THEOLOGY SHELF | THE POWER OF CHRISTIAN CONTENTMENT BY ANDREW M. DAVIS

 POWER OF CHRISTIAN CONTENTMENT

It may surprise modern Christians that our current problems with discontentedness are anything but new. In 1643, Puritan pastor Jeremiah Burroughs wrote a work titled "The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment" that has as much resonance in our day as it did in his. Now pastor and author Andrew M. Davis helps contemporary Christians rediscover the remarkable truths found in this largely forgotten work. With powerful new illustrations and a keen sense of all that makes modern Christians restless, Davis challenges readers to confront the sources of discontent in their lives and embrace Paul's teaching on contentment in all circumstances. He gives special attention to maintaining contentment through poverty and prosperity, as well as in our marriages, and offers tips on teaching children how to be content in an age of smartphones 

and social media.

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★★☆☆☆

Inspired by the religious text The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment written by Puritan pastor Jeremiah Burroughs in 1643 (published posthumously), Andrew Davis rolls out this new book as a platform to share his own thoughts on the subject of overall life contentment. 

An NC pastor and theology professor himself, Andrew Davis references portions of Burroughs' text to illustrate how the struggle with discontentment is still very much alive in present day, afflicting Christians and non-Christians alike. Davis points out how even with all the modern advancements in technology, science, medicine, arts and literature, all of it... humans collectively still seem to struggle to find satisfaction with their lives. Some might argue that if anything we might be more miserable than ever. There's a noticeable hike in various mental illness diagnoses. Advances in technology (especially when it comes to smartphones) has made us more immediately aware of daily stories of suffering all over the world. So many out there struggle with anxiety surrounding the feeling that their life lacks true meaning or purpose. So what can we do about it?

Davis offers a number of pointers on how to approach and tackle general discontentment in one's life. Just a few:

Develop an appreciation for quiet, slow moments. 

Don't feel the need to fill every silence.

Intentionally "seek out avenues of service that are thankless."

Offer help to the disabled, elderly, sick or dying. 

Offer comfort to the bereaved.

If you come into an unexpected financial windfall, 
"share more than ever"

Limit internet time. Instead, seek out books on the subject
of contentment to keep you motivated / inspired.

Remember, this is a lifetime process. 

In a nutshell, Davis' stance on the subject of contentment boils down to 1) living a life that is not financially or otherwise materialistically driven 2) developing a cheerful demeanor, or at least a generally positive mindset in the face of struggle or disappointment 3) acceptance of the concept "His ways are not our ways", allowing things to happen on God's time, trusting his methods.

A couple of his points I didn't entirely agree on:

"Christian contentment is not rebellious." -- I don't know, I personally think a little rebellion can be a healthy thing sometimes. I know plenty of happy rebels. Hehe.

"Christian contentment is not a stoic acceptance of hardships in the world, as though we are denying that we are in pain or that anything could be done about it." --- Okay, well I'd argue that a certain level of contentment CAN come from "stoic acceptance". Also, acceptance ≠ denial. Not necessarily. 

When it comes to supporting texts to back up his talking points, Davis does pull primarily from the Bible itself, namely from the story of Paul. However, he also uses select passages from classics such as A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce, Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne, and Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe. 

Davis's choices for biblical text support are well thought out, but I had hoped to see a stronger presence of more tangible, modern examples of people who had successfully discovered and maintained lifelong contentment in the face of persistent strife. Modern examples are offered within this text, but they are few and far between and not as impactful as I was hoping for. 

Though he makes some fair points, and adds in some interesting historical tidbits along  the way, the overall reading experience of the text was a bit of a chore. Some of Davis' metaphors landed somewhat awkwardly and the writing style was, for the most part, awfully dry. There's definitely a heavy academic tone. In fact, much of this book read more like a college paper than a nonfiction book by someone with years of experience in the field. In the first chapter he even uses the exact words "my thesis is _________, my goal is  ______________". So the reading of this work most certainly has its educational opportunities, but for the average reader I suspect it'll come off a bit of a bore, at least in parts. 

FTC DISCLAIMER: Baker Books kindly provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The opinions above are entirely my own.