Common Grounds Online

CGO Moves to New Site: www.commongroundsonline.ORG

With the help of Will Hinton, owner of Sitebrew, Common Grounds Online is moving away from our Typepad host.

Starting today we are posting only at www.commongroundsonline.org

Click here to go to the NEW Common Grounds Online.

Timothy McConnell, Rest in Peace: Fr. Richard John Neuhaus

Fr. Richard John Neuhaus passed away this morning around 10 a.m.  Editor of the journal, First Things, Neuhaus has been a voice for the unborn, an advocate for the Christian intellectual tradition, and a brilliant ambassor of Christ an of His Church.

Among the things I learned from Neuhaus and his efforts at First Things are that the life of the mind is a meaningful Christian pursuit; that advocacy for God's concerns should never be abdicated in the face of hopelessness;  that our common culture matters; and that there is no such thing as a "naked public square," even secularism is a position of faith.   I welcome comments here of what you have learned from him.

Lord, receive now a sheep of Your own fold.

If You Want to Enjoy Christmas a Little More Than Usual Then Read This...

Although I have been a CGO contributor for years now I do not know if I am free to do the following.  I hope so.  If not, Glenn, just hit delete.  

I'm guessing by now that many of you - especially if you've read some of my recent posts - know the deep and growing fondness I have for our little church in Atlanta called Atlanta Westside.  Something quite remarkable has been happening the last few weeks during Advent.  As my good friend and pastor, Walter Henegar, has climbed the steps up to his little perch behind the lecturn to preach, Jesus has entered the room.  I've marveled at how this church planter has really started to find his voice.  Not that he hasn't been a good preacher all along.  It just seems that he's really settling in to being entirely himself up there.  He's not rushed.  He's not nervous.  He laughs more.  He's on the verge of tears more.  I envy this as I am still trying to find my voice.  But that's not why these sermons are so... oh, what's the right word?  That's the thing, I honestly don't know.  That's why I'm doing this.  I'm speechless.  What I do know is that each week I've left church loving Jesus so much more because he's really been there.  So, I had to share these latest sermons with you.  There are three of them - Hope, Joy and Peace (follow this order) - and you can listen to them at www.atlantawestside.org.  If you want to enjoy Christmas a little more than usual - or perhaps, a lot more than you ever have before - then follow that link!

New blog- PCA Conversations

Some PCA folks have created a new blog called PCA Conversations.

I love the irenic spirit articulated in their "About" link. These are thoughtful folks, hoping for charitable discourse about important topics in the PCA and broader church.

Excerpt from their "About" verbiage:

With that goal we offer these meager thoughts, challenges, celebrations, and reflections. We will seek to converse in the Spirit of Christ, loving the broader church and our denomination as they are, and loving them enough to spur them on toward their appointed end. We believe that the PCA has unique spiritual gifts that she might contribute to the larger family of God, and we want to encourage her to guard, stimulate, and share these gifts for the sake of others rather than for herself, for there are many spiritual gifts, but they are worthless with out love: “Now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” It is in a Christian spirit of faith, hope, and love that we offer these musings: faith in God as the author and perfecter of our faith and of his church; love for God, roommate, and neighbor; and hope for the continuing sanctification of our denomination and Christ’s church.

CGO Forum on Denominational Renewal 9/15 - 10/17

In February, 2008 five PCA pastors gave talks at a conference called "Denominational Renewal". Hundreds of PCA pastors and seminarians attended.

We will host a forum on these talks at CGO. We will spend one week on each talk, in sequence. The forum will run from Monday, September 15 through Friday, October 17.

To listen to the original talks, go to the Denominational Renewal site  and click on speakers. Under each of the speakers' biographies you will find a link to the audio of the message.

Comments require first and last names and the commenter's valid email address.

CGO Forum on Denominational Renewal Conference

Sept. 15-Oct.17

The structure is as follows:

Mondays- Simpatico response

Tuesdays- Critical response

Wednesdays- Women or minority voices in the PCA response

Thursdays- Outside of the PCA response

Fridays- Original speaker of the talk at Denominational Renewal responds to the respondents

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Week 1  Sept 15-19  Responding to "Renewing Ethos" by Greg Thompson

Simpatico: Tim Keller, pastor of Redeemer PCA in New York City

Critical: Ligon Duncan, pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, MS

Minority/Women: Rebecca Jones, wife and mother, daughter of Edmund Clowney

Outside the PCA: Dan Dorianai, Pastor of Central Presbyterian Church (EPC), St. Louis

Original Speaker: Greg Thompson, Pastor of Trinity PCA in Charlottesville, VA

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Week 2 Sept 22-26 Responding to "Renewing Theology" by Jeremy Jones

