Saturday, January 13, 2018

Saturday Good Reads


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



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.


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


Writing


Tell Me a Story – Paul Phillips at He’s Taken Leave. 

Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence” by Jamie Dupuis (18-string harp guitar)
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Painting: Man reading a book, oil on canvas by Franz von Defregger (1835-1921).

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