This Week on Transformed (1/14)

Here are some of the highlights from the past week from Transformed and around the blogosphere.

Featured Articles on Transformed

The Tim Tebow Phenomenon (John Johnson): I am nonetheless persuaded that the most significant Evangelical Christian (if that really matters) is likely the faithful pastor in some place like Minot, or a devoted missionary who has left everything to work in the backwaters of Indonesia, or a theologian who is not known for his books, but has nonetheless has made a profound influence on the core convictions held by the contemporary church.

.

What Actually Happens at the Gate (Conversion)? (Bill Mounce): Last week I introduced the topic of change, that after the gate (conversion) a new believer is going to start down the narrow path, and things are going to be different. I think it is important to alert a new believer to the fact that things will change; it is also important to tell them why.

.

.

The Value of Your Presence (Bev Hislop): A silent presence can reflect the depth of pain—what words could possibly express how I feel? Or how you feel? Can words alone bring comfort? “I don’t know what to say” can sometimes be the best thing to say. A mentor of mine would tell me, “Listen until you can enter into feelings of the person expressing their pain to you.”

.

.

The Impact of Coaching for Conflict, Preaching, and Small Groups (Chad Hall): This is our sixth and final installment of a series exploring coaching and the ways coaching can make a positive difference on ministries at the local church level.  Today, we’ll look at three specific aspects of congregational life:  conflict, preaching and small groups.

.

.

The Elusive, Invincible, Savage Monster: A Temptation We All Face (Stephen Leckvold): St. John Chrysostom has an important piece of advice for anyone involved in public ministry: beware the monster. At the beginning of the fifth book of On the Priesthood, he outlines several temptations and struggles for those who teach the Word of God publicly, specifically through sermons.

.

.

Other Articles on Transformed

• Does Jesus Hate Religion? Brian LePort responds to a popular You Tube video.

• Would You Prefer Weekly Updates? Thanks to a good response from our readers, we will now be offering the option of receiving both daily and weekly updates.

• Last Week for the Book Giveaway: Now you only have one day left to get your name in for the book giveaway!
  

• 5 Books to Note from Gary Tuck: Another list of interesting books for you to check out.

.

Other Posts of Interest from around the Web

• The newest issue of Credo Magazine is out with some great articles on the gospel and inclusivism. Be sure to check out Todd Mile’s article on “The Fate of the Unevangelized and the Need for Faith in Christ.”

• Logos will be giving away a free book every month this year, along with opportunities to win more. This month’s free book is Sin and Temptation by John Owen.

• Is Evangelism Ethical? In our modern society, evangelizing–or, even worse, proselytizing–is frowned upon. There’s something sinister and manipulative about messing with another person’s religious beliefs to try and get them to think like you. It sounds almost cultish. And too many, it also sounds rather unethical.

•  The Elephant Room as a Snapshot of Contemporary Evangelicalism: “Debates and discussions have long had a place in the evangelical conversation, but the Elephant Room is different. Why? Because it captures so well the ethos of contemporary evangelicalism – for good and for ill.”

• It’s Not Heaven for Jobless Clergy: Recession has left churches with less money for hiring, more seeking slots.

• The Top 5 Technologies That Will Shape the Church in 2012: The most important technologies may not be the ones that you think.

• A recent poll shows that America’s pastors oppose evolution and are split on the earth’s age.