Muddling Toward Maturity Blog

TIM KELLER AT HONG KONG UNIVERSITY: "HOPE BEYOND THE WALLS OF THE WORLD"

Tim Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, and one of the world's most articulate and thoughtful Christian communicators, here offers a helpful consideration of "hope."  It's is all the more interesting given his audience and the occasional interweaving of his reflections on Buddhism.  Keller is the author of The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism among a number of other books.

 

The "Faith and Global Engagement" group at the University of Hong Kong offers a number of past lectures and presentations online which I will want to explore in the near future.  

RAVI ZACHARIAS TO SPEEK AT BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY AND THE MORMON TABERNACLE THIS WEEKEND

He speaks at BYU Friday afternoon at 2:00 PM (EST),  and at the Mormon Tabernacle Saturday evening at 8:30 (EST).  Both talks will be live-streamed.  Details here.

MINNEAPOLIS C.S. LEWIS CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS AVAILABLE

I just learned (a bit late) that live- streaming was available for the "Desiring God" Minneapolis conference this weekend on "The Romantic Rationalist:  God, Life and Imagination in the Work of C.S. Lewis."  But the good people at "Desiring God" have made available for late-comers like me free audio and video internet recordings of the plenary sessions.  Wow.  Topics and speakers look terrific.  Have a look:

Friday, September 27

2:00 - 2:45 PM N.D. Wilson
Myth Wars: C.S. Lewis vs. Scientism (audio available)

3:00 - 3:45 PM Colin Duriez
The Friendship of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien (audio available)

4:00 - 4:45 PM Lyle Dorsett
C.S. Lewis and the Care of Souls (audio available)

5:00 - 5:45 PM Joe Rigney
Live Like a Narnian: Christian Discipleship in C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles (audio available)

8:30 - 9:30 PM, John Piper
The Central Story of Lewis’s Life: Why We Call Him a “Romantic Rationalist” (audio and manuscript available)

10:00 - 11:00 PM, Shane & Shane
Evening of Worship

Saturday, September 28

10:00 - 11:00 AM, Philip Ryken
Inerrancy and the Patron Saint of Evangelicalism: C.S. Lewis on Holy Scripture (audio available)

11:30 AM - 12:30 PM, Doug Wilson
Undragoned: C.S. Lewis on the Gift of Salvation (audio available)

2:45 - 3:45 PM, Kevin Vanhoozer
In Bright Shadow: C.S. Lewis on the Imagination for Theology and Discipleship (audio available)

4:15 - 5:15 PM, Panel Discussion
Alcorn, Piper, Ryken, Vanhoozer, Wilson (audio available)

8:30 - 9:30 PM, Randy Alcorn
C.S. Lewis on Heaven and the New Earth: God’s Eternal Remedy to the Problem of Evil and Suffering (audio available)

Sunday, September 29

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM, John Piper
What God Made Is Good — And Must Be Sanctified: C.S. Lewis and St. Paul on the Use of Creation (audio and manuscript available)

Myth Wars: C.S. Lewis vs. Scientism

Desiring God 2013 National Conference

The Romantic Rationalist: God, Life, and Imagination in the Work of C.S. Lewis

September 27, 2013 |by N. D. Wilson

• Read
• Audio: Listen | Download |

The Friendship of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien

Desiring God 2013 National Conference

The Romantic Rationalist: God, Life, and Imagination in the Work of C.S. Lewis

September 27, 2013 |by Colin Duriez

• Read
• Audio: Listen | Download |

C.S. Lewis and the Care of Souls

Desiring God 2013 National Conference

The Romantic Rationalist: God, Life, and Imagination in the Work of C.S. Lewis

September 27, 2013 |by Lyle Dorsett

• Read
• Audio: Listen | Download |

Live Like a Narnian: Christian Discipleship in C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles

Desiring God 2013 National Conference

The Romantic Rationalist: God, Life, and Imagination in the Work of C.S. Lewis

September 27, 2013 |by Joe Rigney

• Read
• Audio: Listen | Download |

C.S. Lewis, Romantic Rationalist: How His Paths to Christ Shaped His Life and Ministry

September 27, 2013 |by John Piper

• Read
• Audio: Listen | Download |

Inerrancy and the Patron Saint of Evangelicalism: C.S. Lewis on Holy Scripture

September 28, 2013 |by Phillip Ryken

• Read
• Audio: Listen | Download |

Undragoned: C.S. Lewis on the Gift of Salvation

September 28, 2013 |by Douglas Wilson

• Read
• Audio: Listen | Download |

In Bright Shadow: C.S. Lewis on the Imagination for Theology and Discipleship

September 28, 2013 |by Kevin Vanhoozer

• Read
• Audio: Listen | Download |

Panel Discussion

September 28, 2013 |by David Mathis, Douglas Wilson, John Piper, Kevin Vanhoozer, Phillip Ryken, and Randy Alcorn

• Read
• Audio: Listen | Download |

C.S. Lewis on Heaven and the New Earth: God’s Eternal Remedy to the Problem of Evil and Suffering

September 28, 2013 |by Randy Alcorn

• Read
• Audio: Listen | Download |

What God Made Is Good — And Must Be Sanctified

C.S. Lewis and St. Paul on the Use of Creation

September 29, 2013 |by John Piper

FREE AUDIOBOOK OF THE MONTH: JOHN STOTT'S “BASIC CHRISTIANITY"

Download it here.     HT: Justin Taylor

As many of you are no doubt aware, John Stott's Basic Christianity is a classic book laying out the fundamentls of the Christian faith.   This is a really wonderful gift made available by Christian Audio,

FREE AUDIO INTERNET READING OF C.S. LEWIS "CHRONICLES OF NARNIA"

Read by Chrissi Hart for her Readings from Under the Grapevine podcast. The Chronicles of Narnia are published by Harper Trophy, A Division of Harper Collins, New York, New York.  Click through here.

