Coram Deo ~

Looking at contemporary culture from a Christian worldview

Monthly Archives: October 2020


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MUSIC REVIEWS and NEWS


Evensong – Hymns and Lullabies at the Close of Day– Keith and Kristyn Getty
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Evensong is the first new studio album for Keith and Kristyn Getty since 2016’s Facing a Task Unfinished. It is not your usual album of new modern hymns from the Gettys, but rather more of a Kristyn Getty solo project born out of a family tradition. The Gettys close out their days with a time of reflection in thought, song, and prayer. These are lullabies and hymns that they have sung to and for their own children.
The project was recorded in Nashville during the COVID-19 shelter at home season. Ben Shive, who produced the album with Keith and Kristyn, was able to gather recordings from each musical collaborator and create a project fusing the Celtic, folk, bluegrass, classical, and Americana sound the Gettys have become known for. The musical backing is more restrained than a normal Getty album, but no less beautiful. The cover art was specially created by internationally renowned Irish artist Ross Wilson. The album features guest appearances from Vince Gill, Heather Headley, Ellie Holcomb, Sierra Hull, Deborah Kelmme and Sandra McCracken. 
Below are a few thoughts about each song:

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  • More of this review and a review of Heaven – Sing! The Life Of Christ Quintology
  • Music News
  • Song of the Week Lyrics

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BOOK REVIEWS and NEWS


Epic: An Around-the-World Journey through Christian History by Tim Challies. Zondervan. 175 pages. 2020
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In this book, Tim Challies shows us a unique way to look at Christian history. Rather than just visiting historical sites, over the course of a year, he chose to focus on objects, key artifacts that had been preserved. His hope in approaching the project in this manner was that by listening to the small stories told by these remnants of Christian history he would begin to understand the larger story and its epic unfolding. In other words, he wanted to “experience” the history of Christianity.
As he planned for the project, which was generously funded for him, he had a few restrictions. First, he wanted to focus on objects rather than locations, buildings, or memorials as we often do when we go to historical sites. Second, he wanted to focus on objects that are available to the general public. In the book, you will read that he found exactly the kind of objects he had wanted to see. He discovered links to the past, historical artifacts he could see and study and sometimes even touch and hold, each telling him (and the reader), a different chapter of a much greater story.

Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:
BOOK REVIEWS ~ More of this review and reviews of The Ten Commandments of Progressive Christianity by Michael Kruger and A Quiet Strength: The Life and Legacy of Jeannette M. Cathy by Trudy Cathy White
BOOK NEWS ~ Links to Interesting Articles
BOOK CLUB ~ The Gospel According to Jesus by John MacArthur
I’M CURRENTLY READING…. Continue reading →


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Dealing with Disappointment

All of us have dreams for how we hope our lives turn out. Some young boys dream of being a major league baseball player and hitting a home run to win game seven of the World Series or sinking the winning putt on the 18th hole to win the Masters. OK, I admit it, those were my dreams. Other children may dream about being the President of the United States. Eventually most of our childhood dreams give way to reality, but we then focus on other dreams as adults. But how are we to respond when those dreams don’t come true?

I got to thinking about this as I was listening to Alistair Begg’s excellent teaching series The Hand of God on the life of Joseph and the providence of God. Specifically, it was his message “Lessons from the Dungeon, Part Two” when Begg was teaching about dealing with disappointment. If you remember the story, Joseph had interpreted the dream of the cup bearer of the king of Egypt, telling him that he would be getting out of the prison in three days and would be restored to his office. In Genesis 40:14-15, Joseph says to the cup bearer “Only remember me, when it is well with you, and please do me the kindness to mention me to Pharaoh, and so get me out of this house. For I was indeed stolen out of the land of the Hebrews, and here also I have done nothing that they should put me into the pit.” But verse Genesis 40:23 tells us “Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him”. As Joseph sat in the dungeon for more than two years, his dreams of getting out of prison were being dashed each and every day that went by. Continue reading →


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THIS & THAT: A Weekly Roundup of Favorite Articles and Quotes

  • The Sin of Racism. Tim Keller writes “Biblically, sin is anything that falls short of God’s will and glory, that violates his law and his character (1 John 3:4; Romans 3:23). There are at least four ways in which what we will be calling racism is a violation of God’s glory and therefore is a sin.”
  • What You Should Know About the 2020 Republican Party Platform. Joe Carter writes “Why should Christians care about a document that few non-politicians will ever read? Because of the influence the two major party platforms have on public policy.”
  • Be Careful What You Put Your Hope in, Including Politics. Randy Alcorn writes “When people put their hope in political parties and beliefs, these can become gods. Christians sometimes view political leaders and their platforms with a degree of faith that should be reserved only for God and his Kingdom. And sometimes they display a degree of hatred and scorn that should be reserved for Satan and his demons.”
  • The State of Theology Survey: 2020 Results. Nathan Bingham writes “What do Americans think about Jesus Christ, the Bible, truth, and ethics? Ligonier Ministries’ State of Theology provides insights. Every two years, we take the theological temperature of the United States to help Christians better understand today’s culture and equip the church with better insights for discipleship.” Read Joe Carter’s article on this survey.
  • What Are We Arguing About? Kevin DeYoung writes that we need to be clearer as Christians about where our disagreements lie.
  • Why Is It Important to Understand Penal Substitutionary Atonement? Unless we understand the doctrine of penal substitutionary atonement, we will not understand why Christ died. From one of the Ask Ligonier events, John MacArthur explains why the cross stands at the very heart of the Christian faith.

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  • More interesting article links
  • Favorite Quotes of the Week

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