"Crisis of Confidence" (Carl R. Trueman)

TITLE: Crisis of Confidence: Reclaiming the Historic Faith in a Culture Consumed with Individualism and Identity
AUTHOR: Carl R. Trueman
PUBLISHER: Wheaton, IL: Crossway Publishers, 2024, (216 pages).
 

Why should anyone take creeds seriously? Why do we need creeds when we have the Bible? Why should churches incorporate creedal statements especially when the words are not in the Bible? Are not the creeds some old-fashioned documents that are no longer relevant for our era? What will we lose if we ignore the creeds? What is the crisis of confidence all about? Essentially, this book is a vigorous pushback against the modern notion of "expressive individualism" that threatens to unseat the use of confessions, creeds, and many aspects of tradition. Author Carl Trueman spends some time unpacking what he means by this. He notes how "expressive individualism" has taken root in many aspects of life. Feelings have dethroned the importance of facts. Science assumes that the present and future are better than the past, which unwittingly creeps into the philosophical domain when understanding religious truth. Consumerism militates against historical truths. Other reasons against creeds include the state of antiauthoritarianism, rejection of authority, and the fear of exclusion just because one recites the creeds. He then makes a case for the use of creeds in churches today. He outlines the history of creedal statements, showing us the contexts behind each written creed. This is not something that only the Early Church had done. With the Reformation, even more creeds were published. Groups outside the mainline stream also possess confessions and creeds, even though they were not written in the traditional forms. One of the key things that enable us to worship in spirit and in truth is the use of creeds to remind us that worship is not about self-expression but about corporate confession to God and for God. The big truth is, that creeds do not necessarily take the place of Scripture but affirm biblical Truth in concrete ways. 

"Trust" (Dominique Shelton Leipzig)

TITLE: Trust.: Responsible AI, Innovation, Privacy and Data Leadership
AUTHOR: Dominique Shelton Leipzig
PUBLISHER: Charleston, SC: Forbes Books, 2024, (399 pages).
 

It is not easy to trust what we see today. From Artificial Intelligence to Deep Fake technologies, it is becoming easier to manipulate data for illegitimate ends. With innovation comes the tendency for cheating and criminal activities. Data security is critical to preserve the integrity of businesses and maintain positive public trust. All it takes is a data leak, hacking, systems malfunction, or an infiltration of ransomware, and the corporation's activities easily come to a standstill. According to Dominique Shelton Leipzig, the problem with modern corporate boardrooms is that data management is typically delegated to backroom staff, like data scientists or IT professionals. Some don't know the right questions to ask about their data in the first place. This calls for a more proactive approach when dealing with data and information in the company. Data stewardship cannot be left to consultants, or engineers in the data center, or outsourced to cheaper IT professionals outside. They need to be managed responsibly. Senior management needs to be held accountable. Data breaches and data security lapses cannot be blamed on data center staff. CEOs must take an active interest in the integrity and use of data in their organizations. With more businesses and information being collected and stored both inside and outside the organizations, there needs to be a heightened awareness and responsibility about its collection, management, protection, and usage. Companies of all sizes need a proper data strategy. The thesis in this book is that to re-establish trust in organizations, it is high time for senior management to take leadership of their corporate data as a critical asset. In Leipzig's words, one must "lead with trust." That means three things:

"Prayers for the Pilgrimage" (W. David O. Taylor)

TITLE: Prayers for the Pilgrimage: A Book of Collects for All of Life
AUTHOR: W. David O. Taylor
PUBLISHER: Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2024, (208 pages).
 

There are many different ways that Christians can pray. From Sunday worship time to daily thanksgiving over a meal, prayer is a sign of devotion to God. It is a reminder that for all of our talents and know-how, we still need God. Many Christians learn to pray using the ACTS acronym: Adoration-Confession-Thanksgiving-Supplication. Each of them helps us focus on a particular form of prayer. Whether it is for worship or prayers for forgiveness, gratitude, or request, we can connect with God in all circumstances of life. For the most part, people have understood prayer in terms of asking for things, especially when they are in dire need. Realizing this great need, author David Taylor has collected a series of prayers for all occasions and for all of life. He calls these "collect prayers." What is a "Prayer of Collect?" There are written prayers focused on a specific item. Traditionally, the mainline churches like the Roman Catholics, the Anglicans, and other Protestant churches have used the term "collect" as a way to describe collecting all forms of prayer requests, needs, and desires for God to take action. It recognizes that God loves His people and this world and the prayer is a way to connect us with God, trusting that He knows and will assure us that things will be well, even when we feel helpless and hopeless. 

"Hard and Holy Work" (Mary Alice Birdwhistell and Tyler D. Mayfield)

TITLE: Hard and Holy Work: A Lenten Journey through the Book of Exodus
AUTHOR: Mary Alice Birdwhistell and Tyler D. Mayfield
PUBLISHER: Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2024, (122 pages).
 

Traditionally, devotionals on Lent tend to focus on self-reflection and quiet meditation. While it is a good spiritual practice to be mindful of the meaning of Lent, sometimes it can be accused of being impractical in a world of trouble and despair. Is there more to simply fasting and praying? Can we adopt practices that will lead us toward betterment for the common good? How can Christians observe Lent without forgetting that although they are not of the world, they are in the world? This book was inspired by the life of the Trappist monk, Thomas Merton, who found himself smack in the middle of Fourth and Walnut in Louisville, Kentucky, to be awakened to the needs of the world, and what God is prompting one to do: Paying attention and awakened to work toward justice. Using the book of Exodus, the authors highlight themes of liberation, justice, faithfulness, storytelling, and attentiveness to the marginalized. Useful for individual and group studies, each week contains stories from the Exodus narrative and ends with invitations to reflect, engage, and respond. These three invitations are summarized as "Paying Attention," "Sharing Together," and "Taking Action."