Hugh Whelchel at the Institute for Faith, Work, &
Economics reviews The Death of Western
Christianity: Drinking from the Poisoned Wells of the Cultural Revolution
by Dr. Patrick Sookhdeo. The author has a unique perspective – a British Muslim
who converted to Christianity. His argument is that the church began to drink
from the well of culture on a broad array of topics – divorce, moral
relativism, postmodernism, materialism, individualism, cultural Marxism, and
health and wealth gospels – and lost its identity. And the way back is “creeds,
community, and commandments.”
It seems almost quaint now, but 20 years ago, the idea of
the “emergent church” was all the rage. Brian McLaren was one of the key
figures in the emergent church movement, and it’s had a considerable influence.
But, as Stephen McAlpine says in “Church 2.0,” McLaren didn’t see 2018 coming
at all, with its militant secular culture.
Voices are beginning to question the conventional (media
and punditry) wisdom about Donald Trump. Self-proclaimed NeverTrumper David
Brooks at The New York Times questions
the new Michael Wolff book. Darren Guerra at First Things is started to wonder how manufactured is the so-called
“evangelical crisis” about Trump. And Patrick Deneen, in an interview with Rod
Dreher, sees a much larger problem than what Trump does or doesn’t represent,
and that’s that American society is coming apart.
There are some wonderful photographs and artworks, good
poems, the 100 best web sites for writers, the “Sound of Silence” on a harp
guitar, and more.
Poetry
Birth /
Rebirth – Roxane Beth Johnson at Image Journal.
In a
Safe Place – Jason Ramsey.
The
Poetics of Christmas – Loren Paulsson at World Narratives.
Art and Photography
The
Gentle Author at Bishopsgate Institute – Spitalfields Life.
Street-Level
Photographs Capture the Citizens and Signage of Postwar NYC – Allison Meier
at Hyperallergic.
Painting
of the Month: Mass – Gabriella Cleuren.
Winter – Tim
Good via Facebook.
Faith
Is the
Church Having an Identity Crisis? – Hugh Whelchel at the Institute for
Work, Faith, & Economics.
Church 2.0 –
Stephen McAlpline.
How
to Help Your Children Read the Bible – David Murray at Desiring God.
Life and Culture
Donald
Trump and the Evangelical “Crisis” – Darren Guerra at First Things Magazine.
The
Decline of Anti-Trumpism – David Brooks at The New York Times.
Liberalism
Strikes Out – An interview with Patrick Deneen, author of Why Liberalism Failed – Rod Dreher at The American Conservative.
British Stuff
The
Signs of Old London – Spitalfields Life.
The Crown and Victoria: Tales of Two Queens – A.G. Harmon at Image Journal.
American Stuff
Dying
for the Bible: The Huguenot Massacre in America – Craig von Buseck.
Writing
100 Best
Web Sites for Writers 2018 – The Writer Life.
Simon and
Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence” by Jamie Dupuis (18-string harp guitar)
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