffiliated (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2014). Paperback | Kindle According to a May 2015 report from Pew Research Center, “The Christian share of the U.S. population is declining, while the number of U.S. adults who do not identify with any organized religion is growing.” Sociologists refer to this latter group as nones. When asked to state their religious affiliation—e.g., Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, etc.—they choose “None of the above.” Nones constitute a rapidly growing segment of the U.S. population. According to data from the 2008 American … Continue reading Review of ‘The Rise of the Nones’ by James Emery White

Current Events, Politics & CultureLeave a comment

A Dad’s Life | The Weekly Standard

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From Jonathan V. Last: As a general rule I try not to talk in the conditional mood, especially when it comes to family life. Everyone has their own circumstances and I respect that. I really do. But if you aren’t otherwise engaged in some duty that precludes it—say, the priesthood—and you have the opportunity, then you should be a father. There is nothing more vexing, exhausting, noble, or manly.  Read the whole thing: A Dad’s Life | The Weekly Standard. Continue reading A Dad’s Life | The Weekly Standard

Hymns, TheologyLeave a comment

Vintage Worship: The Glory of Historic Hymns | The Gospel Coalition

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From Matt Boswell, a good piece on hymns: When I mention historic hymns, maybe you cringe as you recall a “worship war” in your local church. Maybe you’re eager to only sing the old hymns. Or maybe you wonder why it is important at all. My aim is not to renew local church disputes or bolster mere sentimentality, but to commend something else altogether — to encourage younger churches to remember their history by joining with the countless men and women who have shared these songs over hundreds of years. Our society is fixated on what’s new and what’s next, … Continue reading Vintage Worship: The Glory of Historic Hymns | The Gospel Coalition

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Media Gets Pope’s Abbas Comments Wrong | The Weekly Standard

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I’m shocked–shocked!–that major news media misreported what the Pope said. Double-shocked (!!!) that it pertained to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict… If anyone needs further evidence of why the news agencies often can’t be trusted to report accurately on Israel and the Palestinians, and why major news outlets such as the New York Times and the BBC should stop repeating agency copy without verifying it, here is an important example from this weekend. Media Gets Pope’s Abbas Comments Wrong | The Weekly Standard. Continue reading Media Gets Pope’s Abbas Comments Wrong | The Weekly Standard

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Review of ‘Dry Bones: A Walt Longmire Mystery’ by Craig Johnson

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 Craig Johnson, Dry Bones: A Walt Longmire Mystery (New York: Viking, 2015). Hardcover | Kindle Like many people, I became aware of Craig Johnson’s Walt Longmire mysteries through Longmire on A&E. (Netflix has acquired the show and will air its fourth season). The TV show is a different beast than the books. While I enjoy both, I still prefer the latter. The mystery at the heart of Dead Bones is the death of Danny Lone Elk. Lone Elk owns a ranch on which a large, complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton has just been unearthed. The find is worth millions to whoever … Continue reading Review of ‘Dry Bones: A Walt Longmire Mystery’ by Craig Johnson

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Review of ‘Passing the Leadership Baton’ by Tom Mullins

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 Tom Mullins, Passing the Leadership Baton: A winning transition plan for your ministry (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2015). Hardcover | Kindle The American men’s relay team is an Olympics powerhouse. Since 1920, it has won gold medals at 15 of 21 Olympics. It did not do so in the 4×100 relay at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, however. Rather, it disqualified when Darvis Patton and Tyson Gay dropped the baton as they headed into the fourth leg of the race. When it comes to transitions between pastors and their successors, a lot of churches drop the baton. The reasons for this are … Continue reading Review of ‘Passing the Leadership Baton’ by Tom Mullins

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Later-Term Abortion and Science Denial

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Over at Commentary, Jonathan S. Tobin writes: Instead of mulling whether the late term abortion ban (passed on the second anniversary of the sentencing of late term abortion butcher Kermit Gosnell for slaughtering infants born alive after such procedures) is politically wise for Republicans or a godsend to Democrats eager to replay their 2012 “war on women” attacks on their foes, we should be discussing the real life implications of medical innovations on public policy. The real issue isn’t the legality of abortion as a whole — which isn’t in question — but the lives of infants who could survive … Continue reading Later-Term Abortion and Science Denial

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Review of ‘Leadership Pain: The Classroom for Growth’ by Samuel R. Chand

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 Samuel R. Chand, Leadership Pain: The Classroom for Growth (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2015). Hardcover | Kindle “If you’re leading, you’re bleeding,” writes Samuel R. Chand in his new book, Leadership Pain. That five-word sentence captures a crucial truth about leadership in general, and pastoral leadership in particular. Leadership is hard work. Rather than avoiding that hard work, Chand urges ministry leaders to embrace it. Pain comes in many forms. Chand writes: “some of our pain is self-inflicted, the accumulation of unrelieved stress. Some is the result of external challenges, and we suffer heartaches and headaches because we’re trying to grow … Continue reading Review of ‘Leadership Pain: The Classroom for Growth’ by Samuel R. Chand