Yesterday, I posted this article on the use of time by men in America.

What a sad state of affairs to know that dad’s are shirking the privilege and responsibility of fatherhood in such a devastating way.  Children need their fathers and it is the responsibility of Christian fathers to pass on the faith once for all delivered to the saints.  The faith will not be passed on in 2 1/2 hours per week.

Then, I found this article by Darrin Patrick on manhood that includes the following statistic:

-Half of American males between the ages of 18 to 34 play video games every day—for almost 3 hours.

-The average video game buyer is 35 years old.

The five most terrifying rites of manhood from around the world.  This is disturbing.

After burning an area of the skin, the frog goop is injected with the use of a wooden needle. The poison is said to increase strength and endurance. However, those enhancements must come after the unbearable lightheadedness, vehement vomiting and violent relieving of the bowels. After all, REAL men don’t need innards.

The Marks of Manhood by Albert Mohler.  Few theologians are doing as much today to encourage and support Christian manhood.

When does a boy become a man? The answer to this must go far beyond biology and chronological age. As defined in the Bible, manhood is a functional reality, demonstrated in a man’s fulfillment of responsibility and leadership.

Kevin DeYoung warns us about over-hyped church statistics.

It seems that Christians are, of all people, most eager to believe the worst about themselves. But don’t believe everything you read. There are lies. There are damned lies. And then there are statistics.

The Gospel Coalition asks some evangelical leaders (Mohler, Carson, etc…) “What one thing would you change about theological education?”

In a similar and equally important vein, I would remind us all that seminaries, even at their very best and most faithful, can only do so much.  The local church is the most important school for ministry and the faithful pastor is the crucial professor. The seminaries that serve best will be those who understand this. (Mohler)

Trevin Wax encourages us to Study Jesus in a post with quotes from a book I have sitting on my desk.

“No one has ever seen God,” John reminds us (1:18). Isn’t that what God said in Exodus 33? “You cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live” (Exod. 33:20).

Now John adds an exception: “But the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known” (John 1:18).

And, for my fellow outdoorsmen, here is the only reason I have ever considered owning a Dodge Truck (I still won’t buy one, but its a nice feature).

Called the The Mopar RamBox Holster, its a rack that can hold two rifles or shotguns inside one of the lockable, watertight compartments located on either side of the pickup bed.

A $205 option - on top of the $1895 price of the RamBox feature itself - the rack can be rotated to hold six fishing poles for those who prefer quieter trips into the great outdoors.

Trevin Wax has a great interview up with Aaron Coe from SendNYC.

It’s no surprise that we are living in the midst of a global population shift. Unfortunately, as many have relocated to the cities to follow the dream, the church has retreated.Cities are the mouthpiece of any nation and the place where culture is created. If the gospel of Jesus is going to spread around the world in the 21st century, urban centers will be its launching pad. We, the church, must move back and live our lives seeking the peace and prosperity of the city.

NPR has an interesting article on hostilities toward Christian Academics.

“They just do not want to bring up that they are religious in an academic discussion. There’s somewhat of almost a culture of suppression surrounding discussions of religion at these kinds of academic institutions,” Ecklund says.

On the heels of the Chelsea Clinton Marriage, Albert Mohler has a good piece on interfaith marriages.

Putting all this together, it is clear that theological differences really do matter. These belief systems develop into worldviews that do have real consequences. It is not primarily a matter of which holidays the family observes, but how the children are raised, how the major decisions of life are framed, how the priorities of the couple are aligned.

Needless to say, I look at this with tons of skepticism, but CNN reports that the remains of John the Baptist have been found.

Archaeologists in Bulgaria claim they have found remains of John the Baptist while excavating the site of a 5th century monastery on the Black Sea island of Sveti Ivan.  A reliquary – a container for holy relics – discovered last week under the monastery’s basilica was opened on Sunday and found to contain bone fragments of a skull, a hand and a tooth, Bulgaria’s official news agency BTA reported.

Justin Taylor has highlighted a new album by John Mark McMillan. See video of “Death in His Grave” below.

Shaun Groves on John Mark McMillan new album, The Medicine: “I can’t recommend it highly enough. Beautiful, innovative, poetic, intelligent, subversive, theologically robust, sonic sweet tea and biscuits, transcendent.”

Interesting statistics on young women and their use of Facebook.

While the study covers all of social media, it’s clear that women in the 18-34 range are focused on their Facebook accounts. More than half of young women (57%) say they talk to people online more than face-to-face. A full 39% of them proclaim themselves Facebook addicts, while 34% of young women make Facebook the first thing they do when they wake up, even before brushing their teeth or going to the bathroom.

Last week, Al Mohler posted this horrifying article on feminism and abortion.

“f you are willing to die for a cause, you must be prepared to kill for it, too.” That statement, published for all the world to see, perfectly distills the inescapable logic of the abortion rights argument. It is based on a willingness to kill — and on the horrifying audacity to call this killing “the lesser evil.

Finally, check out the work that Aaron Coe is doing with SendNYC. They have a goal to plant 100 new churches in NYC in the next 10 years and they need your help.

Mission: SendNYC exists to mobilize and equip leaders in order to plant gospel-centered churches in New York City, North America, and cities around the world.

Death In His Grave (Performance Video) from john mark mcmillan on Vimeo.

Kevin DeYoung writes at Ligonier about the value of plodding along in the church, faithfully taking risks that bring glory to God and not to ourselves.

