Coram Deo ~

Looking at contemporary culture from a Christian worldview

THIS & THAT: A Weekly Roundup of Favorite Articles, Cartoon, & Quotes

Leave a comment

  • Trip Lee on Faith and Healing. On this episode of the Gospel Coalition podcast, Trip Lee encourages Christians to be faithful in their efforts at evangelism and gospel proclamation, in a message that was delivered at the 2019 Gospel Coalition National Conference.
  • Kick the Bucket List. J.D. Greear writes “What legacy are you leaving? For what kingdom are you leveraging your resources? Do you live as if you believe eternity is real and imminent? Are you teaching your kids to do the same?”
  • Are We Living Out Romans 1: Blessing and Curse in a Post-Obergefell World. Rosaria Butterfield writes “In a post-Obergefell world, any debate over homosexuality is never a debate simply over homosexuality. The issue is the infallibility, inerrancy, and sufficiency of Scripture.”
  • Clinging to God in Grief. In this episode of the Gospel Coalition podcast, Danielle Anderson, Nancy Guthrie, and Vaneetha Risner share their experiences with grief, and the grace they’ve discovered along the way.

Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:

  • More interesting article links
  • Cartoon of the Week
  • Favorite Quotes of the Week

  • Intersectionality and the Church. Rosaria Butterfield writes “Churches and parachurch organizations should be aware: intersectionality will not serve the gospel. It will not help you become kinder, more aware of the world around you, or better able to deal with diversity. Rather, it will introduce a new set of false virtues and false vices into your ministry.”
  • Is America a Decadent Society? A Conversation with New York Times Columnist Ross Douthat. On this episode of the Thinking in Public podcast, Albert Mohler visits with Ross Douthat, author of the new book The Decadent Society: How We Became the Victims of Our Own Success.
  • How Decadence Could Give Way to Revival. In the first episode of the new Gospel Coalition podcast Gospelbound, Colin Hansen visits with Ross Douthat about his new book The Decadent Society: How We Became the Victims of Our Own Success.
  • Pulling the Lever for Pro-Abortion Candidates is No Option for Pro-Lifers. Denny Burk writes “It is a fact that there are many pro-life Trump voters who are under no illusions about his character or his moral failings. They get it, and they don’t approve. Nevertheless, if they have to choose between a candidate that defends abortion rights through all nine months of pregnancy and a candidate who will oppose them, they aren’t being irrational or immoral to choose the latter over the former.”

  • Ask Ligonier: A New Podcast Providing Trustworthy Answers to Your Questions. Nathan Bingham writes “Ask Ligonieris a new weekly podcast that allows listeners to submit questions about the Bible, theology, the Christian life, apologetics, and more to some of the most trusted pastors and theologians who are serving the church today. Each week, one of Ligonier Ministries’ Teaching Fellows or a special guest draws from years of careful study to provide knowledgeable, accessible answers you can trust.”
  • Should the Gospel be Heard with Joy or with Dread? The gospel of Jesus Christ confronts us with bad news before comforting us with good news. From one of the Ask Ligonier events, B.Charles Jr. reminds us that the gospel is a declaration of both the conviction of sin and the hope of salvation by God’s grace.
  • If a New Believer Becomes Injured and Cannot Show “Good Works,” How Do We Know They Are Saved? What should we think about Christians who, through accident or disability, can no longer articulate their faith? In this Q&A video from one of the live Ask Ligonier events, Sinclair Ferguson explains that if someone has trusted in Christ, there’s no reason to doubt they are saved.
  • What is the Most Unsettling Question for the Atheist? In this short video, Ligon Duncan suggests that four important questions lack satisfactory answers from an atheistic worldview.
  • Do Christians Go Immediately to Heaven When They Die? What happens to a Christian at the moment of death? From one of Ligonier’s Ask C.events, R.C. Sproul examines what it means for the souls of believers to be “away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 2:5:8).
  • What is Reformed Theology? Kevin DeYoung answers this question in this two-and-a-half-minute video from Reformed Theological Seminary.
  • What is the Gift of Tongues? Is speaking in tongues the Baptism of the Holy Spirit? In this episode of Honest Answers, Dr. Thomas Schreiner from Southern Seminary, answers these questions.
  • Is It Important to Know the Moment of Our Regeneration? The Lord knows when we were regenerated. What if we don’t? From one of the Ask Ligonier events, Burk Parsons considers if it is important for Christians to know the moment when we were born again by the Holy Spirit.
  • Which Comes First: Repentance or Faith? Sinclair Ferguson writes “In no case can real conversion take place apart from the presence of both repentance and faith, and therefore both joy and sorrow. A “conversion” that lacks all sorrow for sin, that receives the word with only joy, will be temporary.”
  • How Do I Evangelize in Word and Deed? In this edition of the Gospel Coalition podcast, David Platt and Ligon Duncan discuss the relationship between proclaiming the gospel and doing good deeds in life and ministry.
  • How Do I Care for My Depressed Wife? On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to the question “There are seasons where her gloominess, and maybe borderline depression, persists and has a significant impact on the joy in our home. I feel helpless to help. When I try to address the issue with her, she ends up feeling like a failure and sinks even lower. What can I do to help her? I’m committed to our marriage covenant and desire that she and our family flourish.”