The Gospel Coalition 2012 National Women's Conference

Wow.  I'm astonished at the wealth of information available at the TGC National Women's Conference website.  I heard only two talks online at the time of the conference last month, but now they are all available online either via Video or audio.   Avail yourself (whether a man or a woman) of these outstanding speakers.

An added bonus is that some of the women speakers were asked what books had particularly influenced them.  See the list of books here.  Prepare to have a feast.

AUDIO FOR THE 2011 GOSPEL COALITION WORKSHOPS

I'm grateful to JustinTaylor for the post and the link:

Training the Next Generation of Pastors and Other Christian Leaders R. Albert Mohler, Jr. Mark Driscoll, David Helm, Don Carson, and Ligon Duncan

The Pastor’s Counseling Ministry David Powlison

The Gospel for Muslims Thabiti Anyabwile

Is Your Church a Safe Place for Sad People? Learning to Walk with Each Other Through Loss Nancy Guthrie

Old Testament Narrative: Letting the Literature Speak Kathleen B. Nielson

Women Teaching Women the Bible: A Suggested Model Jenny Salt

Justification Versus Self-Justification Ray Ortlund Jr.

Preaching a Christ to Whom We Can Come Colin Smith

Orphans and Adoption Russell Moore and Voddie Baucham

Power Through Weakness Tim Savage

Signs of Grace in Inner-City Church Planting Eric Mason

Gospel Faithfulness and Business Leadership in Tumultuous Times Bob Doll

Christianity Explored - A Biblical Strategy for Effective Evangelism in the Local Church Craig Dyer and Alistair Begg

ROUND 2

What Should a Local Church Look Like? Tim Keller, Crawford Loritts, and Mark Dever

Pastoring with Discernment: Applying the Gospel to the Hearts of Those You Serve C. J. Mahaney

Asian American Christian Thought and Theological History: Pastoral Implications for Diversity and Innovation in a Multiracial Church Stephen Um and Julius Kim

An Invitation to Hispanic Pastors and Would-Be Pastors Juan Sanchez

Humble Orthodoxy Josh Harris

Gospel-Centered Pastoral Leadership Sandy Willson

The Feminist Mistake Mary Kassian

Literary Beauty and Gospel Truth: Celebrating the Biblical Union Kathleen B. Nielson

Pure Desire: Gospel-Centered Morality in a Sex-Saturated Society Gary Inrig

Mixing Whites and Colors Without Making Them Run: Building Gospel-Centered, Intentionally Multicultural Churches John Mahaffey

‘They All Look Alike To Me’: The Implications of a Christ-Centered Identity on the Issue of Racial Reconciliation in the Church K. Edward Copeland

Writing Corporate Worship Music Keith and Kristyn Getty

ROUND 3

The Spirit-Filled Missional Ministry of Jesus Mark Driscoll

Trellis and Vine Tony Payne and Colin Marshall

Fostering a Praying Church Scotty Smith

The Genesis of Gender Mary Kassian

When Despair Invades Gospel Work: Learning from Elijah Paige Benton Brown

One-on-One Discipleship: Grass-Roots Church Growth Jenny Salt

Biblical Theology: What It Is and Why It Matters Stephen Um and Richard Lints

Substitutes for the Gospel: A Modest Critique of Modern Evangelicalism Erwin Lutzer

The Mission of the Church Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert

Leading Corporate Worship Music Keith and Kristyn Getty

Seizing Global Gospel Opportunities: Why and How You and Your Church Can Get Involved Michael Oh

Questioning Evangelism Randy Newman

The Heart of the Expositor Kent Hughes

PAUL BORTHWICK SPEAKS ON "SIMPLICITY"

I appreciate this talk Paul Borthwick gave recently to students at Gordon College.

 

After talking about Veggie Tales' Madame Blueberry, Borthwick develops his talk around four questions:  Am I controlled?  Am I covetous?  Am I choked?  Am I content?

OS GUINNESS - "TRUTH - WHY TRUTH MATTERS"

I greatly appreciate Os Guinness' emphasis on truth.   (This video may also be accessed at the Lausanne Congress website.)

Following is a transcript of much of Guinness' talk:

"THE BEST SERMON ON RELIGION AND POLITICS"

Well, that was the title Justin Taylor gave a recent blog post describing a sermon delivered by Pastor Mark Dever on September 19th at Capital Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C.  Dever's text was Mark 12:13-17 -  "Jesus Paid Taxes."   It's length was 70 minutes.  How many pastors today deliver 70 minute sermons, and in particular, one that could be described as "a biblical theology of Christians and the state, at once full of unction, intellectually challenging, and affecting the heart"?  Remarkable indeed. 

