Hell
How to make sense of it? Denny Burk does a fine job at succinctly summing up the Biblical doctrine in response to Rob Bell's new book. I really recommend reading this.
(HT: JT)
Monday, February 28, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Brad Pitt and God
John Piper writes:
In a 2007 interview for Parade, actor Brad Pitt describes how he stumbled, as C.S. Lewis and Michael Prowse and Erik Reece before him, over God’s ego.
Pitt was raised a conservative Southern Baptist. For a while, his religion worked. But not for long.
Religion works. I know there's comfort there, a crash pad. It's something to explain the world and tell you there is something bigger than you, and it is going to be alright in the end. It works because it's comforting. I grew up believing in it, and it worked for me in whatever my little personal high school crisis was, but it didn't last for me.
Why not? He points to the ego of God.
I didn't understand this idea of a God who says, “You have to acknowledge me. You have to say that I'm the best, and then I'll give you eternal happiness. If you won't, then you don't get it!” It seemed to be about ego. I can't see God operating from ego, so it made no sense to me.
So there it is again.
God is infinitely wise, just, holy, strong, and good. But God’s command that we see him for what he is, and be glad about it, is the reason Pitt found God unintelligible. God’s god-ness has always been the main problem.
There is an answer to the seeming egomania of God, and his demand that we embrace him as the supreme—and supremely satisfying—Treasure of the universe:
Reason #1 — He is supremely valuable and supremely satisfying.
Reason #2 — Receiving him as such is the only way we will find full, everlasting joy.
Reason #3 — Therefore, his demand that we do so is love, not egomania.
Pray for the thousands of Brad Pitts to see that God’s demand for worship is a demand that we enjoy what is supremely enjoyable.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Saturday, February 19, 2011
The Fundamentalist Scientist
Tim Berra at Actionbioscience.org writes:
"Religious fundamentalists want us to believe that the evolution/creation debate is ostensibly about science for they have a great deal at stake... In short, they reject all scientific knowledge that does not fit their view of the world."
Interesting thoughts. In Berra's eyes I am a "fundamentalist" simply for believing in a Creator. (Sadly, many Bible-believe Christians would join Berra in labeling me "fundy" simply for believing in a "young earth".) In Barrera's eyes I must believe the way I do, since I have so much at stake in the matter.
But if I am wrong, and the Bible does not say what it clearly seems to say, and the universe really is billions of years old, then I do not have to be an atheist. I can still be an "old earth" creationist. I could even join the ranks of Bruce Ware and become a theistic evolutionist (God did evolution). There is ultimately not much at stake for me and my worldview, and eternal outcome, though it certainly would surprise me if I get to heaven and find out that I was wrong.
However, the fundamentalist scientist cannot change his opinion on the age of the earth, or on creation because then they would have to admit that macro-evolution is wrong. Time and time again I have found that secular scientists, "reject all scientific knowledge that does not fit their view of the world." They have much more to lose than me: respect in their field, lots of money, and almost definitely their entire careers as scientists. Now you see the motivation that inundates our culture and media with evolutionary "science".
And that is why the fundamentalist scientist, "wants us to believe that the evolution/creation debate is ostensibly about science for they have a great deal at stake." As Berra gives away, this debate is not chiefly about science, it is about worldview. Everyone has the same scientific data, and there are experts on both sides of the debate. However, some are so blinded by secular, no-creation-possible reasoning that they can no longer see past their evolutionary glasses or allow themselves even to do so.
A caution to Christians: Do not let yourself be taken by popular "science", and the millions of years that go with it, as if there is no driving agenda behind it. I encourage you to get past those set of glasses and study the issue for yourself.
Tim Berra at Actionbioscience.org writes:
"Religious fundamentalists want us to believe that the evolution/creation debate is ostensibly about science for they have a great deal at stake... In short, they reject all scientific knowledge that does not fit their view of the world."
Interesting thoughts. In Berra's eyes I am a "fundamentalist" simply for believing in a Creator. (Sadly, many Bible-believe Christians would join Berra in labeling me "fundy" simply for believing in a "young earth".) In Barrera's eyes I must believe the way I do, since I have so much at stake in the matter.
But if I am wrong, and the Bible does not say what it clearly seems to say, and the universe really is billions of years old, then I do not have to be an atheist. I can still be an "old earth" creationist. I could even join the ranks of Bruce Ware and become a theistic evolutionist (God did evolution). There is ultimately not much at stake for me and my worldview, and eternal outcome, though it certainly would surprise me if I get to heaven and find out that I was wrong.
However, the fundamentalist scientist cannot change his opinion on the age of the earth, or on creation because then they would have to admit that macro-evolution is wrong. Time and time again I have found that secular scientists, "reject all scientific knowledge that does not fit their view of the world." They have much more to lose than me: respect in their field, lots of money, and almost definitely their entire careers as scientists. Now you see the motivation that inundates our culture and media with evolutionary "science".
And that is why the fundamentalist scientist, "wants us to believe that the evolution/creation debate is ostensibly about science for they have a great deal at stake." As Berra gives away, this debate is not chiefly about science, it is about worldview. Everyone has the same scientific data, and there are experts on both sides of the debate. However, some are so blinded by secular, no-creation-possible reasoning that they can no longer see past their evolutionary glasses or allow themselves even to do so.
A caution to Christians: Do not let yourself be taken by popular "science", and the millions of years that go with it, as if there is no driving agenda behind it. I encourage you to get past those set of glasses and study the issue for yourself.
Jesus Storybook Bible
These videos, as well as this book, are just excellent. I am using this book to teach English to my third grade students at KIU. Noah and Taka love the book, audio and video also. I've even used this on occasion to teach English to adults on Sundays.
(HT: Z)
These videos, as well as this book, are just excellent. I am using this book to teach English to my third grade students at KIU. Noah and Taka love the book, audio and video also. I've even used this on occasion to teach English to adults on Sundays.
A New Way To See from Jonathan Michael on Vimeo.
(HT: Z)
Friday, February 18, 2011
Iowa Boy Forfeits Wrestling Match to a Girl
Interesting story here from my old high school in Iowa. It seems to be making national headlines.
Zach Nielsen writes: It seems quite ridiculous to me that our politically correct, gender neutralizing culture, we have forced this kid to be in a quite awkward, no win situation. Crazy.
John Piper has a great take on this also.
Interesting story here from my old high school in Iowa. It seems to be making national headlines.
Zach Nielsen writes: It seems quite ridiculous to me that our politically correct, gender neutralizing culture, we have forced this kid to be in a quite awkward, no win situation. Crazy.
John Piper has a great take on this also.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
We Can't Know that we Know Anything apart from God
Watch how Dr. Jason Lisle fleshes this out here.
(The first 4 1/2 min. gives you the basic idea.)
Watch how Dr. Jason Lisle fleshes this out here.
(The first 4 1/2 min. gives you the basic idea.)
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Are we better than they?
In our pride and insecurity we sometimes like to think so.
God gives us the low down,
"Not at all...
all under sin..
None is righteous
no, not one;
no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside;
together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.
There is no fear of God before their eyes.
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God..."
So what's the good news?
"And are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ." (Romans 3:9-18,23,24)
In our pride and insecurity we sometimes like to think so.
God gives us the low down,
"Not at all...
all under sin..
None is righteous
no, not one;
no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside;
together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.
There is no fear of God before their eyes.
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God..."
So what's the good news?
"And are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ." (Romans 3:9-18,23,24)
Friday, February 11, 2011
7 Keys to Practical Love
National collegiate director for the Navigators, and long-time friend, Jim Luebe writes:
Here are seven simple (but not easy) biblical steps that can help you foster love and unity in any relationship.
National collegiate director for the Navigators, and long-time friend, Jim Luebe writes:
Here are seven simple (but not easy) biblical steps that can help you foster love and unity in any relationship.
- Be humble. (1 Peter 5:5,6)
- Believe the best in people. (Philippians 4:8)
- Keep short accounts and take pains to have a clear conscience with both God and people. (Acts 24:16)
- Don’t let a root of bitterness grow in your heart. (Ephesians 4:31)
- Overlook offenses when possible. (Proverbs 19:11)
- Make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. (Romans 14:19)
- Be controlled by the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 5:18)
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Quote of the Day
"...we can draw a straight line from the emergence of evolutionary theory to the resurgence of atheism in our times. Never underestimate the power of a bad idea." - Al Mohler
Read his whole article here.
