A Brief Book Summary from Books At a Glance
by Kirsten Birkett
About the Author
Timothy Keller was founder of the Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, and a bestselling author of books on apologetics and spirituality.
Contents
The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness
- The natural condition of the human ego
- The transformed view of self
- How to get that transformed view of self
General Summary
A brief discussion of self-esteem, the problems it causes and the remedy for it, based on 1 Corinthians 3:21–4:7.
The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness
1 Corinthians 3:21–4:7 shows that the divisions in the church come from pride and boasting. Modern Western culture (against almost all precedent) promotes boasting and considers low-esteem as the root of social problems. Yet evidence is that high self-esteem is the problem, not low self-esteem.
1. The natural condition of the human ego
The word for pride in verse 6 is physio, “overinflated.” The natural human ego is empty, painful (because there is something wrong with it), busy (drawing attention to itself), and fragile. Superiority and inferiority complexes are the same, both results of the ego being overinflated and at risk of, or experiencing, deflation. . . .
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