Ask a Librarian
CORAM DEO REFORMATION CHURCH LIBRARY - INFO & FAQs:
- MISSION & OVERVIEW: Our library, intended as a quality, solid, basic introduction to mainstream Reformed thinking for the edification of the church, operates under the supervision of the consistory (elders & pastor) of CDRC for the building up of Jesus' church to the glory of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, as we seek to obtain, maintain, and loan, as resources permit, the best available basic historical and contemporary media faithful to and in harmony with the eternal Godhead as the Father has revealed Himself in the life, gospel, and cross of Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, Son of God and Son of Man, the sole Mediator & Way between the wholly transcendent yet immanent triune God and sin-deformed, creaturely man. Jesus, now reigning in sovereign power and glory over His church and all creation pending His return in historic, awe-full power and glory as both consummating Redeemer and Judge of all, continues to gather into and build up His church by means of Spirit and Word via the regular, consistent, ordinary Lord's Day dialogical worship of God via His means of grace (Word and Sacrament) and the daily disciplines of grace (Word, prayer, obedient living and good works), a church to be lovingly, faithfully, humbly, carefully led by trained, pious, gifted, called men: prophetic pastors, ruling elders, and merciful deacons; and as all members lovingly, faithfully serve one another (and neighbor) as called and gifted by the Spirit.
We can see faint reflections of God's eternal majesty in the sweeping beauty, power, order, complexity, and purposefulness of His created order, including at its apex humanity (now, like creation ubiquitously fallen, sin-cursed, and dying), and in providentially ordered, guided, infallibly goal-directed history, but supremely, sufficiently, and savingly only in His self-revelation in His Son as divinely revealed Scripture alone (the Protestant canon) as illuminated and applied by the Holy Spirit as those unique writings center around and clearly, sufficiently, infallibly, unerringly point to Jesus of Nazareth, eternal God become truly man, perfectly living and bearing as only He could the divine curse and penalty of our sin in our place for us and for our salvation. This Scripture, reliably, accurately teaching humanly unattainable, divinely revelatory truths of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost and of our ubiquitously sinful and desperate human condition, is the sole divinely authored / authorized, humanly written, supremely magisterial standard, the sole final arbiter of genuinely Christian faith and practice, as it eternally stands in ubiquitous perfection and righteous judgement over all fallible, finite, pretentious, dull, rebellious, and / or confused, subordinate conceptions or idolatrous ideologies and over all other actions of humanity (and indeed over all creation). As a final determining consideration, we use the following immensely helpful, clarifying standards and summaries of the Christian faith found in Scripture which we believe adhere in full, faithful subordination to Scripture and as carefully tested by such: 1) The "3 Forms of Unity" which are The: Heidelberg Catechism, Belgic Confession, and Canons of Dort and 2) The Church Order of the United Reformed Churches of North America. We also respect and secondarily use The Westminster Standards and other time-tested, well respected summary Reformed works.
- LOCATION: Currently in a 6 shelf metal rolling cart. A black loose-leaf binder with library info and a box with registration cards, pens, etc. is also on the cart.
- WHAT’S INCLUDED: We seek to include the very best of available historic and recent apostolic, mainstream catholic Protestant (Reformed), conservative, orthodox media touching every aspect of Christian life: thought, history, and practice. These are meant to be geared to beginning through advanced theologians (i.e., every one of us), to include all ages, family and life situations, stages of understanding or spiritual growth, church offices and roles, etc. Such items may not always be found in larger public libraries.
- MEMBERSHIP: Prior to borrowing, each borrower (or family) must fill out a brief library member info / agreement card.
- CHECKOUT: Is normally each Sunday before and after each of our two services or after any Wed study (for perusal, checkout, returns, donations, etc.). Please write your name on the lending card normally attached to the inside jacket media prior to taking it and then leave the card on the cart. Loan period is normally 6 weeks. Unlimited renewals of 6 weeks each are allowed per item if there are no pending requests or holds for the item.
- CARE & RETURN: Materials should be well cared for and returned promptly (or renewed) when due in their initial borrowed condition to the librarian (or assistants) during the designated library times. Please observe Christian ethical standards in your borrowing activities. Lost or seriously damaged materials should be promptly replaced by the borrower.
