The Week-est Link, January 18, 2008

1. Some quick thoughts from yesterday's post: There will certainly be times when Christians are forced to work very shrewdly in order to share the gospel with unbelievers. For example, I know that public school teachers have to be very careful about evangelizing while on the job. Terry had some good words on this matter in yesterday's comments. Readers should not take my post to mean that being a Christian means constantly sharing the gospel regardless of consequences. No, the matter is more complex than that. My point was a different one--I was saying that Christians who are able to share the gospel without some immediate penalty or something like that should ideally have the mindset that they should share the gospel as soon and fully as possible, rather than waiting for a relationship to build.

So often, we forget a very basic biblical idea: we are not cursed if we incur hate or condemnation from unbelievers because of the gospel--we are actually blessed, according to Matthew 5! Can you believe that? Well, I don't think many of us do believe this teaching in practice. I think that we completely forget it and so tailor our witnessing to the reaction of the world around us, in the process stifling our witness and failing to give God glory. Relational evangelism can (not always) be a way of hiding our light under a bushel, so to speak, of being cowardly, of thinking gospel-induced hatred is a curse, not a blessing from God.

2. Thanks to all who left their blog info. Please remember to link to me. I will have my links updated over the course of the weekend. Again, as I've linked to you, please link to me.

3. Presbyterian historian Sean Lucas and Baptist historian Michael Haykin post their top nine biographies. An odd number (literally, right?), but the lists are interesting. (HT: Justin Taylor)

4. Get some great lectures on the Gospel of John here. The lectures are by Dr. Jonathan Pennington, a rising scholar of the Gospels. He teaches at Southern Seminary, did his PhD at St. Andrews, and is an engaging, understandable communicator who has much to teach you if you will take a bit of time to listen. (HT: Said at Southern)

Have a great weekend, everyone!