If you’ve been around the ministry of Reading For The Glory long enough, you’ve probably noticed that things look a little different around here. The, hopefully obvious, change is that we are no longer called Reading For The Glory, but have changed the ministry’s name to Coram Deo. This “rebrand” (and I hate to use that term, but it is the best I have for now) reflects not just a change in name, but also in focus. To share a little more about why we have decided to go this route, let me first share a brief history of the ministry, and then I will explain the name itself and why it accurately reflects our change in focus.
A Brief History
The ministry that became known as Reading For The Glory started as a simple “book blog” back in 2013. Over the years, the ministry grew into a network of writers. In 2024, we launched the podcast, and that same year, the ministry took on a broadly Catholic, Anglican focus after my family joined the Anglican tradition. This shift in focus led to a refocusing of the content that we provide. No longer were we simply a “book blog”. We wanted to share the joy and depth that we discovered in the broadly Catholic tradition. For this reason, we have found it necessary to change our name to better reflect our mission.
Why Coram Deo?
Coram Deo is a Latin phrase that means “in the presence of God” or “in the face of God”. It is a beautiful phrase that describes our telos, our “end goal” as human beings. We were created by God for the express purpose of enjoying His presence forever. As we know, all too well, this is not the reality of our experience. Because of the fall of man (Genesis 3), humanity was banished from the garden, and therefore from the presence of God. Throughout the Old Testament, we see that man could not enter the presence of God, for “the ungodly perish at the presence of God” (Psalm 68:2, Coverdale Psalter). Moses was one of the rare exceptions, yet he could not see God “face to face” for “no one can see [God] and live” (Exodus 30:20).
For this reason, the presence of God was veiled in the tabernacle and eventually, in the temple; only the high priest could enter once per year (see Leviticus 16). A literal veil was placed in the temple to guard the presence of God from the people.
Yet God did not leave us in this state.
Through the person of the Son, Jesus Christ, He provided a way back to Himself. Through the God Son, God the Father is making all things new. By his death on the cross and resurrection from the dead, Jesus is sets the world right.
The gospel is about much more than individuals going to heaven when they die. Yes, this is part of the story, and an important one. But the story is much bigger than ourselves. The gospel is about all things being made new, set right. When the veil of the temple, which separated the holy place from the most holy place, was torn in two (see Matthew 27:51), the separation between man and the presence of God was destroyed; Jesus’ death on the cross makes a way for us to enter the presence of God. As I mentioned earlier, it is about more than just going to heaven when we die. The gospel welcomes us into the presence of God now, here on earth. It is an invitation to live Coram Deo.
In his first letter to the Church in Corinth, St. Paul says, at the end of his famous section on Love, “for now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face” (1 Cor 13:12, NKJV). And in his second letter to the Church in Corinth, “but we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord.” (2 Cor 3:18, NKJV).
At the moment, we see things dimly, even though the veil has been torn. Yet the purpose of spiritual formation is to transform us “into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the spirit of the Lord.” (2 Cor 3:18). As we allow ourselves to be formed by the spiritual disciplines, the liturgy, the Scriptures, and the tradition of the Church, we are made more like Jesus.
This is our new focus here at Coram Deo: to assist others along this same journey. To be clear, we are not seeking to replace your local church. Our aim is to provide resources and encouragement as you continue on your spiritual journey.
For the most part, things will stay the same. We will have articles, podcasts, and book reviews. However, the content will change from being only book and reader-focused to being “formation-forward,” to quote my pastor.
As we focus on formation, we will do so using the basic framework of Benedictine spirituality. Saint Benedict of Nursia was a sixth-century monk best known for founding a monastic community anchored in The Rule of St. Benedict. While much of his Rule is aimed at life in a monastery, many principles of Benedictine spirituality can be drawn from it and applied to modern Christian life. In fact, all Christians can learn from the monastic experience and should aim to incorporate the monastic rhythms into their daily lives. The basic tenets of Benedictine spirituality are stability, simplicity, humility, obedience, and prayer.
Each of these topics will be expanded upon in future articles and podcasts. I have learned a great deal about Benedictine spirituality through the writings of Esther de Waal and highly recommend her book Seeking God: The Way of St. Benedict. She also expounds on this topic in a lecture that she gave some years ago at Saint Paul’s Cathedral in London.
Our new aim as Coram Deo is to seek Jesus through the way of St. Benedict by being:
- Christ-centered
- focused on the work of God through liturgical prayer
- listening to the voice of God in Holy Scripture, i.e., lectio divina
- being hospitable to all who connect with our ministry, whatever their spiritual background.
Partner with us
As we begin this new chapter of ministry under a new name and a new focus, we would love to invite you to partner with us. (1) Join us in prayer. Pray with us and for our ongoing ministry. Join us daily in prayer by committing to pray the Daily Office of the BCP. (2) Partner with us financially through a monthly and/or one time donation (not tax deductible). Click the link at the bottom of this article to donate, or check out our Partnership Page for more information.
Our prayer is that we all continue to discover truth, goodness, and beauty before the face of God. Our invitation remains the same: join us.
Magna Deo Gloria!
Photo Credit Unsplash.com
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