Most people sitting in the pews of our churches on a Sunday morning spend more time in the workplace than anywhere else. Yet we can too easily make following Christ a matter of personal devotions and church activity. The nine to five routine becomes irrelevant to my Christian life. The result is a huge hole in our discipleship. It’s this hole that Tim Keller, Pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York, seeks to fill in his latest book, Every Good Endeavour: Connecting Your Work to God’s Plan for the World.
It’s divided into three parts which correspond to creation, fall and redemption. Keller powerfully demonstrates the significance and dignity of work in the Bible story. His exposition of Luther’s understanding of work is a highlight, especially the link between justification by faith and the dignity of work. Work is not incidental to following Christ. He then explores the frustrations of work and its potential dehumanizing effects. He is, as fans of Keller might expect, particularly strong on the idolatries of work. The final part shows how the gospel gives us a new understanding of work. We have both a new story (so our work is shaped by a biblical worldview) and a new power for work. One of the most helpful sections is Keller’s exposition of common grace which enables him to value the contribution of unbelievers and steer us away from life in a ghetto.... continue reading
Name: Aquinas
When: 1225-74
Where: All over the place! Born near Naples; taught in Paris; part of a travelling teaching college in Italy.
So what?
Thomas Aquinas (his theology is called “Thomism”) is often held up as epitomizing everything that was wrong with pre Reformation Catholicism. This is slightly unfair—while Aquinas was a product of his times, holding to and teaching several doctrines evangelicals today would strongly refute; and while many of those teachings have been developed and cemented as key beliefs of Roman Catholicism today; it’s wise not to throw the theological baby out with the bathwater. Perhaps Aquinas is a reminder not to read any great theologian either over-critically or under-critically. “Aquinas said it” does not clinch a doctrine’s falsehood any more than “Calvin/Luther/Edwards/Stott said it” clinches its truth!... continue reading
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Name: Anselm
When: 1033 – 1109
Where: Archbishop of Canterbury, England
So what?
Anselm was a “schoolman”, or “scholastic”, from an era when Christian thinkers were trying to ally reason to faith, showing that the Christian faith was reasonable, and using reason to further understand their faith. Anselm’s legacy was in three main areas:
I've always struggled with remembering people's names. It's frustrating and embarrassing to run into someone at church or in the street, and fail to drag their name out of my memory banks. Although I've had a few embarrassing moments, I've never done anything quite like this however.
British conductor Sir Thomas Beecham who started the world famous Prom concerts was famed for his sharp wit, but struggled, like many of us, with attaching names to faces as he grew older. ... continue reading
Name: Augustine (of Hippo)
When: 354 – 430
Where: Bishop of Hippo in modern-day Algeria
So what?
Augustine is one of the most important Christian thinkers of any age. He is really helpful for thinking through the relationship between church and state; what baptism is and does; the difference between the “visible” and “invisible” church; and loads of other things. But probably his most important contribution was in response to the writings of a British monk named Pelagius, and to the thought of “semi-Pelagians”. Here is an attempt to outline these three complex theological views through three pictures of animals…... continue reading
Name: Ambrose
When: 339-397
Where: Bishop of Milan in Italy
So what?:
Ambrose was close friends with the Emperor of the western Roman Empire (essentially, today’s western Europe and north African coast). But he was also absolutely clear that the emperor was just a member of the church, rather than its head. In spiritual matters, he came under the leadership and discipline of the church.
This led to a huge confrontation in 390. Theodosius had ordered the massacring of the inhabitants of Thessalonica after the Roman governor was killed in a riot. Ambrose excommunicated him, and told him to repent. When Theodosius turned up at church the next Sunday, Ambrose wouldn’t let him in. The Emperor walked through the streets of Milan doing public penance; was banned from entering church services for eight months; and then had to kneel before the whole congregation and ask for God’s forgiveness—all of which he did.... continue reading
Name: Athanasius
When: 296 - 373
Where: Bishop of Alexandria in Egypt
So what?:
Athanasius lived in a time of furious arguments about exactly who Jesus was. Christians today take it for granted that the church teaches that God the Son is fully God, but distinct from the Father. But in Athanasius’ time, the church was being torn apart by disagreement on this point. There were four basic “camps”:
“A society without its history is like a man without his memory”, someone once told me. It would be equally true to substitute “church” for “society”.
Christianity is a historical faith—it is based on the mysterious yet historical facts of the virgin birth, the cross, and the empty tomb. Each time we read the Bible, we are reading history—living history, Spirit-applied history, but still history. In a sense, we are all historians.
But a lot of Christians have lived, died and gone to heaven in the 2,000 years or so since Christ walked this earth. The vast majority lived faithful but unremarkable lives before heading off to surround His throne. A few have been so greatly used by God that they shaped the way His people thought, worshipped and gathered in their lifetime. And a very few have shaped the church not just in their own generation, but for centuries to follow.... continue reading
