Talking about the film “Courageous,” Andy Naselli stated, “some may embrace moralism and feel good about themselves as they try to earn God’s favor by being good dads. This is not the fault of the film but more a comment about how in our depravity we can be very, very bad by being very, very “good.” We can make an idol out of just about anything—even family.”[1] This is a perspective of depravity we don’t often think of, but it is very true.
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“In Evil Long I Took Delight” by John Newton
I ran across this hymn a few weeks ago, although I have been acquainted with it before. I decided it was definitely worth sharing. This hymn is certainly not as popular as John Newton’s famous hymn, “Amazing Grace,” but I certainly recommend reading through the words and meditating on their truth. From a man who understood grace extremely well in light of who he was as a depraved, wicked, detestable man in need of saving, “In Evil Long I Took Delight”:
In evil long I took delight,
Unawed by shame or fear,
Till a new object struck my sight,
And stopp’d my wild career:
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“Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus” Analysis and Critique
This week I saw my Facebook flooded with a certain video, so I watched it. I knew where Jefferson Bethke (the author of the poem and individual in the video) was coming from and what he meant by his words, yet I was a little unsettled by this video.
Many individuals, evangelical in disposition, seem to be rejoicing in this video (even “The Resurgence” posted it on their site, see here). On the other hand, I’ve noticed a much different reaction from the Catholic crowd (i.e., various Catholic facebook friends of mine as well as various Catholic blogs that have written critiques, such as what I am now doing), as one might expect. And to be honest, in many regards, I agree with these Catholics in their criticisms. Allow me to share some of my brief thoughts on the video.
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Biblical Discontentment
In a previous post, “Test Everything… and Think!”, I addressed an all too common problem among Christianity—a lack of examining, testing, questioning, and confirming our beliefs, thoughts, actions, etc. However, I believe this idea of testing beliefs and manners of conduct is very much attached to the idea of what I will call “Biblical discontentment.”
Now, obviously I am not referring to being discontent with the circumstances that God gives us. In Philippians 4:13 Paul said that he could be content in all circumstances through the One strengthening him (cf. v.11-12). The type of discontentment I am referring to here is not contrary to the contentment Paul had in mind in these verses.
The three months before my wedding I rented a room from a nice couple I knew through school. In their kitchen they had a small decorative plate mounted on the wall with a prayer printed on it. This prayer does a very good job summarizing the correct perspective on contentment that I am trying to present in this article:
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Favorite Quotes from Living the Cross Centered Life by C.J. Mahaney
The following are my favorite quotes from the book Living the Cross Centered Life: Keeping the Gospel the Main Thing by C.J. Mahaney.
“‘We never move on from the cross, only into a more profound understanding of the cross.’ The cross and its meaning aren’t something we ever master.”[1] – page 17.
“‘My God, only You could show me what a wretched sinner I am and make it the greatest news I’ve ever heard!'”[2] – page 20.
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Kirk E. Miller 