Kevin DeYoung's Blog, page 205

Need Help? Know God

Do you have a friend in trouble? Maybe he–could be she but I'll just say he–is struggling with sin. Or maybe he's discouraged because being a Christian hard. Perhaps he's ostracized because of his faith. His colleagues at work don't like him. His neighbors think he's a little strange.

Imagine your friend tells you that he's wondering if being a Christian is really worth it. He's tired of having to be discriminating with the movies he watches. He's tired of fighting the temptation to wander ...

Monday Morning…Something

This isn't so much humorous as it is impressive. A trip down memory lane, with the help of bebop and technology. I never heard Care Bear Countdown sound so cool.

(Sorry about the ads that pop up on the videos. I can't figure out how to get rid of them and the screen size may be too small to hit the "close" button.)

Ditches on the Path to Godliness

[image error]I see two opposite dangers Christians face when thinking about growth in godliness. These tendencies are like ditches on the side of the road. Many veer into one because they are so concerned to avoid the other.

On one side is the dreamy danger. These Christians idolize their heroes. They are idealistic about how fast they'll grow. They underestimate the reality of indwelling sin and are unrealistic about how maturity actually takes root. They expect too much too soon and feel too spiritual...

A Great Opportunity for Great Theology

Dorothy Sayers (1893-1957) knew how to write. I don't agree with all her theology, but when she waxes on about the importance of theology she is downright inspiring.

Reflecting on the scene in Britain over fifty years ago, she concluded "there are three kinds of people we have to deal with."

There are the frank and open heathen, whose notions of Christianity are a dreadful jumble of rags and tags of Bible anecdotes and clotted mythological nonsense. There are the ignorant Christians, who...

The Ministry of Rebuke (3)

(This is part three of a three part series on The Ministry of Rebuke. Here is part one and part two.)

How to Rebuke

1. Know whom you are rebuking. Learn to distinguish among the different animals in the ecclesiastical barn. For starters, there are pigs–not worth your time. Save your pearls of wise rebuke for someone else. Then there are the sheep. Deal gently with them if you can. But as for the wolves, they need a firm whack with the rod. And when it comes to the top dogs, remember to show...

The Ministry of Rebuke (2)

(This is part two of a three part series on The Ministry of Rebuke. Part one was yesterday.)

When to Rebuke

1. The more hurtful the action or error. If your friend keeps talking about Calvinism and Armenians and thinks the last book of the Bible is Revelations, a corrective word at the right moment might be in order but a full-fledged rebuke is not. On the other hand, we someone's sin is ruining a marriage, killing a church, grinding down your small group, or destroying their own soul, you had ...

The Ministry of Rebuke (1)

There are two kinds of Christians: those who like to rebuke and do it often and those who are scared to rebuke and never do it. The irony is both kinds of Christians are prone to sin. Those who enjoy giving a good rebuke are usually the least qualified to give one, while those who would rather do almost anything else are often the very people who would serve the body best with their correction.

We live in a strange day. With email, blogs, and social media rebuking has never been easier. And...

The Single Greatest Moment in Cinematic History?

Beware the Over-Hyped Stat

Please, please read Bradley Wright's new book Christians are Hate-Filled Hypocrites…and Other Lies You've Been Told. After that, pick up Joel Best's Stat-Spotting: A Field Guide to Identifying Dubious Data. Christians have to quit believing every statistic they read and spinning them in the most sensational ways.

For example, see Brett McCracken's article yesterday in the Wall Street Journal on The Perils of "Wannabe Cool" Christianity. Overall the article makes some fine points. It's a...

What is the Difference Between Election and Predestination?

I had someone ask me this question recently. My short answer is: in popular usage, not a lot.

The terms election and predestination are often used interchangeably, both referring to God's gracious decree whereby he chooses some for eternal life. In Romans 8:30 Paul speaks of those whom God has predestined, called, justified, and (in the end) glorified. In 8:33 Paul references "the elect," apparently a synonym for the predestined ones described a few verses earlier.

A sharp distinction between t...