And a bonus for these days of the coronavirus when we are spending more time inside:

  • My Movie Reviews. Looking for a good movie to watch? Check out our “Movie Reviews” page for dozens of movie reviews.

Doug Michael’s Cartoon of the Week

  • To become a Christian believer is to be brought into a reality far grander than anything we could ever have imagined. It means communion with the triune God. Sinclair Ferguson
  • God does not give us everything we want, but he does fulfill his promises. Dietrich Bonhoeffer
  • May we sit at the foot of the cross; and there learn what sin has done, what justice has done, what love has done. John Newton
  • Consequently, we can never be finally satisfied with anything the world can offer us. Made as God’s image, created for him, we must remain forever dissatisfied until we live in fellowship with him and for his glory. Sinclair Ferguson
  • God said it’s not good for people to be alone (Genesis 2:18). He understands our need for friends and our desire for those friendships to continue in Heaven. He’s the one who made us that way. In Heaven we’ll have our old friends who know Jesus and many new friends as well. Randy Alcorn
  • Religious people obey God to get things. Gospel people obey God to get God. Tim Keller
  • Many Christians are only concerned about radical Islam when they should be even more concerned about complacent, nominal Christianity. Burk Parsons
  • Our sanctification is the clear evidence of our justification and the confident assurance of our glorification. Steven Lawson
  • And is not this a matter of comfort? Though the world hates me, Christ still loves me. Thomas Watson

Author: Bill Pence

I’m Bill Pence – married to my best friend Tammy, a graduate of Covenant Seminary, St. Louis Cardinals fan, formerly a manager at a Fortune 50 organization, and in leadership at my local church. I am a life-long learner and have a passion to help people develop, and to use their strengths to their fullest potential. I am an INTJ on Myers-Briggs, 3 on the Enneagram, my top five Strengthsfinder themes are: Belief, Responsibility, Learner, Harmony, and Achiever, and my two StandOut strength roles are Creator and Equalizer. My favorite book is the Bible, with Romans my favorite book of the Bible, and Colossians 3:23 and 2 Corinthians 5:21 being my favorite verses. Some of my other favorite books are The Holiness of God and Chosen by God by R.C. Sproul, and Don’t Waste Your Life by John Piper. I enjoy music in a variety of genres, including modern hymns, Christian hip-hop and classic rock. My book Called to Lead: Living and Leading for Jesus in the Workplace and Tammy’s book Study, Savor and Share Scripture: Becoming What We Behold are available in paperback and Kindle editions on Amazon. amazon.com/author/billpence amazon.com/author/tammypence

Leave a Reply