Women of Faith in Culture
1005 Yellowstone Lane
Harvard, IL 60033
sarahflashing@gmail.com
630-484-1855
866.538.8693 (fax)
www.womenfaithculture.org |
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Truth: Liberating Christianity
from Its Cultural Captivity (Study Guide
Edition)
by Nancy R. Pearcey by Crossway
Books
Hardcover
List Price: $25.00
Our Price:
$12.79
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Making God-talk the Norm
by Sarah Flashing
This morning I had coffee with 2 new friends
in a coffee shop in Rockford, Illinois. When
I entered the shop, I had a couple of books
with me to read, one of them
Reviving Evangelical Ethics, and the
other was the latest Journal of the
Evangelical Theological Society. I
ordered my coffee and then sat my books down
on a table nearby, noticing in my peripheral
vision a Christian doing a Bible study at a
table near mine. He also saw what I was
reading and took note, but neither of us
said anything to each other.
Soon after, the first of my friends arrived
and we had a great discussion about women's
ministry and Christian education over a
muffin and a couple of creamy lattes. The
man I had noticed doing a Bible study was
replaced by another person with another
Bible doing the same thing. It was a little
bit disorienting to see so much of God at a
coffee shop in Rockford. It was no less than
thrilling to have this new person interject
in our conversation about women's ministry
and possible speakers for upcoming seminars.
Had I died and gone to Heaven? Is Rockford,
perhaps, the new earth that we are all
awaiting?
As I said goodbye to the friend with whom I
conversed about women's ministry, I decided
to stay and chat with my new friend, RT, who
previously had suggested we check out John
Piper as a women's ministry speaker. We
briefly touched on several areas of interest
to those in ministry including the emergent
church, gimmicks of the seeker driven
churches, how to reach youth, the power of
the Gospel and how women can and do serve
God. It was so exciting to hear so much
passion and zeal for Christ and the work of
ministry. Before I left, he even prayed for
the blessing of our encounter and how God
might continue to be glorified in our
ministries.
Nothing about this morning was what I
consider to be normal, but it is exactly
what we should expect. When we advocate for
living out our faith and encourage the
development of a Christian worldview, isn't
this exactly what we should be looking
forward to? We're so predisposed to a world
where God-talk is not the norm, where
expressions of faith are mere whispers, and
Bibles are hidden in our laps. We look
around to see if anyone is offended by what
we can't help to display or speak aloud. We
wonder if our faith made public is a
stumbling block to the world. What is wrong
with this picture?
I learned a lot today about the proclamation
of the Gospel, about being bold about my
faith and about who I follow. The thing is,
I know better. I'm all about a theology and
apologetic that is, well, unapologetic. I am
experiencing pure joy about being further
liberated from my cultural captivity.
God-talk should be a normal activity of
living out our faith, no shame should
accompany us, no fear should drive us.
Jesus said, "If the world hates you, know
that it has hated me before it hated you."
(John 15:18) We shouldn't be surprised by a
rejection of our expressions of faith and we
should not suppress them for fear of
rejection or hate. In this coffee shop, the
Gospel was clearly presented for anyone who
could hear and truly is the power of God
unto salvation. We have no way of knowing
for sure if anyone who heard had an
encounter with God, but one thing we know
for sure is that what is silenced cannot be
heard.
WFC
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The
Foundation for Women of Faith in Culture
exists to promote the life of the mind to
women in the Christian community. If you are
interested in learning more about us or are
looking for a speaker for your next event,
please let us know.
Blessings,
Sarah Flashing
Executive Director, The Foundation for
Women of Faith in Culture
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