Coram Deo ~

Looking at contemporary culture from a Christian worldview

Monthly Archives: May 2024


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BOOK REVIEWS and NEWS

BOOK REVIEW:
How to Reach the West Again: Six Essential Elements of a Missionary Encounter by Timothy Keller. Redeemer City to City. 51 pages. 2020
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In this short book, Tim Keller writes that the overall decline of Christian influence in the West is inarguable. Each generation is becoming less religious and less Christian. He tells us that this decline should prompt us to examine ourselves, pray, and work toward a new missionary engagement with Western culture. He states that we have to model and proclaim the Christian faith in our generation in a way that is both intelligible and compelling to our neighbors. Our challenge is how to evangelize people who “lack any sense of sin or transcendence, or who lack the traditional basic religious infrastructure such as belief in a Supreme Being or the afterlife?”

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BOOK REVIEWS ~ More of this review…
BOOK NEWS ~ Links to Interesting Articles
BOOK CLUB ~ Truths We Confess by R.C. Sproul
I’M CURRENTLY READING…. Continue reading →


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In Appreciation of the Ministry of Michael Card

Recently, Michael Card announced his retirement, at least from his long-running radio program/podcast In the Studio with Michael Card, which was hosted by Wayne Shepherd. You can listen to the last episode here. The program began in 2002 and was proceeded by his Joy in the Journey program. It was really unlike any other program, featuring conversation, music and Bible teaching. Past episodes will continue to be available on iTunes and Spotify.
Michael is unique in that he was first known as a musical artist, and later became known as an author and Bible teacher. It is hard to measure the impact of Michael’s ministry in my life through his music, writing and teaching since I was first being introduced to his music via his 1984 Known by the Scars album when I was still a relatively new believer. As I recall, there was some controversy around that album, with the record company wanting an album of more “radio friendly” songs. Known by the Scars would later become part of The Life, a three-album trilogy on the life of Christ. I have always appreciated how he took scripture and creatively turned it into songs.
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THIS & THAT: A Gathering of Favorite Articles and Quotes

  • How to Find a Good Church. Ligonier President Chris Larson and Ligonier Teaching Fellows Robert Godfrey and Burk Parsons recently discussed how Christians can exercise discernment when looking for a faithful church. The program begins at the 14:18 point.

  • One of the Most Overlooked Arguments for the Resurrection. Michael Kruger writes “Even though Jesus was killed by the Romans, like all the other would-be Messiahs, his movement didn’t Indeed, it grew. It exploded. And these same followers of Jesus began to boldly proclaim that he was Lord and Messiah.”
  • The Awakening We Need: Why the Reformed Pray for Revival. Ray Ortlund writes “Revival is ordinary Christians experiencing extraordinary power from on high, so that the gospel gets traction in us and through us with astonishing impact. It cannot be scheduled — not by us, anyway. It is of God.”

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  • More interesting article links
  • Favorite Quotes of the Week

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FAITH AND WORK: Connecting Sunday to Monday

Faith and Work News ~ Links to Interesting Articles

  • Carrying Your Work Into Worship. In this session from the 2023 Faith + Work Los Angeles Conference, Matthew Kaemingk, co-author of the excellent book Work and Worship: Reconnecting Our Labor and Liturgy, explores a wide variety of work experiences that we can offer to God in worship.
  • How to Transform Destructive Coworker Behaviors. Shutting down negative behaviors is important. Depending on the severity, certain negative actions make teamwork all but impossible. David L. Winters looks at three destructive behaviors and biblical solutions.
  • Powerful Bible Verses for Monday. Jonah McKeown writes “Following is a collection of Bible verses specifically chosen to uplift and empower you on your Monday. Let these powerful words guide you as you navigate your workday, reminding you of God’s unwavering love.”

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• More links to interesting articles
• The Top 10 Faith and Work Quotes of the Week
• Faith and Work Book Review ~ The Emotionally Healthy Leader: How Transforming Your Inner Life Will Deeply Transform Your Church, Team, and the World by Peter Scazzero
• Quotes from the book Agents of Flourishing: Pursuing Shalom in Every Corner of Society by Amy Sherman.
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