Here are some new books I’ve just read or received for review. Reviews will be coming soon!
Category: Gospel and Culture
Spiritual Growth in Work & Relationships
The word “grow” has evolved into an unnoticed metaphor in the English language. We talk about growing our gardens, growing our savings, growing our leadership, the growth of our children, the growth of our business or ministry, and even our own spiritual growth. But what does it mean to truly “grow”?
The call to spiritual growth is ubiquitous in Scripture. Adam was created to grow in his love for God and for Eve. Israel was commanded to grow into a holy, worshiping multitude (Gen. 48:16). The prophets rebuked and praised Israel for their failure and success in growth (Isa. 17; Jer. 12). Jesus compared our growth to seeds that bear thirty, sixty, and a hundred fold (Mark 4:8). Peter commands us to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 3:18).
Spiritual growth is clearly a biblical theme, but it can be difficult to detect, frustrating to foster, and even painful to experience. When we place our growth in the context of messy relationships and demanding work, it gets even harder. A demanding deadline or an unsympathetic friend can seem like an obstacle to growth instead of an opportunity.
Read the rest of the article at The High Calling
Religion, Gospel, & Post-Religon
| Religion | Gospel | Post-Religion |
| Moralistic | Christ-centered | Relativistic |
| Narrow-minded | Heart-focused | Open-minded |
| I do | Jesus does | I don’t (care) |
| Be good | Be yourself in Jesus | Be authentic |
| Obey therefore accepted | Accepted therefore obey | Disobey find acceptance elsewhere |
| Identity in works | Identity in Jesus | Identity in self |
| Moral/Bible Questions | Heart Questions | Intellectual Questions |
| Concerned with Truth | Concerned with Truth in Love | Concerned with Love |
| God is hard to please | Jesus pleases God for us | God is obstacle to pleasure |
| Compares morals | Considers cross | Compares worldviews |
| Salvation – of course me | Salvation – why me? | Salvation – why not everyone |
| Motivated by fear | Motivated by Joy | Motivated by freedom |
| Results in pride | Results in humility | Results in indifference |
| Church=self-righteous | Church=imperfect saints | Church=backwards |
| Good | Repentant | Bad |
Reading Ourselves to Life
This is a follow-up from my previous post “We are Entertaining Ourselves to Death”
If immersion in a media-saturated world fosters numbness and detachment, what would it look like to re-engage the literary world? David Brooks offers some insight comments. He notes that the hierarchy of literature (beach books at bottom and classics at the top) creates a scale for personal growth in wisdom and learning.
The Internet-versus-books debate is conducted on the supposition that the medium is the message. But sometimes the medium is just the medium. What matters is the way people think about themselves while engaged in the two activities. A person who becomes a citizen of the literary world enters a hierarchical universe. There are classic works of literature at the top and beach reading at the bottom.
A person enters this world as a novice, and slowly studies the works of great writers and scholars. Readers immerse themselves in deep, alternative worlds and hope to gain some lasting wisdom. Respect is paid to the writers who transmit that wisdom.
The internet, on the other hand, is radically egalitarian. There is no hierarchy.
A citizen of the Internet has a very different experience. The Internet smashes hierarchy and is not marked by deference…Internet culture is egalitarian. The young are more accomplished than the old. The new media is supposedly savvier than the old media. The dominant activity is free-wheeling, disrespectful, antiauthority disputation.
But the literary world is still better at helping you become cultivated, mastering significant things of lasting import. To learn these sorts of things, you have to defer to greater minds than your own. You have to take the time to immerse yourself in a great writer’s world. You have to respect the authority of the teacher.