The Beast's Lair Wins Award

I am thrilled to announce that The Beast's Lair has won the "Thinking Blogger Award." I appreciate Barry from Inn of the Last Home including me in his list of 5 "Thinking Blogs."

According to the "rules" I am supposed to list 5 blogs that make me think. I actually spend more time reading articles and books than I do personal blogs, but here are 5 that I try to frequent almost every day.

1. Burr in the Burgh. This is the blog of Pastor Scott Stigemeyer. The good pastor is currently the director of admissions at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, IN having moved from Pittsburgh, PA where he was pastor of Concordia Lutheran Church. There are multiple reasons why I enjoy his blog. First of all, Pastor Scott's first comment on The Beast's Lair was in reference to my movie review of "Event Horizon." I knew I was dealing with someone of great worth after that moment. His blog has also consistently argued for the proper role of the pulpit, specifically it not simply being about moral teaching. As of late, it appears that his fairly new job at the seminary has taken away from his blogging time, but I still enjoy his outlook on topics, even when we disagree.

2. On The Jericho Road. I was so pleased when my former professor and colleague Dr. Mike Ruffin announced he was entering the world of blogging. I sat under the classroom teaching of Dr. Ruffin during my tenure at Belmont University and then subsequently have served with him at two churches. He is a wise man and respects the pulpit of the church. His blog has been anticipating the 2008 Celebration of the New Baptist Covenant that will take place in Atlanta, GA and he is currently reading through The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins and offering commentary.

3. SBC Outpost. This was the blog of Mary Duren, pastor of New Bethany Baptist Church in Buford, GA. The blog was one of the best sources for commentary on SBC life and politics. A new version of SBC Outpost will be launched on July 2nd, apparently merging several different people and viewpoints together.

4. World Mag Blog. This is the blogging section of World Magazine. In particular, I enjoy the articles written by Andree Seu, senior columnist for World Magazine. This is typically a daily stop for me.

5. Al Mohler. The blog of Southern Seminary president Dr. Albert Mohler. Whether you love him or hate him, the guy is brilliant and he has really inspired me to step up my game this last year. His blog is a cultural commentary with a Christian worldview.

There are so many more places that I stop, but those 5 are pretty routine for me and definitely make me think. I wish more of my friends and family were bloggers so I could refer them to you.

If you wish to do your own Thinking Blog Award, and probably only my first two would be able to do this, then here are the rules.

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to five blogs that make you think.

2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of this meme.

3. Optional: Proudly display the “Thinking Blogger Award” with a link to the post that you wrote. Here is an alternate silver version if gold doesn’t fit your blog.