For those without 70 minutes to spare, Collin Hansen has provided an overvew.  David Crowe, a visitor that day, blogged "Capital Hill Baptist Church - Reflections From a Visit." I thought it noteworthy that 750 people jammed the church, and pre-teens were found - not doodling - but taking notes on the sermon!

What strikes me is the great value of the internet!  Not many clergy are capable of delivering such meaty messages, but because of the internet, a message such as this can be heard by anyone anywhere in the world.  What resources are at our disposal!  Are we making use of these resources?  I need to take much better advantage of them myself.  An iTunes podcast of Dever's sermon is available here.  

Some time ago I posted a video of Pastor Mark Dever offering a video tour of his library.  Click here.  You'll find it fascinating.

Speaking of Christianity and politics, the other day I happened to be at Barnes & Noble and there I thumbed through a copy of Wayne Grudem's just-published Politics - According to the Bible.  I found it quite intriguing.  I hope to browse more on a future visit.  Another recent publication that has caught my eye (which I haven't had a chance to browse yet), is  City of Man: Religion and Politics in a New Era by Michael Gerson and Peter Wehner with a foreward by Tim Keller.  Justin Taylor has posted blurbs and some principles from the book, plus Tim Keller's foreward.   In addition to the book's foreward, the preface in PDF format can be found here.

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2010/09/24/want-to-raise-a-boy-who-reads/

GOLD FROM JUSTIN TAYLOR'S "BETWEEN TWO WORLDS" BLOG

No doubt there are many fine Christian blogs "out there" in cyberspace, and I wish I had unlimited time to benefit from many more than I do.  But for my money, the one blog that requires frequent visiting is Justin Taylor's Between Two Worlds.  Here's a sampling from recent posts:

- Free Audiobook: Tim Keller's Ministries of Mercy 

- Keith Getty on Writing Today's Modern Hymns  (I found this stunningly good)

- Thielman's New Testament Theology  (Seminary audio lectures with outline.  Amazing resource!) 

- Professor Peter Kreeft's audio lectures:

• 10 Uncommon Insights Into Evil from The Lord of the Rings
• Christianity in The Lord of the Rings
• The Language of Beauty

- D.A. Carson's "The God Who Is There" Video and Audio (MP3s for the 14 - part series here).

JUDGES AND THE CONSTITUTION

Marco Rubio seeks Florida's Republican senatorial nomination.  His position on judges and the constitution is perfect.  Be sure to listen to the last half as well as the beginning.  It's quite short.  Would that all senators had the same perspective.

GOLD MINE: C-SPAN OPENS ITS ARCHIVES TO THE INTERNET

This means, as Joe Carter points out, free online access to the more than 160,000 hours(!) of television footage.  Carter helpfully suggests:

Check out some of the videos of First Things‘ editors Richard John Neuhaus, Joseph Bottum, James Nuechterlein; FT contributors Mary Eberstadt, Alan Jacobs, and Yuval Levin; and FT board members Hadley Arkes, James Burtchaell, Eric Cohen, David Dalin, Midge Decter, Jean Bethke Elshtain, Suzanne Garment, Robert George, Mary Ann Glendon, Russell Hittinger, Glenn Loury, George Marsden, Wilfred M. McClay, Gilbert Meilaender, David Novak, Michael Novak, George Weigel, William Burleigh, and Peter Thiel.

Happy days are here again!

Since I am currently reading Alan Jacobs' The Narnian: The Life and Imagination of C.S. Lewis (as I  mentioned before), I enjoyed watching and listening to Jacobs discuss his book at the Cambridge Forum.  In his brief talk (followed by a Q&A), he mentioned the impact Lewis had on one of his students, Kenneth Tynan, who would go on to excel as a dramatist, a screenwriter, a critic, an essayist, a director, and a theatrical impresario, a man given to "pushing boundaries" (he was the director of the first all-nude musical, "Oh Calcutta!").  His "peacockish" (Jacobs' term) flamboyance might lead us to suppose his relationship with Lewis would be rocky, but it wasn't.  Tynan struggled

CHRISTIAN APOLOGETICS - AUDIO LINKS

I came across an  astonishing collection of links to great audio lectures and debates.  This is a website begging to be bookmarked and thoroughly explored.

Update 2/23/10 - Another Christian audio site with great links.  HT:

WILLIAM BENNETT & ERGUN CANER -- TWO OUTSTANDING SPEECHES FROM THE "VALUES VOTER SUMMIT"

Last weekend I was able to watch a few of the "Values Voter Summit" speeches "live" via streaming internet, but not all.  Now the Family Research Council has made them available as webcasts for leisurely viewing.   Of those I saw, I found William Bennett's comments on his two-volume textbook, America: the Last Best Hope, both entertaining and instructive.  He makes history "live" and made me want to go out and buy his two books.