"...we can draw a straight line from the emergence of evolutionary theory to the resurgence of atheism in our times. Never underestimate the power of a bad idea." - Al Mohler
Read his whole article here.
Wednesday, February 09, 2011
Why All Scripture is Essential
Sometimes we like to pick our favorite stories in the Bible. Sometimes we hear people say, "I like the God of the New Testament, but not the one in the Old." Other times we hear, "I don't know what to make of the stories in Genesis, but I guess that's not so important anyway."
In response Jesus says, "If you believed in Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?"
John Frame comments, "Those writings, Jesus says, are about him, about Jesus. In verse 47, Jesus in effect makes believing Moses's writings a prerequisite for believing in Jesus himself... So the words of Moses have a high importance over a thousand years after they were written."
God's personal word can never become anything less than that. It cannot fail or lose its authority or importance. It is the Word of God, not simply the "words" of God.
Sometimes we like to pick our favorite stories in the Bible. Sometimes we hear people say, "I like the God of the New Testament, but not the one in the Old." Other times we hear, "I don't know what to make of the stories in Genesis, but I guess that's not so important anyway."
In response Jesus says, "If you believed in Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?"
John Frame comments, "Those writings, Jesus says, are about him, about Jesus. In verse 47, Jesus in effect makes believing Moses's writings a prerequisite for believing in Jesus himself... So the words of Moses have a high importance over a thousand years after they were written."
God's personal word can never become anything less than that. It cannot fail or lose its authority or importance. It is the Word of God, not simply the "words" of God.
Surer than an Audible Voice from Heaven
Some have said to me, "If there really was a God he would speak from heaven and let us know he is really there."
Of course, God has spoken from heaven already to let us know. The fact that he does not speak to all in the same way reveals to us the separation that our sin has caused. If God chooses to speak it is nothing more than grace upon grace. (Rom.3:23-24)
But God does speak to us all, even today. Peter, who heard the voice of God audibly from heaven, realized that Scripture was more sure than all the miracles and lightening bolts and voices from the clouds.
2 Peter 1:
16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, [1] with whom I am well pleased,” 18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. 19 And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
Some have said to me, "If there really was a God he would speak from heaven and let us know he is really there."
Of course, God has spoken from heaven already to let us know. The fact that he does not speak to all in the same way reveals to us the separation that our sin has caused. If God chooses to speak it is nothing more than grace upon grace. (Rom.3:23-24)
But God does speak to us all, even today. Peter, who heard the voice of God audibly from heaven, realized that Scripture was more sure than all the miracles and lightening bolts and voices from the clouds.
2 Peter 1:
16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, [1] with whom I am well pleased,” 18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. 19 And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
Thursday, February 03, 2011
Mohler: The New Shape of the Debate
Discussing the creation vs. evolution debate, Al Mohler writes:
"We now face the undeniable truth that the most basic and fundamental questions of biblical authority and gospel integrity are at stake. Are you ready for this debate?"
"...The problem with this argument is obvious: Darwinism and Genesis do clearly overlap. The Bible does not merely speak of the who and the why. It also makes explicit claims concerning the how. Likewise, even a cursory review of the evolutionary literature indicates that evolutionary scientists routinely make assertions concerning the who and why questions. It is just not intellectually honest to argue that evolutionary theory deals only with the mechanisms of the existence of the Cosmos and that the Bible deals only with the meaning of creation."
Read more here.
Discussing the creation vs. evolution debate, Al Mohler writes:
"We now face the undeniable truth that the most basic and fundamental questions of biblical authority and gospel integrity are at stake. Are you ready for this debate?"
"...The problem with this argument is obvious: Darwinism and Genesis do clearly overlap. The Bible does not merely speak of the who and the why. It also makes explicit claims concerning the how. Likewise, even a cursory review of the evolutionary literature indicates that evolutionary scientists routinely make assertions concerning the who and why questions. It is just not intellectually honest to argue that evolutionary theory deals only with the mechanisms of the existence of the Cosmos and that the Bible deals only with the meaning of creation."
