Tabletalk Magazine, November 1999: Building Community

by Ligonier Ministries

Publisher:

Ligonier Ministries

, 1999

Overview

For more than thirty years, Tabletalk has existed as a magazine for laymen. Generally speaking, laymen receive either very little instruction in the weightier matters of the faith, or the instruction is too academic, thereby making the material largely inaccessible to average laymen. This is the reason Tabletalk exists — to bridge the gap between these two poles, to explain to the people of God important, biblical doctrines and events while admonishing them toward holy living.

Contributors include R.C. Sproul along with Jim Holland, Robert Barnes, Archie Parrish, Jeff Meyers, R.C. Sproul Jr., Mike Renihan, Robert Godfrey, and Tony Carter. Tabletalk features articles about topics central to the Christian faith and daily, in-depth Bible studies.

Contents

• "Swearing Allegiance" by Jim Holland
• "It Takes a Gospel" by Robert Barnes
• "'Deliver Us . . .'" by Archie Parrish
• "'Do This . . .'" by Jeff Meyers
• "A Community of Free Love" by R.C. Sproul Jr.
• "The Lure of Self-Righteousness" by Mike Renihan
• "Our Ally in the War Zone" by Robert Godfrey
• "All Dressed Up . . ." by Tony Carter
• "Coram Deo"
• "On the Shoulders of Giants"
• "The Cultural Mind"
• "Tolle Lege"

Top Highlights

“G.K. Chesterton gets at the reason why: ‘In a small community [the local church in this case], our companions are chosen for us.’ He also points out the difficulty of a common life: ‘We make our friends; we make our enemies; but God makes our next-door neighbors.’ In this case, our neighbors are those who make up our local community of faith.” (Page 10)

“As Eugene Peterson says: ‘One of the immediate changes that the Gospel makes is grammatical; we instead of I; our instead of my; us instead of me.’” (Page 10)

“At least two criteria should be considered—living near the church and living near one another.” (Page 61)

“The result is that we never grow in charity, forgiveness, perseverance, hope, joy, kindness, patience, or self-control” (Pages 9–10)

“the message of the Gospel is never just about ‘me and Jesus.’” (Page 9)

Praise for the Print Edition

Tabletalk has been a key ingredient in the diet of Christians conscious of their spiritual vitality.

—Michael S. Horton

Month by month, Tabletalk represents an oasis in a desert of false spirituality, mindless Christianity, and vapid conviction. Tabletalk represents theological rigor, biblical Christianity, and authentic Christian devotion. It is an antidote to the world of superficial Christianity. Read it and grow.

—R. Albert Mohler, Jr.

Tabletalk has been a wonderful resource in my own daily walk with the Lord.

—Ravi Zacharias

Product Details

• Title: Tabletalk Magazine, November 1999: Building Community
• Executive Editor: R. C. Sproul
• Editor: Burk Parsons
• Series: Tabletalk
• Publisher: Ligonier Ministries
• Publication Date: November 1999
• Pages: 62

About Ligonier Ministries

R. C. Sproul is founder and president of Ligonier Ministries and president of Ligonier Academy. He also servers as the senior pastor of Saint Andrew’s in Sanford, Fla., and he has written more than seventy books including The Holiness of God, The Intimage Marriage, Essential Truths of the Christian Faith, Following the Cross, and the R. C. Sproul Exposition Collection.

Burk Parsons serves as editor of Tabletalk and associate pastor of Saint Andrew’s in Sanford, Fla., and he is editor of the books Assured by God: Living in the Fullness of God’s Grace and John Calvin: A Heart for Devotion, Doctrine, and Doxology.