- OTHER: On this site, media can be searched for by title, author, subject, etc. Books can be reviewed on its individual page. Books can be reserved (pending). Members who have previously signed a registration card can get access to extra features by registering & then logging in on the main online library page.
- DONATIONS, REQUESTS, ETC.: Media donations, requests, recommendations, etc. are desired. We will attempt to carefully evaluate all such prior to inclusion in order to maintain the highest standards of excellence and appropriateness of content. All donations are final, but if the library closes or upon other contingency, media may be returned to donors as feasible and / or available. Financial contributions, to be kept by deacons in a segregated fund, are welcome (but church offerings always have priority).
- OUR ONLINE LIBRARY SITE: https://cdrc.librarika.com/. On this site you can search the library, see listings of all media, leave reviews, see which media is available for lending, etc.
- LIBRARIAN / ASSISTANT(S) / COMMITTEE: Doug Wallace, dwall057@gmail.com is the current librarian. Please see him or any listed assistant(s) for all library activities.
- PRIORITIES: Priority is given to obtaining, maintaining, and loaning first rate, intellectually and theologically solid, biblically sound, reverent (pious), well produced, mainstream Reformed (vs. Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Baptist, Evangelical, etc.) works in the following order:
PUBLISHER ORDER: Reformed Fellowship, P&R, Banner of Truth, Ligonier, Reformation Heritage, EP, IVP, Baker, Zondervan, Eerdmans & others
AUTHOR ORDER - Reformed (catholic Protestant), Conservative, Orthodox, Bible believing members of: United Reformed Churches, N.A., Continental Reformers (initial and post Reformation periods), Presbyterians & English / Scottish Reformers, Anglicans (and some Baptists, Lutherans, & others).
Our salvation can only be: Sola Gratia (by means of divine grace alone), Sola Fide (through the divine gift of faith alone), Sola Scriptura (flowing faithfully from Scripture alone by Spirit and Word), Solus Christus (because of and through Christ alone), and Soli Deo Gloria (to the glory of the triune God alone).
- MISSION & OVERVIEW: Our library, intended as a quality, solid, basic introduction to mainstream Reformed thinking for the edification of the church, operates under the supervision of the consistory (elders & pastor) of CDRC for the building up of Jesus' church to the glory of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, as we seek to obtain, maintain, and loan, as resources permit, the best available basic historical and contemporary media faithful to and in harmony with the eternal Godhead as the Father has revealed Himself in the life, gospel, and cross of Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, Son of God and Son of Man, the sole Mediator & Way between the wholly transcendent yet immanent triune God and sin-deformed, creaturely man. Jesus, now reigning in sovereign power and glory over His church and all creation pending His return in historic, awe-full power and glory as both consummating Redeemer and Judge of all, continues to gather into and build up His church by means of Spirit and Word via the regular, consistent, ordinary Lord's Day dialogical worship of God via His means of grace (Word and Sacrament) and the daily disciplines of grace (Word, prayer, obedient living and good works), a church to be lovingly, faithfully, humbly, carefully led by trained, pious, gifted, called men: prophetic pastors, ruling elders, and merciful deacons; and as all members lovingly, faithfully serve one another (and neighbor) as called and gifted by the Spirit.
We can see faint reflections of God's eternal majesty in the sweeping beauty, power, order, complexity, and purposefulness of His created order, including at its apex humanity (now, like creation ubiquitously fallen, sin-cursed, and dying), and in providentially ordered, guided, infallibly goal-directed history, but supremely, sufficiently, and savingly only in His self-revelation in His Son as divinely revealed Scripture alone (the Protestant canon) as illuminated and applied by the Holy Spirit as those unique writings center around and clearly, sufficiently, infallibly, unerringly point to Jesus of Nazareth, eternal God become truly man, perfectly living and bearing as only He could the divine curse and penalty of our sin in our place for us and for our salvation. This Scripture, reliably, accurately teaching humanly unattainable, divinely revelatory truths of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost and of our ubiquitously sinful and desperate human condition, is the sole divinely authored / authorized, humanly written, supremely magisterial standard, the sole final arbiter of genuinely Christian faith and practice, as it eternally stands in ubiquitous perfection and righteous judgement over all fallible, finite, pretentious, dull, rebellious, and / or confused, subordinate conceptions or idolatrous ideologies and over all other actions of humanity (and indeed over all creation). As a final determining consideration, we use the following immensely helpful, clarifying standards and summaries of the Christian faith found in Scripture which we believe adhere in full, faithful subordination to Scripture and as carefully tested by such: 1) The "3 Forms of Unity" which are The: Heidelberg Catechism, Belgic Confession, and Canons of Dort and 2) The Church Order of the United Reformed Churches of North America. We also respect and secondarily use The Westminster Standards and other time-tested, well respected summary Reformed works.
