I asked Pastor Ben Griffith to give us a preview of the men’s book study this week in the Pastoral Notes.
Brothers, I hope you’ll consider jumping into our Tuesday morning men’s book study this fall, which begins on September 14th and will meet at Biscuit Love at 6:45 a.m. And if you jump in, you’ll have to hold on tight! We’re going to make our way through Carl Trueman’s latest book, The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self: Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individualism, and the Road to the Sexual Revolution. (If that subtitle alone doesn’t convince you that this may be one of the most relevant and timely books available right now, then maybe Pastor Nate’s naming this book his “favorite read of 2020” will!). It’s going to be a treat to process this work together over a good cup of coffee every week, and we would love for you to join us.
What we’re hoping to do in our time together is explore Trueman’s telling of how we got to where we are today, in terms of our cultural understanding of sexuality and identity. To say that the rate of acceleration and change in these areas in the last few years and decades has been dizzying is an understatement. The landscape has indeed shifted very quickly. But part of the value of Trueman’s book is the way that he locates these changes in a broader story that has been playing out for the last several hundred years. Trueman makes this long and complicated story about as short and uncomplicated as anyone possibly can. This quote from his introduction captures what he’s aiming to do throughout the book: “in short, the sexual revolution is simply one manifestation of the larger revolution of the self that has taken place in the West. And it is only as we come to understand that wider context that we can truly understand the dynamics of the sexual politics that now dominate our culture.”
Understanding this wider context that we find ourselves located in can help us live faithfully as ambassadors for Christ in this cultural moment; that’s what I’m praying our time together on Tuesday mornings will equip us to do. As Christians, we want to understand the past so we can winsomely engage the present and be prepared for the future. This book is a tremendous resource to help us do just that.
So men, please consider joining us on Tuesday mornings. It’s a great way to get to know other men in the church, and it’s great accountability to read a 400 page book in just a few weeks! There are still a few copies of the book available for sale on the book table ($20), or you can easily order online. Sign up on the Cornerstone website or app, and start reading ahead! Hope to see you on Tuesdays this fall.