Some Here, Some There — March 6, 2015

by Dan Phillips

Small start; expect updates through noon, TX time:

• Sigh.
• Holy mackerel. I thought we had a couple of funny things happen on our honeymoon. But those were nothing, nothing. You have got to read professor David Murray's hair-raising tale of his "worst ever" honeymoon. If you don't gasp and yelp a couple of times, check for a pulse.
• Then there was this picture, crying out for a caption. I heeded the call:

"'Don't worry, Joe,' they said. 'No way Shepherds' Conf wll sell out,' they said. 'Wait, you'll pay less,' they said" pic.twitter.com/9ypJuDlbGV
— Dan Phillips (@BibChr) March 3, 2015

• Well, well, well. Look at what Doug Wilson picked as his March Book of the Month. Agree with his choice? Go tell his readers why.
• Should a Christian attend a "gay mirage" ceremony? The decidedly un-prissy Denny Burk gives a terrific, Biblical, and straightforward answer...after which his meta immediately goes straight into the toilet.
• Perry Noble, who featured prominently in my first conference talk, is also a topic of Mark Snoeberger's analysis.
• Tackiest Easter outreach, evar? Or: Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by... a great big hot air balloon with a picture?

• Pastoral morale tip: are you about to share a "concern" with your pastor, something about something he's done or said, or hasn't done or said? Fair enough, and often very needed, and very appreciated. But also ask yourself: have you ever told him that you learned something — anything? — from him doing what he pours his life and soul into? Learned anything, been helped or encouraged, been reproved or corrected... anything? Isn't that also fair enough?
• Pastoree morale tip: brother pastor, are you about to speak a word of exhortation, correction, or even rebuke to one of your dear ones? Fair enough, and a crucial part of your calling. But remember that whatever you say, however you intend it, will be heard as about 5-10X more intensely-said than you meant it. So isn't it best to assume a tender heart and conscience, and err on the side of grace, gentleness, and kindness? Sort of a Matthew 7:12 type deal? Isn't that also fair enough?
• On pastoring, here's a worthy word from William Gurnall, who's in the course here of warning pastors against being accessory to their flock's ignorance which, he says, a pastor can become...

By his unedifying preaching, when he preacheth unsound doctrine, which doth not perfect the understanding, but corrupt it. Better he did leave them in simple ignorance, than colour their minds with a false dye, or when that he preacheth is frothy and flashy; no more fit to feed their souls, than husks the prodigal’s belly, which, when they know, they are little wiser for their soul’s good. Or when his discourses are so high flown that the poor people stand gazing, as those who have lost the sight of their preacher, and at the end of the sermon cannot tell what he would have. Or those who preach only truths that are for the higher forms of professors, who have their senses well exercised, excellent may be for the building of three or four eminent saints in the congregation; but in the meantime, the weak ones in the family, who should indeed chiefly be thought on, because least able to guide themselves, or carve for themselves, these are forgotten. [William Gurnall and John Campbell, The Christian in Complete Armour (London: Thomas Tegg, 1845), 118.]

• Someone in Facebook loaded this:

• To which I — NO FAN of the NIV, as you well know — replied:

• When this, plus some simple statement of facts and logic, did not seem to penetrate, (— does it ever, with KJV-onliers?) I created this:

• You're welcome!
• A Tweet reminded me of Chris Brauns' post from a few years back, 5 Problems with Unconditional Forgiveness. This gives me an opportunity to remind you of Chris' excellent, excellent book on this ever-topical topic.
• "Hey! I Was Just Asking a Question!" Is there such a thing as a bad question? Yep; and it's become a favorite dodge of false teachers today, as Adam Parker well exposes.

---