Learning about Love from Paul Miller

I am profoundly indebted to Paul Miller.

Paul wrote the best book I've ever read on the subject of prayer, A Praying Life, which has deeply affected how I think of and practice prayer.

And Paul also wrote the best short book I've ever read on the subject of love, Love Walked Among Us. I appreciated this book so much I wrote a small group discussion guide for it.

Paul was a good friend of one of my mentors, David Powlison, and their likemindedness shows in their respective work.

I think it's quite a feat to write two of the best books I've ever read on two different topics!

Paul has a new book out this month called The J-Curve: Dying and Rising with Jesus in Everyday Life which I just started reading yesterday. I can't wait to find out what I'll learn from Paul Miller next.

This beautifully made video from Crossway gives a window in Paul, his life, and his thoughts. It's worth the time to watch. The theme is how love is not efficient.



Paul Miller's Story of Learning to Love from Crossway on Vimeo.

You can guess, by the way, how encouraging it was to learn that Paul had read my book and added his endorsement.

Read More

Appreciating CCEF

The Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation (CCEF) is celebrating their 50th anniversary this year, and I couldn’t appreciative them more.

CCEF has had a profound influence in my life and ministry. When I was a rookie pastor drowning in the difficulties and complexities of shepherding people, my friend Robert D. Jones introduced me the Journal of Biblical Counseling and the ministry of this biblical counseling think-tank based in Philadelphia. I didn’t know it at the time, but Bob had opened the door to some of the richest teaching and wonderful people who would greatly shape my thinking, my spiritual growth, and my whole approach to pastoral ministry–and even shoot me into the world of publishing!

CCEF was used by the Lord Jesus to revolutionize my philosophy of ministry. Actually, they really brought my philosophy of ministry fully home. "Biblical counseling" was simply working out in a practical way all of the implications, entailments, and applications of my theology: progressive sanctification, every-member ecclessiology, biblical anthropology, the sufficiency of Scripture.

I had been taught that biblical counseling was "take 2 Bible verses and call me in the morning," and that it saw every life problem as sin and that if your only tool was a hammer, then every problem would look like a nail. But the JBC told me something different. Every issue was full of true, do-able, timeless wisdom. And it was well-written and hopeful. It was engaging, and it met me right where I needed. It scratched me right where I itched.

Over the years, I went deeper into the ministry of CCEF: training sessions, workshops, books, audio recordings (what we used to call "tapes"), and eventually classes at Biblical Theological Seminary and Westminister Theological Seminary with CCEF faculty–David Powlison, Tim Lane, Bill Smith, Ed Welch, Winston Smith, Mike Emlet.

While at WTS, I had the idea of doing my doctoral project on the problem of gossip–how to biblically recognize, resist, and repent of it. Not only did the faculty encourage this idea, Ed Welch even suggested that I write my project as a book and then agreed to write the foreword when it was published by CLC five years ago.

And then after I graduated with my doctorate in pastoral counseling, the folks at CCEF have continued to encourage and challenge me. They published some of my work in the Journal of Biblical Counseling and on their blog, and they invited me to teach my resisting gossip material at their national conference. It’s a marvel to me that I have been able to contribute in a small way to the very thing that has been such a fountain of nourishment to me for the last two decades.

I don’t know where I’d be without CCEF. I do know that if there was no CCEF that my wife and kids wouldn’t be loved as well, my flock wouldn’t be cared for with as much loving skill, my preaching wouldn’t have as much insight into how the Bible maps onto everyday life, I wouldn’t know where to point people to consistently trustworthy resources for their problems, and there wouldn’t be a book floating around the world called Resisting Gossip: Winning the War of the Wagging Tongue. And most importantly, if there was no CCEF, I wouldn’t know Jesus as well or be as conformed to His image. CCEF has been a wonderful instrument in the Redeemer’s hands in my life. If the Lord tarries, I pray that He gives CCEF another 50 fruitful years of walking with others in wisdom and love.

Read More

How Does Sanctification Work?

David Powlison has had an enormous influence on me.

He's one of those teachers (in articles and books as well as live in class) who get counted on one hand as having an outsized impact on my thinking about how the Bible relates to life.

There are 52 items on my blog that I've tagged with his name, but most of the rest of my posts could legitimately have the same marking--since I first read the Journal of Biblical Counseling, David has been shaping the way I read my Bible, counsel others, and grow in Christ myself.

So when one of my favoritist teachers writes a book on his topic of expertise, I get my hands on a copy immediately!

In How Does Sanctification Work?, David uses his characteristic wisdom to unravel the various biblical strands that form the rope of sanctification (promises, commands, influences, etc.). The table of contents shows the questions he answers along the way (ex. "Is There One Key to Sanctification?") and how he ends with several chapters of case studies to show, not just tell, what he has to teach.

I've heard David lecture on these things before, and over the years, I've been greatly influenced by the teaching in chapter 3, "Truth Unbalanced and Rebalanced" where he gives this core premise, "Ministry 'unbalances' truth of the sake of relevance; theology 'rebalances' truth for the sake of comprehensiveness." Give the chapter a read to see what he means by that, but I can testify that it's really helpful for orienting your preaching, counseling, and discipling ministry.

In other words, this is a great book by a great teacher, and if you want to understand the biblical doctrine of sanctification better, you should read it.

Here are a few videos on this topic from CCEF:

Why Pursuing Sanctification Is More Than Just Remembering Justification from CCEF on Vimeo.


Is Sanctification Complex or Simple? (David Powlison; CCEF) from Desiring God on Vimeo.

Read More

Books I Read in 2016

This week, I've been posting about my top books and other really good books that I read in 2016.

Today, I'm posting the full list of books I completed* this year.

1. Settlers or Sojourners? by Marty Schoenleber, Jr. [Review]

2. Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins

3. Understanding Gender Dysphoria by Mark Yarhouse [EFCA Now Review]

4. Lost Children by Edith Pargeter

5. The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling

6. Jesus and the Land by Gary Burge

7. Rogue Lawyer by John Grisham

8. The Epistle to the Romans (NICNT) by Douglas Moo

9. The Epistle to the Romans (BNCT) by Thomas Schreiner

10. A Passion for God by Raymond Ortlund, Jr.

11. All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

12. Holiday with Violence by Ellis Peters

13. Good Master by Kate Seredy

14. Jesus and the Jihadis by Craig Evans and Jeremiah Johnston

15. Last Bus to Wisdom by Ivan Doig

16. The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra by Vaseem Khan

17. As for Me and My House by Walter Wangerin, Jr. [Review]

18. The Winter Queen by Boris Akunin

19. The Breath of Peace by Penelope Wilcock

20. Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris and Mrs. Harris Goes to New York by Paul Gallico

21. Murder on the Leviathan by Boris Akunin

22. The Turkish Gambit by Boris Akunin

23. Going Public by Bobby Jamieson [EFCA Now Review]

24. The Green Ember by S.D. Smith

25. Anna and the King by Margaret Landon

26. Death of Achilles by Boris Akunin

27. Do Ask, Do Tell, Let’s Talk by Brad Hambrick [EFCA Now Review]

28. The Assize of the Dying by Ellis Peters

29. The Way of the Righteous in the Muck of Life by Dale Ralph Davis

30. Special Assignments by Boris Akunin

31. The Man with Two Left Feet by P.G. Wodehouse

32. The State Counselor by Boris Akunin

33. The Phantom Rickshaw and Other Eerie Tales by Rudyard Kipling

34. Bear Is Broken by Lachlan Smith

35. Answering Jihad by Nabeel Qureshi 

36. Meet Mr. Mulliner by P.G. Wodehouse

37. Same Kind of Different As Me by Ron Hall & Denver Moore

38. Beating the College Debt Trap by Alex Chediak [Review]

39. She Lover of Death by Boris Akunin

40. How to Survive the Apocalypse by Robert Joustra and Alissa Wilkinson [EFCA Now Review]

41. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

42. Playing Saint by Zachary Bartels

43. 100 Cupboards by N.D. Wilson

45. 1 Kings: The Wisdom and the Folly by Dale Ralph Davis

46. He Lover of Death by Boris Akunin

47. Mulliner Nights by P.G. Wodehouse

48. The Diamond Chariot by Boris Akunin

49. The Last Con by Zachary Bartels

50. The Affinities by Robert Charles Wilson

51. A Few Quick Ones by P.G. Wodehouse

52. Sister Pelagia and the White Bulldog by Boris Akunin

53. Sister Pelagia and the Black Monk by Boris Akunin

54. More People to Love by Jason Abbott, and Benjamin Vrbicek [Review]

55. The Guns of Navarone by Alistair Macintyre

56. Good and Angry by David Powlison [Review]

57. Doctor Doctrine’s Christian Comix: The Word of God by Fred Sanders

58. Doctor Doctrine’s Christian Comix: On the Trinity by Fred Sanders

59. No God But One by Nabeel Qureshi [Review]

60. Uncle Fred in the Springtime by P.G. Wodehouse

61. The Imperfect Pastor by Zach Eswine [Review]

62. The Radical Book for Kids by Champ Thornton [My Interview with the Author]

63. God The Son Incarnate by Stephen Wellum [Top Book of 2016]

64. Expositional Preaching by David Helm [Review]

65. Hungry by Rondi Lauterbach


* These are books I finished reading in 2016, not the ones I started or the ones I didn't get done. I read a bunch of them for escapist fun, some for/with my kids, and a lot of them just to learn and grow. They aren't listed (perfectly) in the order I read them. Some of them I am reading for a second or third time. I read fewer books in 2016 than in previous years--it was a busy year with life going in several directions at once, and I hope to get into better habits again in 2017. 

As I say each and ever year--I'm not endorsing these books just because they are listed here. Some of them are really good and some are really bad. Most are somewhere in between. Read with discernment.

Here's the article where I explain why I post these.

Lists from previous years:

2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008 (first half, second half)
2007 (first half, second half)
2006 (first half, second half)
2005 (first half, second half)

Read More

My Top Books of 2016

The wild ride of 2016 has almost wound down, and it's time again to report on the good things I've had the privilege of reading this year.

What I Mean By "Top Books"

As in past years [2013 Top Books, 2014 Top Books, 2015 Top Books], my "Top Books" list is not necessarily the best books that were published that particular year or the most enjoyable either. I intend it to be a list of the Christian nonfiction books I read:

- that had the most personal impact on me, my thinking, my heart.
- that I was the most consistently enthusiastic about.
- that I kept coming back to again and again.
- that I couldn't help recommending to others (and recommend without reservations and significant caveats).

And so [drumroll please!], here they are:

5. The Radical Book for Kids by Champ Thornton

[Read my interview with the author.]

The book I was probably the most excited about in 2016 wasn't really written for guys like me. It's a kids book that I wish I had gotten to read when I was a kid.
I had the privilege of reading an advanced version of The Radical Book for Kids and got to offer this endorsement:

The Radical Book for Kids is deceptively fun! While preteens are utterly enjoying themselves with the creative games, hands-on projects, laugh-out-loud jokes, and cool stories, Champ Thornton is radically discipling them with a crash course on Bible study methods, hermeneutics, church history, biblical theology, and Christian life and ethics. This is the kind of book that stealthily helps parents, pastors, and teachers make young followers for Jesus Christ.

Here's what I added in my review for Amazon:

The Radical Book for Kids is a book you give your kids when they are too old for a Bible story book yet still too young for the book you're reading. I wish I knew all of this stuff when I was 10! I wish I had this book when my kids were 10! I can think of 10 kids that I want to give it to right now.

When I got my copy, I read parts out loud to my family, and they chuckled, hooted, and hollered at all the right places, and they didn't realize that they were learning something important. That's a mark of a great book!

4. No God But One by Nabeel Qureshi

[Read my Goodreads review.]

This one was probably not written for me, either, but I thought it was really well done and a wonderful resource for both Muslims and Christians to read.

I was first introduced to Nabeel Qureshi through reading his testimony in Christianity Today magazine and then picked up his second book Answering Jihad. No God But One is his third book and is laid out something like a debate. Qureshi has been a passionate apologist on both sides of the question of who is the true God, and he presents the best arguments for Allah and for Jesus in an incredibly fair way.

I'm biased, of course, being a Christian pastor, but I also believe that we should be comparing apples with apples and not stacking the deck (or mix in your favorite metaphor here). Highly recommended.

I've started his first more biographical book, Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus, to finish off the trilogy this year.

3. Good and Angry by David Powlison

This one was written for me (I unfortunately need it!), and I had been waiting for it for a very long time. Ever since I learned of the ministry of CCEF and the Journal of Biblical Counseling, I've been reading the excellent (though sporadic) articles that David has written on this difficult subject, and I've also heard him teach on it in person. And for all of those years, he's been promising a book-length treatment but has been providentially hindered from producing it. But now in 2016, Good & Angry has finally arrived, and I will be sharing it with others for a very long time.

Here's what I said in my Goodreads review:

David Powlison has a unique way of seeing and saying truth. He's both feisty and humble at the same time. In Good & Angry David captures both the essence of anger and all of its contours. David is one of the wisest people there is when it comes to understanding how people tick and how the Word of God meets and changes them.

Even the title says so much. I've been reading another pretty good book recently about how not to be personally offended, and I've been helped very much by it. But the author basically argues away the concept of righteous anger as a self-justifying fiction. Powlison, alternatively, would see anger redeemed and gives us biblical categories for understanding good anger (i.e. "the constructive displeasure of mercy"). Yet at the same time, Powlison never excuses sinful anger and constantly offers helpful counsel for change.

Not only does he break new ground, but he does it with gentleness and grace. He writes as one struggler to other fellow strugglers, and it feels like a personal conversation. I can hear his voice in every sentence. This book is biblical counseling at its best written by one of its leading theorists and practitioners.

2. The Imperfect Pastor by Zach Eswine

This one was (unfortuately) also written for me.

I did not enjoy this book, but, boy, did I need to read it.

Eswine's message in a nutshell:

"Mark this down, okay? You and I were never meant to repent for not being everywhere for everybody and all at once. You and I are meant to repent because we've tried to be" (pg. 74).

Reading The Imperfect Pastor quietly and slowly was an exercise in repentance for me and good medicine. There's nothing wrong with the book. It's so well-written it doesn't even taste like medicine going down. It's just that I'm sick with the disease that the author describes: pride.

I highly recommend it for new pastors just learning their craft and for older pastors who have not yet discovered joy in their limitations.  [From my Goodreads Review.]

1. God the Son Incarnate by Stephen Wellum

I just finished reading God the Son Incarnate on Christmas Eve, so I haven't had time yet to write a review, but it was definitely the topmost book I read.

Wellum has done a completely masterful job of unpacking the classical teaching on the person of Christ in 467 pages. His arguments are clearly written, sufficiently nuanced/complex, and virtually comprehensive. I learned so much about my Savior and was led into true worship of the Incarnate Son. It was a perfect read for this Christian pastor during the Advent Season. More books like this need written, and I need to read more of them.

 What a privilege it is to get to read and recommend valuable books like these!

Read More

And the Winner Is...

Congratulations go to Brent Bodenhamer for winning a free copy of Good & Angry by David Powlison,

Brent's comment was, "I'll be mad if I don't win." So I'm glad we dodged that bullet!

Send me your mailing information, Brent, so that we can get you your book.

And thank you to New Growth Press for sponsoring this contest!

Read More

Win a Copy of "Good & Angry" by David Powlison

It's hard to communicate how excited I am about this brand new book from David Powlison, Good & Angry, which officially releases on Monday.

I've been waiting 15 years for this book! 

Ever since I learned of the ministry of CCEF and the Journal of Biblical Counseling, I've been reading the excellent (though sporadic) articles that David has written on this difficult subject, and I've also heard him teach on it in person. And for all of those years, he's been promising a book-length treatment but has been providentially hindered from producing it. But now in 2016, Good & Angry has finally arrived!

Seeing Red

I haven't finished reading it, but I can already tell you that it's very good. David has a unique way of seeing and saying truth. He's both feisty and humble at the same time. He captures both the essence of anger and all of its contours. I think Andy Naselli nails it in calling David "the Yoda of biblical counseling," David is one of the wisest people when it comes to understanding how people tick and how the Word of God meets and changes them [I've been learning from and quoting him for years and years!].

Even the title says so much. I've been reading another pretty good book recently about how not to be personally offended, and I've been helped very much by it. But the author basically argues away the concept of righteous anger as a self-justifying fiction [see this excellent review of Unoffendable by my friend Benjamin Vrbicek]. Powlison, instead, would see anger redeemed and gives us biblical categories for understanding good anger (i.e. "the constructive displeasure of mercy").  Yet at the same time, Powlison never excuses sinful anger and constantlly offers helpful counsel for change.  [See this review by Tim Challies to get a fuller picture of the book's strengths.]

Not only does David break new ground, but he does it with gentleness and grace. He writes as one struggler to other fellow strugglers, and it feels like a personal conversation. I can hear his voice in every sentence. This book is biblical counseling at its best written by one its leading theorists and
practitioners.

Win One for Yourself!

Starting today, I'm offering a contest to win a free copy.

Entering this contest is very simple:

1. Leave a comment on this post (either here or on Facebook) with your name on it.

2. Wait to see if you win. I'll be drawing the names out of a hat. It's that easy! (Don't forget to check back or subscribe to updates to find out if you win--I'll need your mailing address if you do.)

You can also increase your chances of winning by posting about this contest on your social media page (FB, Twitter, Blog, Pinterest, etc.). Just send me an email or leave a comment with the link so that I know that you've expanded the reach of the contest. For each time you link to the contest, you get your name added to the hat one more time (limit of 7 chances, the contest ends at 12am EST on Wednesday night, September 21st).

I'll announce the winner on Thursday.

But if you can't wait, order your copy today!

Read More

[Matt's Messages] "Co-Workers"

“Co-Workers”
Working for the Lord - Fall 2015
November 29, 2015 :: Philippians 1:1-11

This is our second-to-last sermon in our series called “Working for the Lord,” where we’ve been exploring what the Bible says about what we spend most of our time doing each week.

It’s been so good to hear from so many of you that this series has helped you at your work all Fall. And I hope that it continues to bear fruit.

Even though this series will end next Sunday, Lord-willing, I plan to not continue to bring applications to our work-lives just about every Sunday from now on. I’ve been convicted that there needs to be a closer connection in application between what we  read on Sunday mornings and what we live out Monday through Saturday.

So, listen each week, even after this series is over, for more direct applications of how the truths we discover in our Bibles on Sunday mornings get lived out at work on Monday mornings.

And I was serious when I said last week that I’d like to visit you at your workplace. I’ve come to understand that my job as your pastor is more than just shepherding in homes and hospitals but also in the marketplace.

I’d love to drop by your job and learn more about what you do and also to pray for you there. And to meet your co-workers.

Co-workers are the subject of today’s message. Last week, I said that many of you in the sermon surveys have asked for wisdom on relating to your teammates on the job.

So that’s what today’s message is all about, and we’re going to study the first eleven verses of Philippians chapter 1 to gain some wisdom on that.

But first, there is another group of workers that I’d like to recognize.