A far different talk was given by Dr. Ergun Caner, the President of Liberty Theological Seminary, and a man who was raised a Muslim.  If you don't watch any other speech, this would probably be the one to see, especially if you have an interest in Islam and would like to hear the story of how one Muslim became a follower of Jesus.  Caner's talk is powerful, personal, insightful, and entertaining, and well worth the 25 minutes it takes to watch it. 

You can find these two speeches, and many more, here.

Faith and Reason (Apologetics): More Resources

The following comes courtesy of Wintery Knight blog.  He spotlights a recent apologetics conference held at Rick Warren's Saddleback Church.  For a video and audio of the following lectures, click here.

• How Can I Know God Exists? – Dinesh D’Souza
• How Did the Universe Begin – William Lane Craig
• If God Exists, Why is there Evil? – Norman Geisler
• Has Science Made Belief in God Obsolete? – J.P. Moreland
• What Do the Gospels Really Say About Jesus? – Darrell Bock
• How Can I Defend My Faith Without Sounding Defensive? – Greg Koukl

Wintery Knight also includes the following new audio lectures and video from William Lane Craig:

Can We Be Good Without God? (National Faculty Leadership Conf. 2008)  Audio

Why Does Anything at All Exist? (National Faculty Leadership Conf. 2008)  Audio

Healthy Relationships (National Faculty Leadership Conf. 2008) Audio

Who Does Jesus Think He Was? (National Faculty Leadership Conf. 2008)  Audio

Why Does Anything at All Exist? (Wake Forest University)  Video

Response to Richard Dawkins book, The God Delusion (University of Florida) Audio

One Question: The top 3 questions Univ. of Florida students are asking God (University of Florida)
Audio

USEFUL ITEMS FROM "BETWEEN TWO WORLDS" BLOG

There are loads of useful recent posts on Between Two Worlds.  I'll highlight a few below.  This is a blog you will want to check regularly.  Readers of my blog will recognize many previous links to "Between Two Worlds."

    - Link to a free audio download of Dante Alighieri's "The Divine Comedy" at Christianaudio.com

    - Theologian Wayne Grudem's Sunday School Class - mp3 & outlines.  This represents an amazing opportunity to listen to a distinguished professor teaching lay people week by week.  Years of teaching by topic available.

    - The 99 Most Essential Bach Masterpieces.  99 downloadable tracks for $2.99 (total).  Another amazing offer

SUGGESTIONS ON PREPARING TO MEET ACADEMIC INTIMIDATION

After linking to one of my posts, Wintery Knight (whose blog should be read on a daily basis) went on to offer advice to prospective conservative and Christian students.   One would do well to click through to the links embedded in his post.  He wrote:

. . . young conservatives and Christians need to get used to staying calm while ideas that they don’t agree with are shouted in their faced in the typical vulgar, abusive manner that secular leftists seem to find so fetching these days. The best way to do that is to watch as many debates as possible in advance and get used to sitting still and disagreeing while someone else explains their point of view. . .

Other points of view are only annoying if you have lousy reasons for your own point of view. If you put the time in learning your arguments and evidence, and the best that could be argued against you from the other side, then there should be no problem. . .

We need to start making it common knowledge that atheism does not ground morality and that is a worldview that is responsible for hundreds of millions of deaths in the last 100 years alone.  That point must be made over and over – that when someone claims to be an atheist it should be immediately put to them that meaningful morality is not rationally grounded by their worldview. Don’t let them make any moral judgments without challenging them on the foundations of morality.  . . .

OS GUINNESS SPEAKS AT UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA VERITAS FORUM

"Survival of the Fastest: Living Sanely When Life is Fired Point Blank"  (18.3 mb mp3) 

--- The Q&A  following the talk (11.6 mb mp3)  

"You Only Live Once (if then): Shopping for Our Selves in the Global Supermarket"    (16.1 mb mp3)    

 ----The Q&A following the talk (10.5 mb mp3)

About Guinness:

Os Guinness is the author of more than twenty books on religion, culture and political life, including The Case for Civility and Time for Truth: Living Free in a World of Hype, Lies and Spin. He is the co-founder of the Trinity Forum in Washington, DC, and formerly a Guest Scholar at the Brookings Institution and the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Studies. Dr. Guinness was born and spent his early childhood in China, where he witnessed the climax of the Chinese revolution in 1949; he has since lived in Switzerland, England and the United States. He received his PhD in social sciences from Oriel College, Oxford, and is a frequent speaker to college students, business leaders and government officials around the world.

LIST OF WILLIAM LANE CRAIG'S DEBATES ON CHRISTIANTY & ISLAM

Wintery Knight posts the following:

Debates on Christianity and Islam featuring William Lane Craig

Opponent	Debate Topic	Audio	Video
Jamal Badawi	The Concept Of God In Islam and Christianity	Audio	Video
Shabir Ally	Did Jesus Rise From The Dead?	Audio	Video
Shabir Ally	The Concept Of God In Islam and Christianity	Audio	Video
Shabir Ally	Who Is The Real Jesus?	Audio	Video

Wintery Knight credits ChristianJR4 who maintains a full list of Bill Craig debates here. Wintery Knight says he helped to sponsor the last 3 of those debates!

William Lane Craig's website is here and his bio here.

"NO, MR. PRESIDENT" - JOHN PIPER'S RESPONSE TO PRESIDENT OBAMA ON ABORTION

I have seen this YouTube video on a number of websites, and most recently over at HotAir.  It's well done, passionate, and unanswerable.   Technically, the juxtaposition of voice and graphics would be worth viewing even for those who resist the message.

Update 5/19/09- Denver Archbishop Charles J. Chaput offers hard hitting comments on Notre Dame and the issues that remain

Update 5/19/09 - Chuck Colson offers excellent (if depressing) commentary on President Obama's commencement speech at Notre Dame University.  Particularly disturbing, as Colson says, "was the appalling sight of the field house filled with faculty, students, and parents wildly cheering."  I felt exactly the same way. 

Do read all of Colson's commentary.  As shocking as it may seem when first stated, Colson is right to

FOUR-MINUTE OVERVIEW OF 11 ARGUMENTS FOR CHRISTIANITY BY WILLIAM LANE CRAIG

Wintery Knight Blog has much outstanding material, especially on Christian apologetics.  I am indebted to that blog for the video of William Lane Craig's interaction with Christopher Hitchens mentioned in the title of this blog post.  The short video clip offers a well-done "taste" of the solid, persuasive material William Lane Craig brings to his dialogs.

WILLIAM LANE CRAIG'S REMARKABLE WIFE

Pretty fascinating story.  Craig is one of the most influential and effective Christian apologists in the world today.  Check out the credit he gives his wife, Jan.

His website is Reasonable Faith.   Herewith some links to a few of his debates:

“Does God Exist?” with Austin Dacey, “Did Jesus Rise from the Dead?” with Bart Ehrman, and “Is Goodness Without God Good Enough?” with Paul Kurtz.

FORMER CONGRESSMAN JACK KEMP REMEMBERED (7/13/35 - 5/2/09)

Click here for a video of the entire memorial service honoring former Congressman Jack Kemp held at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.

Kemp served Western New York for nine terms in the United States House of Representatives and subsequently served as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the George H. W. Bush administration. Mr. Charles W. Colson, founder of Prison Fellowship Ministries and former special counsel to President Nixon, delivered the Eulogy, and the Rev. Dr. Robert Norris, senior pastor at Fourth Presbyterian Church in Bethesda, Maryland, preached at the service.

Click here for Chuck Colson's eulogy for Jack Kemp.  (22 minutes; well worth watching!!)

Michael Gerson - The Most Influential Republican Who Never Became President  (Me: You need to read this column to get to know Kemp, the man of ideas.)

Peggy Noonan, “He Had the Power of the Happy Man,” Wall Street Journal, 8 May 2009. (Excellent column!)

Sean Duffy, in The Denver Post, wrote "Why Jack Kemp Matters."

William Bennett remembers Jack Kemp here.

Colson writes about his friend here.

GAY GENE SUDDENLY VANISHES

The WorldNetDaily story carries the subheading:  "American Psychological Association revises statement on  homosexuality."  Given the enormous political pressures the APA came under to issue the first (unscientific) statement a number of years ago, this amounts to an astounding reversal.   Read the whole article.

The other day VirtueOnline carried an insightful interview with the head of NARTH (mentioned in the article above): National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality.  David Virtue interviewed NARTH's founder, Dr. Joseph Nicolosi.  Virtue titled his interview, "Gays can Change. Reparative Therapy Works."  It's an article well worth reading.

You can see a BBC-TV interview with Dr. Joseph Nicolosi here: http://www.ccfon.org/mediacentre.php?avid=197&avap=1

SOME NOTRE DAME SENIORS SAY NO TO GRADUATION

David Brody has the story, plus a first-class video produced by students.  (HT: Drudge)

George Weigle, distinguished senior fellow at Washington's Ethics and Public Policy Center, delivered a commencement address last weekend at Mt. St. Mary's University called by Kathryn Jean Lopez, an "Un-Obama Commencement address."

Flannery O'Connor: Southern Fiction Writer

Here's an interesting (audio) interview with Brad Gooch, author of the just-published Flannery: A Life of Flannery O'Connor.  His interview, which isn't long, provides an excellent introduction to O'Connor (1925-1954) whose popularity seems to grow year by year.  Readers of O'Connor are well aware of her richly informative collected letters (The Habit of Being) mentioned by Gooch.  Gooch tells us that O'Connor wrote 3 hours each morning and generally wrote three to five letters a day, in addition to caring for 39 peacocks!  She died of Lupus at age 39.

Recently I stumbled upon two online (video) lectures given by Yale Professor Amy Hungerford on O'Connor's novel Wise Blood (available here and here).  They compose part of Hungerford's Yale class on "The American Novel Since 1945" which covers in addition to Flannery O'Connor, Richard Wright, Vladimir Nabokov, Jack Kerouac, J. D. Salinger, Thomas Pynchon, John Barth, Maxine Hong Kingston, Toni Morrison, Marilynne Robinson, Cormac McCarthy, Philip Roth and Edward P. Jones.  All her lectures are online and free.

Center for Christian Study at the University of Virginia

This organization does high-level work. The Center's website lists their Fall 2008 Faith & Life lectures available for listening:

The Biblical Practice of Prayer, Tony Monaghan
The Abuse of Sex, Roger Scruton
What is the Bible, and Where Did It Come From?, Drew Trotter
Saturday Seminar, Understanding the Bible, Bill Wilder
Love and Justice, Nicholas Wolterstorff
Ken Myers, Mars Hill Audio
Dr. Robert Wilken, University of Virginia
Prayer and Art, Gene Veith

I receive the Center's newsletter, Praxis (available at the website).  An undergraduate student is quoted there as saying of Scruton's lecture, "The Abuse of Sex": "I thought it was absolutely amazing... Among professional philosophers alive today, he now is by far the one whom I respect most." 

Other lectures from the Center can be found here.

A TREASURE TROVE OF MP3 LECTURES AVAILABLE AT THE MacLAURIN INSTITUTE

Edited 1/9/11  (Updated links)

Information on the MacLaurin Institute can be found here.  Located near the University of Minnesota, it's a place for the integration of Christian thought with the wider world of academia.

Of special interest to me is the 2002 series of lectures by Vishal Mangalwadi, the great Indian thinker whose understanding of the West and the world-wide spiritual crisis is so profound.  For more on Mangalwadi click here. 
Actually there are so many wonderful lectures on this site that it boggles the mind. 

The larger audio tape list (below) is from this link.

VIEW BY PROGRAM CATEGORY
Student Apologetics Training Conference
View 4 audio files
Must the Sun Set on the West?
View 1 audio files

(Keep reading by clicking below)

EXCELLENT BLOG: "BETWEEN TWO WORLDS"

I have found Justin Taylor's blog, "Between Two Worlds," so valuable that I now read it daily.  Today he strongly recommends two books.  I looked up the comments on Amazon and have put the books on my "wish list."  Here is what Taylor wrote:

If you don't yet have following books on your bookshelf--Reinventing Jesus by Daniel B. Wallace, J. Ed Komoszewski, and James Sawyer, and Putting Jesus in His Place by Robert M. Bowman Jr. and J. Ed Komoszewski--I'd warmly recommend them. They are both exactly what the church needs--excellent material, written in clear, accessible English, on important subjects under attack.

He goes on to  recommend inviting Ed Komoszewski to do seminars at one's local church. He also lists mp3s available from the Christian Life Conference at Second Presbyterian Church in Memphis where Alistair Begg and Sinclair Ferguson recently spoke.  Taylor lists the talks available for download on his blog.

Most Memorable Christian Audio of 2008

Justin Taylor links to the Faith by Hearing Audio blog which has posted their best audio list for 2008.  I hope I won't get in trouble for reproducing the list below.  (I am not sure of blog etiquette regarding this).  But let me add that this website/blog, Faith by Hearing looks amazing!  There's an incredible amount of material here.  "Faith by Hearing" says:

Having listened to hundreds of sermons, discussions and interviews this year, I have listed here the 12 mp3’s or mp3 series that still linger in my memory as being particularly impactful.

Gordon Fee’s 3 part series on Reading & Studying the Bible for Life is perhaps the most important series I’ve posted on FBH. Fee nails one of our generation’s most dangerous blind spots in regards to the Christian faith.

Sinclair Ferguson’s 17 part sermon series through James is an incredible journey of powerful expository preaching.

D.A. Carson's Lectures and Sermons Now Online

Dr. Don Carson, a prolific writer and outstanding Bible lecturer and preacher, currently serves as Research Professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School,  Deerfield, Illinois.  Carson now has 443 of his sermons available online.  This is a boon to the serious Bible student.  The sermons can be accessed here by Scripture passsage, topic, or category.   (HT: Justin Taylor).

The NY Times Reports on Seattle Pastor Mark Driscoll

I'm not sure what to make of Mark Driscoll since I have no firsthand knowledge of him or his church.  Nor am I sure what to make of this NY Times article on Driscoll.  But "Allahpundit" responded to the article saying:

"Having watched a few of his videos on YouTube, I think the Times gave him a bad rap. . .  If you want to hear him discuss masturbation or oral sex, poke around here. The Times gives the impression that he’s some sort of heretic or shock jock, but every lesson I saw was entirely conventional. More interesting are these two vids. [Click through to the Allapundit post].  The first deals with predestination, which seems more mundane as he explains it than I thought it would be . . .   [more . . .]

Update #2 - 1/13/08 - Christianity Today magazine reports very favorably on a new book by Driscoll (co-written with theologian Gerry Breshears, Death by Love: Letters from the Cross. The C.T. review is well worth reading. 

Update #1:   Justin Taylor reports that Dr. Don Carson recently spet a weekennd preaching and teaching at Mars Hill Church.  Audio and Video of the talks are available here.  They include Session #1: “The Center of the Whole Bible” (Romans 3:21-26); Session #2: “The Strange Triumph of a Slaughtered Lamb” (Revelation 12); Session #3: “A Miracle Full of Surprises” (John 11); Session #4: “Why Doubt the Resurrection of Jesus” (John 20:24-31); Session #5: “The Ironies of the Cross” (Matthew 27:27-51)

CHRISTMAS VIDEO MUSIC

From "Behold the Lamb of God"  (HT: Between Two Worlds)

"Labor of Love" written by Andrew Peterson.    Same song, this time with stunning visuals.

