Morning Links (June 4) : Kindle Deals and Thoughtful Links

Kindle Deals

The Hole in Our Holiness by Kevin DeYoung .99

Multiply: Disciples Making Disciples by Francis Chan 4.99

Creature of the Word: The Jesus Centered Church by Matt Chandler et at. 2.99

The Forgotten Trinity by James White 1.99

Preaching for God's Glory by Alistair Begg 4.61

Stop Asking Jesus into Your Hear by J.D. Greer 2.99

Tasty Links

When it's time for the talk

Tim Challies gives shares some books that help parents on when and how to talk to kids about the birds and the bees

How will we reach the "Nones"?

Nones are a new demographic of people who have no religious affiliation one way or another. And they are on the rise. James Emery White's new book deals with how to reach this group by becoming an Acts 17 kind of church. 

4 Questions to Ask Before Joining a Church

If you're thinking of joining somewhere this year, here are a few things to think about before joining. Pastors, these are questions you need to answer as well.  

How I Evolved on Gay Marriage (and how I didn't)

Matthew Shmitz is an editor of First Things magazine, and here he gives advice he gave a young lady who was dealing with gay marriage. In the article you'll also see an interview he gave with Slate Magazine. 

Morning Links (June 2): Southern Baptist Convention Edition

Kindle Offers
Lost and Found by Ed Stetzer and all 2.99
The Mission of Today's Church: Baptist Leaders Look At Modern Faith Issues by Ed Stetzer and Other's .99
God and the Gay Christian: A Response to Matthew Vines  by various .99
Understanding Sexual Identity: A resource for youth ministries by Mark A. Yanrhouse 7.99



Convention is just a few days away and there's a lot of issues we will be voting, and hopefully, thinking about about. Here are a few thoughts from well known SBC leaders.

4 Trends for Churches to Consider 
Ed Stetzer, a leading SBC missiologist and pollster, has written about four trends the church is currently facing that will also become important in the near future. Mainly we're getting smaller, which has some benefits (Christians of conviction will outnumber nominal believers) but there is much to be concerned about. Mainly, we have to find ways to reach out to millennials.

Southern Baptists' Millennial Problem
Speaking of Millennials, Trevin Wax gives his own ideas as to how to deal with the loss of this age group. He appeals to leaders to consider that our outreach has to take into consideration that millennials are staying single longer.

There is no "Third Way"
Al Mohler recently wrote about the so called "third way" many churches are following in regards to same sex relationships. It was spurred on by a recent decision by a pastor here in Southern California who changed his views on the issue, leading to an exodus of people from the congregation. A church split is always heart breaking, and always the last option, but in this case it was warranted. Mohler challenges the convention to remember one thing in all this: there is no third way. Either you're for it or against it.

A Resolution on Transgender for the SBC
Denny Burke has written about issue of transgender people in the church here. The idea that someone was born male, but identifies as a woman (or vice versa), is now the new issue facing churches. In a great sign of foresight, Burke has drafted a resolution (read it here) that would make clear what the SBC believes on these issues, namely that gender is a gift from God, and to do violence to the body in the form or surgery of hormone therapy, is wrong. Russell Moore also writes about this issue here

Christian Hate Speech and Gay Marriage

Over at Reformation 21 Carl Truman again gives insightful comments on the current issue hitting the California airwaves: gay marriage. he gives a few things consider as we make our next move in the new culture wars. He writes:

We can no longer assume our children will just agree with us on this issue; they are going to want arguments for holding that homosexual practice is wrong.  We need to go back to scripture and sharpen our swords, so to speak, as we can no longer assume that the cultural bias will play our tune anyway.

Sobering words indeed. I think we have got to come to place where we realize that the West is changing, and we don't have the high ground. We will have to contend with new attitudes, moralities, and mentalities. As a Christian teacher, I wholeheartedly agree that we must be able to give sound biblical arguments as to why we oppose the gay marriage. More so, we owe it to our congregations to do so.

The last point Truman makes is worth the read. He points us to a future for us in the U.S., that is already being realized in Canada and Europe. He writes

Those evangelical leaders, academics and evangelical institutions that prize their place at the table and their invitations to appear on `serious' television programs, and who enjoy being asked to offer their opinion to the wider culture had better be prepared to make a choice.  As I have said before in this column, we are not far from the place where to oppose homosexuality will be regarded as in the same moral bracket as white supremacy.   Those types only appear on Jerry Springer; and Jerry generally doesn't typically ask them their opinion on the ethics of medical research, the solution to the national debt, or the importance of poetry to a rounded education.

Sadly, I'm sure that those churches that already try not to rock the vote, may have already make their choice. Keep praying for California as we continue to have this debate, but keep thinking through the issues, we owe our people, and our God, no less.