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chrisaltrock

Chris Altrock is an author, spiritual director and preacher, serving as the Senior Minister at the Stamford Church of Christ. He and his wife Kendra are parents to Jordan and Jacob.

Review of “The God Who is There”

One recent Sunday morning I met a man visiting our church.  His wife Jane had stayed home while he and his boys attended worship.  When I asked him about Jane, he said, “She wasn’t raised in any faith.  That’s why she’s not here.” 

Two hours later I rejoiced with Orion’s mother as Orion was baptized into Christ.  A seventh grader from a strong Christian household, Orion nonetheless had much to learn about God.  His new life was just beginning.

Before leaving the church building I received a note from Albert.  A seventy-something widower, Albert has attended every class offered by our congregation.  But in his note, Albert remarked that there’s still so much he’s trying to grasp about the Bible.

D. A. Carson’s latest book was written for Jane, Orion and Albert.  Carson is a research professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and the author of over 45 books.  This book, entitled The God Who is There: Finding Your Place in God’s Story is Carson’s attempt to summarize the narrative of Scripture for non-believers, new believers, and seasoned believers.

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Right Turn: Turning Lives Around Through Character

Anne Rice is a best-selling author of gothic and religious-themed novels. Her books have sold nearly 100 million copies, making her one of the most widely read authors in modern history.  As a child, Rice had connections with the Catholic Church.  As she grew older, however, she left that church.  She also left the Christian faith in general.  Rice became so removed from all religious faith that she eventually described herself as an atheist.  In 1998, however, Rice returned to the Christian faith and to the Catholic Church.  She announced she would now use her life and her writing to glorify God.  It was a surprising conversion, one that shocked many of Rice’s readers.  But twelve years later, on July 29, 2010, Rice publicly renounced her affiliation with the Catholic church.  Yet she steadfastly proclaimed her commitment to Christ.  Here is her announcement from her Facebook page: “For those who care, and I understand if you don’t: Today I quit being a Christian. I’m out. I remain committed to Christ as always but not to being “Christian” or to being part of Christianity. It’s simply impossible for me to “belong” to this quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group. For ten years, I’ve tried. I’ve failed. I’m an outsider. My conscience will allow nothing else.”  Rice followed that post with this one a few hours later:  “My faith in Christ is central to my life. My conversion from a pessimistic atheist lost in a world I didn’t understand, to an optimistic believer in a universe created and sustained by a loving God is crucial to me. But following Christ does not mean following His followers. Christ is infinitely more important than Christianity and always will be, no matter what Christianity is, has been, or might become.”

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