Living with Purpose in a Polarizing World: Guidance from Biblical Narratives
Ebook
Western culture is increasingly polarized, and Christians often feel they are “under siege” by the dominant secular culture. Compounding the problem is that Christians cannot agree among themselves how to respond to a culture that is increasingly “post-Christian.” The authors have observed five basic responses by Christians to this feeling of “exile”: (1) assimilation and acceptance of the new cultural norms, (2) withdrawal from cultural engagement, (3) anger directed toward society (and toward other Christians who don’t see the issues as they do), (4) fear, or (5) seeking power to “take back the culture.”
Scripture calls us to a different way, speaking into the world with a new voice. Micah calls us to “seek justice, love mercy, and walk humbly” with God, Jeremiah calls us to “seek the good of the city,” and Jesus calls us to be salt and light while knowing that in this world we “will have trouble.” In short, we are to engage the culture we live in as disciples of Jesus. But how practically is that done?
In this book, the authors look carefully at the lives of twelve biblical characters who also lived in “challenging times” for guidance in navigating our post-Christian world. Rejecting assimilation, withdrawal, anger, fear, and power-seeking, we are challenged today with the ancient words of Mordecai to Esther: “Who knows whether for just a time as this you have come to this position in your life?”
People of faith often find themselves immersed in a chaotic and uncertain culture. In that arena, it can prove overwhelming to navigate the seemingly gray areas where principle and conviction collide with life’s messy realities. Erisman and Pope’s Living with Purpose in a Polarizing World reminds us that we are not the first to encounter such conflict. Leaning on the experiences, triumphs, and failures of characters in biblical times, we can draw encouragement that we are not alone in that struggle. Indeed, we can learn to find a way forward—one of grace and mercy for ourselves and the world around us, even when the path appears dark.
Erisman and Pope provide thoughtful retellings of biblical narratives, offer insightful reflections on how those narratives might inform our current polarized cultural context, and present contemporary and constructive examples from their own experiences. Particularly for Christians tempted to assimilate, withdraw, seek power, or react in anger or fear, this book offers a better way. Whether you agree with their particular conclusions or not, their approach to engaging in a spirited dialogue with Scripture and one another is a terrific example for all of us.
How should Christians live in a polarized world that doesn’t seem to value a faith perspective? How should we navigate relationships with other believers when their perspectives differ from our own? Al Erisman and Randy Pope address these questions by turning to well-known characters from Scripture who model ways that Christians can engage in our own cultural moment. Applying these lessons to their own relationship, they demonstrate what it means to navigate difficult issues without alienating others. I can think of few people I trust as much as Al and Randy to provide guidance for whole-life discipleship.
Living with Purpose in a Polarizing World is truly an extraordinary exploration of practical life lessons from twelve biblical characters who lived and worked creatively and redemptively in varied challenging, conflicted, sometimes even hostile environments. Christians will be inspired and encouraged over and over. Non-Christian readers will be introduced to a way of life, biblical teaching, and Christian faith far different from the deformations and stereotypes in today’s culture and its media. This book is truly gospel—good news—that deserves to be read, studied, and gifted to as wide an audience as possible in our polarizing, often deteriorating, world.
A huge contribution toward making society a little more civilized than it is at present, representing the potential even to reverse the current tendency toward barbarism. An inspirational and practical guide arising from an examination of concrete examples taken from the Bible of notable individuals who also lived in a polarizing culture. Transformatively useful at a personal level for Christians, I am sure, but also for non-Christians like me who are happy to learn and not merely be prepared to scoff.
Analyzing the lives of eleven biblical figures, Al Erisman and Randy Pope explore what it means to walk faithfully in a polarized culture. Rejecting both withdrawal and assimilation, they call readers to seek truth, build trust, and engage honestly. I recommend the book to anyone trying to live biblically in these challenging times.
This book offers a potent and timely invitation for believers to engage with conviction and grace in our ever-evolving society. With its deep insights and steadfast adherence to enduring truths, this book serves as an indispensable beacon, guiding readers through the complexities of modern faith with the wisdom of biblical narratives and the unswerving light of gospel truth.
Erisman and Pope address one of the great challenges of our day in which the global family of nations is multipolar and the common experience in the American setting is the multiplication of polarizing issues. The challenge for Christians is how to live with purpose is such a world. There is no better place to turn for guidance than the biblical characters embedded in non-Western and ancient cultures to gain guidance for today. The authors have mined for wisdom and uncovered gems for those of us seeking to walk faithfully and purposely in our challenging Euro-American worlds.
Living with Purpose in a Polarizing World is a prophetic word manifested in the biblical narratives of the great men and women of the Scriptures. It challenges readers to look deeply into the present through the eyes of those who have gone before and the deep dive of the authors’ intensity to seek truth within the reality of our very present culture. Each of the narratives present readers with thought-provoking analysis and interpretations in order to navigate the polarizing world we live in while partnering with God to spur one another on toward love and good work.
For over fifty years, I have lived and worked in Mississippi encouraging the Christian community to work across socioeconomic as well as racial barriers. My prayer is that all who read this book would begin to see themselves as Christians first with a mission to invite others to give their lives to Christ and be reconciled to him and to one another. Sometimes, we need to learn how to agree to disagree without becoming enemies. I encourage Christians to read this book and dare to declare, ‘If God can love them, why can’t I?’
Al and Randy have written an important and timely book for Christians who want a biblical approach to be salt and light in the divisive times we live in. And what better way to do this than by looking at the lives of men and women in the Bible who lived through similar times and drawing on the timeless spiritual lessons they teach us.
If ever there were a book for today, this is it! Al Erisman and Randy Pope have crafted a vitally relevant book on how to live in a post-Christian world. They do this by weaving together several stories of people in the Old and New Testaments who faced similar situations. Its wise reflections at the end can help us to navigate the cultural, moral, and spiritual ambiguities we face daily. Richly researched, this book is a gold mine for people struggling to be authentic Christians in a secularized business, not-for-profit, or even a hostile culture. A gift!
We are hard-wired to seek a life of meaning and purpose, but the blueprints of that pathway to purpose are very blurry. In the introduction of Living with Purpose, the authors cite Hebrews 12:1–2. These are special Bible verses for me because I ‘randomly’ heard them twice the day after my whistleblowing role at Enron was announced by the US Congress. Those verses state that we have a race marked out for us and that we have a spiritual cheering squad as we run that race, but we must remain focused on the things that matter and discard the burdensome distractions that hinder our race. Erisman and Pope provide excellent commentary and analysis of twelve biblical characters who ran a successful race despite challenging and sometimes harrowing distractions. Our polarized world is a distraction from our purpose, and the biblical life stories examined by the authors provide not only encouragement to us but also a clearer blueprint to living out our chosen purpose.
In a world marked by polarization and pain, Al and Randy have gifted us with an insightful look into the successes and failures of a dozen key men and women in the Bible. Building on the work of others who have wrestled with how Christians should respond to a post-Christian culture, they powerfully demonstrate that the common paths of resignation, withdrawal, fear, power-seeking, and anger are fruitless. Instead, this book provides wise counsel that will not only heal the divisions of the church but of the world, if we are willing to listen and follow it.
- Title: Living with Purpose in a Polarizing World: Guidance from Biblical Narratives
- Authors: Albert M. Erisman, Randy Pope
- Publisher: Hendrickson Publishers
- Print Publication Date: 2024
- Logos Release Date: 2023
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781496487179, 9781496487155, 149648715X, 1496487176
- Resource ID: LLS:9781496487179
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-10-01T15:58:30Z