Patristic Piety: A Review of Awakening Faith
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Grayshot “I Break My Heart”
So gratified to hear such great music from Grayshot. Its a long ways from the shores of Lake Shamineau. Check out their music @ThisIsGrayshot
Our Idol is the Worship “Experience”
Alex McDonald is a pianist. But not just any pianist: he made his orchestral debut at 11, earned a Doctorate in Musical Art at Juilliard, recently competed in the 14th Van Cliburn International Competition in Fort Worth, Texas, and is younger than I am! World magazine interviewed Alex McDonald, where he made a staggering point about worship. I hope to come back and revisit this idea in greater detail, but for now, consider his suggestion all of our arguments about music styles in the “worship wars” are just a smokescreen for the idolatry in our hearts.
What role do you think church music should play in one’s experience of worship?
In modern churches, we have a graven image of what the experience of God ought to be like, and we want our music to simulate that experience in us. It could be an organ or a praise team—either can create a God experience that may not have any of God in it at all. But people will feel like they’ve worshipped. Continue reading
Stand To Reason Seminar with Greg Koukl
On Saturday, November 16th a seminar by Stand To Reason will be hosted at Clear Lake Evangelical Free Church to spotlight Greg Koukl. This seminar is designed to equip followers of Jesus Christ to explain and defend Christian beliefs and values with people who don’t understand or who don’t accept the source of authority. Stand to Reason trains Christians to think more clearly about their faith and to make an even-handed, incisive, yet gracious defense for classical Christianity and classical Christian values in the public square. There is a $10 cost (which includes lunch), and you can register online or by calling 641) 357 – 7581. Continue reading
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Hope For the Future
Good news for anyone who felt The Age of Adz was a little opaque:
Sufjan: …my imperative or my objective is songwriting. And I think it’s safe to say that The Age of Adz is a bit of a tangent away from songwriting.
(source)
Conference: Reformed in America
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Truly a needed conversation by two experts – Drs. Alan Strange and D.G. Hart – in Des Moines, IA.
The Reformed In America conference will be held in Des Moines, IA, on November 1 – 2, 2013. Hosted by Grace OPC and Providence URC, the conference organizers ask that you RSVP to ReformedInAmericaDM2013 AT gmail DOT com. From the PDF flier:
Is there an American form of Christianity? Many believers who live in the United States would be content simply to identify themselves as Christians, others as American Christians, and still others would be inclined to say they are Christians in America. But are believers in any of these groups able to identify distinctive traits of American Christianity? Do you know enough of the history of Christianity in this country to recognize how your own expression of Christian faith and practice has been shaped by America in the modern age, for good or ill?
None of us are simply “biblical Christians” but have a history that has shaped us in one way or another. Reformed Christians have a rich heritage going back to the Protestant Reformation in sixteenth-century Europe, but they also have a peculiar history in the United States. Join us for this free two day conference which will explore some of the major outlines of the history of Reformed & Presbyterian Christianity in the United States.
You can find more at their Facebook and Twitter (@ReformedInUSA13) locations.
Schedule
Friday, November 1
Session 1 at 7:00pm
Alan Strange: “The Tumultuous Beginnings of American Presbyterianism”
Continue reading
New Switchfoot: Love Alone Is Worth The Fight
Uncomfortable Dark Grace
Paul Tripp participated in Mars Hill’s #bestsermonever series, and here’s a great reminder from Mark 6 of how God’s grace is uncomfortable.
This reminded me of a previous article arguing for “dark grace”:
God’s grace has a dark glint. God’s grace comes to Jonah in ways our prophet doesn’t always appreciate, and yet God’s grace changes him. Continue reading
Post – Industrialization Euphemisms
Aside
Honest question: Isn’t “alienation of maker from product” simply code for “factory”? And aren’t we talking about distributors when we speak of “overcoming the distance between creators and consumers”?
Brian J. Lund 