Holy Living Re-Envisioned in an Age of Zoom, Twitter, and Apps

By Herb Ireland

Is the ancient language of holiness even relevant in the age of Zoom, Twitter and Apps? In fact, who gives a rip about holy living when there are so many things demanding our attention? Zoom, Twitter and Facebook seem far more exciting to explore than this spiritual topic. By the way, what does the term sanctification mean and is it instantaneous or progressive? Is there any relationship between holy living and the image of God? Is this rhythm of grace even possible in this lifetime? These important issues and more will be addressed in this book. Holy living is not reserved for "super saints" or those in monasteries or spiritual "odd-balls," but is achievable in this lifetime. Sanctification in the broadest sense will be explored as various rhythms of grace beginning with the grace that prepares a person to enter into a relationship with the Living Lord and ends with final sanctification or life in the eternal realm. You will discover that the heart of holy living is loving God, ourselves, others and this elegant, natural world. Sanctification also includes the reconfiguration of the shattered and damaged image of God. This lifetime adventure in the Spirit shapes the contours of our lives until we think, act and react more and more like Jesus. As a pastor for thirty-five years and an adjunct religion professor for ten years at a university, this book will enlighten you on the subject. By using testimonies and experiences from my pastoral and teaching years with adult students you will see the practical wisdom of seeking a holy life in the age of digital media.  Purchase this book today and travel the road to holy living in a world that offers cheap substitutes for true joy and meaning in life.

 

"In the context of a fascinating and expanding universe of apps, the author outlines the journey of spiritual transformation through six "rhythms of grace." The book clearly and succinctly addresses theological questions for the Christian wanting to mature in her/his faith. A very helpful and needed resource."

E. LeBron Fairbanks, DMin. Education Commissioner, Church of the Nazarene, Retired; Mount Vernon Nazarene University, President Emeritus

• Language: English
• Publisher: H. E. Coale Press
• Release date: Mar 4, 2021
• ISBN: 9781393163930

Herb Ireland

Along with reading all kinds of literature one of my favorite hobbies is to travel and discover new places. Augustine expressed it best when he declared, "The world is a book. Those who do not travel read only a page." 

Book preview

Introduction

In 2005 my wife and I were walking across a bridge in Wuhan, China, looking down at the brown churning water below. I remember reading a book about the life of Chairman Mao Zedong of the People’s Republic of China and how he would enjoy a swim in this body of water called the Yangtze River. I could just picture him bobbing up and down as he enjoyed floating with his body guards in this river. Little did I know at that time that fifteen years later this city of 11 million people would become infamous for its association with COVID-19. Somehow the corona virus broke out and began infecting the local population. Unfortunately, initially the government did not allow information to be shared on this dangerous virus with the nations of the world. It was truly a defining moment in the world as this deadly virus spread so rapidly, because of international travel, that it ultimately was ruled a global pandemic.

Defining moments are wrapped in all kinds of packages, like when the Civil War broke out during President Abraham Lincoln’s time in office. This war between the states brought about more deaths than all the wars we have been engaged in since that time.

A different kind of defining moment came in the 1930’s with the stock market crash and the dust bowl that inundated the Midwest states. As the stock market plunged to new lows some investors jumped to their deaths. The dust and dirt were so thick that the sky turned black and entered homes through every crack or openings around the doors.

9/11, as it is referred to, will always be remembered as the day when four airplanes were hijacked by 19 Al-Qaeda terrorists and flown into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The fourth plane never reached its destination of the U.S. Capitol because of the fast action of the brave passengers on board who fought with the terrorists and the plane crashed in Pennsylvania. It was a defining moment because 2,977 people lost their lives which is the largest number of victims from an external attack in our history.

The COVID-19 virus became a defining moment when it spread so quickly, despite the efforts of the Center for Disease Control’s guidelines to keep social distance of six feet from one another, don’t gather in groups of over ten people, wear a mask and wash your hands repeatedly the virus raged on. It has now—as of July 3, 2020—claimed the lives of over 129,000 people in America. To further combat this silent killer, governors ordered lock down where the population was instructed to work from home and only go out for essentials like groceries and medical supplies.

Defining moments are not limited to national triumphs or tragedies but also occur in our personal lives. While there were no public high school graduations in 2020 because of the pandemic, most people can still remember the excitement of graduation day and looking out upon the future with great expectations or anxiety. The exchange of vows before God and man to be married is another defining moment that is often captured with someone taking pictures.

The birth of a baby is an experience that impacts both mother and father. While the aftermath is filled with sleepless nights and challenges, one never forgets that one brought a new being into this world. Of course, the death of a loved one is drilled deep into the heart and mind of a person. The grief and sorrow take time to get over and that is why it is called grief work for it is literally psychological work.

It is my contention in this book that we are at a defining moment spiritually in America. Up until March, 2020 a majority of people assumed and acted like they were in control of their lives. Then the corona virus surfaced in a nursing facility in Washington state and we began to hear about many deaths in this one facility. It wasn’t long before other deaths were reported and now the virus was taking the lives of those not confined to a facility. The medical and scientific community, including the World Health Organization, marshalled all their resources but no one was able to stop the spread of the disease. Slowly and incrementally it began to dawn on people that we as human beings living in this advanced nation are not in control. If we are not in control of our destiny then who is? Are we being controlled by forces beyond our ability to comprehend? Or is God involved in this pandemic? If he is, then why honor a God who would cause so many deaths and destruction of jobs and livelihoods? On the other hand, could it be that God did not intentionally cause this pandemic to punish human beings but allowed it to happen? These questions reveal that there is a limit to what human beings can control. Our pride in our vaunted medical and scientific approach to life took a hit and now people are thinking about the possibility of spiritual answers.

Spiritually speaking this defining moment was propelled forward by the lock down and stay in place orders of governors. Suddenly people who worked in the service industries were in deep trouble because they could not work at home. With no work and no pay and little savings in the bank it soon became critical for the national and state governments to help out people financially. Thankfully, various businesses joined in to help people, for instance by reducing the cost of auto insurance because of less driving and defraying the cost of rent until later. Others who had jobs outside the service industries were to work from home. This was not so easy as they often had children to care for who could not go to school and lessons by Zoom to help with. However, for the first time in a long time many people began to enjoy their families and doing things together whether it be cooking, doing a project in the garage, or tossing a ball with their child in the front yard. This lock down also forced many people to stop running around and draw back and think through what was really important in their lives. Among those things were spiritual and moral issues. Speeding through life does not allow people time to seriously explore the spiritual contours of life, but now the speeding was drastically reduced by governors and social constraints.

We are at a defining moment spiritually because church services have now gone online or over the telephone or delivered by other creative ways. In addition, many pastors, priests, and rabbis have contacted their congregants by text, email, phone, skype, or twitter. People who were unfortunately often overlooked, are now being contacted to make sure they are safe and reminded they are important to the Body of Christ. The pandemic has forced the Church of Jesus Christ to adopt new social media ways to minister to people via Zoom, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

It is my contention that holy living can be re-envisioned in this age of social media and propelled forward with the understanding that holy living involves sanctification over a life time. This sanctification also involves the restoration of the scarred, marred and broken image of God in every human being. I am reminded of Joseph’s word to his brothers who sold him into Egyptian slavery. "You intended to harm me, but God