Until we are content with being one of the million nameless, faceless church members and not the next globe-trotting rock star, we aren’t ready to be a part of the church. In the grand scheme of things, most of us are going to be more of an Ampliatus (Rom. 16:8) or Phlegon (v. 14) than an apostle Paul. And maybe that’s why so many Christians are getting tired of the church. We haven’t learned how to be part of the crowd. We haven’t learned to be ordinary.

I just can’t help but wonder if Paul had something like this in mind when he wrote about order in 1 Corinthians 14:26-40.  I really don’t have the words to describe this video.

Parents should be keeping an eye on the textbook debate/battle in Texas.  Their decision could affect public education across the country. Some of the things being considered are listed below.

1. Contrast what the Founding Fathers meant by separation of church and state vs. how it is practiced by government today

2. Analyze the cause and effect of eugenics:  Early in the 20th Century, 60,000 poor and mostly minority Americans were  sterilized against their will because they were considered genetically inferior…

3. Evaluate efforts by the United Nations to undermine U.S. sovereignty including a gun ban and the redistribution of American wealth

4. Discuss the fiscal health of Social Security and Medicare

5. Discuss government abuse of property rights and the taking of land w/o compensation – and the adverse impact of affirmative action on when more qualified workers are passed over by minority applicants

Albert Mohler has written a good article on the Jesus Seminar and a recent article by Adam Gopnik.

This much is clear — Jesus Christ just will not be ignored. Even the most secularized classes, those whom Friedrich Schleiermacher called the “cultured despisers of religion,” cannot leave Jesus alone. Not even The New Yorker.

Wild Emu ends with successful capture. I have never read a news article with so many adjectives, metaphors, and similes that have nothing to do with the actual news item itself. Hilarious.

Sheila Dover, an animal rescuer who normally handles dogs and cats, had shown up along with a guy she knows who helps her sometimes named Billy Grayson. Dover carried corn in a bucket to try to lure the emu, and Grayson wore a rope thick as a boa constrictor around his neck that almost covered up Grayson’s Olympic Gold Medal-sized mullet.

In all, Whosoever Will is a helpful addition to the discussion on Calvinism within the SBC. The book would have been stronger had the contributors engaged in some healthy self-criticism of the pitfalls and tendencies of the non-Calvinist position. But even as it is, it deserves a hearing from Calvinists and non-Calvinists alike. You may disagree with the point of view presented here, and that’s fine. But at least you will have listened to the arguments from others who love the Lord and seek the good of his church.

Christianity Today weighs in on the “blogger controversy” surrounding Liberty’s Ergun Caner. A good article, but I would like to see Caner and the University answer specific accusations.  Of note in this article is Elmer Towns’ assertion that this somehow revolves around Calvinism/anti-Calvinism debates in the SBC.

Critics say Caner has either been ambiguous or unresponsive to their requests for answers when they have pointed out discrepancies, and that exaggerated or untruthful remarks have been expunged from his sites. They say Caner must answer charges openly and publicly if the issue is to be resolved.

Albert Mohler weighs in on news of a British preacher arrested for proclaiming that homosexuality is a sin.

He was arrested under Britain’s “Public Order Act,” which, the paper reports, “has been used to arrest religious people in a number of similar cases.” The law allows the arrest and prosecution of anyone who, with intent to harass or cause harm, uses “threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour.”

Has Noah’s Ark been found on Mt. Arrarat? Some Chinese researches believe it has.

A group of Chinese and Turkish evangelical explorers say wooden remains they have discovered on Mount Ararat in eastern Turkey are the remains of Noah’s Ark.

The group claims that carbon dating proves the relics are 4,800 years old, meaning they date to around the same time the ark was said to be afloat. Mt. Ararat has long been suspected as the final resting place of the craft by evangelicals and literalists hoping to validate biblical stories.

Baby survives nearly two days after abortion. This is a frightening look into a grotesque practice.

The infant survived the procedure, carried out on Saturday in the Rossano Calabro hospital, and was left by doctors to die.

He was discovered alive the following day – some 20 hours after the operation – by Father Antonio Martello, the hospital chaplain, who had gone to pray beside his body.

Christianity Today’s Children’s Ministry page has an interesting article on bribing children to come to church.

Kids do all sorts of stuff without bribes involved. The secret is to give them something they don’t get elsewhere. Consider, for a moment, why many kids like gym class even if they don’t care for the activities. They likely believe the gym teacher is cool—most of them are, you have to admit—and he or she somehow makes kids feel special. Or why do kids thoroughly enjoy some classes and not others? Many times, you need look no further than a teacher who bonds with and affirms each child in unique ways. And why will a child who meets with a mentor eagerly wait for that special time together each week? Because of the relationship they share.

Church planter fired over “Beer and Bible,” outreach program. Apparently this guy committed the cardinal sin…I’m praying that the unnamed denomination is not the SBC.

He was allegedly let go because he drank half a beer in public during the new “Beer and Bible” meeting he started last month.

While he was told that was the main issue, he doesn’t have all the details because he didn’t receive a phone call or e-mail from the decision makers, he said. His boss, whom he respects and who had given him permission to conduct “Beer and Bible,” broke the news to him a couple of weeks ago.

He now has less than 60 days before he and his family – wife and three kids – are cut off from all funding and left “abandoned,” as he put it.

“It’s troubling,” Hill told The Christian Post. “We’re out here trying to reach people as Jesus would.

“It’s still baffling to me that when your boss has given you permission that you can still get terminated for something such as that.”