Adam McHugh provides a very reflective and open-minded resource in his Introverts in the Church: Finding our Place in an Extroverted Culture (Intervarsity Press, 2009). As I began to digest it, I soon thought of two books published in the past few years—one, Susan Cain’s Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking (Penguin, 2012) and second, more tangentially related, Angela Duckworth’s Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance (Scribner, 2016). As it turns out upon my investigation, Adam McHugh has been a contributor to the Quiet Revolution blog (www.quietrev.com), an online resource led by author Susan Cain. While McHugh has also published more recently with IVP (The Listening Life: Embracing Attentiveness in a World of Distraction, 2015), his title that has been out for nearly a decade now contains some personal account of his own struggle during the time of his preparation for pastoral ministry, struggle which nearly prompted him to take the step of resignation from the ordination process following seminary study, and potentially shutting the door on a future in ministry. He relays the connection he experienced early on with the persevering, studious characteristics needed in the academic aspect of graduate school; and yet, while enjoying close relationship with others, he struggled to maintain the pace of public interpersonal interaction that is often called for in the work of ministry. [Read more…] about Book Review: Introverts in the Church
leadership
Unroll the Scroll (Scholar’s Compass)
Scripture
“Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord†(cf. Isaiah 37:14, NIV). [Read more…] about Unroll the Scroll (Scholar’s Compass)
Book Review: Faith-Rooted Organizing, by Rev. Alexia Salvatierra and Peter Heltzel
Faith-Rooted Organizing: Mobilizing the Church in Service to the World, Rev. Alexia Salvatierra and Peter Heltzel. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2014.
Summary: Most advocacy and activism efforts have been organized around secular principles. The authors explore what organizing and advocacy work that is deeply and thoroughly rooted in Christian principles would look like and illustrate this from their years of experience. [Read more…] about Book Review: Faith-Rooted Organizing, by Rev. Alexia Salvatierra and Peter Heltzel
A Biblical Basis for Secular Knowledge (Scholar’s Compass)
Reading
Reflection
In an evangelical world in which “secular†knowledge is sometimes not valued, it’s important to remember that the Bible itself, at least in a couple of instances, supports the learning and use of what’s sometimes termed “secular†knowledge. Of course, there is no such thing as “secular†knowledge, really. There is simply knowledge, and God has all of the knowledge it’s possible to have, including the “secular†and “sacred†kind. So, we really shouldn’t have to defend the use of “secular†knowledge. Nevertheless, the following places in Scripture are useful: [Read more…] about A Biblical Basis for Secular Knowledge (Scholar’s Compass)
Science Corner: The Hunger Simulations
Most human societies have some kind of hierarchy, which means some folks have more of something — power, money, time — than others. And mutually beneficial cultural artifacts like aqueducts require cooperation and coordination. Yet at least in the short term, there is no advantage to the giver in yielding resources to another. This raises the question — how did the first hierarchies form? [Read more…] about Science Corner: The Hunger Simulations