"The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness" by Timothy Keller. A Recommendation

 


The Apostle Paul says somewhere, "For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment,..." (Romans 12:3a). And that concept is center stage in Tim Keller's teeny 48-page booklet, "The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness". It is easy to read, simple, and to the point.

Keller is working on exactly what is in the title: Freedom. Not patriotic freedom, but liberation from the driving force of our ego. Liberation from a superiority or inferiority complex. Liberation from taking ourselves to court every day to be judged or vindicated. Liberated from building our self-resume. But also liberated to be alive. To be alive before God and with God because of Jesus Christ. As Keller points out, "the essence of gospel-humility is not thinking more of myself or thinking less of myself, it is thinking of myself less" (32). 

"The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness" is just what all of us need. It would make a great addition to counseling sessions, or discussions with teenagers. It would be perfect to by a quantity of and keep on hand to distribute when someone around you is being sucker-punched by anxiety and worry, or pride and ambition. It is a manual to aid us, one and all, to follow Paul's dictum, "not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment,...". I highly recommend the book.

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