Simpatico: John Frame, Professor of Systematic Theology and Philosophy, RTS-Orlando

Critical: Sean Michael Lucas, Chief Academic Officer and Associate Professor of Church History, Covenant Theological Seminary

Minority/Women: Howard Brown, Pastor of Christ Central Church, Charlotte

Outside the PCA: Michael Walker, Theologian-in-Residence, Highland Park Presbyterian Church (PCUSA)

Original Speaker: Jeremy Jones, Associate Pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church, Memphis

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Week 3  Sept. 29-Oct. 2  Responding to "Renewing Worship" by Bill Boyd

Simpatico: Reggie Kidd, Professor of New Testament, RTS-Orlando

Critical: Philip Ryken, Pastor of Tenth Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia

Minority/Women: Carl Ellis, Project Joseph, Chattanooga, TN

Outside the PCA: John Muether, Librarian & Professor of Church History at RTS-Orlando (member of the OPC)

Original Speaker: Bill Boyd, Senior Pastor of All Saints PCA in Austin
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Week 4  Oct. 6-10 Responding to "Renewing Ecclesiology" by Matt Brown

Simpatico: Leo Schuster, Pastor of Christ the King PCA, Houston

Critical: Rick Lints, Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

Minority/Women: Diane Poythress, Ph.D. in Reformation History and Theology from Westminster Theological Seminary

Outside the PCA:  Russell Moore, Senior Vice President for Academic Administration; Dean of the School of Theology; Associate Professor of Christian Theology and Ethics at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Original Speaker: Matt Brown,  Pastor of Park Slope Church, Brooklyn.

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Week 5  Oct. 13-17  Responding to "Renewing Mission" by Jeff White

Simpatico: Ray Cannata, Pastor of Redeemer Church, New Orleans

Critical: Derek Thomas, Professor of Systematic Theology, RTS-Jackson; Assistant Minister of Teaching,  First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, MS

Minority/Women: Elias Medieros, Professor of Missions, RTS-Jackson

Outside the PCA: Mark Driscoll, Pastor of Mars Hill Church, founder of Acts 29

Original Speaker: Jeffrey White, Pastor of New Song Church, Harlem.

CGO on Summer Vacation July 3-July 13

We will return Monday, July 14.

Have a great Fourth of July holiday, remembering and celebrating the our country's birth and the freedoms our forefathers achieved for us, by God's grace.

SYNERGY CONFERENCE TALKS ONLINE FOR FREE

Three CGO contributors spoke at the last Synergy conference for women in mission. You can hear Carolyn Custis James talk about her new book The Gospel According to Ruth: Loving God Enough to Break the Rules, Leigh McLeroy’s encouraging message entitled The Plot Thickens: Following the Story’s Twists and Turns, and Reggie Kidd’s Our Sister Phoebe.

There are also a number of excellent seminar messages from writing to exploring orality. My do-not-miss is Angel Richard’s The Broken Leader. All here for free: http://www.synergytoday.org/audio.html

Ivy League Abstinence, in the New York Times

Randall Patterson, for the New York Times, writes about Ivy League abstinence in, "Students of Virginity."

Patterson mentions secular abstinence, but some of his reporting (about Princeton's Anscombe Society) is about Catholic thought rendered in non-religious terms.

Caedmons Call song "Overdressed" on Grey's Anatomy Jan 10, 2008

Some of you may know that I love the guys and girl in Caedmon's Call, and I love their music, too. Thus, I was thrilled to receive their email today about their song, Overdressed, being used by the TV show Grey's Anatomy on this Thursday, January 10, 2008.

Here's what the Caedmon's email said:
Caedmon's Call's lyrically compelling song about redemption, "Ten Thousand Angels" will receive a rare and lengthy place on an upcoming episode of the ABC hit drama series "Grey's Anatomy" on January 10th.  Featuring vocals by Derek Webb, the song will play for five consecutive minutes during an emotionally charged final scene.

"Ten Thousand Angels" is a bonus track only available on the limited edition of the group's current release, Overdressed, which was in the top 5 of iTunes Editorial list of 2007 for overall "Best Christian Albums".

Click here to spread the word about the Grey's Episode!

Internet Monk Lists CGO Among His Top Blogs of 2007

The Contributors who write for CGO have earned high praise.  The internet monk, usually known as iMonk, has included CGO in his list of top blogs of 2007. 

For anyone who doesn't know who the iMonk is, check out his site and also the stimulating and always fun Boars Head Tavern group blog that he runs.  You'll see why this is such a wonderful commendation for CGO when you read the caliber of iMonk's thinking and writing.

Thank you, Michael, and thank you, CGO Contributors, who write thoughtful, polished pieces day after day.