Christian Carnival #341

Another week, another carnival. Only this time, you don’t have to buy tickets to ride the rides. Welcome to the Christian Carnival #341. There are some really interesting insightful entries this week, so read on…

Everyday Christian Family has some interesting observations on WWII and the Yalta agreement that gave the Soviet Union half of Germany before the war was finished.

At the end of World War II General Patton’s U.S. troops had gobbled up huge chunks of land, and were just 20 miles from Poland. These Americans had paid a heavy price in deaths to take that ground. But, the order was given to pull back to an agreed upon position and give the territory over to Stalin’s USSR Troops. Why did this land have to be handed over? The reason was an agreement penned at a conference held in Yalta. The Yalta agreement

Impact Bible Study provides us with a look at Luke 7:11-17, where Jesus raises the widows son.

This story is a very miraculous story that teaches about more than just God’s abilities but also his compassion. This story shows us that our Father is loving and merciful. Every sign that Christ performed that is written in the Bible is there to teach us so that we may believe and be saved (John 20:30-31). -Jesus Raises the Widow’s Son

MandM has a post dealing with the grounding of morality, titled, “Is God the Source of Morality? Is it Rational to Ground Right and Wrong in Commands Issued by God?” This one is a podcast (mp3 audio file).

Personal Finance by the Book has an article up on co-signing loans; this would be a tough decision for one of my kids, but I’m not at that point yet. The most interesting reason he gives is this:

We personally don’t have any debt, so co-signing to enable someone else’s debt is hypocritical to our value system. We realize that not everyone shares our values. That is fine…we are not preachy about them. But when someone asks us to do something which contradicts those values, we believe our answer should be consistent with our practices. -Say No to Cosigning Loans

Parableman has an interesting post on the meaning of the term “mainline.” I would expand his complaint about that word to many others, including “evangelical,” and maybe even “Christian.”

Joe Carter points to an interview with sociologist Rodney Stark (who is not a historian, despite often being called a historian of religion) that complains about the use of the word “mainline” in the expression “mainline Protestant denominations”. This term usually refers to the more liberalizing denominations within each major Protestant grouping. -Mainline

FMF presents Tithing, Zakat, and Giving posted at Free Money Finance.

Kevin Poulis presents ExperienceMission.org – Live. Your. Mission. posted at SiteTally.com.

Who Am I? points to a series on social justice by Kevin DeYoung. This is a topic I have spent many hours wrestling over and posted on several times, so I took the time to go through to the original material and have a poke around.

Recently Kevin DeYoung completed an intermittent series on the topic of social justice. It’s both an important topic and, currently, a hot topic–and for good reason. Every Christian should care about justice and mercy and helping those in need. However, the primary purpose of DeYoung’s series wasn’t to advocate social justice (which he considers an “ambiguous phrase”); rather it was to clarify the biblical meaning of the term and try to at least begin to clear up some of the misunderstanding surrounding it. -What is Social Justice?

The Pausing Place has an interesting entry up on rules in the Christian life.

I was no good at Latin at school. Nor later. It’s a shame; I feel like a klutz when some advocate or other cracks a joke by latin maxim (which they assume I’ll understand). I cough, smile, try to move on without displaying my ignorance. It turns out that here in Christian-ville too – at least in classical permutations of our faith, Latin is, well…there’s a lot of it about. So, perhaps I’ll try at least a little bit – which brings us to today’s title: ora et labora. It has a nice ring to it, don’t you think? -Ora et labora

If you’re in the midst of a financial crisis, you’ll want to read this post by ChristianPF.

You can’t breathe. The bills are piled high and you don’t know how you’ll ever pay them off. The creditors are calling left and right, your relationship is suffering, and the car is getting towed away outside. What do you do? Where do you start? Start here. -Financial Crisis Help

Random Musings takes on the Rubbermaid people in a posting on stuff —part of an interesting series.

