“Reconciled” is the theme for SOLA Conference 2020 and registration opens on December 1. Check out our conference page and watch this 1-minute video of Pastor Harold Kim, president of SOLA Network and senior pastor at Christ Central of Southern California, sharing about this year’s theme.
Our November SOLA newsletter is scheduled to be sent this evening. Subscribe via email so you don’t miss out. If you have something to share with our readers, tweet me @musicgoon or email me at aaron@musicgoon.com.
We have a smaller edition of our roundup this week. And on behalf of the SOLA digital admin team, I would like to wish our readers a warm and happy Thanksgiving holiday.
Link Roundup
1. Catherine Finch: Korean Baptists Partner with IMB to Advance Gospel Work
Writing for the International Mission Board, Catherine Finch reports on a 3-day conference where passion for the gospel was championed.
2. ChinaSource: Churches, Posters, and State Propaganda
A fascinating article on Christian art in China via propaganda posters.
3. Allyson Todd: 9 Things I’ve Learned in 9 Years Of Theological Education
Allyson Todd, associate editor and intern for women’s initiatives at For The Church, writes on theology, knowledge, character, and community.
4. Matthew Barrett: Surprised by the Perfect Being
Matthew Barrett, Associate Professor of Christian Theology at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and founder and executive editor of Credo Magazine, shares how he met Calvin and most perfect being conceivable in college.
Weekend Recommendations
1. John Piper: Is It Sinful to Watch Sin on a Screen?
“Our culture saturates itself with entertainment that hardly gives a passing thought to God. Should Christians consume such media?”
2. Aaron Lee: Book Reviews
This week I reviewed Impossible Commands by Jonty Allcock, Adorning the Dark by Andrew Peterson, and Manuscripts: The Gospels.
From SOLA
1. Steve Bang Lee: 7 Things We Can Be Thankful For Right Now
“Gratitude is not on account of the circumstances of fortune, but a choice of faith. Faith to see all that Jesus is and all that He has done on our behalf, whether we feel it or not. Happy Thanksgiving!”
2. Tim St. John: Diagnosing Your Emotional Health
“Emotional health does not mean being happy all the time. You might feel pressure to keep a smile on your face all the time, but that is not what God wants for us. So, here is a definition of emotional health that gets us closer to God’s design. Emotional health means that you understand what emotions you’re feeling and you know how to engage them.”
3. Chris Li: Youth Pastors, Beware of Making Counterfeit Disciples
“Many churches and youth ministries claim to be gospel-centered, but the proof is in pudding. If something other than disciples are regularly emerging from our ministries, we should question whether the gospel is at the center after all. If we are not centering on the gospel, our youth ministries might be making something other than disciples.”
4. Steve Chang and Albert Ting: English as the Anchor: An Interview with Pastor Albert Ting
“When the First Chinese Baptist Church of Walnut called Albert Ting to be their new senior pastor in 2014, people were excited. He had previously been a pastor in Fountain Valley before becoming a professor at Singapore Bible College, then the president of the seminary. He could preach to the tri-congregational church in three languages — English, Mandarin-Chinese, and Cantonese-Chinese. But people were shocked to hear his vision for the church: ‘The English congregation is the future of the Chinese American church. If the church is to thrive, the English must lead and anchor the entire church.’”
5. TGIF: Roundup for November 22, 2019
In case you missed it, here are some headlines from last week: Finally Belonging – The Reception of the Parable of the Prodigal Son Among Asian Americans, How Hip-Hop Dance Groups Have Helped Asian Americans Find Belonging, Praying for Hong Kong Can Be Politically Disruptive—Even in America, and Brenda Song on Her New Series Dollface, the Disney Channel Years, and Growing Up.
6. SOLA: TGIF Subscription
Get our weekly TGIF weekend roundups delivered straight to your inbox for free. Subscribe today so you never miss out.