Andy Naselli

Thoughts on Theology

Practical Theology

Every Life Has a Story

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This is a Chick-fil-A training video for their employees.

Dan Cathy, president and Chief Operation Officer at Chick-fil-A, writes this about the video:

“Every life has a story . . . if we only bother to read it.”

A video we created to remind us that everyone we interact with is a chance to create a remarkable experience.

How much more does this way of viewing people apply to Christ-followers?

Twelve Reasons to Give Up Porn

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Tim Chester, Closing the Window: Steps to Living Porn Free  (Downers Grove: IVP, 2010), 17–35:

  1. Porn wrecks your view of sex.
  2. Porn wrecks your view of women.
  3. Porn wrecks women’s view of themselves.
  4. The porn industry abuses women.
  5. Porn is a sin against your wife. . . . If you’re not yet married, porn is a sin against your future wife.
  6. Porn wrecks families.
  7. Porn is enslaving.
  8. Porn erodes your character.
  9. Porn wastes your time, energy, and money.
  10. Porn weakens your relationship with God.
  11. Porn weakens your service.
  12. God’s wrath is against people who use porn.

Chester expounds on the above twelve reasons when explaining the first of what he calls five key “ingredients in the battle against porn”: [Read more…] about Twelve Reasons to Give Up Porn

The Myth of Mutual Submission

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“Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ” (Eph 5:21).

This 11-page chapter (available for free as a PDF) concisely and convincingly explains why the phrase “mutual submission” is unhelpful at best:

Wayne Grudem, “The Myth of Mutual Submission as an Interpretation of Ephesians 5:21,” in Biblical Foundations for Manhood and Womanhood  (ed. Wayne Grudem; Foundations for the Family Series; Wheaton: Crossway, 2002), 221–31.

Outline: [Read more…] about The Myth of Mutual Submission

Resources on Church Planting

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This 121-page paperback came out in March:

Graham Beynon, Planting for the Gospel: A Hands-on Guide to Church Planting. Fearn, Scotland: Christian Focus, 2011. [Endorsements]

Beynon recommends six books on the church and church planting (pp. 119–20):

  1. Timothy J. Keller and J. Allen Thompson. Redeemer Church Planter Manual. Available from Redeemer Church Planting Center.
  2. Tim Chester and Steve Timmis. Total Church: A Radical Reshaping around Gospel and Community. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2008.
  3. David Stroud. Planting Churches, Changing Communities. Milton Keynes: Authentic, 2009.
  4. Steve Timmis, ed. Multiplying Churches: Reaching Today’s Communities through Church Planting. Fearn, Scotland: Christian Focus, 2000.
  5. Mike McKinley. Church Planting Is for Wimps: How God Uses Messed-up People to Plant Ordinary Churches That Do Extraordinary Things. IX Marks. Wheaton: Crossway, 2010.
  6. Graham Beynon. God’s New Community: New Testament Patterns for Today’s Church. Leicester: IVP, 2005.

Cautions about How We Emphasize Social Justice

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Watch Kevin DeYoung in this video in three particular places:

  1. 31:31–34:55
  2. 40:50–43:50
  3. 55:12–57:39

(This is from a panel discussion at TGC’s national conference in April 2011.)

Related:

  1. Kevin DeYoung, “Are Christians Meant to Feel Guilty All the Time?”
  2. Kevin DeYoung, “Getting to the Root of Radical: A Review and Response”
  3. Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert, What Is the Mission of the Church? Making Sense of Social Justice, Shalom, and the Great Commission

How to Find a Good Church

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Mark Dever, What Is a Healthy Church? (IX Marks; Wheaton: Crossway, 2007), p. 79:

Quick Tips: How to Find a Good Church

1. Pray.

2. Seek counsel from a godly pastor (or from elders).

3. Keep your priorities straight.

  • The gospel must be truly affirmed, clearly preached, and faithfully lived out. A serious lack in any of these expressions of the gospel is very dangerous.
  • The preaching must be faithful to Scripture, personally challenging, and central to the congregation’s life. You will only grow spiritually where Scripture is treated as the highest authority. [Read more…] about How to Find a Good Church