A New Blog: Upward Call

I haven't been updating Crossviews for a while, and that's because my ministry has been undergoing some changes. So I'm starting a new blog, "Upward Call", that reflects those changes. Upward Call is all about the church and its mission in the world. I invite you to visit the blog, and if you like it, click the "Follow" button.

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A Change of Pace

I'll be trying out a new approach that will focus more on our Facebook page than the blog itself. So if you haven't yet, let me invite you to like & follow the page at this address: https://www.facebook.com/CROSSviews/

Thanks and God bless!

The Best of the Briefing, Vol. 5

The purpose of the Best of the Briefing series is to help you stay updated on important realities confronting modern Christians -- LGBT rights, Christianity & politics, secular materialism, abortion, Roman Catholicism, and the like. The articles included in these volumes say particularly important things in particularly helpful ways (in my opinion, at least). I hope that you find them useful. Click here to download Volume 5 of The Best of the Briefing. If you prefer the audio podcast to the transcripted articles, you can find them arranged by date on Mohler's website. If you're a Logos user, you'll be glad to know that the documents are in .docx format, which you can use to create a personal book in your Logos library.

In the closing month of 2016, developments in the West shed light on two cultural forces that are very significant in the Philippines.


The first was secular humanism and the developed countries that have fully embraced it (or should we say, have become enslaved by it!). Articles number 6, 2, and 3 are all from a single episode of The Briefing. Read together, they show secular humanism has produced a society that is completely confused in terms of morality – a society that marginalizes people with Down Syndrome in favor of parents who have murdered their unborn babies with Down Syndrome; a society that is revolted at the idea of treating the mangled remains of aborted fetuses as human remains.

The second cultural force brought to our attention was the Roman Catholic Church. The reign of Pope Francis, which began in March 2013, has led to growing dissension within the RCC. Recently, it has become clear that this dissension has reached to the very highest levels of the church's hierarchy. Understanding such issues will help us to bring the errors of the RCC to the attention of our Catholic friends, in the hope of opening their minds to the biblical gospel.

These two concerns are, in my opinion, the most important ones covered in this volume of The Best of the Briefing, though also worth noting are attempts in Canada to redefine the meaning of family (article no. 1), and a recent discussion about 'fake news' and bias in the mainstream media.
  
Below is the list of articles included in this volume.

Marriage & Family

1. Redefining parenthood, redefining civilization: Ontario's radical new "All Families Are Equal Act" (December 1, 2016)

2. By our outrage we reveal ourselves: France bans commercial showing happy children with Down syndrome (December 5, 2016)

3. You'll know them by their outrage: Fury over Texas requiring fetal remains be treated as human remains (December 5, 2016)

Media & Entertainment

4. The real problem of fake news: Why does the Left give late night television a pass? (December 7, 2016)

5. Shrugging at the truth: How postmodernism paved the way for fake news (December 9, 2016)

Politics & Society

6. Moral outrage over currency? Bank of England apologizes for including animal product in new £5 note (December 5, 2016)

Religion

7. "Winks and nods" from Pope Francis sow confusion in the Roman Catholic church on divorce (December 15, 2016)

8. "Legalized medical assistance in dying": Catholic bishops in Canada capitulate to the culture of death (December 15, 2016)

Science & Medicine

9. Who is the relevant authority on science? How evangelicals are baffling research scientists (December 1, 2016)

 10. The folly of Scientism: Washington Post opposes Scott Pruitt for "rejecting settled science" (December 13, 2016)

Ways Men Lead That Encourage Women, Part 3

“In what ways do men show leadership that encourages you as women?” That was my question to some sisters I interviewed a number of weeks ago. This post picks up where the second one left off, enumerating and reflecting on their responses.

Previously…

1. Initiating Substantial Discussions

2. Making Firm Decisions

3. Owning Up to the Consequences of Our Decisions

4. Correcting When Needed

5. Encouraging Lady-like Behavior

6. Being Consistent

7. Taking Leadership Roles in Ministry

Our sisters would love to see us take leadership roles in ministry. In fact, some would say it's discouraging if only women are working. They feel there’s something missing. That should be both encouraging and challenging for us men. It reminds us that, under God’s wise plan for manhood and womanhood, we really do have something unique to contribute as men.

At the same time, men who own up to their God-assigned roles in the church also protect sisters from two temptations: being prideful about their greater devotion to the ministry, and looking down on men (which will subtly but effectively lead them to despise God’s plan for manhood and womanhood).

8. Being Patient & Concerned

What about when a sister is behaving poorly (for whatever reason), what can guys do that’s helpful. Each of the women I asked gave different answers. Guys, we’re on our own here. Just kidding. The general idea was that they appreciate it when we are patient and show genuine concern for them. Try to find out what’s really bugging them, if you can.

And here’s a special tip from the ladies: start with a kind gesture like food or coffee. Even candy would be better than nothing! (A sister tried this on me once by buying me ice cream before confronting me about something. I appreciated the gesture, but it had less effect on me as it seems to have on them!) But in the absence of any and all comfort items, said one sister, just create an encouraging environment. Ask, listen, and try to remember what they say.

9. Discipling Others

Lastly, it encourages our sisters to see guys leading younger guys in discipleship. It’s great to be consistent in leadership. But it’s even better to develop leadership in others.

Conclusion

Let me end this series with something from Albert Mohler’s book, Conviction to Lead:

The Believers are driven by deep and passionate beliefs. They are heavily invested in knowledge, and they are passionate about truth. They devote themselves to learning truth, teaching truth, and defending truth. They define themselves in terms of what they believe, and they are ready to give their lives for these beliefs.

The problem is, many of them are not ready to lead. They have never thought much about leadership and are afraid that thinking too much about it will turn them into mere pragmatists, which they know they shouldn’t be. They know a great deal and believe a great deal, but they lack the basic equipment for leadership. As one proverbial deacon said of his pastor, “Oh, he knows a lot, but he can’t lead a decent two-car funeral procession.”

Brothers, may this encourage us to grow in our leadership. Not only would it please God, but it would make our sisters in Christ very happy!