- LOCATION: Currently in a 6 shelf metal rolling cart. A black loose-leaf binder with library info and a box with registration cards, pens, etc. is also on the cart.
- WHAT’S INCLUDED: We seek to include the very best of available historic and recent apostolic, mainstream catholic Protestant (Reformed), conservative, orthodox media touching every aspect of Christian life: thought, history, and practice. These are meant to be geared to beginning through advanced theologians (i.e., every one of us), to include all ages, family and life situations, stages of understanding or spiritual growth, church offices and roles, etc. Such items may not always be found in larger public libraries.
- MEMBERSHIP: Prior to borrowing, each borrower (or family) must fill out a brief library member info / agreement card.
- CHECKOUT: Is normally each Sunday before and after each of our two services or after any Wed study (for perusal, checkout, returns, donations, etc.). Please write your name on the lending card normally attached to the inside jacket media prior to taking it and then leave the card on the cart. Loan period is normally 6 weeks. Unlimited renewals of 6 weeks each are allowed per item if there are no pending requests or holds for the item.
- CARE & RETURN: Materials should be well cared for and returned promptly (or renewed) when due in their initial borrowed condition to the librarian (or assistants) during the designated library times. Please observe Christian ethical standards in your borrowing activities. Lost or seriously damaged materials should be promptly replaced by the borrower.
- OTHER: On this site, media can be searched for by title, author, subject, etc. Books can be reviewed on its individual page. Books can be reserved (pending). Members who have previously signed a registration card can get access to extra features by registering & then logging in on the main online library page.
- DONATIONS, REQUESTS, ETC.: Media donations, requests, recommendations, etc. are desired. We will attempt to carefully evaluate all such prior to inclusion in order to maintain the highest standards of excellence and appropriateness of content. All donations are final, but if the library closes or upon other contingency, media may be returned to donors as feasible and / or available. Financial contributions, to be kept by deacons in a segregated fund, are welcome (but church offerings always have priority).
- OUR ONLINE LIBRARY SITE: https://cdrc.librarika.com/. On this site you can search the library, see listings of all media, leave reviews, see which media is available for lending, etc.
- LIBRARIAN / ASSISTANT(S) / COMMITTEE: Doug Wallace, dwall057@gmail.com is the current librarian. Please see him or any listed assistant(s) for all library activities.
- PRIORITIES: Priority is given to obtaining, maintaining, and loaning first rate, intellectually and theologically solid, biblically sound, reverent (pious), well produced, mainstream Reformed (vs. Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Baptist, Evangelical, etc.) works in the following order:
PUBLISHER ORDER: Reformed Fellowship, P&R, Banner of Truth, Ligonier, Reformation Heritage, EP, IVP, Baker, Zondervan, Eerdmans & others
AUTHOR ORDER - Reformed (catholic Protestant), Conservative, Orthodox, Bible believing members of: United Reformed Churches, N.A., Continental Reformers (initial and post Reformation periods), Presbyterians & English / Scottish Reformers, Anglicans (and some Baptists, Lutherans, & others).
Our salvation can only be: Sola Gratia (by means of divine grace alone), Sola Fide (through the divine gift of faith alone), Sola Scriptura (flowing faithfully from Scripture alone by Spirit and Word), Solus Christus (because of and through Christ alone), and Soli Deo Gloria (to the glory of the triune God alone).
Email: dwall057@gmail.com
Phone: ( our phone number is kept private. )
Website: http://www.coramdeourc.org/