Why Do We Do Good Works? More on the Holistic Nature of the Reformed Tradition
This is a great statement from the Heidelberg Catechism:
Question 86: Since then we are delivered from our misery, merely of grace, through Christ, without any merit of ours, why must we still do good works?
Answer: Because Christ, having redeemed and delivered us by his blood, also renews us by his Holy Spirit, after his own image; that so we may testify, by the whole of our conduct, our gratitude to God for his blessings, and that he may be praised by us; also, that every one may be assured in himself of his faith, by the fruits thereof; and that, by our godly conversation [lifestyle] others may be gained to Christ.
Note a few things.
First, good works are a means by which we imitate, and thus glorify, Christ. We have been renewed “after his own image,” and doing good works reflects his image, and thus glorifies him. Christ was mighty in word and deed (Luke 24:19), and thus it is essential that we reflect Christ in our actions as well as our words.
Second, note that we are to testify to the greatness of Christ “by the whole of our conduct.” You don’t just testify to the greatness of Christ in words, as critical as that is. You must also testify to his greatness in all of your conduct. You not only may, you must!
Third, our good works are a form of worship. We do them in gratitude to God and out of love for him, and offer them to him in our doing of them. That’s what worship is. And God wants to be worshipped in the whole of our lives (Romans 12:1-2), not just our words. This makes our good works — that is, all the things we do in faith, even tying our shoes — intrinsically meaningful.
Fourth, one result of living wise lives filled with good works is that others will be won to Christ. Good works are not valuable simply as a means to bringing others to faith; they are valuable in themselves (see above points). But they do also have the effect of supporting our testimony to the gospel, and others will come to faith as a result (that’s the meaning of the very odd and hard to understand passage in Ephesians 5:7-14).
So, once again, we see that the Reformed tradition was holistic. The dichotomy between doing good/living wise lives and preaching the gospel does not exist in the theology of the Reformation. The ministry of the word goes to the root, but testifying to the greatness and love of God in our deeds is equally essential.
Managing Your Weaknesses
A few thoughts:
1. Avoid working in your weaknesses if at all possible.
2. If you can’t, then seek to become competent in your areas of weakness. You won’t become extraordinary in areas of weakness, but competence is sufficient.
3. Continue to spend the most time sharpening and harnessing your strengths. This is where your contribution will shine. As long as you are competent in your weaknesses, they won’t detract and your strengths will stand out and make an extraordinary contribution.
An example (a slightly risky one since I’m not huge into basketball, but you will get the point): Let’s say you are a basketball player and you are great at making baskets but pretty bad at getting rebounds. You need to become solid at getting rebounds when they come your way, so you don’t do harm. But your focus should be on putting yourself in a position to take shots, not get rebounds, if that’s where you make an incredible contribution.
And here’s an example of avoiding your weaknesses altogether: if you are a great quarterback, it doesn’t matter if you are terrible at defense. Don’t play defense. This is so obvious as to be completely undisputed.
Why, then, do we feel like there is some sort of virtue in focusing on our weaknesses in our work?
Seek to contribute where you can make the greatest contribution.
Every Member … Mercy Ministry?
A good observation by Tim Keller in his book Ministries of Mercy
We have done a good job of teaching that every believer is a minister and to be a witness. But we haven’t done a good job of teaching that every Christian is to be engaged in mercy ministries. We have almost completely ceded this work to secular agencies and authorities.
Does Listening to Music While You Work Hurt Your Productivity?
For the last few months, I’ve started listening to music more because I’m mostly working from my basement. Here are my informal conclusions on whether listening to music helps or hurts your productivity.
First, it depends on what kind of work you are doing. For some kinds of work, it doesn’t hinder your productivity at all and makes it more pleasant. Obviously.
Second (and this is the important point), I’ve found that for intensive work that requires focus and great concentration, listening to music keeps me from getting into the zone and thus causes my work to take a lot longer. Further, there are some breakthroughs that probably don’t happen because of the fact that you aren’t able to concentrate fully — thus decreasing the quality of your work.
This happens in spite of intentions, and you largely have no control over it. In other words, even if you have high energy and are ready to get into the zone, music will often prevent it from happening.