Read more here.
What Kind of Religion Is This?!
“In a sermon Dick Lucas once preached, he recounted an imaginary conversation between an early Christian and her neighbor in Rome.
“Ah,” the neighbor says. “I hear you are religious! Great! Religion is a good thing. Where is your temple or holy place?”
“We don’t have a temple,” replies the Christian. “Jesus is our temple.”
“No temple? But where do your priests work and do their ritual?”
“We don’t have priests to mediate the presence of God,” replies the Christian. “Jesus is our priest.”
“No priests? But where do you offer your sacrifices to acquire the favor of your God?”
“We don’t need a sacrifice,” replies the Christian. “Jesus is our sacrifice.”
“What kind of religion is this?” sputters the pagan neighbor.
And the answer is, it’s no kind of religion at all.”
—Tim Keller, King’s Cross: The Story of the World in the Life of Jesus, p. 48.
(HT: JT)
“In a sermon Dick Lucas once preached, he recounted an imaginary conversation between an early Christian and her neighbor in Rome.
“Ah,” the neighbor says. “I hear you are religious! Great! Religion is a good thing. Where is your temple or holy place?”
“We don’t have a temple,” replies the Christian. “Jesus is our temple.”
“No temple? But where do your priests work and do their ritual?”
“We don’t have priests to mediate the presence of God,” replies the Christian. “Jesus is our priest.”
“No priests? But where do you offer your sacrifices to acquire the favor of your God?”
“We don’t need a sacrifice,” replies the Christian. “Jesus is our sacrifice.”
“What kind of religion is this?” sputters the pagan neighbor.
And the answer is, it’s no kind of religion at all.”
—Tim Keller, King’s Cross: The Story of the World in the Life of Jesus, p. 48.
(HT: JT)
Wednesday, February 02, 2011
Monday, January 31, 2011
A Bit of Good News
Creationism is still being advocated in public schools in America.
Some of the creationism advocates insisted that they, rather than scientists, were practicing proper science, with a Minnesota teacher commenting, "I don't teach the theory of evolution in my life science classes, nor do I teach the Big Bang Theory in my [E]arth [S]cience classes.... We do not have time to do something that is at best poor science."
Others rejected the scientific method as valid for shedding light on the origin of species, with an Illinois teacher responding, "I am always amazed at how evolution and creationism are treated as if they are right or wrong. They are both belief systems that can never be truly or fully proved or discredited."
Read more
Creationism is still being advocated in public schools in America.
Some of the creationism advocates insisted that they, rather than scientists, were practicing proper science, with a Minnesota teacher commenting, "I don't teach the theory of evolution in my life science classes, nor do I teach the Big Bang Theory in my [E]arth [S]cience classes.... We do not have time to do something that is at best poor science."
Others rejected the scientific method as valid for shedding light on the origin of species, with an Illinois teacher responding, "I am always amazed at how evolution and creationism are treated as if they are right or wrong. They are both belief systems that can never be truly or fully proved or discredited."
Read more
Friday, January 28, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
Following Jesus or Follow Atheism?
Paul Copan, in his new book Is God a Moral Monster? writes:
If we'd stop to ask, "Would Jesus approve of the Inquisition or persecuting Jews?" the question answers itself. As a counterillustration, what about serial murderer and cannibal Jeffrey Dahmer? Dahmer reasoned, "If it all happens naturalistically, what's the need for a God? Can't I set my own rules? Who owns me? I own myself." He wondered, if there's no God and we all just came "from the slime," then "what's the point of trying to modify your behavior to keep within acceptable ranges?" (p. 18)
Loving people or killing people: These are the logical and natural outworkings of the two worldviews, whether one follows through with them or not.
