On Mentors
Distilled, Jesus, the hero, the stoic, and the hedonist are the only options. The hero, stoic, or hedonist will leave you proud and merciless.The Hero? Living the life of a hero, a person cannot come to terms with his need. As he constantly strives for the next achievement, no time is taken to accept the love he needs. It will leave him self-protected, isolated, proud, and critical.
The Stoic? The arrogance of exercising the will over the flesh will leave a person either trapped in irrelevant, arrogant judgment or hopeless self-hate. Either way, pride blocks the way to the cross. Need is denied, and by trying to preserve his life, the Stoic loses it.
The Hedonist? Pleasure serves as an idol for the therapeutic and is nearly equivalent to hedonism. Living with moral license hardens the heart and destroys the soul. When purpose is immediate gratification, one can no longer see God. He has created a fence around his heart by thinking his real need is pleasure, and when he finds out that instead it is love, he rages at the idea.
Jesus finishes the list of potential mentors. His way is mercy, love, hope. He is more masculine than the hero, more holy than the stoic, and more joyful than the hedonist.
These ideas come largely from James Houston's The Mentored Life.
TECHNORATI mentor discipleship christianity
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Jesus Creed is currently reviewing Houston's book. Check in over there for more.
posted by MWC @ 12:43 AM
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