This applies only to music with words, and there are of course some exceptions. But in the main, I’ve found that if I need to get dialed in and concentrate, music with words is a big stumbling block.
That’s what I’ve found. What have you found?
A Few Odd, Possibly Advanced, Yet Simple Tips for Writers
A few random tips for those who write long things (namely, books), gathered or reinforced from my own experience in writing What’s Best Next:
1. Starting is often the hardest thing
The best way to start is to just start. That is, don’t wait for a special burst of energy or insight — though, when those things do come, seize them to their max.
2. You have to jump start yourself in the moment of performance
That’s a quote a read somewhere a few years ago. It’s a helpful reminder. When you just start (point 1) and don’t have the burst of energy or creativity, you don’t simply go into your writing cold. You jump start yourself, like starting a car in a freezing Minnesota winter.
To jump start yourself, there are many things you can do. Pray, read some of the Scriptures, do jumping jacks (to get your physical energy up), read a few pages in an author you find inspiring like Seth Godin, review your notes, or do a number of other things. To “just start” doesn’t mean you don’t warm up.
3. Don’t bury the lead
Lead with your most important points rather than starting with something less relevant or irrelevant in an attempt to build up to your most important point. Burying the lead is one of the greatest temptations in writing.
The one exception: John Piper does a great job in many of his books of creating a problem and then resolving it. That’s helpful and interesting and memorable. In those cases, the most important point is the resolution that comes after the problem has developed, which is typically half way through the chapter or so. But even in these cases, you need to start with something super relevant and helpful; the lead in this case should often be the interesting problem you are raising.
More could be said, but these are the top ones that come to mind right now.
(By the way, I call these “advanced” because, although you can easily know these things right from the start, you don’t truly get them until you’ve been through it!)
The Five Cs of a Healthy Vision Statement
A great post from Dave Kraft’s blog. They are:
- Concise
- Clear
- Communicated
- Compelling
- Contagious
An Incredible Collection of Resources for Enjoying Narnia with Your Kids
Andy Naselli has done a great service by collecting together ten of the main resources he and his young daughter made use of for enjoying The Chronicles of Narnia to the fullest.
Chuck Colson Resource Page
The Acton Institute has put together a resource page on Chuck Colson. They write:
From the earliest days of the Acton Institute, Charles W. “Chuck” Colson was a staunch supporter and dear friend to many. On this page, we have gathered a variety of content including speeches, interviews with Acton publications and multimedia. As Prison Fellowship Ministries and the Colson Center put it, in a joint statement, “Chuck’s life is a testimony to God’s power to forgive, redeem, and transform.”
The page also has an excellent, 8.5 minute video the Acton Institute did on the life of Chuck Colson.
Be Ambitious AND Humble
Keith Ferrazzi has a good post summarizing a study IBM recently did to identify the traits of their highest impact employees.
Their findings were very interesting. Here’s how Ferrazzi summarizes them:
The term originated in an IBM study that sought to identify the traits of their most high-impact employees. Turns out that ambition alone is mediocre; ambition plus intellectual humility is the winning combination.
3 Levels of Impact
- Do no damage
- Get people to care
- Change the way people see the world
The Reformation Was Holistic
A truncated focus on the spiritual needs of people without concern for the physical and social needs of people is not part of the legacy of the Reformation. It came later, and from other sources.
The Reformers were remarkably holistic, caring about all dimensions of the human person. The spiritual is most foundational, but this doesn’t mean we are to be unconcerned about the other dimensions of human need and activity. Further, they weren’t only concerned about private spirituality, but the renewal of society as well.
Here are two quotes that display this.
Martin Luther:
When asked what he would do if the world would end tomorrow said, “I would plant a tree today.”
John Calvin:
“God has filled my mind with zeal to spread his kingdom and to further the public good.” (Institutes, ed., John T. McNeill, vol. 1, p. 4)
And, following in the legacy of the Reformers, Jonathan Edwards wrote:
And as the spirit of charity, or Christian love, is opposed to a selfish spirit, in that it is merciful and liberal so it is in this, also, that it disposes a person to be public-spirited. A man of a right spirit is not a man of narrow and private views, but is greatly interested and concerned for the good of the community to which he belongs, and particularly of the city or village in which he resides, and for the true welfare of the society of which he is a member.
