Al Mohler's Response to Matthew Vines; God and The Gay Christian

Al Mohler has an outstanding response to God and The Gay Christian by Matthew Vines and it can be read here. In part Mohler writes

Readers of his book who are looking for an off-ramp from the current cultural predicament will no doubt try to accept his argument. But the real question is whether what Vines claims is true and faithful to the Bible as the Word of God. But his argument is neither true nor faithful to Scripture. It is, nonetheless, a prototype of the kind of argument we can now expect.

...Biblical Christianity cannot endorse same-sex marriage nor accept the claim that a believer can be obedient to Christ and remain or persist in same-sex behaviors. The church is the assembly of the redeemed, saved from our sins and learning obedience in the School of Christ. Every single one of us is a sexual sinner in need of redemption, but we are called to holiness, to obedience, and to honoring marriage as one of God’s most precious gifts and as a picture of the relationship between Christ and the church.

Read the entire post here.

Gray Matters: Navigating the Space Between Legalism and Liberty by Brett McCracken

Gray Matters: Navigating the Space Between Legalism and Liberty   by Brett McCracken

Although the spells of Harry Potter still cause some Christians to recoil, the millennial generation has become increasingly congenial toward pop culture. Brett McCracken’s Gray Matters examines the gray issues between Christians and culture. The goal of the book is to help believers think about healthy consumption that honors God, enriches life, strengthens community, and advances mission. - Patrick Schreiner

Product Description
Culture is in right now for Christians. Engaging it, embracing it, consuming it, and creating it. Many (younger) evangelicals today are actively cultivating an appreciation for aspects of culture previously stigmatized within the church. Things like alcohol, Hollywood's edgier content, plays, art openings, and concerts have moved from being forbidden to being celebrated by believers. But are evangelicals opening their arms too wide in uncritical embrace of culture? How do they engage with culture in ways that are mature, discerning, and edifying rather than reckless, excessive, and harmful? Can there be a healthy, balanced approach--or is that simply wishful thinking?

With the same insight and acuity found in his popular Hipster Christianity, Brett McCracken examines some of the hot-button gray areas of Christian cultural consumption, helping to lead Christians to adopt a more thoughtful approach to consuming culture in the complicated middle ground between legalism and license. Readers will learn how to both enrich their own lives and honor God--refining their ability to discern truth, goodness, beauty, and enjoy his creation.

I'm currently teaching through this book with a senior high school class, I highly recommend it. Read all of Schreiner's review here at TGC.

Weakness is the Way: Life With Christ is our Strength by J.I. Packer

Weakness is the Way: Life With Christ is our Strength 

by J.I. Packer

This comparatively short book with its strange title delivers a powerful blow to the rampant triumphalism that has infected much of the Bible-believing world. Using Paul’s second epistle to the Corinthians as his principal resource, J. I. Packer has once again provided us with both the theological depth and practical wisdom necessary to live in a way that pleases and honors Christ. - Sam Storms

Product Description

For Christians, weakness should be a way of life. Yet most of us try desperately to be sufficient on our own, and we resent our limitations and our needs.
Renowned theologian and Bible teacher J. I. Packer reflects on his experience of weakness—having been hit by a bread truck at a young age and now facing the realities of aging—in order to teach us the importance of embracing our own frailty, and also to help us look to Christ for strength, affirmation, and contentment. Find here a path from discouragement to freedom in light of our all-sufficient God.

I just purchased and I'm anxiously looking forward to consuming it soon. Any thoughts?

To read the entire review by Sam Storms at TGC click here.