"It Came to Pass"

SUMMER 2008 PUBLIC LECTURES FROM "CALVIN SEMINARS IN CHRISTIAN SCHOLARSHIP"

When I get a chance, I look forward to listening to the following lectures from Calvin College's 2008 Summer Public Lecture series.  Each lecturer is an outstanding scholar in his respective field.

Sir John Polkinghorne
“Can a Scientist Believe in a Destiny Beyond Death?”

Dr. Alvin Plantinga
“Science and Religion: Why Does the Debate Continue?”

Owen Gingerich
“The Divine Handiwork: Evolution and the Wonder of Life”

Richard Swinburne
“God and Morality”

A FRIEND CONSIDERS THIS ONE OF THE BEST POLITICAL ADS HE HAS EVER SEEN

It's put out by CatholicVote.com and stresses life, faith, and family.   Maybe he is right.  I'm not sure.

OS GUINNESS LECTURES ON LINE

Douglas Groothuis over at the Constructive Curmudgeon posts:

Here is a large assortment of MP3 files of lectures and sermons by Dr. Os Guinness. There is no fluff in this man; he is articulate and prophetic. I have been learning from him through his books and lectures for over 30 years.

ECCLESIASTES 3 - MUSIC AND VIDEO

                             

This is beautiful

Evel Knievel Dies at 69

The Associated Press reports the legendary daredevil died today.

Evel Knievel, the red-white-and-blue-spangled motorcycle daredevil whose jumps over crazy obstacles including Greyhound buses, live sharks and Idaho's Snake River Canyon made him an international icon in the 1970s, died Friday. He was 69.  (more . . )

I reported back in September his remarkable conversion to Christian faith and his baptism at the Crystal Cathedral in California.  That post and video-link can be found here.

Update 12/1/07 - In articles summarizing his life I haven't yet seen any mention of his remarkable late-date Christian conversion.  I suppose that is a sign of our secular society which doesn't think such things important. Knievel, I think, probably thought it the most important event/happening in his life. See the link in the paragraph above.

Nourishing and Enlightening Lectures Available as mp3 Downloads at the Center for Christian Study at UVa

For years I have highly respected the Center for Christian Study at the University of Virginia.  Today I visited their website and took note of many mp3 lectures the Center has made available to internet surfers.  Here is a sample of what I found:

Body and Soul: A Theology of Embodiment lecture given by Dr. Drew Trotter

The Cross in the Circle: A Survey of Celtic Christianity by Gordon Lindsey (a series)

When Oprah Talks, People Listen: Contemporary Cultural Authority and Christian Proclamation by Ken Myers

Premier.tv: Christian Television from the UK (Streaming Video)

I bumped into Premier.TV quite by accident. I was looking at a website featuring articles and lectures by Dr. N.T. Wright, the Bishop of Durham, England, and one of the foremost New Testament scholars of our day.  The N.T. Wright website linked to Premier.TV for a streaming video interview with Bishop Wright.  A list of other programs and interviews can be found on the right side of the web page.  It looks to me like Premier.tv offers a great variety of programing and I intend to return to this website often.

Matt Redmond - "You Never Let Go"

This is an incredible song.  I first heard it a  few weeks ago in church and found it powerfully moving, uniquely so. I noticed a teenager in the congregation transfixed by the music, and am glad it is available for listening on the internet. Click here.  Keep reading for the words:
 

Anita Renfroe's "The Momsense" Set to the William Tell Overture

I think I first encountered this fantastic 3 minute video by comedian Anita Renfroe at Jill Stanek's pro-life blog, and then I saw her on one of the morning TV programs (which I rarely, if ever, watch).  Apparently she participates in Women of Faith conferences and is making the rounds of TV programs.  She's fantastic.  Here is Hannah Storm of CBS News "Early Show" conducting an interview with comedian Renfroe.

Video: Evel Knievel Testifies of His Newfound Faith in Christ. Don't Miss It!

Update 11/30/07 - Evel Knievel dies at 69.

**
This is one of the most moving services I have ever seen.  It makes available to everyone the telecast at which Evel Knievel testified of his newfound faith in Jesus Christ.  I don't speak often of the "presence of the Holy Spirit" in a church service, but when I first saw this program on television some months ago (4/22/07), I recognized at once how extraordinary it was.  The presence of the Spirit is powerfully evident as streams of people come forward after Evel's testimony to profess faith in Christ and be baptized.  If you watch this video, you will see that there was no manipulation, just an amazing moving of the Spirit of God.

I suggest you not only watch Evel Knievel's testimony, but then click the little picture below to see everyday, ordinary people, coming forward to profess faith in Christ and be baptized.  What's so extraordinary about all this, is that it takes place in the Crystal Cathedral in California, a place where such things are anything but routine, to say the least.  Finally, click the picture of Dorothy Benham (Miss America, 1977) to see and hear an energetic, magnificent solo of  "Ride On, King Jesus."   This, too, is extraordinary!  What a video!