God commanded the Jews that were carried away captive to Babylon, to seek the good of that city, though it was not their native place, but only the city of their captivity. His injunction was (Jer. 29:7), “Seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the Lord for it.”
And a man of truly Christian spirit will be earnest for the good of his country, and of the place of his residence, and will be disposed to lay himself out for its improvement.
Thankful for Chuck Colson
Ed Stetzer has good reflections on his life, and Sarah Pulliam Bailey has written a good obituary at Christianity Today.
Here’s part of it:
Before his conversion to Christianity, Colson was described as an aggressive political mastermind who drank heavily, chain smoked, and smeared opponents. He served as special counsel to President Richard Nixon from 1969 to 1973 before he was indicted on Watergate-related charges, which led to a 7-month prison term. After his conversion experience, he published Born Again, helping popularize the term many evangelicals use to self-identify.
Colson’s public commitment to his faith drew initial skepticism from those who wondered whether he was attempting to profit from a conversion narrative. Criticism faded over time with his 30-plus years of commitment to prison ministry.
“The most important takeaway is that he was a specimen of God’s amazing grace, one of the most remarkable in modern times,” said Timothy George, dean of Beeson Divinity School at Samford University. “Over time, he proved to the whole world that this is the real thing.”
Great Apps to Check Out for Getting Things Done
Apple has brought together a helpful collection of some of the best apps for getting things done:
- iPhone apps (opens in iTunes)
- iPad apps (opens in iTunes)
What I use:
- Keeping track of notes/ideas: Evernote
- Capturing quick notes when Evernote feels too cumbersome: Apple Notes (native on the iPhone and iPad — super easy to use)
- Calendar: iCal (native on the iPhone and iPad)
- Action and project lists: OmniFocus or Things
- Action lists, as a helpful supplement: Reminders (native on the iPhone and iPad)
And worth taking a closer look at:
- Things (I used this for a time)
- Remember the Milk
- Do it (Tomorrow): Looks interesting
- Calvetica Calendar: Looks intriguing
- PlainText: Looks as simple as Apple’s Notes app, with the added benefit that you can actually organize things
- MindNode: For mindmapping. Currently I use MindJet MindManager
The Pens You Should Get
Having pens you actually like to use makes all of your work go better. And even though we do so much digitally now, there is still a place for pens because some notes are best captured by hand and, beyond that, there are all sorts of occasions throughout the day when we need to physically write.
One of my pet peeves is pens that are annoying to use. Some pens skip a lot, while other pens leak out too much ink. So a few years ago I bought a bunch of different kinds of pens and compared them to find a pen that I actually like to use.
Here’s what I recommend: Uni-ball Vision Elite Stick Micro Point Roller Ball Pens, 3 Black Ink Pens. (You can also get them in a 24-pack
If you have these, there is no need for any other pen. They are awesome.
For more on why pens matter, the single most important rule in choosing pens, and the qualities of a good pen, see my post on Recommended Pens.
Lost Conversations from Steve Jobs’ Best Years
From the latest issue of Fast Company. Here’s the summary:
A treasure trove of unearthed interviews, conducted by the writer who knew him best, reveals how Jobs’s ultimate success at Apple can be traced directly to his so-called wilderness years.
By the way, if you aren’t a subscriber to Fast Company, you need to be. It gives the best insight on the new world of work, and shows how work is not supposed to be boring or constrained.
You won’t regret subscribing, and there’s no excuse not to. And, you need to subscribe to the actual physical magazine, because it is much more fun than just reading it online (and it’s easier to remember, in my view at least). Plus, with any print subscriptions you now get their iPad app so you can read it digitally each month if you prefer.
Using Siri Plus OmniFocus on Your iPhone
One Thing That is Good to Procrastinate on Right Now: Getting a New Laptop
Walt Mossberg has a super helpful article in the Wall Street Journal on what is coming for laptops later this year — both Windows and likely Macs — and why you should hold off on buying one now so you can take advantage of these improvements in the late summer or fall:
If you’re thinking of buying a new laptop this spring, my advice is to think again. Unless your laptop is on its last legs and you have to move quickly, there are compelling reasons to wait until at least the summer, and probably the fall, to buy a new machine, especially if you are looking for a Windows PC, but even if you are in the market for a Mac.
