When should parents talk to their children about sex?

When should parents talk to their children about sex? Julie Lowe answers this question in CCEF's "Ask the Counselor." Her answer, in short: talk often, talk freely, and talk soon. See the video below for her complete answer.



(HT: Tim Challies)

What should Christians do about Halloween?

Below are two articles that take the position that Christians should view Halloween as an opportunity to give glory to God by intentionally loving their neighbors who come to their houses on this one night of the year.

Halloween: A Missed Opportunity for Evangelicals

Why All Good Christians Should Celebrate Halloween

"... I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel ..." (1 Corinthians 9:22-23 ESV)

The Gadarene graphic novel

John Piper wrote an "extended, imaginary" story based on Mark 5 about the Gadarene demoniac, and Desiring God published that story as a 144-page graphic novel titled "The Gadarene." It seems like a good tool to share with other people who are into graphic novels or for those who want to see the story in a fresh way. Below is a video about it.



(HT: Tim Challies)

The grace of God in the Bible

Dane Ortlund through short sentences or paragraphs traces the message of God's grace in each book of the Bible.

Does Christianity have a vision for society?

A Muslim friend to Mark Dever: "That's the problem with Christianity: you have no vision for the state or for society as a whole."

Mark Dever's concluding words in his 19 Sept. 2010 sermon titled "Jesus Paid Taxes" (Mark 12:13-17):

"Does Christianity have a vision for the state or the society as a whole, or is Christianity—as my Muslim friend implied—so heavenly minded that it's of no earthly good?

"I think visions like the one my friend had for the state are way too shallow. They're about swords and external conformity to laws. Jesus Christ comes to do something much deeper than any social revolutionary has ever been able to do. He's come to actually change our hearts, to change our natures. The Bible shows us that God has a wonderful vision for his world. We’ve all rejected that vision. And yet even after that rejection, God, in his amazing mercy and love, continues to pursue us. Jesus Christ, his own son, stood there teaching the very people that would in a few days' time seek his life, arrest him, beat him, have him put to death.

"I know there are Marxist and Muslim utopian visions for our world. There are secular visions, too. But none of these visions sufficiently take into account the things the Bible teaches about the sinfulness of humans, about our being made in God's image, about God's goodness, his love, his holiness. Utopian visions of politics or nations or the state always lead to tragedy. They always lead to tyranny and despotism and terrible distortions of God's will.

"Friends, it is the truth of Christianity, about God being holy and loving, and our being made in God's image, and yet fallen, and God's provisions and promises for us in Christ—it is all of these truths together that lead us to sufficiently respect the fallen governments of the world, and yet give us hope to endure them, and to work and hope for something infinitely better. So God gives us the peace that comes with such hope and the strength to get up another day, to continue following Jesus until he brings us home."

(HT: Thabiti Anyabwile, Collin Hansen, and C.J. Mahaney)

If we can but teach Christ to our people, we shall teach them all

"Throughout the whole course of our ministry, we must insist chiefly upon the greatest, most certain, and most necessary truths, and be more seldom and sparing upon the rest. If we can but teach Christ to our people, we shall teach them all. Get them well to heaven, and they will have knowledge enough. The great and commonly acknowledged truths of religion are those that men must live upon, and which are the great instruments of destroying men’s sins, and raising the heart to God." (Richard Baxter, The Reformed Pastor)

Bad news and good news: A gospel presentation

What is the gospel? Watch the "Bad News/Good News" video below from Evan Tell, a ministry whose mission is to:

• Declare the gospel, clearly and simply.
• Activate believers around the world.
• Prepare upcoming generations to reach the lost.

Remember: It is not a prayer that saves you. It is by God's grace, because of Jesus Christ's work on the cross, through faith in Christ alone that saves you. Prayer is nothing less than coming to God as a beggar with empty hands asking for his mercy and telling him what we are doing in response to his glory and grace.

What is the Bad News/Good News approach?

The Bad News/Good News approach is an easy way to present the gospel. There are 4 points to remember and 4 Scripture verses to support them.

1. Bad News #1 – We are all sinners.* (Romans 3:23)
2. Bad News #2 – The penalty for sin is death. (Romans 6:23)
3. Good News #1 – Christ died for you. (Romans 5:8)
4. Good News #2 – You can be saved through faith in Christ. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

(Note: If you are experiencing problems viewing the video from this site, visit Evan Tell.)

Witnessing to Witnesses

A former Jehovah’s Witness, who left the Watchtower Organization four years ago and was subsequently "cut off from his former religious community–including family," posted a six-part series titled "Witnessing to Witnesses" on his blog, Pondering Christ.

Ian Clary summarizes the posts: These offer an insider’s take on how to approach the Jehovah’s Witnesses who come to our doors. Most work that I've read about the Watchtower Society have been from the outside looking in, so Matt’s perspective has been refreshing and unique. In them he deals with the history of the Society, their failed prophecies, their unique theological perspectives and their teachings about the gospel. Matt also gives some practical application for how to press home the truth-claims of the biblical gospel to the Jehovah’s Witnesses we encounter.

Here's links to the posts:

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4
• Part 5
• Part 6

Is there a plan B for our lives?

