BCL Online Picks — April 16, 2026

April 16, 2026/BCL/
Photo Credit: Zoe Richardson on Unsplash

Photo Credit: Zoe Richardson on Unsplash

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What is true repentance? How should we order our priorities? Does God still speak through a “still small voice”? What can actually deal with human evil? Find out in this week’s online picks!

1. 10 Things You Should Know About Repentance

What does true repentance really look like, and why does it matter so much in the Christian life? In this Crossway article, pastor Chris Brauns walks readers through ten biblical truths that help clarify a concept often misunderstood or reduced to mere regret. With pastoral clarity and theological depth, he shows that repentance is not a one-time act but an ongoing posture of turning from sin and toward God, and that it is God’s gift to us as well. Read it here →

2. Youth Sports on Sunday Morning: Four Decisions and Their Dangers

How should Christian families think about the growing pressure of youth sports schedules that crowd out Sunday worship? In this Desiring God article, pastor Jon Bloom thoughtfully engages four common approaches Christian parents take to address this tension, helping readers examine them in light of Scripture. With pastoral wisdom, he encourages families to resist cultural drift and to see gathered worship not as one option among many, but as a vital means of grace for God’s people. (Many thanks to The Aquila Report for bringing this article to our attention.) Read it here →

3. The “Still Small Voice” of 1 Kings 19

Do Christians today receive personal revelations from God, or has this idea grown out of a misunderstanding of Scripture? In this Heidelcast video on continuing revelation, theologian R. Scott Clark explains why the “still small voice” of 1 Kings 19 is not a promise of private guidance for believers today but a passage rooted in its redemptive-historical context. With clarity and pastoral care, he challenges expectations of modern special revelation and points Christians instead to the wisdom God has already given in his Word. Watch it here →

4. The Wounded Shepherd: The Abuse of Unrealistic Expectations

What happens when the expectations placed on pastors quietly grow beyond what Scripture requires? In this Place for Truth article, pastor Mark Horne shows how unrealistic demands don’t just burden pastors but can also shape congregational life in unhealthy ways—fueling criticism, discouragement, and a consumer mindset toward ministry. With pastoral sensitivity, he helps readers see how these pressures can erode trust and weaken the church’s shared life, urging a more biblical and compassionate understanding of both pastors and the congregations they serve. Read it here →

5. Only the Gospel Can Deal with Human Evil

What can truly address the depth of human evil—within the world and within our own hearts? In this Substack article, Campbell Markham reflects on the reality of sin and the limits of human solutions, pointing readers to the only true remedy found in the gospel of Jesus Christ. With clarity and conviction, he shows why moral reform, social efforts, and external restraints cannot reach the root problem, and why only Christ’s saving work can bring lasting change. Read it here →

6. Small Investments, Big Returns

How can parents build the kind of trust that leads to meaningful conversations with their children? In this blog post, theologian J. V. Fesko shows how simple, everyday interest in the small details of a child’s life can lay the foundation for deeper communication over time. With practical wisdom, he highlights how these quiet, ordinary moments can open the door to the conversations that matter most. Read it here →

7. Early Heresies: Arianism vs. Orthodoxy

The early church wrestled with profound questions: How could Jesus be both truly God and truly man? And how could God be one when the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are each called God? In this Place for Truth article, chaplain Steven M. McCarthy explains how these challenges gave rise to early heresies like Arianism and why the church responded so firmly. With clarity and historical insight, he helps readers see what was at stake in affirming Christ’s full divinity and why these debates still matter for the church today. Read it here →