BCL Online Picks — August 21, 2025
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So much worthy content online, so little time to find and read it all. Here are Beautiful Christian Life’s picks for this week:
1. The Rise of Churchtainment: When Worship Became a Product
“Churchtainment” has become so commonplace that many Christians don’t even question it anymore. In this Substack post, pastor and author Virgil Walker challenges us to ask ourselves why “we traded sanctuaries for sound stages. Elders for entrepreneurs. Reverence for relevance. Shepherds for showmen” and how “we’re reaping what we sowed.” (Many thanks to The Aquila Report for bringing this article to our attention.)
2. On Hombres and Sissies
Substack author Keith Lowery reflects on the valor and humility of actors and World War II veterans Jimmy Stewart and Charles Durning and how “we’ve gone from watching hombres who happened to be actors, to watching sissies pretend to be hombres.”
3. Bounce Couples
It may feel more natural to open our homes to some people in our local church than to others, but as Christians we want to extend kindness to all and make everyone feel truly welcome. Over at his blog, Reformed Theology in Piety, Practice and Preaching, pastor, author, and theologian J.V. Fesko has some practical advice on how to host strategically in order to facilitate an enjoyable time of fellowship for all.
4. If You Died Tonight
ChatGPT can give you answers, lots and lots of answers, but one thing it can never give you—the most important thing everyone needs—is peace with God. Substack author Anne Kennedy wants us to avoid the trap of letting artificial intelligence take our minds and hearts off the most pressing issue before each and every one of us.
5. All Things Light & Practical
It seems that many bestselling Christian books are often light, self-help style manuals, while thoughtful works of theology or apologetics rarely reach the top of the charts. Over at The Humble Skeptic, Substack author and podcaster Shane Rosenthal observes that when we focus on action at the expense of thoughtfulness and quiet reflection, we may be doing just what the devil wants.
6. The Missing Piece in Our Evangelism
Pastor, author, and Core Christianity radio host Adriel Sanchez shares his thoughts over at the Core Christianity website on why Christians often struggle to share the gospel with friends and family and what the missing piece is to making effective evangelism happen more frequently.
7. Theology Improper: Distortions of the Doctrine of God
Over at his blog, Light in Dark Places, theologian Keith Mathison shares solid teaching on the doctrine of God, historical distortions of the doctrine of God that are still being promoted today in various forms, and a short, helpful summary of the orthodox[1] doctrine of God from the Westminster Confession of Faith that every Christian will benefit from reading.
[1] “Orthodox” means holding to correct or sound doctrine, especially teachings that are faithful to the historic beliefs of the Christian faith.
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