Every week in this series, we’ve been asking different kinds of workers to stand and be celebrated for your unique contribution to the common good and for your calling to work for the Lord and not for men.

Last week, we asked everyone who interacts directly with the public to stand.

Today, I want to do the opposite. I want to ask the folks who often work in the back room to stand.

And here I’m thinking of IT professionals. Information technology folks.  Tech folks. Office workers. And management people. Folks that often sit in a back room and have to make out schedules and balance the checkbook and make personnel decisions.  You may not be the face or voice of the company, but if you folks in the back rooms don’t do your job, then nothing works, and no one gets paid. You are often the unseen engine that empowers the company.

Would you back-room-type folks please stand and be recognized?

Thank you!  Thank you for your contribution.

And thank you for serving the Lord in your work. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Whether anybody else notices it or not, thank you for doing your job for Him and for His glory.

And thank you for putting up with your co-workers!

I know that’s not always easy.

Most of us have co-workers.

There are a few people whose work alone, completely alone, but most of us have some kind of a team that we do our work with.

Now, maybe our co-workers do a very different part of the job than we do. Some are front office and some are back office. Some are labor and some are management.

But most of us have other people that we do our work with. We work on some kind of a team.

And when that team is working well together, it can be terrific.

That was the apostle Paul’s experience with his gospel-sharing team, wasn’t it?

Verses 1 through 8 of our text for today reveal how deeply thankful Paul was for the team he was on.

When Paul sat down for Thanksgiving like we all did on Thursday and counted his blessings, his co-laborers in Christ were near the top of his list. V.1 again.

“Paul and Timothy, servants [together] of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons [the leadership there]:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy [why?] because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

I had a missionary friend send me these very verses this week to express his thanksgiving that we are in partnership with him in his gospel work.

Whenever Paul thought about his co-workers at Phillippi, he was thankful.

Whenever Paul thought about his partners in his work, he was filled not just with confidence that God would complete His work in them, but gratitude that they got to work together for the Lord.

Does that describe you and your situation?

Now, Paul was talking specifically about gospel work here. This is the work of the church. This is missions.

But the principle carries over into our vocations, as well, doesn’t it?  Because all of our work is ministry, right? At least it should be, because it is the same Lord Christ we are serving on all of our jobs.

So, it is possible to feel this way about our co-workers today.

And I know that many of you do. I see your posts on social media about how thankful you are to work with so many great people each day.

I see you celebrate the accomplishments of your teams at work, and my heart rejoices with you that you have something good to exult in and teammates to exult with.

Look at see how much Paul felt it. V.7

“It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God's grace with me. God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.”

That last phrase in the Greek is literally, “with the entrails of Christ Jesus.”

“I love you guys with all of Jesus’ guts!”

And that’s how I feel about you all here. Because we are all co-workers in the gospel just like Paul and the Philippians.

So when that team is working well together, it can be terrific.

But it doesn’t always work that way, does it?

What about the times when it’s difficult to get along with your co-workers?

Last week, I joked that the sixth commandment was about dealing with co-workers, “Thou shall not murder.”

A number of you have asked for help with dealing with difficult co-workers in the survey sheets that we put out.

I got this email the other day, (mostly tongue-in-cheek, I hope), “How do we work for the Lord and maintain our level of compassion and Christianity when all we want to do is strangle our co-workers!? And now, you have a glimpse of my work week, too...”

I assume that many of you can relate to that question.

Sometimes it’s not the work that’s so hard, it’s who we have to work with.

So, what do you with a difficult co-worker?

The answer is, “It depends.”

Right?  I mean what kind of a difficult co-worker do you have?

What is the situation? What is your relationship with that co-worker? How often do they do what they do that is problematic?  Is it just annoying or is it sinful and wrong?

Is it unethical and immoral? Or is it just a way of doing things differently than how you would do it?

Is it how they dress or act? Is it how they act on the job or how they act when they are not on the job, but you have to deal with them there?

What drives their difficult behaviors? What is the root problem?

And what is your responsibility to them? What are you expected to do or not do?

You see how it depends?

There is no one-size-fits-all answer to those questions.

I wish I could say, “Here’s how you deal with a difficult co-worker in six easy steps.”

But life is messier than that.

And the Bible’s wisdom is richer than that, as well.

It depends. So what you need is wisdom.

And the Bible says that there are two main ways to get wisdom.

One is to dig for it in God’s Word.
And two is to pray that God would give it to you.

And those are not mutually exclusive.

Dig for wisdom in God’s Word and pray that God would graciously grant it to you.

So, if you’re having trouble on the job with your co-workers, you should be ransacking your Bible for wisdom.

And let me recommend to you especially the book of Proverbs.

The book of Proverbs is chock full of wisdom for relating to difficult co-workers. The Proverbs have a word for folks like that. It calls them “the fool.”

And sometimes we act like the fool, and sometimes interact with others who are being foolish.

I highly recommend that you go through the book of Proverbs and underline every verse that says how to relate to a fool. You will find all kinds of wisdom for on the job. How to answer a fool, how not to answer a fool, how and when to send a fool on an mission or with a message. How to talk to a fool and how not to talk to one. What to share with them and what not to.

And how to not be a fool. Very important that we ourselves not become the difficult co-workers who are so hard to work with! Like the slacker/sluggard, right?

Don’t be that guy.

So, again, if you are struggling to work with a difficult co-worker, then the book of Proverbs is your friend.  “Dig-in, dig-in, dig-in like you’re searching for gold!”

But don’t just read your Bible. Talk with the Author, as well.

The second way the Bible says to get the wisdom we need is to ask God for it.

That’s what James says, right, in his first chapter?

“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5).

And that’s also where Paul goes next in verses 9 through 11 of Philippians 1.

Paul explains what he regularly prays for the Philippian church, and somewhat surprisingly, it’s a prayer for wise love. Or what I’ve often called “smart love.”

Because even though Paul was experiencing gratitude and joy for his partnership  in ministry with the Philippians, the Philippians themselves were experiencing some level of conflict within their church.

We talked about this a few weeks ago when we read chapter 2 together and talked about our attitude at work. That we need to develop a servant attitude and not complain and a grumble.

It appears that two key lady leaders at Philippi were in a quarrel with one another. Chapter four gives us their names of Euodia and Syntyche. And there were probably others there who were struggling to get along with each other.

It was one of the reasons why Paul wrote this letter to them, to try to help them to work it out.

The Philippians needed God to give them wisdom for loving each other.

Let’s read verses 9 through 11.

“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ–to the glory and praise of God.”

