How do Christians live faithfully in the land of too much (i.e., the suburbs)? Here to help answer this question is Dr. Ashley Hales. Dr. Hales joins Matt, Derek, and Alastair to talk about consumerism, individualism, busyness, and safety, all topics that she addresses in her new book, Finding Holy In The Suburbs. Join the crew as they go over the history of the suburbs, how they have shaped us, and how Christians can respond.
Timestamps:
Overview of the book [0:00 - 2:40]
What was the impetus behind writing the book [2:40 - 4:10]
The history of the suburbs, and the difference between suburban and city environments [4:10 - 8:00]
How to avoid complacency and radical tendencies [8:00 - 11:00]
How/why we naturally gravitate toward being neighborly to those like us rather than those closest to us [11:00 - 15:02]
How the symbols of the suburbs cloud our identity [15:02 - 19:40]
How to be neighborly while being mindful of the safety of our children [question: 19:40 - 25:40]
How the church can enter the suburbs and create place again, where those in the Western world struggle in finding a place to belong [25:40 - 30:30]
3 specific things we can do to make a connection to our neighborhood [30:30 - 33:11]
Conclusion [33:11 - 34:30]
Resources:
Finding Holy In The Suburbs
The Art of Neighboring: Building Genuine Relationships Right Outside Your Door
If you’re interested in supporting the show financially, you can check out our Patreon here.
Finally, as always, follow Derek, Andrew, and Alastair for more tweet-sized brilliance. Thanks to Timothy Motte for his sound editing work. And thanks to The Joy Eternal for lending us their music, which everybody should download out of gratitude for their kindness.
Caleb Wait
Caleb Wait (MATS, Westminster Seminary California) is a writer and the producer of Mere Fidelity. He and his wife Kristin have two children and live in Northern California. You can follow him on Twitter @calebwait and he invites you to email him at ciwait93@gmail.com.