Paul Copan, in his new book Is God a Moral Monster? writes:
If we'd stop to ask, "Would Jesus approve of the Inquisition or persecuting Jews?" the question answers itself. As a counterillustration, what about serial murderer and cannibal Jeffrey Dahmer? Dahmer reasoned, "If it all happens naturalistically, what's the need for a God? Can't I set my own rules? Who owns me? I own myself." He wondered, if there's no God and we all just came "from the slime," then "what's the point of trying to modify your behavior to keep within acceptable ranges?" (p. 18)
Loving people or killing people: These are the logical and natural outworkings of the two worldviews, whether one follows through with them or not.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
The Foundation of the Sanctity of Life
I find the link between belief in evolution and in the acceptability of abortion
among professing believers in Christ to be very interesting:
I find the link between belief in evolution and in the acceptability of abortion
among professing believers in Christ to be very interesting:
In Britain:
"On evolution, six out of 10 evangelicals believe evolution and Christianity are compatible while 18 percent agreed strongly that you cannot believe in both.
Regarding abortion, the differences were also considerable, with 20 percent strongly agreeing that abortion can never be justified and nearly as many strongly disagreeing with the statement (17 percent)."
As you may know, in Japan, where there is no real debate over evolution and creation, there are also virtually no pro-life citizens or politicians.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Friday, January 14, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Abortion & Evolution
The key problem with the abortion debates today seems to be that we are arguing from different worldviews.
From a purely evolutionary standpoint, "Since man is just a more highly evolved life form, human life is nothing special. A person does not have any more inherent value than the life of his alleged ape-like ancestor. Therefore, abortion is just a fact of life regardless of the consequences for the developing life inside... If humans evolved from [other] animals, their existence is derived from the survival of the fittest. From an evolutionary perspective, abortion seems to be a brilliant method to aid natural selection. Why not end the lives of those with genetic defects or disabilities before they can be a drain on society? Might abortion even be saving these weak ones from lives of suffering?" (Abortion & The Origins Debate)
The key problem with the abortion debates today seems to be that we are arguing from different worldviews.
From a purely evolutionary standpoint, "Since man is just a more highly evolved life form, human life is nothing special. A person does not have any more inherent value than the life of his alleged ape-like ancestor. Therefore, abortion is just a fact of life regardless of the consequences for the developing life inside... If humans evolved from [other] animals, their existence is derived from the survival of the fittest. From an evolutionary perspective, abortion seems to be a brilliant method to aid natural selection. Why not end the lives of those with genetic defects or disabilities before they can be a drain on society? Might abortion even be saving these weak ones from lives of suffering?" (Abortion & The Origins Debate)
In contrast, biblical creationists believe mankind is distinct from the animal kingdom. Our belief is based on the Creator’s testimony in the Bible. After creating the universe and filling the earth with plant and animal life, God created human life on Day Six of the Creation Week. God personally formed man after His image (Genesis 1:27). He gave people unique linguistic, aesthetic, rational, moral, and spiritual faculties not given to animals.
Download this excellent free video Fearfully & Wonderfully Made by Dr. David Menton to find out more.
Friday, January 07, 2011
The Sufficiency of Scripture vs. The Insufficiency of Nature
If you don't have much time, just watch the first half of this video. You won't be sorry.
If you don't have much time, just watch the first half of this video. You won't be sorry.
John Piper @ GELF Breakfast - Lausanne 2010 from Crossway on Vimeo.
(HT:JT)
Moving Story of the Day
Denny Burk:
This homeless guy has a voice like butter, and he’s getting a second chance because of this viral YouTube video (see above). He has already received offers from the NFL and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Just today he appeared on “The Today Show” (see below), and it’s a fascinating interview. I share the concerns of Meredith and Matt, but I wish him all the best.
Denny Burk:
This homeless guy has a voice like butter, and he’s getting a second chance because of this viral YouTube video (see above). He has already received offers from the NFL and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Just today he appeared on “The Today Show” (see below), and it’s a fascinating interview. I share the concerns of Meredith and Matt, but I wish him all the best.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Thursday, January 06, 2011
Wednesday, January 05, 2011
If I Had to Do it Again
One father said, “My family’s all grown, and the kids are all gone. But if I had to do it all over again, this is what I’d do.
