Brian G. Hedges's Blog, page 6

Love and Spiritual Transformation

The most famous chapter in the Bible on love is 1 Corinthians 13. We often treat this chapter like a poem about love, printing it on greeting cards, reciting it at weddings, and placarding it on the walls of our homes. But this chapter is much more than a sentimental poem about warm fuzzies. In its original context, it is a heart-searching, gospel-drenched, portrait of Christianity in its

Links Worth a Look

Here are a few items I've read online lately that might be worth your time.

Why I Am a Cessationist - Tom Schreiner presents the biblical case. Read and be a Berean.

Why I Am a Continuationist - Sam Storms presents the biblical case. Read and be a Berean.

Leisure as Culture - Brian Mattson reflects on the dualism that gives rise to the disdain of leisure. Though he critiques John Piper (whom I

Personhood, Grace, and the Sanctity of Human Life

This week marks the 41st Anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the United States Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion on January 22, 1973.  Since that time over 55 million babies have been aborted in the United States. That’s about 8 times the number of people who live in Indiana (my state) and over a sixth of the total current population in the United States.

Abortion is a polarizing issue

Reflections on Reading a Biography of Martin Luther King Jr.

Several years ago, prior to Martin Luther King Jr's birthday, I decided to preach on racial reconciliation. I knew I needed to enter into the issue emotionally. I grew up in the South as middle-class Anglo-American. I had not had very many friendships with people of other races. And I felt sure that my background had placed severe limitations on my ability to really empathize with minority

Top Ten Books of 2013

Here’s my top ten list of books read in 2013, with a couple
of qualifiers. (1) These books weren’t necessarily published in 2013. They’re
just the ones I happened to read this year.  (2) I didn’t necessarily read every page of each book in the following
list. But I read enough to have benefited and to recommend to others.  



So here's my list. Take a look and leave your own reading

Martyn Lloyd-Jones on Self-examination and Justification by Faith Alone

Do you ever struggle with assurance of salvation, especially when examining yourself? Here are some wise words from D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones on the importance of grounding our self-examination in the doctrine of justification by faith alone.

I must never start upon this process of self-examination without reminding myself at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end of the cardinal doctrine

Pastors, Plagiarism, and a Plea for Charity

Ever since the Strange Fire conference and Mark Driscoll's tweets about having his books confiscated, the blogosphere has been ablaze with accusations. Things hit the fan after Janet Mefford's interview with Driscoll, in which she accused him of plagiarism in his latest book and then posted sections from his book along with pages from the books he allegedly stole from. Ms. Mefford has now

Christians, Alcohol, and the Bible

“Don’t drink, don’t chew, don’t go with girls that do.” It may be bad poetry, but at least it has the virtue of being clear. And fifty years ago, many American Evangelicals would have agreed that alcohol consumption was a sure sign of worldliness, if not a lack of genuine faith altogether.

But times have changed, as a recent CT article shows, citing Moody Bible Institute lifting its ban on

Reading for Depth

I once heard an old preacher say that the Bible should be studied with both a microscope and a telescope. He meant that we needed to get both the big picture by reading Scripture broadly, but also do in-depth study of specific passages. The analogy extends to all of our reading.



My last post suggested six tips on reading for breadth. Here are six tips on reading for depth.



1. Limit

Assurance: Know You are Saved

A few months ago I sat down with Todd Friel and Bob Glenn for a discussion on assurance of salvation. The videos are now available for purchase. You can order the DVD or download the video and study guide at Wretched radio's website. 



Every Christian experiences doubt to some degree. But where is the line between doubt and unbelief? 



Perhaps you are one of the millions of Christians