Deus Misereatur

  So much of our social encounters feel off these days: marriages, sex roles, parental responsibilities, educational tasks, and more. Even Christianity in North America seems off kilter with allegations of patriarchal heavy-handedness, charges of abuse, and stories of deconversion. Into this odd time steps Joshua D. Chatraw, the Billy Graham Chair of Evangelism and Cultural Engagement at Beeson Divinity School, and Jack Carson, the executive director of the Center for Apologetics and Cultural Engagement and as an instructor at Liberty University. These two have teamed up to publish a new 192-page hardback, “ Surprised by Doubt: How Disillusionment Can Invite Us into a Deeper Faith ”. The book is about the credibility of the Christian faith. But it reaches deeper into the questions, misgivings, and suspicions of those who have felt burned by their Christian experiences. And it’s readable, friendly, serious without any of the highbrow paternalism of some apologetic approaches.   The

  (This is from my letter to my congregation I sent out today, 30 August 2023) As one of my elders was leading us through Carl Trueman’s Strange New World in our adult class , I appreciated Trueman’s emphasis on community. And our discussions, especially the last two Sundays, were very fruitful as we thought out loud together about this subject. Therefore, I thought I would share something from David Brooks, an Op-ed columnist that leans into this discussion.   Brooks published a book in 2019 titled, “The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life”. In that work he was taking a gentle punch at destructive trends he has been seeing, and giving some helpful correctives. And so, he notes that “Individualism, taken too far, leads to tribalism” (34). He then shows how the loneliness and spiritual emptiness of individualism taken too far have become more prevalent in our time and the ways that they lead to very dark social consequences. These darker social consequences foster the need t

  Lord God our Father, we long to see your power, justice and majesty flow into every nook and cranny of creation. Therefore, we pray for your Church and your World. For this congregation we pray. Hold us by your hand so that our feet may never slip. Turn our worries, fears, frettings and woes all into faith in you. Be pleased to continue to add to this your flock such as are being saved. And in all we do, retired guys coffee, women’s Bible study, and Sunday School classes, etc. help us to glorify and enjoy you better. Be with your Church all over the earth, including St. James Episcopal, St. Michael’s, St. Paul’s and St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church, as well as our brothers and sisters who seem to be drowning in persecution, famine, economic collapse and warfare. Strengthen what is pleasing to you, remove what is foul and festering, heal what is hurting, and provide all that is lacking. We ask your healthful care and sustaining mercy for all who feel the walls closing in on them, wh