That makes this annual spring buyer’s guide a bit different. People always worry that buying tech products today carries a risk of obsolescence. Most of the time, that fear is overblown. But this spring really is a bad time to buy a new laptop, because genuinely big changes are due in the coming months.
Here’s a quick summary of what’s coming.
For Windows Users (if you must!…)
- Windows 8. Windows 8 is scheduled to be out in the fall and will be a major redesign. It will likely be oriented to tablet-like touchscreen navigation, and many PC makers are “planning convertible Windows 8 models for the holiday shopping season that can act as tablets or regular clamshell laptops.”
- Touchscreen laptops. Here’s a simpler way to put it: sounds like touchscreen laptops are coming. Current laptops will be able to upgrade to Windows 8, but won’t be able to take advantage of all the features.
For Mac Users
- Mountain Lion. Mountain Lion will likely be out this summer. Of course, this will run on previous Macs as well (unless Apple does something really strange). But:
- Redesigned MacBook Pros. As most know, “Apple is overdue for redesigned laptops, especially in its MacBook Pro line.” I think Mossberg is right that “it is a good bet that new, possibly heavily redesigned, models will begin appearing later this year.” I would expect the new MacBook Pros to be closer to MacBook Airs, without sacrificing performance. However, I don’t know if the spring refresh will do this, or if the spring will see another small refresh with the more major redesign coming in the fall. See MacRumors’ buying guide for more.
- What would be best of all. My wish, though I have little basis for this hope right now: 500 GB solid state drives becoming standard on MacBook Pros. Spinning hard drives should no longer exist. Enough with them. They crash, they are slow, and solid state drives are awesome.
If you do need to get a new laptop this spring, at the end of the article Mossberg gives some helpful guidelines on choosing.
Other Interesting Things (Not From that Article)
- The iPad Mini. Apparently Apple is considering an iPad mini. My first reaction: this should not exist. If someone wants an iPad mini, they should just get a regular iPad so they have the full experience. Cost should not be taken into consideration when getting iPads.
- The iPad Mini, part 2. But, my more measured reaction is: I see a place for this given that it will likely be priced between $249 and $250. That’s a big savings over the regular iPad (typically at least $600 if you do it right), and that level of costs savings just might make it a good idea for it to exist.
- The iPhone 5. It looks like the iPhone 5 will probably be out in the fall.
God Sets and Keeps the Agenda
This is a great post by Ben Stafford, director of short-term ministries at Training Leaders International.
It is so good I’m copying the whole thing here (but don’t forget to check out his blog):
In a recent post I wrote: There are definitely upsides to [being a planner by nature] but the temptation to think of myself as captain of my own destiny, my protector, and my safe-keeper is not one of them.”
On rereading it today, I thought of Psalm 121 and Derek Kidner’s comments on it. Clearly the emphasis of this Psalm is on God’s keeping of his people. So of course, it would be idolatras for me to think of myself as my own safe-keeper.
He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
The LORD is your keeper;
the LORD is your shade on your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.
The LORD will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
The LORD will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore.
(Psalm 121:3-8 ESV)On verses 7 & 8 Kidner says:
The promise moves on from the pilgrim’s immediate preoccupations to cover the whole of existence. In the light of other scriptures, to be kept from all evil does not imply a cushioned life, but a well-armed one. Cf. Psalm 23:4, which expects the dark valley but can face it. The two halves of verse 7 can be compared with Luke 21:18f., where God’s minutest care (‘not a hair of your head will perish’) and His servants’ deepest fulfillment (‘you will win true life’) are promised in the same breath as the prospect of hounding and martyrdom (Lk. 21:16f.). Your life, in the present passage (7), is as many-sided a word as in Luke; it means the whole living person. Our Lord enriched the concept of keeping or losing this by His teaching on self-giving and self-love (e.g. Jn. 12:24f).
