Every Good Endeavour - Tim Keller, Katherine Leary Alsdorf

Introduction

obstacles - expressive individualism; job vs. vocation; work to live vs. live to work

hope - Leaf by Niggle by J.R.R. Tolkien (the author of The Lord of the Rings, writer's block, question his vision to produce a fantasy, in the league of The Iliad, The Mahabharata); our work will bear fruit in heaven; Is this idea backed by the scripture?

how to make the right choice - ability (Can you do it?), affinity (Do you like it?), opportunity (Is there any open position?);

Part One: God's Plan for Work

1. The Design of Work - God-ordained; God did work and God saw that the creation was good; God took rest; Jesus was a carpenter (The Chosen); Paul was a tent-maker;
2. The Dignity of Work - basic human need; The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro (depicts the dignity of labour, the protagonist is a butler); Mike, the doorman;
3. Work as Cultivation - culture mandate (culture building); job description (Genesis 1)
4. Work as Service - the Divine providence; spiritual work vs. secular work (Martin Luther, we have many needs including food, clothing, shelter, WiFi);

Part Two: Our Problems with Work

1. Work becomes fruitless - sin (paradise lost, things fall apart); two extremes: idealism (optimistic about good end-result) vs. cynicism (pessimistic about good end-result); choice (post-war years vs. current years, my parents' generation vs. my generation); wrong job probably;

2. Work becomes pointless - Ecclesiastes (meaningless, chasing after the wind;); alienated labour, Karl Marx (unable to see the end-result, agrarian economy vs. industrialized economy vs. service economy);

3. Work becomes selfish - Tower of Babel (establish one's identity, pride in one's own labour, tribalism to ensure security); Esther "in the Palace"; the Ovarian lottery (privilege, grace of God); IIT-JEE top rankers (identity through CS IITB); competitive pride (C.S. Lewis, publish or perish, by hook or by crook);

Idols of `Workship': Idol is something that is prominent, takes away too much of your energy and is considered sacrosanct. (1) traditional: collectivism (racism, religious fundamentalism, casteism, nationalism); (2) modern: individualism, emphasis on science, facts and figures, power of reasoning; and (3) post-modern: rise of cynicism (e.g. Terminator, Jurassic Park), liberalism (e.g. gender fluidity), means-without-an-end. 

Christians ought to discern the idols functioning in their professions and industries. Some examples are shown below:

• Idols in UESI Ministry: organize camps vs. personal evangelism, share gospel vs. build relationships, study WoG vs. practise WoG;
• Idols in NLP research: publication quantity vs. value of output; SOTA vs. elegance;
  

Part Three: The Gospel and Work

a new worldview: three questions (origin, purpose, destiny); the gospel worldview (everything was good, the world is fallen, Jesus as the embodiment of God's grace); think of the gospel as a pair of glasses through which you look at everything else in the world;

impact of gospel view on society: culture of Europe and the West in general; high regard for human rights; development of democracy; civil society (waste management, punctuality, product quality, efficiency at work);

dualism vs. integration at work: wrong notion that Christian work means taking part in overtly Christian activities; the danger of excessively spiritualizing things in life;

the doctrine of common grace (everybody is created in the image of God; Psalm 19); appreciate the work done by non-Christians; the Divine providence; avoid disengagement with popular culture (James Cameron, Hans Zimmer, Blessy, JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis, Vaikom Muhammad Basheer, MN Karassery, Sunil P Ilayidom, Santhosh George Kulangara);

ethics and morality at workplace: personal dishonesty (e.g. exaggerate current salary), corruption (e.g. lobbying), lack of transparency (e.g. complex financial instruments);

How to incorporate faith into work? 

• in general: respect coworkers and colleagues; exercise wisdom (know God, know oneself, learn from experience, the book of Proverbs, the Holy Spirit); be generous with time and investment; display resilience under distress or failure;
• gospel worldview and business: serve the common good; profits are not inherently evil;
• gospel worldview and higher education: improve quality; make it accessible to everyone regardless of background, sex or race; avoid pride (IIT/IITM, Ivy League)

Do the right thing not because of the incentives it brings but because it is the right thing to do.

"Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve,
everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun." (Ecclesiastes 2: 11)

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. ⁸ Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness..." (2 Timothy 4: 7, 8a)

vocational discipleship

How can we have any freedom from the temptations of work and still keep our job?

motivation: passion (passion of the Christ), living sacrifice (Romans 12: 1); serve the work;
rest: rest in the finished work of God (Leaf by Nibble);

people matter < institutions matter

References

1. Book URL
2. Study guide, Nancy Erisman
3. Keller/Alsdorf, Redeemer Church
4. Alsdorf, ToW

 

The Pursuit of God, A. W. Tozer

https://bible.org/series/pursuit-god

1. Following Hard after God

• Do you want to pursue God and only God?
• God has put the desire in us to pursue Him.
• I, the seeker, is already in God's hands.
• Seeker sought (Zacchaeus)
• conscious, personal awareness
• too much focus on "accepting" Christ (not seen in the Scripture; the Pentecostal faith, baptism, religious externals)
• religious simplicity (personal experience, read a book, talk a walk in the woods) vs. religious complexity (programs, organizations, movements)
• pursue only God (instead of God-and)

2. Blessedness of Possessing Nothing

• What is the first barrier that keeps you away from God?
• Abraham was rich and owned servants, cattle but possessed nothing
• "tyranny of things"
• poor in spirit (soul poverty, beatitude)
• intangible assets (talents, gifts)

3. Breaking the Veil

• What is the second barrier that keeps you away from God?
• Two kinds of prison: remember Brooks in Shawshank Redemption; the physical prison and the mental prison
• Let go of ego.
• Self is the veil.
• Mother Teresa, Father Damien, Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi

"Self is the opaque veil that hides the face of God from us. It can be removed only in spiritual experience, never by mere instruction. We may as well try to instruct leprosy out of our system. There must be a work of God in destruction before we are free. We must invite the cross to do its deadly work within us."

4. Apprehending ("Understanding") God

• God and the spiritual world are real.
• It is possible for us to experience God with all the five senses (sight, hear, smell, taste, touch). I believe this nature of God manifests itself in Jesus, the second person in the Trinity.
• intimate relationship ("bhakti tradition")
• A Christian's beliefs are practical (healing, miracles of prophets, Jesus).
• The object of a Christian's faith is unseen reality. Remember Hebrews 11: 1 ("Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and being certain of what we do not see."). It is not mere ideas or abstract, but tangible and concrete.

5. The Universal Presence

• God is here.

6. The Speaking God

• God is still speaking.
• The Word of God -> The Voice of God ("the donkey that talks, the book that speaks")
• The heavens *declare* the glory of God; the skies *proclaim* the works of His hands.
• The Word of God is quick and powerful. In the beginning, He spoke to nothing and it became something.
• The Voice of God is a friendly Voice.
• Voice vs. Noise
• The Deaf Maestro

7. The Gaze of the Soul

• What is faith? Do I have faith?
• Believing is Seeing (vs. Seeing is Believing).
• Directing our attention to God is the physical manifestation of our faith.
• remember The Serpent on the Pole
• the act of seeing (simple act, can be done anywhere and anytime, no religious paraphernalia)
• The Twin Sisters (and their Twin Husbands)

"അവങ്കലേക്ക് നോക്കിയവർ പ്രകാശിതരായി, അവരുടെ മുഖം ലജ്ജിച്ചു പോയതുമില്ല." (സങ്കി 34:5)

8. Restoring the Creator-Creature Relationship

• Be Thou exalted!
• over my possessions, friendships, comforts, reputation
• consequences: Eli and two sons, Samson
• OTOH, God does not mind our weaknesses: fishermen as disciples, Moses
• The choices that we make reflect our faith (God vs. money, God vs. human love, God vs. personal ambition, God vs. self, God vs. men, ...)
• Christian life ought to be simplistic, easy yoke, light burden, not complicated

9. Meekness and Rest

• burden of pride
• burden of pretence
• become as little children (no pride or pretence)
• no pride --> meek --> rest
• meekness != punching bag; meekness ≡ boldness
• not people-pleaser, but God-pleaser --> rest

"Come to me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest"

10. The Sacrament of Living

• sacred (praying, Bible reading, singing hymns, attending church) vs. secular (eating, working, playing) dichotomy
• in everything, honour, glorify God

Walsalam and Upadeshi

This article summarizes the book "Songs as Locus for a Lay Theology: Moshe Walsalam Sastriyar and Sadhu Kochukunju Upadeshi" written by Philip K Mathai.

Chapter 1: Sangam Age (Tamilakam, socialism, Buddhism, Jainism, Dravidian traditions); Aryan Influence (Hinduism, caste hierarchy, Sanskrit, Malayalam); St Thomas (1st century); Thomas of Cana (3rd century); Adi Sankara (8th century); Venad (12th century); Vasco da Gama (1498 CE); the Portuguese (~150 years); Synod of Diamper; Coonan Cross Oath (Catholic Church vs. Malankara Orthodox Church); the Dutch; Travancore (padmanabhadasan); the British; Revolt (Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja, Velu Thambi Dalawa); Social Reformation (Chattambi Swamikal, Sri Narayana Guru, Ayyankali, Upper Cloth Revolt, Temple Entry Proclamation); Church Missionary Society (Kottayam, Benjamin Bailey); London Missionary Society (Nagercoil); Mar Thoma Church (~1880 CE); Church of South India (1948 CE);  