Point number one of three this morning:

#1. PRAY FOR A GROWING “SMART LOVE.”

In dealing with difficult co-workers, we need to be regularly praying to God that He would grant us a growing and wise kind of love.

You see that in verse 9. Paul says that he prays, “that your love may abound more and more”–so that’s where I get “growing.”

Paul prays that they would not have a small love but a big love and an increasingly larger love.

Do you pray that?

Do you pray that you would love your difficult co-workers?

We should.

Not just the ones that we enjoy. They are easy to love.

And not just the co-workers who are basically okay but annoying.

Our Lord Jesus said that we are to love our enemies.

And that’s not just ISIS.

That’s loving the co-worker who stabs you in the back when you aren’t watching.
That’s loving the co-worker who is vying for your job.
That’s loving the co-worker who took credit for your work.
That’s loving the co-worker who said those nasty things about you last week.

Our Lord Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:43-45a).

And it makes sense that we would pray for ourselves that we our love for them would grow.

One of our prayer requests should be that our love would be larger today than it was last year.

Do you love others on the job more today than you did a year ago?

The word for “abound” here in verse 9 is “periseuo.” That’s the root word that I once demonstrated by over-filling a cup of water up here on the stage.  It means to be full to overflowing.

“And this is my prayer: that your love may [overflow] more and more in knowledge and depth of insight...”

That’s what I call “smart love.”

We don’t tend to put those things together, smart and love, but they absolutely should go together.

The Greek word for love here is “agape,” and that’s the word that the New Testament writers go to the most to describe the kind of sacrificial love that God demonstrated for us in Christ and that we are to grow in for others.

1 Corinthians 13 love.

David Powlison calls it, “contra-conditional love.” Love that goes against all expectations and deserts.  He says that it’s better than un-conditional love! This is a love that shows commitment even though the person being loved not only does nothing to deserve it, the person being loved actually does things to deserve the opposite than love.

This is a love that is committed to what is best for the other person regardless of the personal cost.  Regardless of the sacrifice.

A love that goes beyond feelings (even in spite of feelings) to commitment.

And Paul prays that this growing love would be...smart.

That their love would “abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight...”

A growing, SMART kind of love.

Now, we don’t normally think about love being smart or dumb. We tend to think about it being either hot or cold or somewhere in between.

But Paul prays that the Philippians love would be SMART.  They would love in knowledge.  They would love (King James says,) “in all judgment.” In depth of insight. A SMART kind of love.

What’s that mean?

Well, think for a second about the opposite. Not just a sentimental kind of love, not just a dumb, bland love, not just a mushy love that doesn’t know what it’s trying to accomplish.

This is a love that has its head about it. This is a love that knows what it’s doing. This is a smart love, a wise love, a love that can really achieve its aim.

Do you see why that’s the kind of love that we need on the job?

Love that knows what it’s doing.

Have you ever struggled to know HOW to love someone?

I sure have. Lots of times.

I often say, “I don’t know where to start with so-and-so.”

I know that my job is to love the, but I don’t know how.

I maybe even feel love for them but I don’t know the best way to express it. What would really help them?  What would really hit the spot?

Paul says that we need to be praying for that.

This is a prayer that we would grow in our ability to know how to love intelligently.

To love wisely.  To love in knowledge and depth of insight.

So that (v.10) “you may be able to discern what is best.”

How often do we do that about our work?

How often do we do that about our relationships with our co-workers?

I think that most of the time, we pray that our co-workers would smarten up, but this is a prayer that we would smarten up and be better able to love them well.

Why is this smart-love so important?  Paul gives 2 main reasons, and they are our last two points.

One is super important for us and the other is ultimately important in the universe.

#2. SO THAT WE WOULD GROW IN CHRISTLIKENESS.  V.10

We should pray for a growing-smart love for our co-workers so that WE would grow in Christlikeness. V.10

“[And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,] so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ–to the glory and praise of God.”

Notice the “so that” in v.10.  This smart-love makes us able to discern. Or literally to “prove and approve and choose” what is best. Not just what is good, but what is best.

Remember, the “good” is often the enemy of the “best.”

And this is a prayer that we would be able to smart-love in such a way as to recognize the best. What is excellent. What is the most suitable, the most favorable, the most God-pleasing, the wisest, the best thing to chose.

And then, to chose that in such a way that we live (v.10) “pure and blameless until [or  “in view of”] the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ.”

This is growing in Christlikeness.

Paul prays that the Philippians would grow in smart love so that they would more and more look like Jesus.

Jesus, more than anyone, has smart-love. He always knew what to say, what to feel, what to do, how to love in knowledge and depth of insight.

Jesus, more than anyone, was pure and blameless.  He was totally holy and perfect in every way.

Jesus, more than anyone, was filled with the fruit of righteousness.  His words, His actions, His choices, His behaviors, His fruit was perfectly characterized by righteousness.

So, this smart-love that we’re supposed to pray for produces Christlikeness.

And we’re supposed to pray that we would grow in that until (towards) the day of Christ. The day when Christ’s glory is fully revealed.

We should pray this way (for a growing smart love) so that we would grow in Christlikeness.

And what would that do on our jobs?

It would point people to Jesus, wouldn’t it?

If you and I, as servants, looked more and more like our Master, our co-workers would be more and more drawn to our Master.

What does He look like?

Well, take the fruit of the Spirit for one.

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

That’s what we will look like if we are becoming like Christ. And if we follow the wisdom that God has given for us live out.

Often, the co-workers that have been given to us are for our sanctification.

God has providentially provided these particular co-workers so that we would pray for smart love and grow in that love so that we would become holy in new ways, ways that we weren’t before.

Pure and blameless.

Filled with the fruit of righteousness.

In ways that we never would have been if God hadn’t plunked us down with these particular co-workers.

Does that help at all?

It doesn’t mean that they aren’t difficult. They can be really bad.

But it does mean that God wants to use even them to refine you.

That’s what we ought to pray!

Let give you some good news before we look at point #3.

This work of producing Christlikeness in you is God’s work. And if you belong to God, He’s committed to doing it in you!

I love this little phrase that is easy to miss in v.11.  It’s this one, “filled with the fruit of righteousness THAT COMES THROUGH JESUS CHRIST.”

The Lord is the one that is doing this work!  We are called to pray and to cooperate. But God is doing it.  Remember verse 6.

“...He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Who began the work?  God did.

Who carries it to completion?  God does!

When is the work done? Today?  “Until (or towards) the day of Christ Jesus.”

That’s the same day that our purity and blamelessness is aimed at.