The Psalm ends with a pledge which could hardly be stronger or more sweeping. Your going out and your coming in is not only a way of saying ‘everything’: in closer detail it draws attention to one’s ventures and enterprises (cf. Ps 126:6), and to the home which remains one’s base; again, to pilgrimage and return; perhaps even (by another association of this pair of verbs) to the dawn and sunset of one’s days. But the last line takes good care of this journey; and it would be hard to decide which half of it is the more encouraging: the fact that it starts ‘from now‘, or that it runs on, not to the end of time but without end; like God Himself who is (cf. Ps 73:26) ‘my portion for ever’.
Come to the Biola Digital Ministry Conference
I go to the Biola Digital Ministry Conference every year I can. I think since 2007 or so I’ve only missed once (it used to be known as The Christian Web Conference). It is a fantastic time to learn, innovate, and connect with other like-minded people who are excited about ministry and the web.
The Aim and This Year’s Theme
This year’s conference is June 5-7 at Biola. Here’s the aim of the conference:
The Biola Digital Ministry Conferenceis designed to empower individuals with the vision, knowledge, and relationships necessary to be thoughtful designers, developers, and practitioners of digital technologies for the cause of Christ.
Well said.
The theme this year is “The Disruptive Nature of Digital.” The sessions will focus on three key topics: theology, strategy, and technology.
That’s incredible because so often, ministry conferences focus only on strategy and tactics. But they will be focusing on the theology and philosophy of digital ministry as well.
What I’ll Be Talking About
I will also be speaking there again this year. I’d be highly recommending the conference either way, but since I’ll be out there, I’d love to see any of you as well.
My message will be: Practical Usability: Why So Many Websites Frustrate their Users and How to Make Your Site a Destination that People Actually Enjoy.
Last year I gave a theology of usability — why it ought to matter greatly to us to make our websites usable, and the (very interesting) biblical basis for doing so. This year I’m going to dive more fully into the nuts and bolts: how do you actually create a usable website? And how do you do this in the midst of budget constraints? I’ll talk about the core fundamentals of web usability, which we built the Desiring God website on the basis of, and practical principles that are at the core of almost every easy-to-use website.
Also, I love questions, especially super hard ones. So bring your questions on usability or ministry web strategy in general, and we’ll take some time to interact with them.
And, if anyone is interested in getting together to talk in more detail about ministry web strategy while out there, contact me (see the tab above) and I’ll see if we can pull a meal or something together.
The Essential Importance of Usability
Here’s one way to summarize the importance of usability: free is not enough. Even if you post all your content online for free (which I highly recommend!), your content will still not serve people or spread to the extent it can if your site is not usable.
Good content is not enough, either. You have to make your site usable. And, this comes from actually understanding usability and knowing how — you can’t just do what you think will be good. You have to actually know what you are doing.
Other Speakers
Other speakers include:
- Drew Goodmanson (CEO of MonkDev, creators of Ekklesia 360)
- Chad Williams (CEO of Five Q)
- John Mark Reynolds (professor of philosophy at Biola and founder of the Torrey Honors Institute)
- Brett McCracken (social media manager at Biola University)
- And many others
Related Stuff
Here’s the article I wrote back in 2007 at Desiring God on why every ministry should post all of its content online, for free, without requiring registration, in a maximally usable interface.
And here’s the message I gave at the conference last year:
The Top Five Guiding Principles for Ministries
A friend of mine recently asked me, “What would you say should be the top five guiding principles for ministries?”
Here’s what I listed, slightly updated to make sense in a blog post. This is off the top of my head, so I wouldn’t say this is comprehensive, and of course every ministry also would have its own principles that express its individual uniqueness and calling. So this is a general, high-level list.
- Prayer and the word. Seeking to do all things in God’s power, which comes most as we trust his promises and are built up by his word, and fellowship with him in prayer. This includes asking him for the impossible and being set free from bondage to small dreams.
- Radical generosity. This is about others and the church first, not us! We are to be liberal and abundant in using all our resources for the good of others, even at sacrifice to ourselves.
- Servant leadership. This includes humble authenticity (not going after position, but becoming the lowest servant; this isn’t about our name but Jesus’ name), and along with this a leadership approach that explicitly seeks to build others up and unleash them, not control everything from the top.
