September 14, 2005
by John Pleasnick
Posts: 303
{mosimage}”Nothing
that we have discovered about ourselves or God has revealed any short
cut to pure spirituality. It is still free, but tremendously costly. .
. . I am convinced that the dearth of great saints in these times, even
among those who truly believe in Christ, is due at least in part to the
unwillingness to give sufficient time to the cultivation of the
knowledge of God.”
— A.W. Tozer
September 8, 2005
by John Pleasnick
Posts: 303
Justin Taylor recently interviewed C.J. Mahaney about his upcoming book, Humility: True Greatness.
Read through the interview — it will whet your taste buds for the book! But alas…we must wait for September 23rd when the publisher releases it. I’ve already preordered my copy from Amazon! 
September 2, 2005
by John Pleasnick
Posts: 303
{mosimage}This last week, I received a great question via email:
John,
I am writing to tell you about a quote that was written on my Starbucks cup this past weekend. I was pretty shocked to say the least, but what really disturbs me is the millions of christians, including myself who support this place. This is what the cup said, The way I see it #43 " My only regret about being gay is that I repressed it for so long. I surrended my youth to the people I feared when I could have been loving someone. Don’t make that mistake yourself. Life’s too damn short." Armistad Maupin I know lots of people would say that if we ban Starbucks then we might as well not buy anything. This is how it slowly starts and we get sucked right in to believing this stuff. What do you think?
This is such a great question, I mulled it over a few days before composing a reply. Once I did, I found myself writing much more at length than I typically do. Out of the hope that this may prove helpful to others, here’s what I wrote back…
August 30, 2005
by John Pleasnick
Posts: 303
Have you been regularly scanning the headlines this last week to learn more about the recent Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) article on fetal pain? The conclusion of the article is that “Evidence
regarding the capacity for fetal pain is limited but indicates that
fetal perception of pain is unlikely before the third trimester [after
29 weeks gestational age].” Since the publication of that article, it was revealed that two of the researchers had potential conflict of interest due to their past /present involvement in the abortion industry. Should we then disregard their findings? How should a Christian think and feel about this latest report?
Justin Taylor, executive editor at Desiring God Ministries, posted a great analysis and prescription on the Reformation 21 Blog. Read his article, and also take a look at the last link that he posts, called ‘Trotting out the Toddler‘ (note: this is a pdf file).
August 28, 2005
by John Pleasnick
Posts: 303
It shouldn’t surprise you, but another book has been written, exposing the SHAM. Al Mohlher reviews SHAM: How the Self-Help Movement Made America Helpless:
Steve Salerno is a reporter with wide experience. As a freelance
feature writer, Salerno has written for magazines including Harper’s,
Esquire, Sports Illustrated, and many others. He has contributed
articles to the Los Angeles Times and The Wall Street Journal. Many of
his articles have focused upon “money stories,” that deal with
financial scandals and controversies in the business world. Now, he is
ready to report on the biggest scandal he has ever
encountered–America’s self-help movement.
Salerno writes: “In
twenty-four years as a business writer and an investigative journalist,
I have covered all kinds of ‘money stories.’ I have written about
boondoggles on bankers’ row and sleight of hand at Seventh Avenue
fashion houses. I’ve written about the gyrations of the stock market as
well as the myriad forces that surround, yet never quite explain,
investing itself. I’ve written about money as it relates to sales,
money as it relates to sports, money as it relates to music, money as
it relates to love. It’s safe to say that if it involves money,
combined with some form of human aspiration, I’ve probably written
about it.”
Nevertheless, Salerno’s experience in reporting
still left him amazed when he confronted an industry whose story
“represents the ultimate marriage of money and aspiration.” That story
is the rise and dominance of what he calls the “Self-Help and
Actualization Movement”–identified in his book by the acronym SHAM.
The whole review is worth reading, even if you decide to skip the book.