Coram Deo ~

Looking at contemporary culture from a Christian worldview

THIS & THAT: A Roundup of Favorite Articles and Quotes

Leave a comment



Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:

  • More interesting article links
  • Favorite Quotes of the Week

  • Does Romans 7 Describe a Christian? On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to whether Romans 7 is about the struggle of the Christian Paul or pre-Christian Saul?
  • What Are Church Traditions? On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to the question What specifically does Paul mean by ‘traditions’ in 2 Thessalonians 2:15? Does Paul have in mind the apostolic traditions, or broader historic church traditions, or some other type of tradition?”
  • Is it Normal to Feel Nervous about Heaven and Entering the Presence of God? Is it normal to feel nervous about heaven, where God’s people will enter into His holy presence? From one of the Ask Ligonier events, Robert Godfrey reminds us of the confident access we have to God through Jesus Christ.
  • Shame: It’s Uses and Abuses. On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to the question “I’ve noticed that a lot of Christians today equate shame with condemnation, thereby believing it’s wrong for Christians to feel shame. But Paul calls for shame in 2 Thessalonians 3:14, or so it seems to me. So, what healthy role does shame play in the life of the church today? And who here is the object of the shame according to Paul in this particular text?”
  • Is The Church in Decline? In this short video, Tim Keesee addresses this question.
  • Does God Delight in Justification or Holiness? On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to the question “One of the most joy-inspiring truths of the gospel is the imputed righteousness of Christ on our account. I’m thinking here of 2 Corinthians 5:21. Is it safe to say then that God is fully pleased with me based on Christ’s work alone? If so, how do you reconcile this with scriptures such as Colossians 1:10, where Paul encourages us to ‘walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing in his sight’? Does God’s pleasure in me depend upon Christ’s work or my own works? Or is it somehow both? Can you please explain this dynamic?”
  • Why Should Christians Study the Historic Creeds, Confessions and Catechisms? Watch Steven Lawson, Derek Thomas and Robert Godfrey commend these clear summaries of biblical truth at a Ligonier live event.

  • Ask Ligonier Live with Sinclair Ferguson. On April 7, Sinclair Ferguson joined Nathan Bingham on Ask Ligonier to answer theological questions. The conversation begins at the 14:47 mark of the video.
  • What Exactly Does 1 Timothy 2:12 Teach? Robert Yarbrough writes “This doesn’t rule out women’s leadership in congregational administration—often whole pastoral staffs are directed, logistically, by the organizational genius of a female administrator. But a church administratoris not the church’s pastoral minister—the roles may intertwine, but they shouldn’t be merged or reversed.”
  • Quick Guide to Christian Denominations. Trevin Wax offers a helpful guide to Christian groups that differ by name, polity, and doctrines.
  • What About Marriage and Family in Heaven? Randy Alcorn writes “The joy of marriage in Heaven will be far greater because of the character and love of our bridegroom. And I expect other family relationships not to be lost, but to be deepened and enriched.”
  • The Decline and Renewal of the American Church: Part 3 – The Path to Renewal. Tim Keller writes “What is wrong with the American Church and how can its life and ministry be renewed? To answer this, I wrote two articles looking at the decline of the church, limiting myself to Protestantism, though recognizing that the Catholic church is facing its own waning. In this article and the next, however, I would like to map out a possible way forward to renewal and new growth.”
  • Where’d All These Calvinists Come From? I appreciated this analysis from Mark Dever.
  • Michael Reeves Answers Questions about Evangelicalism. On this episode of the Crossway podcast, Michael Reeves answers questions that were submitted on the topic of evangelicalism.
  • Questioning Christianity with Tim Keller. Gospel in Life has started a new seven-part podcast series — Questioning Christianity with Tim Keller — for people who are interested in exploring Christianity. This series will help listeners work through tough questions like: Can there be moral absolutes? Does life have meaning beyond what I make of it? Can hope exist in the face of death? Each of the talks and Q&A sessions were given by Tim Keller in 2019 before a live gathering in New York City, made up primarily of attendees who did not identify as Christian.


  • What if consistent, rich fellowship with Jesus would segue into our being more humble, kind, and less critical of others; and more generous with encouragement, our time and possessions? It most certainly will. Scotty Smith
  • Christians know that an ounce of contentment is more valuable than a ton of gold. Charles Spurgeon
  • Jesus says the infallible test of spiritual integrity is your private prayer life. Tim Keller
  • If reading the Bible causes me to scrutinize others more than I scrutinize myself, then I am not reading the Bible correctly. Scott Sauls
  • Here is a word for you, believer; rest in it. Be sure that God will be your counselor and friend; He will guide you; He will direct all your ways. Charles Spurgeon
  • Suffering awakens us out of our haunted sleep of spiritual self-sufficiency into a serious search for the divine. Tim Keller
  • Let us be more bothered by our sin than our suffering. Burk Parsons
  • Our greatest motive for surrendering to him cannot be what he will do in us. It must be to love him for what he did for us. Tim Keller
  • If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed. If you look within, you’ll be depressed. But if you look at Christ, you’ll be at rest. Corrie ten Boom

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