That’s the same Christ who is producing in us the fruit of righteousness. It comes from Him and it is for Him.  And we can rest on Him to produce it in us.

V.11 again.  “...the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ.”

And notice how much!  “Filled.”

Normally, we’d say “bearing the fruit of righteousness.”

But Paul doesn’t just see one apple on the fruit tree. Paul sees God producing a bucket-full of fruit from the work of Jesus in our lives! An orchard-full of fruit. “Filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ.”

You might be discouraged today that you haven’t grown on the job like you think you should. But I want to encourage you, if you belong to Jesus, He is busy completing His good work that He has begun in you.  He wants to fill you with good fruit for His day.

Why?

There is a more ultimate reason that we pray this way than to just grow in Christlikeness and spiritual maturity. It’s God’s glory.  V.11

“[And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ]–TO THE GLORY AND PRAISE OF GOD.”

#3. SO GOD WOULD GET THE GLORY AND PRAISE.

We should pray for this growing smart love for our co-workers in order that when all is said and done God would get the praise and the glory from our life and our work.

This is the ultimate reason for Jesus’ work in our life. And it should be the ultimate motive in our prayers and our growth in Christlikeness and our relationships with oru co-workers and our work.

That God would get the ultimate in praise and glory forever.

Is that why you go to work?

Is that why you relate to your co-workers?

It’s not just to pay the bills.

It’s not just to get things done.

It’s so that God gets the praise and glory that He deserves forever and ever.

That perspective changes everything doesn’t it?

So that difficult co-worker is not just there to give you trouble.

He or she is not even just there so that you could grow in Christlikeness while you relate to them in love.

They are there, ultimately, so that when you respond with smart-love and grow in your ability to discern what is best, and become like Jesus, God gets the glory for it all.

If that’s your every day goal in your working relationships, then you can’t go wrong.

You may not know how to fix things and things may not get better.

But God will get the glory, and that’s what counts the most for all eternity.


***

Messages in this Series

01. Working for the Lord
02. Is Work - Good Or Bad?
03. Why Work?
04. Working at Witnessing
05. Get to Work!
06. Work and Rest
07. Called to Work
08. Prayer at Work
09. Your Attitude at Work
10. Working in the Name of the Lord
11. Love at Work
12. Co-Workers

Read More

In the JBC: "Why Is This Sordid Story in the Bible?"

The newest issue of the Journal of Biblical Counseling from CCEF has just been released, and I have an article in it.

My article is entitled Why Is This Sordid Story in the Bible?: Four Reasons to Read about the Rape of Tamar.

You can read a preview here. It's my first JBC article that doesn't relate very closely to the problem of gossip.

In his editorial and introduction to the issue, editor David Powlison writes:

Next comes a sermon from Matt Mitchell. In “Why Is This Sordid Story in the Bible?: Four Reasons to Read about the Rape of Tamar,” Mitchell walks us through the violent and shameful details of 2 Samuel 13, which include evil scheming, rape, murder, a banished son and a passive king. It’s easy to want to avoid this story, but there are good and important reasons why it is in the Bible.

I recommend subscribing to the JBC. It's inexpensive and always worth what you pay. They are also available on Kindle.

Read More

The Principle of Overflow

One last section on the theological building blocks before we put them together to articulate a biblical definition of gossip.

Overflow: The Source of Good and Bad Words

The second aspect of the broader theological framework for us to consider is the source of words. From where do words come? We have already seen the Bible’s answer to this in several places, but it will be helpful to consider the Bible’s explicit teaching about the source of good and bad words.

In Matthew 12, the Lord Jesus excoriates the Pharisees for assigning a satanic origin to his exorcizing power. He indicates that their accusatory words come from their evil hearts.

Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned (Matt 12:33-37, cf. Luke 6:45).

D.A. Carson explains, “That Jesus describes the evil of the ‘brood of vipers’ in terms of their hearts or natures does not thereby excuse them. Far from it! . . . Jesus is saying that every spoken word reflects the heart’s overflow and is known to God. Therefore words are of critical importance.”⁹⁸

Words come from hearts. Leon Morris says, “The heart is used here as an inclusive term to denote ‘the seat of the physical, spiritual and mental life . . . as center and source of the whole inner life, w. its thinking, feeling, and volition’ (BAGD, 1 and 1b). It is what the heart is full of (abundance) that determines what anyone says. People do not speak out of character.”⁹⁹

Matthew records Jesus teaching something very similar in chapter 15. “But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean.’ For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immortality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what make a man ‘unclean’; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him unclean” (Matt 15:18-20, see the parallel in Mark 7:20-23).

Words Come From Hearts

This heart-word connection was also taught in the Old Testament. “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” (Prov 4:23). Life overflows from the heart. “The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is of little value. The lips of the righteous nourish many, but fools die for lack of judgment” (Prov 10:20-21). The Hebrew parallelisms equate the tongue and the heart and closely connect the lips of the righteous with the lack of judgment in the heart of the fool.¹⁰⁰

James is certainly building upon this teaching when he asks, “Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water” (Jas 3:11-12). The only way to truly clean up our speech is to change something at the headwaters, the spring, the root, the source of our words.¹⁰¹

This principle of overflow is very important to grasp for recognizing and resisting gossip. Sinful gossip comes from a sinful heart. The intent of the speaker is crucial. We have seen in both testaments the careless (at best) and malicious (at worst) intentions of those who gossip. What is motivating someone to spread bad news about someone else? As we have noted, motivation is also important for listening. Why are we so attracted to gossip (Prov 18:8, 26:22)? What in our souls is magnetically drawn towards bad news?

Often, to recognize sinful gossip as sinful, Christ-followers will need to be somewhat aware of their motives in either talking about or listening to bad news about someone else.¹⁰² Our hearts are active, and what overflows from them will have to be accounted for on the day of judgment (Matt 12:36-37).

Notes

[98] D.A. Carson, Matthew, EBC 8 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1984), 293.

[99] Leon Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew, PNTC (Grand Rapids: Wm B. Eerdmans, 1992), 321.

[100] Examples abound. See, for example, Prov 10:8-10, 14, 31-32, Prov 15:1-4, 28.

