There are many worthwhile battles to fight in life. The most important, most necessary, and most dangerous is the war we must wage against sin, flesh, and the devil.
A new year means new opportunities to grow as Christians. This article written for WORLD Opinions, encourages believers to focus on spiritual development this new year instead of fighting battles outside of themselves.

A New Goal for the New Year

Life and Books and Everything is a podcast hosted by Kevin DeYoung where discussions center on, well, life and books and everything. As a church pastor and theology professor, Kevin loves to talk about faith, theology, history, current events, and the occasional hot topic. The format for LBE includes interviews with leading authors and thinkers, recurring conversations with Justin Taylor and Collin Hansen, and the occasional solo musing from Kevin. Listen in and we hope you will learn something, laugh a little, and get some good book recommendations along the way.

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With everything the pastor must do—preach, pray, visit, raise money, organize meetings, write emails, study, write, marry, bury, and baptize—does he also need to be a leader? John Currie, in his new book The Pastor as Leader (Crossway), says yes. But don't fear, this is not about one more impossible task or another time burden for the pastor. Leadership is about living and preaching as a man of God for the people of God. In this practical episode Kevin talks with John Currie, professor of practical theology at Westminster Theological Seminary, about what effective leadership in the church looks like (and doesn't look like). There is plenty of rich food for thought—both for the seasoned (and weary) pastor and for the young man just starting out in ministry.  Books & Everything: The Pastor as Leader: Principles and Practices for Connecting Preaching and Leadership The (Not-So-Secret) Secret to Reaching the Next Generation Don’t Waste Your Life

The Pastor as Leader with John Currie

For most of us, getting married and forging a strong family is the best way to build a prosperous, meaningful, and happy life. That's the message of Get Married: Why Americans Must Defy the Elites, Forge Strong Families, and Save Civilization, the new book by University of Virginia professor Brad Wilcox. Listen in as Kevin and Brad talk explore why young people aren't prioritizing marriage, why elites don't preach what they practice when it comes to marriage, and why getting married is one of the best things you can do for yourself and for others.  Books & Everything: Get Married: Why Americans Must Defy the Elites, Forge Strong Families, and Save Civilization ESV Bible App Light + Truth Podcast

Get Married with Brad Wilcox

Have you ever wondered if King Arthur was justified in cutting off all four limbs of Monty Python’s Black Knight when he refused the king passage? If so, then you’ll want to listen to this episode of LBE with Eric Patterson. Eric is an author, an important leader in Washington, D.C. and an expert in the theology and history of the Just War Tradition. What are the right reasons for going to war? How should a just war be fought? Was the American Revolution a just war (or even a revolution)? What about the firebombing of Dresden in World War II? Join Kevin and Eric and they try to apply the insights of the Just War Tradition to military conflicts past and present.   Chapters: 0:00 Introductions 7:45 A Basic Guide to the Just War Tradition 15:45 What Makes a War Just? 29:45 Sponsor Break | Crossway 30:28 “It’s Only a Flesh Wound.” 35:25 A Just American Revolution? 46:39 MLK’s Just Cause 51:15 Sponsor Break | Desiring God 52:00 Current Events  Books & Everything: Basic Guide to the Just War Tradition: Christian Foundations and Practices Just War and Christian Traditions Humility: The Joy of Self-Forgetfulnes Ask Pastor John: 750 Bible Answers to Life's Most Important Questions

The Just War Tradition

With two smart British historians—one from Oxford (Andrew) and one from Aberystwyth (David)--and one curious American pastor (Kevin), you might say that this episode puts the "fun" back in fundamentalism. How did fundamentalism become a pejorative putdown? Are evangelicals and fundamentalists really all that different? What is a fundamentalist anyway? And, to paraphrase Harry Emerson Fosdick, did the fundamentalists win or lose the last century? Join in as Kevin interviews two evangelical scholars about their new edited volume, The Oxford Handbook of Christian Fundamentalism.  Chapters: 0:00 Introductions 6:45 Why So Little Written by Fundamentalists? 11:44 Defining Fundamentalism  25:20 Fundamentalism & Evangelicalism 36:40 Sponsor Break | Crossway & DesiringGod 38:11 The Scopes Trial & Billy Graham 48:02 Evangelicalism & Politics in America 1:05:25 Did the Fundamentalists Win? 1:08:26 Until Next Time  Books & Everything: Oxford Handbook of Christian Fundamentalism Ask Pastor John: 750 Bible Answers to Life's Most Important Questions Look at the Book

Where Have All the Fundamentalists Gone?

He must be one of Kevin's favorite historians and favorite guests, because Dr. Guelzo is back for an unprecedented third visit to the LBE book-cave. Although Dr. Guelzo's new book is about Abraham Lincoln, Kevin and Allen talk about much more than just Lincoln—everything from John Locke to Christian Nationalism to progressivism to a healthy does of Reformed anthropology. And no, Dr. Guelzo did not watch the Super Bowl.  Chapters: 0:00 Intro 6:40 The Lincoln Book 14:25 Democracy Consensus 29:28 Christianity & Government 46:45 Sponsor Break | Crossway & Desiring God 48:00 Has Virtue Disappeared? 59:51 Was Abraham Lincoln a Racist? 01:02:42 Lincoln: The Founder of Big Government? 01:09:16 What, then, is the Hope? 1:16:37 Until Next Time

A New Goal for the New Year

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