- Love. Sort of repeating points 2 and 3, but it’s critical. Related to this is “respect for the individual.” Seeing people, especially employees, as valuable and letting that be the governing principle for how you treat everyone.
- Trust. We need to trust our people and be trustworthy ourselves, as trustworthiness is the foundation of trust. Trusting your people is what enables you to lead from values, not detailed rules, and lead in a way that unleashes their creativity and initiative.
5 (Other) Books I’m Looking Forward To
At T4G last week, I was actually restrained in the zero dollar bookstore. Yes, even in the bookstore where every book was free, I didn’t “buy” everything, because for the time being I’m seeking to reduce input in order to increase output (a strategy I’m testing — it’s not always good, but I’m trying to let my mind catch up with a bunch of reading from the last few years).
But then a few days later I checked out the bookstore at Southern Seminary and saw some amazing new (and old) books. Between T4G and my trip to Souther, I narrowed it down to about five that I’m most looking forward to read right now.
These aren’t necessarily the best books out of all those I encountered. But they are those that are most strategic for some things I’m thinking through, especially the strategy of global missions (which I think needs to be improved).
Here are the top five:
1. Theology and Practice of Mission: God, the Church, and the Nations
I don’t even know who Bruce Ashford is, but what I’ve dipped into has been helpful and it has endorsements by Al Mohler, Chris Wright, Ed Stetzer, and Russ Moore. What grabbed me is the topic: the theology and practice of mission. I think we need to do much better with this, and so I’m looking forward to this book.
2. Reading Scripture with the Reformers
I love the Reformers, and Timothy George’s Theology of the Reformers
3. Who Am I?: Identity in Christ
This is Jerry Bridges’ latest book, published with Cruciform Press and very short — it can be read in about an hour or less. Jerry Bridges is one of the best gospel-centered thinkers out there and what he writes is always worth reading.
4. Am I Called?: The Summons to Pastoral Ministry
Dave Harvey’s new book. Looks fantastic. The table of contents is already helpful. Note part two, diagnosing the call:
- Are you godly?
- How’s your home
- Can you preach?
- Can you shepherd?
- Do you love the lost?
- Who agrees?
Already, you start to get a good feel of how to discern whether you are called to the pastorate.
5. Challenging Church, by Mark Dever
This looks good because it’s on 1 Corinthians 1-9 and it’s by Mark Dever. The table of contents gives a good summary of the first 9 chapters of 1 Corinthians:
- Count your blessings (1 Corinthians 1:1-9)
- Unite in “foolishness” (1 Corinthians 1:10 – 2:16)
- Unite as God’s community (1 Corinthians 3)
- Recognize Real Ministers (1 Corinthians 4)
- Don’t go soft on sin (1 Corinthians 5-6)
- Let your calling count (1 Corinthians 7)
- Use your rights (1 Corinthians 8-9)
Challies’ site is down at my time of writing this for some reason, but I think he recently posted a review which would be worth checking out.
The Truthfulness of Scripture
A great article by Michael Horton on inerrancy. Here’s the first paragraph:
Against the repeated claim that the doctrine of inerrancy, unknown to the church, arose first with Protestant orthodoxy, we could cite numerous examples from the ancient and medieval church. It was Augustine who first coined the term “inerrant,” and Luther and Calvin can speak of Scripture as free from error.
Don’t Waste Your Employee Training: Build on Strengths, Not Weaknesses
The latest Gallup Management Journal has a good article on Why Strengths Matter in Training.
Here’s the summary:
Too many training and development efforts fall short because they don’t factor in employees’ talents.
And is some important data, for any who somehow think organizations can ignore the importance of focusing on their employee’s strengths:
Gallup research shows that people who know and use their strengths — and the companies they work for — tend to be better performers. In a study of 65,672 employees, Gallup found that workers who received strengths feedback had turnover rates that were 14.9% lower than for employees who received no feedback (controlling for job type and tenure).
