Things to Read (in your spare time)

Here's an interesting article on NFL quarterback Kurt Warner who is very outspoken about his faith, even to the point that teammates wouldn't come to his house because they didn't know if they would get preached at or not. It is an interesting read about the Christianity of someone in the spotlight. I have never been a big fan of people who use Jesus as a line in a post-game press conference, and I am not sure that the endzone is the best place to pray, but the article is worth a quick read.

Here's an article by Greg Gilbert at 9 Marks on the hot topic of the church and the cultural mandate. In the age of the emerging church, people from all across the spectrum of the EC have a renewed interest in social justice as a legitimate pursuit of the church as an institution (as opposed to the legitimate pursuit of the Christian as an individual).

IMO, there are two extremes that are both easy to reach. On the one hand it is easy to say that the church itself has no social or cultural responsibility. Just preach the gospel and don't worry about the culture. On the other hand, it is easy to say that the church must pursue the social transformation of the community that it is a part of, even to the point of making social and cultural transformation a part of the gospel itself (which led to the social gospel of the late 1800s and early 1900s, in which the message of Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection for sin was replaced by a message of social justice). I think Gilbert gives some helpful insights to begin thinking about this topic.

Lastly, here is an excerpt from D. A. Carson on the nature of preaching. It is great for the pastor, and good for the church member. Dear church members, please be gentle with us pastors, and pray that  we might measure up to the great task of declaring the glory and truth of God from his word.