Stuff is an obsession in the world in which we live. People do anything and everything in their power to get more stuff. This unquenchable desire to obtain more stuff is a big problem in industrialized societies, especially in America. It is also a big temptation in developing nations, although many times there are not enough resources for people in these areas to obtain what they desire.-Deliver Us from Worldliness III

Crossroads is tracking down the answer to the question, “Are all religions the same,” this week.

You hear more and more today that all religions are about the same. Are they? There are basically two types of religions — those that adhere to a “book of rules; principles; laws; and those that adhere to a higher consciousness. In the first category ae religions like Judaism and Islam. In the second category are religions like Buddhism and it’s offsrping, New Age. In this second category would also be ancient mystery religions where you drank something or took something (alcohol and drugs for example) to get you to the “higher plane.” It’s almost impossible to “fuse” these two categories together as they are so opposite of each other. -Are All Religions the Same?

Rely on God has a posting up on overcoming hardship.

The hardship helps to check the strength of man. In everyone’s life has always been and always will be some hardship. They vary in their severity and frequency, but they are part of human life. They are like salt give it a taste. When there are too many hardships, life becomes bitter. But when they are not there, you will agree, this life seems savorless and boring. But when you overcome obstacles you feel fine. -How to Overcome Hardship

à la mode de les Muses (I have to copy and paste that one, since I can’t spell it on my own!) has a very interesting post up on marriage and the current stance towards marriage within the Christian community. I think the point is sound, though there are some Scriptures that might point in a different direction.

Did God deliver the “be content in Christ” line heard from the lips of other Christian leaders? Did God distinguish between “healthy” and “unhealthy” loneliness? No, no, and no. God’s solution was Eve. The Bible appears to provide only two “reasons” for marrying, and neither is directly related to legitimate procreation, financial security, or being better suited to do the Lord’s work. -My First and Last Post on Marriage

The Faughn Family has a post on time management; the post is really directed as pastors, but I think it’s a useful read for everyone.

Preachers are busy, but we can still do better about managing our time to be productive while still having time with our family and for ourself. With that in mind, here are 10 tips that Dale and I presented on the show. -10 “P’s” of Time Management

American Missionary Fellowship has an interesting post up on preaching.

I think we need to understand the power of God’s Word – the power of teaching and studying and knowing and devouring God’s Word. You see, God’s Word changes lives because it shows the very character of our Savior. It lets us see the Creator who has come to our planet to show us what it’s like to be a Christ-follower. -Preaching

Disciple’s Journal has a post up on wearing blinders in the Christian life.

Blind means you can’t see. Blinders means you are restricted in what you see, the way a horse’s bridle is rigged to shut out distractions. But if we’ve had our eyes opened and turned from darkness to light [1], how does this happen? -Once I was Blind, but Now I have Blinders

I don’t think the specific example he gives —Revelation 1:1— isn’t really a good one; the Greek word translated “soon” here actually means “quickly,” but his overall point is very good.

Dosmallthings presents The Cost of Chocolate posted at Do Small Things.

A Guide to Raising Great Kids has a post up on detachment from material things.

Can money buy happiness? Money gives you satisfaction, maybe accomplishment, but you can have a lot of money and not have a decent life. You might have a lot of money and live a meaningless life. -Detachment from Material Things

Diary of 1 has submitted a post on peace.

So, the secrets say Keep your mind on God and you’ll have peace. Go to God with your anxieties and He will give you the peace that dissolves all confusion. These are the words of my source of help and strength — I’m not mocking them, I’m just saying that there is clearly much more to these “secrets” than meets the eye. -Peace Defined

The Minority Thinker has a post up on having sex with an ex-spouse. I’m not certain I agree with the reasoning, but you’ll have to read it for yourself.

An old friend posed an interesting question on Facebook: “If you are divorced from your husband & you decide to have an intimate relationship with him after the divorce…how is that viewed biblically?” It’s a question I’d never discussed with anyone before, but I had thought about it, and I have fairly clear ideas on the topic, so I was surprised that once again I was the only one who seemed to think the way I did. -Is Sex with an Ex Okay?

The Congenial Christians has a post up on infographics about the Christian faith. Each of these infographics is worth looking at, and possibly saving for Scripture study.