The celebrity,” opined Daniel Boorstein, “is a person who is known for his well-knownness.”Sixty years later, Katelyn Beaty provides an incisive update in Celebrities for Jesus. If you want to know how far society has drifted away from cherishing what Russell Kirk called “the permanent things,” Beaty stands ready to fill in for Virgil. Before entering the celebrity inferno, a taxonomic note is in order. What is the difference between Fame and Celebrity? Fame has always been with us; people … [Read more...] about The Celebrity-Industrial Complex
Christianity
Finding Joy Through Humility
“I’m a very umble person….I am well aware that I am the umblest person going,” said Uriah Heep, modestly; “let the other be where he may. My mother is likewise a very umble person. We live in a numble abode, Master Copperfield, but have much to be thankful for. My father’s former calling was umble. He was a sexton.”When the most famous humble person in all of literature is Uriah Heep, is it any wonder that Humility has a bad name? Gavin Ortlund wants to change your impression. Humility: The … [Read more...] about Finding Joy Through Humility
Is Your Church a Company or a Family?
What is the difference between a church and a retail store?That sounds like the start of a bad joke, but instead it is the start of a reflection on (one of) the problems in the modern American (and maybe not only the American) church. Begin with the answer: “There is no substantive difference between a church and a retail store.” A church is a business entity designed to sell a product (Christianity). It does so by advertising its product to non-customers to convince them to come into the … [Read more...] about Is Your Church a Company or a Family?
Resting in the Promises of God
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30, ESV) Spurgeon on Resting in the Promises of God, edited by Jason Allen, is a set of 8 sermons on that theme. This is part of a larger series of books put out by Moody Press which aim to publish bite size samples from the overwhelming large … [Read more...] about Resting in the Promises of God
Christie and Chesterton
Agatha Christie meet G. K. Chesterton. Imagine a young Agatha Christie. She wants to write Crime Fiction. But, who should be her role model? On the one side, she can pattern her work after Arthur Conan Doyle. Hercule Poirot becomes the modern day Sherlock Holmes, using his little gray cells to solve puzzles. (Or as Christie would actually write, his little grey cells.) The clues are all handed to the reader along with an array of red herrings. The reader tries to be as clever as the … [Read more...] about Christie and Chesterton
The Power of Scripture
“O you who dislike certain portions of the Holy Writ, rest assured that your taste is corrupt and God will not stay for your little opinion.” “How depraved you are if you can perceive no heavenly luster about the Book of God!” Charles Spurgeon really thinks you should treat the Bible a bit more seriously. Spurgeon was a 19th century Baptist preacher. That description does not even begin to capture the force of nature he was. There is a 63 volume set of sermons he preached at a couple of … [Read more...] about The Power of Scripture