1. I would love my wife more in front of my children.
2. I would laugh with my children more—at our mistakes and our joys.
3. I would listen more, even to the littlest child.
4. I would be more honest about my own weaknesses, never pretending perfection.
5. I would pray differently for my family—instead of focusing on them, I’d focus on me.
6. I would do more things together with my children.
7. I would encourage them more and bestow more praise.
8. I would pay more attention to little things, like deeds and words of thoughtfulness.
9. And then, finally, if I had to do it all over again, I would share God more intimately with my family; every ordinary thing that happened in every ordinary day I would use to direct them to God.”
Sunday, January 02, 2011
Saturday, January 01, 2011
Bible Reading Plans for 2011
Great stuff from Justin Taylor:
There are lots of ways to read the Bible in a year, and I won’t try to capture all of them. But here are numerous options, in no particular order. You may want to look through it and see what you think would work best for you.
First off, if you’re not persuaded that having a plan is necessary and biblical in some sense, then here’s a helpful piece from John Piper, written in 1984.
Stephen Witmer has a helpful introduction—on the weaknesses of typical plans and some advice on reading the Bible together with others—as well as offering his own new two-year plan.
George Guthrie has a very helpful Read the Bible for Life Chronological Bible Reading Plan. (I’ll have more to say later about Guthrie’s new book, Read the Bible for Life, and the church-wide campaign to promote biblical literacy. It’s really worth picking up.)
The Gospel Coalition’s For the Love of God Blog takes you through the M’Cheyne reading plan, with a meditation each day by D. A. Carson related to one of the readings.
The Bible Reading Plan for Shirkers and Slackers (Pastor Andy Perry explains the plan and why he recommends it.)
Before I mention some of the ESV plans, here are a few other options that aren’t one-year-plans per se:
Don Whitney has a simple but surprisingly effective tool: A Bible Reading Record. It’s a list of every chapter in the Bible, and you can check them off as you read them at whatever pace you want.
For the highly motivated and disciplined, Grant Horner’s plan has you reading each day a chapter from ten different places in the Bible. (Bob Kauflin read the whole Bible this way in five and a half months and explains why he likes this system a lot.)
Joe Carter and Fred Sanders explain James Gray’s method of “How to Master the English Bible.” My pastor, David Sunday, told me that “the plan they recommend is, from my vantage point, the most productive way to read and to master the Bible’s contents (or more importantly, to let the Bible master you!).”
There are 10 Reading Plans for ESV Editions, and the nice things is the way in which Crossway has made them accessible in multiple formats:
- web (a new reading each day appears online at the same link)
- RSS (subscribe to receive by RSS)
- podcast (subscribe to get your daily reading in audio)
- iCal (download an iCalendar file)
- mobile (view a new reading each day on your mobile device)
- print (download a PDF of the whole plan)
| Reading Plan | Format | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Reading Bible Daily Old Testament, New Testament, and Psalms | Web | RSS | iCal | Mobile | ||
| Outreach Bible Daily Old Testament, Psalms, and New Testament | Web | RSS | iCal | Mobile | ||
| Outreach Bible New Testament Daily New Testament. Read through the New Testament in 6 months | Web | RSS | iCal | Mobile | ||
| M’Cheyne One-Year Reading Plan Daily Old Testament, New Testament, and Psalms or Gospels | Web | RSS | iCal | Mobile | ||
| ESV Study Bible Daily Psalms or Wisdom Literature; Pentateuch or the History of Israel; Chronicles or Prophets; and Gospels or Epistles | Web | RSS | iCal | Mobile | ||
| Literary Study Bible Daily Psalms or Wisdom Literature; Pentateuch or the History of Israel; Chronicles or Prophets; and Gospels or Epistles | Web | RSS | iCal | Mobile | ||
| Every Day in the Word Daily Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, Proverbs | Web | RSS | iCal | Mobile | ||
| Through the Bible Daily Old Testament and New Testament | Web | RSS | iCal | Mobile | ||
| Chronological Through the Bible chronologically (from Back to the Bible) | Web | RSS | iCal | Mobile | ||
| Book of Common Prayer Daily Office Daily Psalms, Old Testament, New Testament, and Gospels | Web | RSS | iCal | Mobile | ||
You can also access each of these Reading Plans as podcasts:
- Right-click (Ctrl-click on a Mac) the “RSS” link of the feed you want from the above list.
