Many Christians live out their faith "outside of time." They are disconnected from the past, or imagine that they are somehow outside the fabric of history, as if each generation were turning a new, blank page. The risk is a lack of awareness of time and the repercussions of history, both personally and collectively. The symptoms: a naive reading of current events, a tendency toward nostalgia, or an obsession with the end times.
In this book, James Smith helps us understand why we must take the past into account if we want to live in the present with discernment, in the hope of the future. Drawing on sources from biblical exegesis and theology, wisdom, and also popular culture, he helps us build our "temporal awareness," an attitude of spiritual watchfulness toward time, in tune with the texture of history, the uncertainties of life, and the tempo of the Spirit. It is this attitude that will allow us, in the 21st century, to calmly embrace the heritage of the past and turn toward the future, while living in the present in faithfulness to the Lord.
Winner of the 2023 Book of the Year Award from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA).
James Smith is a professor of philosophy at Calvin University and the author of numerous books and articles.
ISBN: 9782755006209