The Christian Worldview: Most Popular Veritas Forum Lectures Now Available on the Internet

Updated 3/22/08 - I see that the links below no longer work.  Here is a new website address for Veritas Forum lectures. Those listed below are easily accessible.

**
I was astounded earlier today to discover that Veritas Forum lectures are now available on the internet.  The new technology is making my box of cassette tapes obsolete!  Here is a list of the most popular talks (audio and sometimes video): 

1. The Jesus of Myth and History N. T. Wright (28063 views)
2. Does God Exist? William Lane Craig (23793 views)
3. What Does It Mean To Be Human? Dallas Willard (19059 views)
4. So What? N. T. Wright (15820 views)
5. The Power of Porn Gene McConnell (15607 views)
6. Atheism, Theism, and the Meaning of Life JP Moreland (15445 views)
7. The Genius of Jesus Dallas Willard (13083 views)
8. Rethinking Relationships Don Miller (13066 views)
9. Time for Truth Os Guinness (11695 views)
10. The Fingerprint of God Erwin McManus (11278 views)

Here's a list of popular topics:

Arts, Atheism, Authority of Scripture, Beauty, Big Bang, Business, C.S. Lewis, Career/Vocation, Catholicism, Christianity, Communication, Creation, Death, Depression, Dostoevsky, Drama/Theatre, Economics, Education, Engineering & Technology, Environmental Studies & Natural Resources, Ethics, Evangelicalism, Evil, Evolution, Existence of God, Faith, Feminism, Gender/Body, Government & Public Policy, Health Sciences, History, Hope, Humanities, Humanity, Hypocrisy, Identity, Islam, J.R.R. Tolkien, Jesus, Law, Lord of the Rings, Love/Relationships, Materialism, Media, Movies/Film, Music, Natural Sciences & Math, Naturalism, Origins, Pain/Suffering, Pluralism, Politics, Pop Culture, Pornography, Post Modernism, Poverty, Power, Relativism, Religion/Multi-Faith, Resurrection, Salvation, Science, Sin, Social Justice, Social Sciences, Theism, Theology & Religious Studies, Tolstoy, Truth, University/Scholarship, Violence, War, Worldview,

You may also explore the archive by talk, presenter, or forum using the links above.

"Veritas Forums are university events that engage students and faculty in discussions about life's hardest questions and the relevance of Jesus Christ to all of life."

LifeHouse YouTube Drama

A friend sent this to me.

One person commented: "Slow at first, but by the end I was crying like a baby - wow, just wow."Another said, "AMEN!! wow this has made me understand Gods love for us more! what an amazing drama!! love the end bit where shes fighting to get back and Gods pulling her back and then he takes the pain and stuggle of the sin, just for her! God i love you!!!!!!!!" 

Coach Lou Holtz: A Funny, Wise, Energetic Man

I watched the Hour of Power TV program this morning.  It seems to be getting better and better.  One of the highlights of each program is the interview.  Today Robert A. Schuller (the younger Schuller) interviewed the great football coach, Lou Holtz.  He has written yet another book, Wins, Losses, and Lessons: An Autobiography.  Off hand I can't think of a more vigorously entertaining few moments of television than this interview [click on the 1/14/07 date and the Lou Holtz interview].  A transcript is also available, but you've got to watch the interview to appreciate the liveliness and wit of Holtz.  (Be sure to read his account of the Orange Bowl of 1977!)    Holtz talks fast, so I'm glad for the transcript.  Here are a couple of items illustrating his philosophy: 

I’m a very simple individual. But everybody needs something to do, someone to love, something to hope for, and something to believe in. And if you’re lacking any one of those four things, there’s going to be a void in your life.

. . . My life is simple but I think there’s only three things, reverend, that you have to have in life. You have to have people trust you, you have to always be committed to

REDEEMING REASON

Internet browsing turned up a fascinating website, Redeeming Reason.  It presents itself as "Intentional Christian Scholars in conversation with the Secular Mindset Today". 

A conference was held Nov. 3- 5, 2005  at the University of Chicago.  Speakers included Dallas Willard, Albert Alschuler, Philip Gleason, Susan Emmerich, Cornelius Plantinga, PaulGriffiths, Charles Emmerich, George Marsden, and Graham Walker    Best of all, the talks are available online here.   

From the website:  "One of our goals in this conference is to provide resources to students, academics and anyone interested in engaging the difficulties of reason, logic and the secular mindset in the face of Christianity." 

The 2006 conference will be held Nov. 9-11th.  Speakers include  Henry Schaeffer III, Alvin Plantinga, Ian Hutchinson, Ard Louis , Don York , Pat Reiff , John Suppe, Pattle Pun , Cal DeWitt , Alan Padgett

SERMONS ON THE OLD TESTAMENT FROM NOTED O.T. SCHOLAR, DR. WALTER KAISER

I've written before of Prof. Gordon Fee's online lectures on Galatians.  Since then I've learned that Dr. Walter Kaiser, well-known evangelical Old Testament scholar [booklist here] and former President of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, has a number of seminary chapel messages available online.  They are all the more valuable for being Biblical studies of such books as Daniel, Deuteronomy, Isaiah, Nehemiah, Exodus, Matthew, and Hebrews.  Other sermons of his are online also.