[101] For more on the centrality of the heart, see the many works of CCEF especially Timothy S. Lane and Paul David Tripp, How People Change (Greensboro: New Growth Press, 2006), Paul David Tripp, Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands: People in Need of Change Helping People in Need of Change (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2002), Edward T. Welch, When People Are Big and God Is Small: Overcoming Peer Pressure, Codependency, and the Fear of Man (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 1997), Edward T. Welch, Running Scared: Fear, Worry, and the God of Rest (Greensboro: New Growth Press, 2007), Winston T. Smith, Marriage Matters: Extraordinary Change Through Ordinary Moments (Greensboro: New Growth Press, 2010), Michael R. Emlet, CrossTalk: Where Life & Scripture Meet (Greensboro: New Growth Press, 2009), and David Powlison, Seeing with New Eyes: Counseling and the Human Condition Through the Lens of Scripture (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2003).

[102] They will also, while guarding against judgmentalism, have to be aware of possible motives of those with whom they are communicating.

Previous Posts in "Toward a Definition of Gossip"

New Blog Series: Toward a Definition of Gossip
Gossip in the Old Testament
Hebrew Words for Gossip: "Rakil"
Hebrew Words for Gossip: "Nirgan"
Hebrew Words for Gossip: "Lashon Seter"
Hebrew Words for Gossip: "Libo Yiqebbats Aven Lo Yetse Lahuts Yedabber"
Evil Listening
Evil Reports
Meddling
Bearing False Witness
Gossip in the New Testament
Greek Words for Gossip: "Psithurismos" and "Katalalia" (Part One)
Greek Words for Gossip: "Psithurismos" and "Katalalia" (Part Two)
Greek Words for Gossip: "Phluareo" and "Phluaros" (Part One)
Greek Words for Gossip: "Phluareo" and "Phluaros" (Part Two)
Greek Words for Gossip: "Phluareo" and "Phluaros" (Part Three)
Greek Words for Gossip: "Dilogos" and "Diabolos"
The Power of Words
The Power of Story

Read More

"Need to Know" in the Journal of Biblical Counseling

The newest issue of CCEF's Journal of Biblical Counseling (Vol. 28, No. 1, Spring 2014) is now available online.

As usual, it looks to be a treasure trove, and I can't wait to dive in.

I have an article this issue entitled, "Need to Know" about my own information addiction [preview].

David Powlison introduces it in his editorial:

Given the information age in which we live, I suspect that many of you will be able to relate to our first Lives in Process article “Need to Know.” With candor and wit, Matt Mitchell invites us into the dynamics of his information addiction. His story just may help you understand some of the dynamics at play in your own life—and in the lives of others to whom you minister.

Read the whole thing (subscription required--please support the JBC!).

Read More

Even More Books from 2013

Last week, I posted my first ever top books of 2013 list and also some other good books that I recommend.

This week, at the year's very end, I'll be posting my traditional list of all of the books I finished this year.

Today, I wanted to highlight several other books that I read this year for which I am grateful.  These are books that challenged me in significant ways. I don't necessarily agree with them or can't recommend them without some caveat or providing some explanatory context, but I am very glad that I read them because of how they sharpened me.

If you only have a little time for books, I recommend reading the best of the best. But if you have time and curiosity, it's really good to read books that stretch you.

Torn: Rescuing the Gospel from the Gays-vs.-Christians Debate by Justin Lee

I ran a several post series evaluating this important book:

#1 Gay
#2. Torn about Torn - Five Things I Appreciated
#3. Torn about Torn - Three Things That Disturbed Me Most

(I still have a fourth post in mind to finish that series some day.)

Of Games and God: A Christian Exploration of Video Games by Kevin Schut

I read this book to coordinate its reviews in EFCA Today magazine and look forward to linking to those reviews when they come out.

I enjoyed reading Schut's book, especially because it was written by someone who is both an avid gamer and a deep Christian thinker.

I'm not sure I agreed with all of his conclusions, but it's a great conversation starter about a humongous phenomenon.

Understanding Spiritual Warfare: Four Views ed. by James Beilby and Paul Eddy

I'm really glad I read this one in conjunction with coordinating these review at EFCA Today.

The contributors really come from incredibly different perspectives and reach very different conclusions, but they interact graciously with each other and do a good job of showing how they got where they ended up.

I learned something from each chapter but believe that David Powlison understands the Bible the best. I think this one should be read by every seminarian (if they don't read a book by each contributor). The only thing missing was a chapter by Neil Anderson to represent his popular perspective.

The Evolution of Adam: What the Bible Does and Doesn't Say about Human Origins by Peter Enns 

Challenging read. I learned a lot. I agreed with many of his values and appreciated what he felt like he compelled to attempt with this book (to honestly re-read the biblical data in the light of evolutionary science, extra-biblical context, and the new perspectives on Paul).  I also appreciated his tone--I had expected more combativeness. He was winsome and sympathetic, I thought, to his opponents.

On the other hand, I didn't agree with many many of his premises and therefore thought his conclusions were all wrong.

I was glad I read it in conjunction with this one:

Did Adam and Eve Really Exist?: Who They Were and Why You Should Care by C. John Collins

Collins establishes a "Mere Adam-and-Eve-Ism," trying to demonstrate the least of what is essential to affirm about A&E from the Bible. Then he explores several scenarios for reconciling this data to the current scientific conclusions.

I learned a lot and was affirmed in my faith. The author knows his stuff and is a clear writer. I still have lots of questions, though I think Collins handily answered a number of the questions Enns had raised in The Evolution of Adam. More thinking (and reading) required for me.

Read More

"A Gallery of Gossips" in the Journal of Biblical Counseling

The latest issue of The Journal of Biblical Counseling (27:3) is now available.

It includes an article adapted from chapter 3 of Resisting Gossip entitled "A Gallery of Gossips." [Preview, Purchase]

In his lead-off editorial "Changing Seasons," David Powlison writes:

As I refect on our table of contents for this issue, I am struck by how many ways the brokenness of the human condition afects daily life. We gossip, we feel anxious because of unrealistic expectations, we are perfectionistic, we struggle with wayward
sexuality, we do not understand our own motives.

I am equally struck by God's provision for us. His proverbs offer accessible practical help. The words of God in Genesis teach us how our written words can have the power to bless others. God lays bare the tendency of the human heart to worship idols so that he might give grace to restore us to himself. God-given, practical wisdom helps us to think well about complex pastoral questions.

Let me introduce these articles to you.

We begin with "A Gallery of Gossips" by Matt Mitchell. We’ve all been guilty of talking about others. Stories about other people titillate us, tempting us to pass the story on to the next person. Mitchell helpfully identifies five common types of gossips. He explores the potential motivations of each, and pinpoints how the gospel of Christ provides an escape from the temptation to gossip. Come at this article humbly, as you just may see yourself in one (or more!) of these types of gossips.

