For young bucks, new Reformed converts, red-pill Masculinists, and anti-Woke Warriors

I’ve had several encounters recently with you, and it seems a few common exhortations to you are needed.  Here they are, with a brief qualifier.  

There are more important issues you’re missing.

Besides what’s burning you up.  Beyond what you are changing your mind on right now.

Whether it's paedo-baptism, eschatology, covid restrictions, woke Marxism, or Christian masculine responsibility, realize that there are other aspects of the faith that are MORE foundational.  Getting involved in a local church and letting it shape you is probably the best thing for you.  Don't define your faith or your identity overly much by one of the issues above.

Learn about recent forefathers in the faith. 

James Boice, RC Sproul, JI Packer, Elizabeth Eliott, to name a few.  We stand on their shoulders.  We learned precious things from them about thinking Christianly in response to our culture.  They responded SO much better than most Christians are doing today!  To be a bit cynical, living podcasters and writers you are following are building and maintaining their platforms and followers.  They are prone to be too reactive to current events, when what we often need is a better understanding of theology, worship, the Bible, parenting, etc.  Follow the trail to who they learned from and read broadly, instead of just following a few FB feeds or podcasts.  Listen to your forefathers and elders in the faith before you spout off.  Give as much of your study time to Augustine, Calvin, and Luther, as you do to James White or Doug Wilson.

Get off social media and read.

Get off your phone and open a book.

We are constantly talking to friends and contemporaries, and seldom consulting Scripture and our tradition.  Which is crazy since we have more access to the latter than ever!  It's also crazy because people around us are going more off the rails than ever!

YouTube and Facebook can be great introductions to solid contemporary teachers.  I’ve had people come to our church because of their YouTube viewing!  But to form your mind and soul, we must be people of the Book.  Read the Bible - it is God's preferred media: word on page.  Read a book for every 10 online articles you read, or every 10 podcasts you listen to.  Read an old book for every book you read.  Why listen to someone talk randomly, when you can ingest a wiser person who has culled their thoughts with others (editors) over time to publish in a book? 

Recent classics

Knowing God - JI Packer

Knowing Scripture - RC Sproul
Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
J Gresham Machen - Christianity and Liberalism

Old books
Calvin's Institutes
Augustine's Confessions and City of God
Thomas a Kempis - Imitation of Christ
John Bunyan - Pilgrim's Progress
John Owen - Mortification of Sin



This post was inspired by an interview with JI Packer by Mark Dever, about 30 years ago. Give it a listen here.