Today we examine Paul's prayer for spiritual maturity in Philippians 1:9-11.  And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. Praying With Paul: A Call to Spiritual Reformation by D.A. Carson 

Having discussed the problem of evangelical anti-intellectualism and the sentimental juvenilization of American Christianity we turn to Scripture to establish the priority of spiritual maturity. In so doing, we will create a foundation for the pastor-theologian paradigm of ministry for which this podcast was founded. The texts I cover in this episode are listed below in the English Standard Version:  Titus 2:11–14 [11] For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, [12] training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, [13] waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, [14] who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.  Philippians 2:12–13 [12] Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, [13] for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.  Ephesians 4:11–16 [11] And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, [12] to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, [13] until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, [14] so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. [15] Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, [16] from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.  Colossians 1:28–29 [26] the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. [27] To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. [28] Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. [29] For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me. 

“We’re all adolescents now.” So begins the treatise by Thomas Bergler called The Juvenilization of American Christianity. He has written extensively on this topic, essentially lamenting the lack of spiritual maturity in American Christianity due to the shift of priority toward youth ministry during a specific time in history. Additionally, Todd Brenneman wrote a fascinating assessment of modern American Christianity in his book Homespun Gospel: The Triumph of Sentimentality in Contemporary American Evangelicalism, and in this work he demonstrates that sentimentality has overtaken modern evangelicalism to such a degree that maturity isn’t something Christians think about. I believe juvenilization and sentimentality have combined to assault the Christian ideal of spiritual maturity and a response is necessary. I offer a brief attempt in today's podcast.  The Juvenilization of American Christianity From Here to Maturity Homespun Gospel 

This week on The Minister's Ordinary Conversation, we continue our discussion of anti-intellectualism in modern Christianity and I argue that anti-intellectualism is actually anti-discipleship. Christians are expected to make progress in their faith (Titus 2:11-14; Philippians 2:12-13; Ephesians 4:11-16; Hebrews 5:12-6:1), and refusing to learn is essentially refusing to follow Jesus. I look forward to our discussion. 

This week on The Minister’s Ordinary Conversation we talk about the evangelical allergy against thinking. “We evangelicals need to examine our anti-intellectualism, confess its pervasiveness, repent of its wrongness, and seek God’s restoration to live up to our name—truly being people of the gospel who love God not only with our hearts, souls, and strength, but also with our minds.” So says Os Guinness in his wonderful book Fit Bodies, Fat Minds. He goes on to point out that evangelicals’ rampant anti-intellectualism will have dangerous results for their witness in the world. I think he is right and I look forward to discussing it with you. Fit Bodies, Fat Minds by Os Guinness The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind by Mark Noll  How to Think by Alan Jacobs  Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman  True Devotion by Alan Chapple 

Last week Peggy Noonan released a column in the Wall Street Journal on Ukraine's peril and how it stirred the West's humanity. She said, "It wasn't geopolitics or ideology that determined world reaction to what happened in Ukraine this week, it was normal human feeling. An army of tanks and troops violently invades a border country populated by its cousins – a country a third its size with a tent it might – and people watched and thought: that's not right." I think she's right. But is there more to our view of the situation in Ukraine than mere humanity? How should we think about this conflict? 

Today we’re covering a topic related to pastors leaving the ministry (Episode 3) and pastors under criticism (Book Review 1): anger. When reading through the Old Testament, it is easy to notice the anger of Moses as he leads the people of God. In Exodus 32:19 it says that Moses’ anger burned hot, and he threw the Ten Commandments from his hands. In Numbers 11 Moses is displeased, and asks God to kill him rather than to make him continue to lead the people. In Numbers 16 Moses was very angry and told the Lord not to respect an offering of the people. Most notably, in Numbers 20, when God told Moses to speak to the rock  in order to give people water, Moses struck the rock, calling the people, “rebels.” Were Moses' outbursts simply "righteous indignation?" How do we know if our anger is righteous? How can we deal with the sin of anger in our own leadership? Listen to this short attempt to deal with these questions. Links: Uprooting Anger by Robert Jones Anger, Anxiety, and Fear by Stuart Scott Good and Angry by David Powlison A Small Book about a Big Problem: Meditations on Anger, Patience, and Peace by Ed Welch

The first book review episode of The Minister's Ordinary Conversation comes on the heels of Episode 3, which focused on the number of pastors thinking about leaving the ministry. One reason for this phenomenon is criticism. Pastors receive complaints about many things, and a resource for processing that criticism is necessary. In 2020, Joel Beeke and Nick Thompson produced such a resource. I review this helpful book in this episode and wholeheartedly recommend it to pastors as they process criticism.  Pastors and Their Critics: A Guide to Coping with Criticism in the Ministry

Welcome to “The Minister’s Ordinary Conversation,” a podcast dedicated to equipping and encouraging pastors to be radically ordinary theologians for the good of their churches and the glory of God. Today we’re covering a concerning topic: the number of pastors considering leaving the ministry. 2021 Barna Survey: Pastors Are Considering Leaving the Ministry The Pastors Aren’t All Right Are More Pastors Quitting Today? Be Thou My Vision: A Liturgy for Daily Worship Valley of Vision  Lectures to My Students Spiritual Depression

Today we’re covering several news stories related to work and rest. Categorically, if you remember the podcast introduction I am doing this in an effort to remind you that you minister in a context. The issues in the news and the culture affect people in your congregation and pastors should do what they can to sharpen their skills in speaking with their people about these things. Note: All three articles covered today are from the Wall Street Journal. The Wall Street Journal is my periodical of choice for news coverage, because the news is balanced and the opinion pages are thoughtfully conservative in structure. The Underside of the Great Resignation by Mene Ukueberuwa Virus Wave Fuels Worker Absences by Harriet Torry Relearn the Word “NO” to Reset Your Balance by Rachel Feintzeig