- Choose “Copy Link Location” or “Copy Shortcut.”
- Start iTunes.
- Choose Advanced > Subscribe to Podcast.
- Paste the URL from step three into the box.
- Click OK.
The entire Bible on audio is usually about 75 hours (or 4500 minutes). If you commute to work 5 days a week, that’s about 260 days a year. And if it takes you, say, 17 minutes to commute each way to work—and if you listen to the Bible on audio during your drive each way—you’ll get through the entire Bible twice in a year. This probably isn’t the only way to do Bible intake—but it’s one most of us should take advantage of more.
Here’s some more detail on these plans (some from Crossway, some from elsewhere).
ESV Study Bible (The ESV Literary Study Bible contains the same plan)
With this plan there are four readings each day, divided into four main sections:
- Psalms and Wisdom Literature
- Pentateuch and the History of Israel
- Chronicles and Prophets
- Gospels and Epistles
The introduction explains:
In order to make the readings come out evenly, four major books of the Bible are included twice in the schedule: the Psalms (the Bible’s hymnal), Isaiah (the grandest of the OT prophets), Luke (one of the four biblical Gospels), and Romans (the heart of the Bible’s theology of salvation).The list of readings from the Psalms and the Wisdom Literature begins and ends with special readings that are especially appropriate for the opening and closing of the year. The list of readings from the Pentateuch and the History of Israel proceeds canonically through the five books of Moses and then chronologically through the history of the OT, before closing the year with the sufferings of Job. The list of readings from the Chronicles and the Prophets begins with the Chronicler’s history of the people of God from Adam through the exile, followed by the Major and Minor Prophets, which are organized chronologically rather than canonically.
You can print out this PDF, which is designed to be cut into four bookmarks that can be placed at the appropriate place in your Bible reading. There are boxes to check off each reading as you complete it.
M’Cheyne One-Year Reading Plan
With this plan you read through:
- the NT twice
- the Psalms twice
- the rest of the OT once
The plan begins with the four great beginnings or “births” of Scripture: Genesis 1 (beginning of the world), Ezra 1 (rebirth of Israel after her return from Babylonian exile), Matthew 1 (birth of the Messiah), Acts 1 (birth of the body of Christ). John Stott says of this reading schedule: “Nothing has helped me more to gain an overview of the Bible, and so of God’s redemptive plan.”
If you go with this route, I’d recommend D.A. Carson’s For the Love of God (vol. 1 and vol. 2 are available–vols. 3 and 4 are forthcoming). Carson’s introduction and preface—which includes a layout of the calendar—are available for free online.
Since there are four readings each day, it’s easy to modify this one so that you read through the Bible once in two years, by reading just the first two readings each day for the first year and the second two readings each day for the second year.
Here’s a plan from NavPress, which is used each year at Bethlehem Baptist Church:
The Discipleship Journal Reading Plan
With this plan you read through the entire Bible once.
With this plan there are “catch-up” days:
- To prevent the frustration of falling behind, which most of us tend to do when following a Bible reading plan, each month of this plan gives you only 25 readings. Since you’ll have several “free days” each month, you could set aside Sunday to either not read at all or to catch up on any readings you may have missed in the past week.
- If you finish the month’s readings by the twenty-fifth, you could use the final days of the month to study passages that challenged or intrigued you.
Bethlehem makes available bookmarks that you can place in the relevant parts of your Bible:
The Journey Engage Scripture Reading Plan
The Journey, an Acts 29 church in St. Louis pastored by Darrin Patrick, is doing a church-wide reading plan this year.
This plan has you read whole chapters (a feature I like):
- one New Testament chapter
- two Old Testament chapters
They also have a couple of features designed to help those of us who have trouble persevering through a schedule like this: (1) there are lots of reflection/catch-up days; (2) they have pulled from the daily plan some of the slower-paced, harder-to-understand books. These then become “Monthly Scripture Snapshots” that are to be speed-read, along with online videos and overviews to put these books in context. See their website for more resources related to this plan.
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