In the video below, Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation faculty member Winston Smith answers the question, "Is there a plan B for my life?"

For more information about CCEF, visit http://www.ccef.org/. To view more CCEF videos, visit http://www.youtube.com/user/CCEFTube.



(HT: Tim Challies)

Idolatry is like a pacifier

Justin Buzzard likened idolatry to a pacifier in a recent post. "We all have our pacifiers," Buzzard blogged, be they things like job security, relationships, success, reputation, money, planning, comfort, or anything else to which people are prone to give ultimate allegiance or center their lives upon. "We've come to love them too much. ... This is why the allure of idolatry is so strong in our lives. We attach our attention, affection, and assurance to created things rather than the Creator because of the sin in our own hearts and because of the many ways other people have sinned against us."

When God in love takes those "pacifiers" away from his children, he said that it's important for God's children to know something about their Sovereign Father: "he loves his kids. This never changes. All who repent of running their own life and trust Jesus as Savior have inherited an invincible love relationship with the Father. And the reason the Father has ripped the pacifier from your clenched mouth is the same reason he chose you before the foundation of the world, justified you at your conversion, and will one day glorify you in his presence: because he loves you! Don’t just read these words, believe these words.

"He loves you! He loves you! He loves you!

"Child of God, you had a problem and you didn’t know it. You’ve been sucking on a pacifier for years and it’s been damaging you and damaging others. You’ve refused to give it up. Now God has arranged the circumstances of your life to decisively pull the pacifier from your grip. You’re shaken up, but he has you right where he wants you. The only way forward is to trust your Father. Trust him! Let him love you. Trust his plan. Trust him and love him with all your heart. New territory will open up before you."

Read his entire post here.

Think to become a better lover

Think about getting John Piper's new book Think: The Life of the Mind and the Love of God, which is currently available in Kindle format or at Desiring God, and then get it and read it. May the book encourage all who read it become better lovers of God and other people.

Here's the publisher's (Crossway) description:

John Piper’s newest book will help Christians think about thinking. Focusing on the life of the mind helps us to know God better, love him more, and care for the world. Along with an emphasis on emotions and the experience of God, we also need to practice careful thinking about God. Piper contends that “thinking is indispensable on the path to passion for God.” So how are we to maintain a healthy balance of mind and heart, thinking and feeling?

Piper urges us to think for the glory of God. He demonstrates from Scripture that glorifying God with our minds and hearts is not either-or, but both-and. Thinking carefully about God fuels passion and affections for God. Likewise, Christ-exalting emotion leads to disciplined thinking.

Readers will be reminded that “the mind serves to know the truth that fuels the fires of the heart.”

Download a PDF file that contains the contents page, foreword, introduction, and chapter 1.

Here's a trailer for the book:


Piper's aim for the book: I'm trying to raise the question for the average person in school, in the pew, or in life anywhere as to "Why do I have a mind? Why do I have a brain? How does my mind relate to my emotions? How does my mind relate to loving God and loving people? I don't think thinking is the end of life. I think loving, delighting, enjoying, relating to God, especially with others for his sake, is the end of life and that thinking serves that. So I really have a pretty holistic purpose for the book in all those avenues, and my end goal is that we would love God through thinking well about the world and about the Bible that he's given us. The whole aim is not to make us thinkers. The aim is to use thinking biblically to make us lovers.

Horton's, Zaspel's, Warfield's, and our theology

It was good for Michael Horton ... It was good for Fred Zaspel ... It was good for B.B. Warfield ... and it's good enough for me.

The Christian Faith: A Systematic Theology for Pilgrims on the Way

Dr. Michael Horton is interviewed about his forthcoming book The Christian Faith: A Systematic Theology for Pilgrims on the Way in the 8 Sept. 2010 edition of Westminster Seminary California's podcast "Office Hours." As much as a one-volume work can do, Horton said he spends time not only on the biblical-theological roots of a doctrine, but also on the historical-theological development.

Product Description: The most important systematic theology since Louis Berkhof's 1932 magum opus. Interacting with movements within the Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox traditions, award-winning scholar Horton offers a brief synopsis of biblical passages that inform a particular doctrine; and surveys current and past works with contemporary emphasis on exegetical, philosophical, practical, and theological questions. Includes an extensive bibliography.

The Theology of B. B. Warfield: A Systematic Summary

Fred Zaspel answered some of Justin Taylor's questions about his new book The Theology of B.B. Warfield: A Systematic Summary.

Publisher's Description: Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield (1851–1921) was undoubtedly one of the greatest Reformed theologians in the history of America. As professor of didactic and polemic theology at Princeton University, he wrote extensively in defense of fundamental Christian doctrines. While his writing touched on the full spectrum of theological topics, it was spread over hundreds of periodicals, books, and pamphlets, and a significant portion has never been published in an accessible form. Warfield stands as a dominant figure on the theological landscape, but few have a comprehensive grasp of his theology, largely because of the difficulty of tracing his ideas through numerous sources.

The table of contents, chapter 1, and the appendices and indices may be read online for free.

Listen to an episode of Reformed Forum featuring Fred Zaspel entitled The Theology of B. B. Warfield.

(HT: Justin Taylor)