Courage to Stand: Jeremiah's Message for Post-Christian Times (Ryken)

Is the world turning its back on God? Western civilization is standing at a crossroads—a crossroads where God is beckoning his people to do as the prophet Jeremiah did: Stand up and speak the truth. Follow God, even if it hurts. Weep for people around us who are lost and without hope. Pray and influence our culture for Christ. This is the courage we need. This is the courage the world needs from us.

In Jeremiah’s day, a time much like our own, public life was becoming dominated by pagan ideas and practices. Jeremiah’s courage and passion—even through his sufferings—provide an excellent example of how to live for God even in today’s difficult times. This is the story of his life and ministry. From it you will Find down-to earth help and fresh examples on how to live, think, and feel in a godless culture, along with encouragement to proclaim the truth of God’s Word—regardless of cost.

Your stand may lead to opposition, hostility, and even persecution, as it did for Jeremiah. But God promises that in the end, victory will be yours, as you grow in courage and devotion.

Table of Contents:

Introduction: Jeremiah’s Times and Our Times

1. God Files for Divorce
2. A Good Man is Hard to Find
3. At the Crossroads
4. What the Church Needs now is Reformation!
5. Something to Boast About
6. The Scarecrow in the Melon Patch
7. In the Potter’s Hands
8. Dark Night of the Soul
9. The Best Laid Plans
10. The New Covenant
11. Buyer’s Market
12. Book Burning
13. Brands from the Burning   

Author 

Philip Graham Ryken is Senior Minister of Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, where he has preached since 1995. He is Bible Teacher for the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, speaking nationally on the radio program Every Last Word. Dr. Ryken was educated at Wheaton College (IL), Westminster Theological Seminary (PA) and the University of Oxford (UK), from which he received his doctorate in historical theology. He lives with his wife (Lisa) and children (Joshua, Kirsten, Jack, Kathryn, and Karoline) in Center City, Philadelphia. When he is not preaching or spending time with his family, he likes to read books, play sports, and ponder the relationship between Christian faith and American culture. He has written or edited more than twenty books, including Bible commentaries on Exodus, Jeremiah, Lamentations, and Galatians

Endorsements

"Dr. Ryken identifies our most urgent need in these times: prophetic courage. Jeremiah was weak, and so are we. But Christ is strong. He can make us prophetic by his Word alone. Courage to Stand speaks to our need today." — Ray Ortlund

"No one can read this book without being instructed, encouraged, and possibly even rebuked and redirected by it." — James M. Boice