What I’m Reading – 5/5/2017

Below are some of the articles and books I’ve read recently that you may enjoy checking out.

• “What You Should Know About the Prosperity Gospel,” (Joe Carter, TGC) — Carter provides a helpful rundown of a dangerous and pervasive teaching that plagues the contemporary church.

• “No, ‘Saul the Persecutor’ Did Not Become ‘Paul the Apostle’” (Greg Lanier, TGC) — Lanier shows that Paul and Saul were simply two names that the apostle had, one Hebrew and one Greek, and reminds us of the importance of reading our Bibles carefully.

• “The real tragedy in the shooting of Jordan Edwards,” (Jamar Tisby, CNN) — Tisby is a strong believer who provides a helpful and sobering corrective to some trends in reporting on this tragedy: “But if you think Jordan didn’t deserve to die because he was a good student, then you’re missing the point. Jordan’s achievements don’t make him any more valuable than a person who had trouble in school and a history of bad decisions. What makes a person’s life precious is simply the fact that he or she is a living, breathing human being. As wonderful a teenager as Jordan was, his death would be no less tragic if his record had been less admirable.”

• Controversy of the Ages: Why Christians Should Not Divide Over the Age of the Earth, by Ted Cabal and Peter Rasor — I had the privilege of previewing this book, and I think it is an excellent, level-headed perspective on how faithful Christians can disagree on this issue. I appreciated the argument of the book; I appreciated even more the spirit of the book.

• “10 Practical Ways to Read the Bible More,” (Chuck Lawless) — Smart, practical, helpful steps for those want to dig into Scripture more…from a faithful practicioner!

• “Pain is Good for You,” (Tate Cockrell) — Cockrell provides some wonderful insights on the blessing that feeling pain is, dspite the fact that it hurts!