Moreover, a study of 530 work units with productivity data found that teams with managers who received strengths feedback showed 12.5% greater productivity post-intervention than teams with managers who received no feedback. And a Gallup study of 469 business units ranging from retail stores to large manufacturing facilities found that units with managers who received strengths feedback showed 8.9% greater profitability post-intervention relative to units in which the manager received no feedback.
Companies that want to boost productivity and innovation must help employees apply their natural abilities to the day-to-day requirements of their role. Implementing a strengths-based approach often demands a fresh mindset; the old ways won’t do. The questions below can help employees figure out how they can best apply their talents in their role — and can help managers and leaders learn how to use a strengths-based approach to boost company performance.
Earthen Vessels on Kindle for Super Cheap
Matt Anderson’s book Earthen Vessels: Why Your Bodies Matter to Our Faith is available on Kindle
This book is worth having. There is almost nothing out there on why our bodies matter to our faith and Matt Anderson treats the subject very well. He is, in my opinion, one of the best young writers in the evangelical world.
Here are a few blurbs:
“We evangelicals don’t think we care about the body, but we really, really do. And Matthew Anderson–one of the brightest lights in the evangelical world–helps us care, ponder, think and pray more wisely as we give our bodies as a living sacrifice to Christ.” —-Mark Galli, Senior Managing Editor, Christianity Today
“Matthew Lee Anderson…is a serious student of God’s Word and God’s world, and in this book he patiently and insightfully explores a theology of the body from numerous angles…I suspect that many of us will think differently–and more biblically–about the body as a result of this very fine work.”—Justin Taylor, ESV Study Bible
“On nearly every page you can find two virtues rarely combined: surprising new insights and good old common sense. Here is good counsel (solid, soulful, scriptural) about how to be humans, in bodies, under the gospel.”—Fred Sanders, Torrey Honors Institute, Biola University
“This book is for the church who is in the world. It is a truth-balm for a broken culture addicted to body image. Be challenged to forsake your “quasi-gnosticism” and embrace the divine dignity of your body so that you can worship well.”—Darrin Patrick, Lead Pastor at The Journey and author of Church Planter
Is Facebook Making Us Lonely?
An article in The Atlantic. I don’t agree with everything, but it’s interesting.
Here’s the summary:
Social media—from Facebook to Twitter—have made us more densely networked than ever. Yet for all this connectivity, new research suggests that we have never been lonelier (or more narcissistic)—and that this loneliness is making us mentally and physically ill. A report on what the epidemic of loneliness is doing to our souls and our society.
And here’s a core part:
The idea that a Web site could deliver a more friendly, interconnected world is bogus. The depth of one’s social network outside Facebook is what determines the depth of one’s social network within Facebook, not the other way around. Using social media doesn’t create new social networks; it just transfers established networks from one platform to another. For the most part, Facebook doesn’t destroy friendships—but it doesn’t create them, either.
I disagree there. I have five things to say here, but I’ll only say three.
It’s true that Facebook alone doesn’t create friendships. But, as Christians at least, when we “meet” other Christians on Facebook, we are indeed establishing real relationships because we already have a relationship with them in Christ, apart from ever having met them in person. If you are a Christian, when you interact with other Christians on Facebook, you are interacting with a true brother or sister in the Lord — and what a great thing it is to know of them and be able to interact with them, even if it’s just electronically.
Second, I like Twitter better than Facebook and find that much more conducive to relationships.
Third, the real value of Facebook is when it is combined with travel. I have gained many new friends through Facebook, Twitter, and blogging not simply because of interacting with them on those sites, but because of then meeting them in person when I’m at a conference or wherever. Because of social media, I have met a lot more people when I travel than I otherwise would. And, because of Christ, those are real relationships and it is fantastic to meet and get to know more and more people in the body of Christ around the world.
While it perhaps comes close to pulling a Jesus juke on the article, I would say the problem is not Facebook or social media, but Facebook, social media, and anything outside of Christ.
About Matt Perman
Follower of Christ. Husband of one, father of three. Former director of strategy at Desiring God. This blog exists to help equip Christians in good works, because that's what productivity is really about.
Learn more Contact me Speaking Availability Friend me on Facebook Follow me on Twitter Like What's Best Next on Facebook
Keep Updated
Subscribe by email-
Map
nodirectory