It’s been awhile since I had a Thursday Roundup post! I’ve had some changes in the last few months, as Leah and I had our first child in June and we also started planning for me to go to seminary to pursue my M.Div. in Fall 2018. I’m excited about the potential of a seminary degree to enhance my ministry work, but for the moment I have less time for publishing here at DavidVogel.net as I work a second job to save up for seminary. I hope to settle into more regular (though significantly reduced) schedule here over the next few months, but in the meantime I hope you enjoy this somewhat abbreviated Thursday Roundup.
Nearly all cults somehow diminish or deny the divinity of Christ, and an effective response often requires a careful look at proof-texts we sometimes take for granted, so this week’s video digs into Paul’s teaching about the nature of Christ in Philippians 2:6. The links of the week include “fake news” about early Christianity, watching Game of Thrones, praying through trials, asking forgiveness, loving our gay neighbor, the importance of a pastor’s character, and more!
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Latest Video
In Philippians 2:6, Paul says Jesus has “the form of God.” In English, “form” may simply mean the appearance of something, but the word in the original Greek is “morphe,” which means something different; something very important to our understanding of the nature of Jesus Christ.
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Best Reads of the Week
Michael J. Kruger lists five “fake news” stories about early Christianity, along with helpful links for further reading.
An excellent response to a very bad but very common argument: “Is Reading the Bible Morally Equivalent to Watching Game of Thrones?”
It can be hard to pray in faith during times of trial, but that’s exactly when God encourages us to put him to the test.
Denny Burk has a fantastic list of ten ways to love your gay neighbor.
Why should we continue to ask for forgiveness for our sins… when we’re already forgiven?
Some practical wisdom: “Three Questions to Ask Yourself Before Moving to a New City.”
Two good pieces from James Anderson. In the first, he offers some practical advice for one of the challenging situations that confront us in the brave new world of twenty-first century sexuality: “When Harry Wants To Be Called ‘Sally’.” I agree with Anderson’s suggestion, as well as his observation that this is an area where Christians can certainly disagree in good faith! On a lighter note, I enjoyed Anderson’s observations about a quote from Richard Dawkins’ The God Delusion vis-à-vis belief in fairies at the bottom of the garden.
Tim Challies writes an important reminder that a pastor’s character is more important than his skill. “Of all the many qualifications laid out in the New Testament, there is just one related to skill (he must have the ability to teach others) and one related to experience (he must not be a recent convert). The rest of the nearly 20 qualifications are based on character.”
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Congratulations on the new little one! May God continue to bless your family in every way!