Wisdom for Your Weekend is your regular installment of what we’ve been reading (and watching) around the web. Presented to you by Chris Pappalardo (and Allison Dolbeer, filling in this week), with occasional guidance from Pastor J.D., this is our attempt to reflect Proverbs 9:9: “Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.”
Articles of the Week
10 Things You Should Know About Christian Meditation, Sam Storms. No doubt for some of you that title brought to mind an image of a cross-legged yogi with eyes closed and arms spread and incense burning. Storms helpfully walks through the biblical exhortation to meditation and explains what should really be happening when we practice this discipline. “We have truly meditated when we slowly read, prayerfully imbibe and humbly rely upon what God has revealed to us in his Word.”
How Diverse Was Early Christianity? Andreas Köstenberger. Just this week we corresponded with a UNC student preparing for a debate over whether Jesus and Paul advocated fundamentally different religions and recommended to him this summary by Southeastern Seminary’s Köstenberger. In recent years, scholars have increasingly proposed that early Christianity was not unified but diverse. Did what we today consider historic and traditional Christianity only emerge in the second and subsequent centuries as a set of beliefs imposed by the ecclesiastical hierarchy onto all Christians? In short, the answer is no.
“An Act of Pure Evil”—Searching for Meaning in Las Vegas, Al Mohler. “Only the Christian worldview, based in the Bible, can explain why moral facts exist, and how we can know them. Only the biblical worldview explains why sinful humanity commits such horrible moral wrongs. The Christian worldview also promises that God will bring about a final act of moral judgment that will be the final word on right and wrong — as facts, not merely speculation. The Gospel of Christ points us to the only way of rescue from the fact of our own evil and guilt.”
Are Smart, Educated Women Still Called to the Church Nursery? Nana Dolce. Yes, and Dolce gives practical steps to not just challenge misogyny but also honor the role of caretaking in our church culture. “If faith-professing children in our churches today might disconnect tomorrow, then our time with them—from the nursery to the college group—must be viewed not as mere games and morals but as the loving evangelization and discipleship of a growing church. And those committed to this mission must be encouraged, not overlooked, in their good work.”
Semper Reformanda
Ten Lasting Fruits of the Reformation, Joel Beeke. While you probably know that Martin Luther is one of the most significant figures in church history and that the changes his theses sparked in the church transformed how we think and talk about the gospel, Beeke’s list helps all of us articulate better the significant ways the Reformation changed the world and how it affects our lives today.
On the Lighter Side
The Story of Martin Luther (Playmobil Animation). If your kids don’t exactly get excited when you suggest a sit-down and lesson about Martin Luther and the Reformation, then maybe Playmobil figures and British narration will help kick off the conversation (because kids always pay more attention when a British person is speaking).
