The Simple Pastor
Simplicity & Generosity
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It is the goal of discipleship to become like Christ (2 Cor 3:18) but it’s a constant battle to keep thinking and working on this. Often I’m just hoping that somehow it’s happening. This provoked me to think again:
“‘Life’ and ‘life-style’ obviously belong together and cannot be separated. All Christians claim to have received a new life from Jesus Christ. What life-style, then, is appropriate for them? If the life is new, the life-style should be new also. But what are to be its characteristics? In particular, how is it to be distinguished from the life-style of those who make no Christian profession? And how should it reflect the challenges of the contemporary world—its alienation both from God and from the earth’s resources which he created for the enjoyment of all?”
It’s a pretty deep conviction of mine that because the church has largely failed in its thinking and response to materialism and consumerism that the church is not at all distinguished from the life-style of those who don’t believe. A challenge to the simple living movement is also not to simply draw a new line with the environmentalists and eco-friendly brigade, not that that’s all bad. Instead we need to be thinking about redrawing the connections between our life style and Jesus. So I agree with this:
“Those of us who live in affluent circumstances accept our duty to develop a simple-lifestyle in order to contribute more generously to both relief and evangelism.”
From the International Consultation on Simple Lifestyle
I believe Jesus when he said 'life does not consist in the abundance of our possessions'. I believe he offers something better. This blog is mostly about that search.
I'm also a church pastor, a bookshop owner, a husband, a father, a keen runner, reader, and motorcyclist. These and a few other things make guest appearances from time to time.