Chapter 2: Doxology (praise, worship, songs, music, actions) vs. Theology (doctrines, liturgy); how various Christian traditions (Roman Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox and Eastern) differ; history of Doxology in Latin, German (Luther) and English (Isaac Watts, John Wesley, Charles Wesley); the Bhakti tradition (worship, complete submission to a personal God through word, mind and body) in India and Hinduism; locus theologicus (source of theology); 

Chapter 3: Moshe Walsalam (surname, beloved) Sastriyar (honorific, scholar); 1847-1916; born into a nadar Christian family in Trivandrum; associated with the CSI Church and the London Mission Society; trained poet, musician and composer; translated English and Tamil songs into Malayalam; Kathakalakshepam; Trust (ninte hitam...), Liberation (sneha virunnanubhavippan...);  

Chapter 4: Sadhu (honorific, sage) Kochukunju Upadeshi (honorific, preacher); 1883-1945; belonged to the Mar Thoma Church; General Secretary of the Mar Thoma Voluntary Evangelists' Association; born in Edayaranmula; no formal training in music; the Valley of Baca; Worldly life (sojourner, ascetic way of life, transitory life); Love (sensual love); Trust (dukhathinte paanapathram...);

Conclusion: The songs written by Walsalam and Upadeshi are still in circulation in the churches of Kerala, and thus have stood the test of time. These songs are also ecumenical in nature. The songs represent the theology, faith and doctrinal stance of the laity (both Walsalam and Upadeshi were evangelists), as opposed to the theology taught by the clergy (remember Martin Luther). Finally,  the songs were products of amalgamation of the Western theology and the Indian religious culture (bhakti), resulting in a new form of doxology based on new vocabulary (e.g. devan, avataram, pey) and literary expression (e.g. love feast, end of casteism).

The Purity Principle, Randy Alcorn

“Confessing your sins is great, confessing your temptations is even greater" - Randy Alcorn

This article is a summary of the book The Purity Principle by Randy Alcorn. The book discusses sexual purity, why is important to maintain sexual purity and how we can achieve the same. Randy quotes the scripture as and when required in order to authenticate the message he wants to convey to the reader through this book. Nobody is free from temptations. Even pastors are prone to temptations. Throughout the book, Randy shares his own experiences and thus the reader is able to connect with the author.

The book begins with a brief account of the lives of various people such as Eric and Tiffany (fictitious names, probably) who have pursued immoral, impure paths of life and ended up with disastrous results. Although God forgave their mistakes, they had reached a point of no return in their lives. This was because, as Randy asserts, punishment is built into sins we commit. Randy views purity as wise and impurity as stupidity.

Sin can be of various types. However sexual sin is different from other kinds of sin. Sodom and Gomorrah, the cities destroyed by God, had fallen deeply into sexual sin. Paul reiterates this in his letters to the Corinthians (1 Cor 6:18) and the Thessalonians (1 Thess 4: 3-8). An interesting point to note is that sex is more of what you are, rather than what you do. Sex defines us. Thus it is important to purify ourselves by keeping away from sexual sin. Also, by accepting Jesus as the Christ, we were bought at a price and hence, our body belongs to God (1 Cor 6:19-20). As a result, we cannot do anything that we please with our body.

When it comes to temptations, Christians are the most vulnerable because of the constant threat from the devil. It is important to be careful about the mind to maintain purity. Sometimes, it is better to avoid temptation rather than resist temptation. Notice how avoid is different from resist. If we keep resisting, we are subjecting ourselves to the temptation. On the other hand, when we avoid temptations, we are staying away from them altogether.

Randy lists down various aspects of life where it is necessary to maintain a pure mind and body and thereby follow the purity principle. In spite of the wickedness of larger sins such as infidelity, it is important to focus on the lesser ones that feed our minds on a daily basis in the form of media, peers, novels, movies and arts. For example, if we regularly watch a TV programme that shows immoral content then avoid it. We live in an era where media and technology (e.g. Whatsapp, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram) can control our lives immensely. We have to have a prudent approach towards the manner in which we use these resources. Randy contrasts his words with what Jesus instructed in Mathew 5:29. Randy claims that whatever he instructed is nothing radical compared to Jesus’ command.

Randy makes it a point to handle the cases of singles, and married couples differently. Single, unmarried men and women should prepare themselves for their marriage. Randy explores various issues related to dating, masturbation, and peer pressure. Now for married couples and parents, Randy observes that umpteen marriages have suffered due to dishonesty by either of the partners. Even after entering into marriage, we are not free from sexual temptations. It is necessary for couples to be open with each other about everything, especially sexual temptations, and request prayers from one another.

The book concludes with a discussion on maintaining accountability with others. Randy recalls how on one occasion he underwent temptation and how the temptation vanished after a phone call with his friend. Thus, we are in a constant battle with the devil. However, this is a battle that we can win. It is indeed possible to avoid temptations and thereby maintain sexual purity and holiness.

And that's what The Purity Principle is all about!