If being one of Christ's disciples was easy, everyone would be doing it

 Instead everyone is writing about it.

A review of the plethora of discipleship study materials and courses suggests the volume of content may not be that good a situation.

Main point: Information overload because "The waves of discipleship materials that have swept over the church in the past sixty years have in many cases caused people to be more confused than ever when they think of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ."

More about it:

• As a result, "... discipleship as we know it in the church today is influenced by other forces, near and far" that make it more of a program rather than a way of life.
• Formats:
• The mind-centered format. "The Learner...a disciple is the person who is dedicated to an intense study of the Bible."
• The heart-centered format. "The Committed...a disciple is supremely committed to Christ."
• The other-centered format. "The Mentor...only when we are involved in such a relationship can we say that we have experienced true discipleship."
• The community-centered format. "The Small Group...true discipleship occurs today when a person is involved in a small group."

Takeaways:

• While anyone who becomes a Christian becomes a disciple, "the point is whether or not they are obedient disciples."
• The process probably blends all the formats because it's a holistic "ministry of the church in helping all believers to grow in their discipleship to Jesus and reaching out to bring non-Christians to Jesus to become his disciples."
• There is practical advice in the linked article, so you'll want to read it.

A physicist popularizes string theory

 An article recorded some musings from a well known physicist. It looks like he's promoting a new book, so he's getting some coverage. 

Main point: "His latest book, The God Equation, is a clear and accessible examination of the quest to combine Einstein’s general relativity with quantum theory to create an all-encompassing 'theory of everything' about the nature of the universe."

More about it: 

• Theory of everything still being worked out: "I think we actually have the theory but not in its final form. It hasn’t been tested yet and Nobel prize winners have taken opposite points of view concerning something called string theory."
• Where we are in the process: "The destiny of science is to become like grandmasters, to solve this puzzle that we call the universe. There are outstanding questions that the public wants to have answers for."
• Like a 2-horse race: "Sometimes, the mathematics and the ideas are ahead of the concrete experimental data."
• Anyone who watched Independence Day knows it's a bad idea: "I think the chances are quite high that we may make contact with an alien civilisation. There are some colleagues of mine that believe we should reach out to them. I think that’s a terrible idea."
• Finding where religions are consistent with each other: "According to string theory, big bangs are happening all the time. Even as we speak, Genesis is taking place somewhere in the cosmos. And what is the universe expanding into? Nirvana. Eleven-dimensional hyperspace is Nirvana. So you can have Buddhism and Judeo-Christian philosophy in one theory."

Takeaway: A theory of everything may in fact be consistent and even supportive of a Christian worldview. The doctrine of common grace holds that God provides the means for a fallen world to continue to function in good order. A theory of everything may be a scientist's explanation of a religious concept.

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