I do not know Stephen Prothero, professor of religion at Boston University. But he is to be applauded for arguing that the pluralist emperor has no clothes.
In a recent article in the Boston Globe (apparently a teaser for a new book he’s written), Prothero avers: “Among multiculturalists, the tendency is to pretend that the differences between religions are more apparent than real… But pretending that the world’s religions are the same does not make our world safer. Like all forms of ignorance, it makes our world more dangerous, and more deadly… Both tolerance and respect are empty virtues until we actually know whatever it is we are supposed to be tolerating or respecting.”
The goal of the ‘Redemption Stories’ video series is to show how the gospel is at work in the lives of actual people so that we can celebrate together, church-wide, the ways God is moving around us.
In this video, Micah talks about his slide into depression and how the gospel, spoken and lived out by a community of friends, was essential in pulling him out.
Thanks again to Coram Deo’s own Jon Kayser for his incredible camera and production work that makes these videos possible.
As I write this, some of the men in our church are in the midst of a 3-hour written exam testing their Bible comprehension and practical theology. This is part of the last phase of our elder development process. That process begins with being a tested, faithful Christian man who makes disciples of others and is committed to the mission and vision of Coram Deo. It continues through a candidacy phase where potential elders progress through a 6-month course of study and discussion. And it culminates with the examination phase, which includes:
Written essays outlining spiritual history, practice of spiritual disciplines, theological influences, leadership strengths and weaknesses, and understanding/articulation of the gospel
A 3-hour written exam testing Bible comprehension and pastoral wisdom. For example: “What is the significance of Colossians 1 and 2 to our understanding of Christology?” And: “How would you comfort and encourage a couple at Coram Deo who just miscarried 9 weeks into pregnancy? What biblical passages would you take them to?” And: “A non-Christian in your MC asserts that he is a pretty moral person and, to his knowledge, has never broken one of the Ten Commandments. What Scripture passages would you take him to in order to show him that sin does not consist merely in outward acts?”
A full review of stewardship, budget, debt and family finances by the CD Financial Team
An oral assessment that tests “on-the-spot” Bible knowledge, theological acuity, and pastoral discernment
A husband/wife interview assessing family health, marriage and parenting practices, conflict resolution, etc.
A major theological position paper interacting with some current topic in church life (Coram Deo’s current position papers on Poverty and on Divorce and Remarriage are the fruit of past elder examinations)
It’s our desire to raise up men who 1) meet the biblical qualifications for eldership in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 and 2) have the full faith and trust of the entire Coram Deo community. This examination phase is a key step toward that end. Please pray for the men who are in the midst of it right now. And pray that God will raise up many more!
My friend and fellow Acts 29 pastor Keith Watson has written a scintillating series of blog posts assessing the effectiveness of church youth groups. Some of you who grew up in church youth groups will find yourself nodding at what he uncovers. Some of you who wonder why Coram Deo doesn’t have a ‘youth ministry’ may find yourself asking some new questions.
We have taken a few months off, but we are back on. The next installment of our monthly Film & Theology sessions is this Sunday starting at 6:30pm. We will once again be hosted by our kind friends at The Foundry, and as always there will be some popcorn, drinks, and comfortable seating. The film we have chosen for this month is Royal Tenenbaums; if you are in doubt or unfamiliar, make sure you go here to view some details (including rating) about it. See you there!
If you live near Omaha and are a current church leader, an aspiring church planter, or a mature Christian seeking further theological training… the opportunity you’ve been waiting for has arrived.
Following up on our previous announcement about Porterbrook, we’re pleased to officially roll out the plan for Fall 2010/Spring 2011 along with application materials. Interested parties should begin the application process now; applications are due by August 1 and space is limited.
Here are the major details:
Porterbrook is a church-based theological training curriculum that’s rich in content but more relaxed in style than a traditional seminary degree; think University of Phoenix, Bellevue University, community-college-continuing-education. For an overview, check out the previous post.
It utilizes a cohort-based approach to learning: cohorts of 3-5 students meet together for study and accountability as they progress through the material; all cohorts come together once per quarter for a day-long seminar.
Porterbrook kicks off this fall with a day-long seminar on September 9, 2010; additional seminars take place on Nov 18, Feb 24, 2011, and May 19, 2011.
All the details you need to know are included in the attached document (see below), which includes a curriculum sample so you can see the kind of stuff you’ll be learning and applying.
Our goal for 2010 is to facilitate 4-5 cohorts of 5 students each.
So: if you’re interested, read the attached PDF. If you’d like to apply, please get the ball rolling. We are excited about the potential to train and release future leaders through this gospel-centered, church-based, Reformed/missional curriculum. We’re also working and praying to try to land a Re:Train site in Omaha in the next 2-3 years to provide seminary-level training alongside the more simple/organic style of Porterbrook. Please be praying for God’s grace on these efforts.
There are so many great memories and images forever etched in my head from the past 6 months of making the record. I thought I would share some of my favorites that were caught on camera…
Last week I sat down with Luke Pettipoole, who is the producer on our soon-to-be released record Doxology. We walked through the making of the record together and all of the ideas and hard work that went into it. Luke talks about the sound of the album, the recording process itself, his favorite parts of the project, some of his favorite tracks so far, and a few of the funny stories he remembers. You can listen to the entire interview below or you can download it from our weekly podcast.
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We announced this past Sunday that our recording project is finally complete and copies are currently being pressed and printed. The album is entitled Doxology and is a collection of hymns. Lots of people have put a great amount of work and energy into this album, and I am anxious for everyone to hear it and celebrate with us. April 23rd we are going to have a cd release party starting at 7:00pm at Suckau chapel that is free and open to anyone and everyone. We are going to gather, listen to the Coram Deo band do all of our favorite tracks off the new record, and celebrate what God is doing in the life of our church. That will also be the first time that you will be able to get your hands on the album, so you are going to want to make sure you are there. The cds will be $10, and there will be plenty of copies for you to purchase as many as you would like for friends and family. You will also be able to get them at our Sunday gatherings starting after April 23rd, and it will be available for download at a few select online music services later in May.
I know you are all eager to listen to the album and see all of the different tracks, but you will have to wait a few more weeks. I will however let you hear one of the outtakes that didn’t quite make the official release, but is goodness nonetheless. We were just having a little fun…
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Look for more fun, promotional pieces for the album in the next two weeks leading up to the release, including an audio interview with the producer of the album.
A member of Coram Deo was toying around with a web tool called wordle (www.wordle.net) that aggregates the most commonly used words on any website. So he asked wordle to compile a word-cloud of the most commonly used terms on the Coram Deo blog so far in 2010. Here’s how it turned out:
