Month: April 2014

Does God have anything to say about productivity? Yes he does, and we need to develop a distinctly Christian understanding of how to get things done, according to Matt Perman in his book What’s Best Next: How the Gospel Transforms the Way You Get Things Done. We believe that the gospel changes everything about our home life, work life, church life and community life, but there is little reflection on how the gospel changes the way we get things done.

The author advocates a new kind of GDP: gospel-driven productivity, arguing that “getting things done” is essential to Christian discipleship, and that we need to be God-centred in our productivity, putting others first and realising that justification by faith alone sets us free to be more productive with good works. After discussing the theological implications, the author sets out a recommended framework for achieving greater productivity:

• Define: Working out your mission, finding your calling and clarifying your roles
• Architect: Creating flexible routines and structures
• Reduce: Freeing up time by delegating, eliminating, automating and deferring
• Execute: Planning, managing email, managing actions, and daily disciplines

The book’s productivity tips are largely based on the secular writings of Stephen Covey, David Allen, Peter Drucker and Scott Belsky, and the Christian writings of Jonathan Edwards. Some of the chapters are better than others; I found the chapter on mission statements somewhat confusing, and was rather surprised to see the seventy resolutions of Jonathan Edwards described as “an example from the best mission statement in the history of the world”.

The book is about 50 percent longer than a typical book, and could probably have been improved by a more rigorous application of the Reduce principle advocated by the author. Nonetheless, this book is a good place to start if you are a Christian who is feeling overly busy but insufficiently effective.

Most people care deeply about things they have not discovered through the scientific method, such as love, beauty, altruism, and even religious longing, according to Dan DeWitt in his book Jesus or Nothing. Hence most people are suspicious of the idea that science in our only source of knowledge. The idea that everything must have a material explanation is in conflict with the way we live our daily lives as if there is more to life than matter.

The book contains an interesting discussion about the relationship between atheism and nihilism. Many philosophers regard a certain amount of nihilism as an inescapable consequence of atheism, but on the other hand most people who would regard themselves as atheists would not regard themselves as nihilists. It is often easy to spot difficulties in the worldviews of people you disagree with.

The author uses the letter of Paul to the Colossians as his outline for an explanation of the Christian “theory of everything”, including why there is something rather than nothing, where the universe came from, why it is orderly, why humanity is personal, why we long for transcendence, why there is evil in the world and what the remedy for evil is, why we have a problem with guilt and how grace is the antidote, and the meaning behind our mortality.

This is a short and readable book which presents the Christian perspective in a manner which is respectful towards the views of atheists. I would recommend it particularly for young Christians who are trying to work through the challenges presented by atheism.

Digital has given people a way, for the first time in history really, to connect easily with an organisation, be it to laud and praise or vilify and complain; that digital availability is now becoming an audience expectation, which is why authenticity must become our lifeblood, according to Jason Thibeault and Kirby Wadsworth in their book Recommend This!: Delivering Digital Experiences That People Want to Share.

My full review of the book is available at my business book reviews website.