I'm excited to dig into the other articles. As usual, the JBC looks to be a treasure trove.

***

Being in the JBC is a check off on the "bucket list" for me as I've had an aspiration to a contributor for about as long as I've known about it's existence (more than a dozen years). It's a joy to be listed in the table of contents today. Thanks to David Powlison, Kim Monroe, Lauren Whitman for including and working with me. And thanks to Dave Almack, Tracey Lewis-Giggets and the team at CLC for giving permission for this material to be used in the JBC.

Read More

Small Talk: Building a Bridge or Building a Wall

"You are actually with small talk either building a bridge or building a wall. Small talk is always going somewhere. It's either a way to break the ice and make contact or it's a way to brush you off and never have anything more to do with you."

-David Powlison, General Session #1 "All Relationships Are Intentional" at the CCEF Conference "Not Alone."

Read More

Gossip and the Journal of Biblical Counseling

I love the JBC. I can remember reading it for the first time more than a decade ago--even the spot where I laid it down in between readings.

The current issue came out when we were on vacation this Summer, and I didn't get to read it through until recently.

I was helped by each of the articles, and was struck with how many had a direct bearing on the subject of resisting gossip:

• Pierce Hibbs's theological understanding of what words are and do.

• Paul Tripp on how powerful our words are.

• David Powlison on how sanctification works, told in a series of personal stories.

Announcement:

For years, it has been on my "bucket list" to be published in the JBC. I'm excited to share that the next issue of the Journal of Biblical Counseling will include an article that is a chapter lifted and lighted edited from Resisting Gossip. Thank you, Lord!

Read More

Exacerbating the Problem of Gossip

We are continuing our "Taking Sides" series on the problem of gossip. Last week, we looked at people who could be considered proponent of gossip. Today, we think together about things like technology that exacerbate the problem.

***

Legal expert Daniel Solove says, “The Internet is transforming the nature and effects of gossip.”¹ The changes are far reaching. “It is making gossip more permanent and widespread, but less discriminating in the appropriateness of the audience.”²

In the offline world, rarely does gossip hit a tipping point. The process of spreading information to new people takes time, and friends often associate in similar circles, so most secrets don’t spread too widely. The Internet takes this phenomenon and puts it on steroids. People can communicate with tens of thousands–even millions–of people almost simultaneously. . . . On the Internet, gossip can more readily jump the boundaries of various social circles, because all it takes is for the gossip to come to the attention of a connector blog, where it can become contagious and spread far and wide throughout cyberspace.³

Solove is concerned about these developments and what they mean for society. His 2007 book The Future of Reputation: Gossip, Rumor and Privacy on the Internet analyzes the effects of the rise of blogging and other social media on the concepts of reputation from both social and legal perspectives. With vivid illustrations and clear prose, he discusses shaming, free speech, anonymity, accountability, law, privacy, the abundance of information, and gossip.⁴ Solove also suggests how new laws could be conceived to meet the challenges of the digital age. “I believe that it is imperative that we do something to address the developments inherent in the marriage of traditional gossip to the technology of the Internet.”⁵

Christian theologians are concerned, as well. Pastor Timothy Keller and counselor David Powlison opine together,

One obvious genius of the internet is that it’s “viral.” Information explodes to the whole world. The old neighborhood grapevine and the postal service seem like ox-carts in a speed-of-light universe. (Do twenty-somethings even know what those antiquities once were? In the old days, people had to talk to each other or stick a stamp on an envelope.) Instantaneous transmission produces some wonderfully good things. Truth, like joy, is infectious. A great idea feeds into a million inboxes. But it also produces some disastrous evils. Lies, rumors, and disinformation travel just as far and just as fast.⁶

One does not have to spend much time on Facebook to see what Solove, Keller, and Powlison are talking about. One’s “friends” say all manner of things about all manner of people “behind their backs,” often in ways they would never speak to their friends even face to face!

Technology has always improved the good and exacerbated evil. Cuneiform and stylus, pen and ink, codex and scroll have all been tools of both malicious and virtuous hearts. Without them, we would not have the Bible nor Mein Kampf. The greater the technology, the greater the amplification and complexity. Broadcaster Hugh Hewitt documents the rise of blogging and compares it to the advent of the printing press which facilitated the Protestant Reformation.⁷

Because of the size and speed of the Internet, everything seems to have changed. Businesses are scrambling to adapt. Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff of Forrester Research have written a long book of strategies for dealing with what they call the Groundswell.⁸ These strategies range from simply understanding the new paradigm to using its strengths against itself.

Christians must adapt, as well. Keller and Powlison conclude their exhortations.

What you should never do is rush to judgment, or withdraw from loving another, or pass on the negative report to others. This is challenge enough when you’re dealing with the local grapevine or slow-moving postal service. In a world of instant world-wide communication of information it’s an even bigger challenge, because you can do bigger damage more quickly. Whether the bad report offers true information, or partial information, or disinformation, or false information—it is even more important that you exercise great discretion, and that you take pains to maximize boots-on-the-ground interpersonal relationships.⁹

---

⁹Justin Taylor, Timothy Keller, and David Powlison, “Keller and Powlison: Should You Pass On Bad Reports?” Between Two Worlds Blog, entry posted August 4, 2008, http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2008/08/04/keller-and-powlison-should-you-pass-on/ (accessed June 30, 2011).

---

¹Daniel J. Solove, The Future of Reputation: Gossip, Rumor, and Privacy on the Internet (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2007), 74.

²Ibid.

³Ibid., 62-63.

⁴Solove is no Luddite nor afraid of salty public speech. He blogs himself at www.concurringopinions.com and his ribald illustrations throughout the book make this reader blush.

⁵Daniel J. Solove, The Future of Reputation: Gossip, Rumor, and Privacy on the Internet (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2007), 75.

⁶Justin Taylor, Timothy Keller, and David Powlison, “Keller and Powlison: Should You Pass On Bad Reports?” Between Two Worlds Blog, entry posted August 4, 2008, http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2008/08/04/keller-and-powlison-should-you-pass-on/ (accessed June 30, 2011).

⁷Hugh Hewitt, Blog: Understanding the Information Reformation That’s Changing Your World. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2005).

⁸Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff, Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies (Boston: Harvard Business Press, 2008).

⁹Justin Taylor, Timothy Keller, and David Powlison, “Keller and Powlison: Should You Pass On Bad Reports?” Between Two Worlds Blog, entry posted August 4, 2008, http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2008/08/04/keller-and-powlison-should-you-pass-on/ (accessed June 30, 2011).

Read More