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Samuel Johns
Articles by
Samuel Johns
Articles by
Samuel Johns
Burnout represents the pathological consequence of voluntary self-exploitation.
Being tired is not the problem; the problem is that the kind of tiredness that our society brews is one of exhaustion.
This book reinterprets the ancient paradigm of the three enemies of the soul for the modern age.
The system that gives esteem to engaged employees also creates anxiety only quelled through working more intensively. Perhaps we can bring more of the refreshing gospel of Christ to our workplaces.
Han writes: "Multitasking is commonplace among wild animals. It is an attentive technique indispensable for survival in the wilderness. That is why animals are incapable of contemplative immersion.”
The gospel is the church’s most precious gift to cherish, protect, and pass on. We must never stop checking what we believe and preach and then ask the question: Is this the gospel?
An essay questioning the fruits of optimisation. Part 3: Consider Sabbath.
An essay questioning the fruits of optimisation. Part 2: Optimisation and Fragility. What is the “cult of efficiency” doing to our humanity?
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Articles by
Samuel Johns
The Burnout Society: Survival of the fittest
Burnout represents the pathological consequence of voluntary self-exploitation.
The Burnout Society: Why so tired?
Being tired is not the problem; the problem is that the kind of tiredness that our society brews is one of exhaustion.
Live No Lies
This book reinterprets the ancient paradigm of the three enemies of the soul for the modern age.
Work and burnout: where’s the balance
The system that gives esteem to engaged employees also creates anxiety only quelled through working more intensively. Perhaps we can bring more of the refreshing gospel of Christ to our workplaces.
The Burnout Society: scattered and bored
Han writes: "Multitasking is commonplace among wild animals. It is an attentive technique indispensable for survival in the wilderness. That is why animals are incapable of contemplative immersion.”
Prosperity? Seeking the True Gospel
The gospel is the church’s most precious gift to cherish, protect, and pass on. We must never stop checking what we believe and preach and then ask the question: Is this the gospel?
Sharpening the Saw: consider Sabbath
An essay questioning the fruits of optimisation. Part 3: Consider Sabbath.
Sharpening the Saw: Optimisation and Fragility
An essay questioning the fruits of optimisation. Part 2: Optimisation and Fragility. What is the “cult of efficiency” doing to our humanity?
Sharpening the Saw: The Best Path to Freedom?
An essay questioning the fruits of optimisation. Part 1: What are we aiming for when we optimise? Do we even count the costs? What does it mean to live a good life?
Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton (1908)
Chesterton's ‘Orthodoxy’ is a treatise on the origins of pleasure. Where does joy stem from? What is the heartbeat of pleasure? What are its origins in our world?
The Primacy of Integrity
We observe that integrity is a 'cross-over virtue', valued both in private and professional life. Our research shows this virtue is often an aspirational one in the lives of young Christians.
Daniel: A Life of Faithful Obedience
Daniel, an exile from Judah, rises to political prominence in the land of Babylon. From youth to old age, his extraordinary life story is one of faithfulness amid very complicated circumstances.
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry
“If you want to experience the life of Jesus, you have to adopt the lifestyle of Jesus” John Mark Comer
A Move From Subject to Project
As the digital is a medium of projection, “people no longer consider themselves subjects that are cast under a general law but as self-designing—self-casting and, indeed, self-optimizing—projects”.
From the Hand to the Finger
'Homo digitalis' uses his finger (his digit) to interact with the world. Above all, the finger counts. Either he is always counting and calculating, or else he is always being counted and calculated.
Homo Digitalis, and the Flight Into the Image
Social media is a medium of immediate presence. As representation is giving way to online presence, the swarm enters, dissolving old limitations at its own peril.
In the Swarm. Outrage Society.
Byung-Chul Han, the Korean-German thinker, offers us a stark contrast: pursue the fleeting outrage that is amplified online, at the peril of our democracy or re-integrate discourse, urgently.
The Universality of Story and the Hero’s Journey
We Christians celebrate story as central and significant in our faith. Not only are we swept along by the great salvation story of history, but also, we are invited to participate in God’s story.
Waiting, Waiting, Waiting
How can we wait well? Hoping in hope alone is not a good place to start. Thankfully our belief in the risen LORD is a ground for true hope.
The Twenties: The Beginning of a New Decade
The last 20s were known as “free-wheeling” and “carefree” and “spirit-full”, times of hope and hardship, and times of global transformation as well. What will the 2020s be like?
The Life God Blesses
How do we learn to weather the storms of life that threaten the soul? How can we build beneath the waterline, to strengthen and shore up?
Students of the Word
Stott is crystal clear; ‘the authority of Christ and the authority of scripture belong together’. How does Christ speak today? How does he govern his church? How does he exercise his authority?
“The Poverty of Nations” – A Critical Review
The authors address an important topic - yet is the book’s conclusion that “continually producing more goods and services is the only route from poverty to prosperity” (p65) something we can support?
The Master & His Emissary
McGilchrist charts the human brain, along with a sweep of the making of the Western World, in a staggering 500-page treatise, which reads much like a thriller.
A Little Manual for Knowing
Esther Meek suggests that our first knowledge as human beings is the knowledge of being loved. This first knowledge, she suggests, is paradigmatic for all of our knowing.
Foolishness to the Greeks
This book treats the First World as a mission field, offering a unique perspective on the relationship between the gospel and current society by presenting an outsider's view of Western culture.
Dethroning Mammon
How are we to understand the ways of the mammon? In dethroning mammon, Justin Welby gets to the crux of the argument. This is a fantastic book - an easy recommendation - and a worthy read for us all.
Reading Justin Welby's Dethroning Mammon
Justin Welby suggests that Mammon has a powerful, persuasive hold over our imaginations. Whilst Mammon preaches an economy of exchange and equivalence, God’s economy is built around abundant grace.
Living Life Backward
Ecclesiastes–often dry and acerbic in wit-introduces us to the heart of faith. As Gibson writes, 'We need someone to tell us to listen because we want to look and speak more than we want to listen'.
Epistemology Is the New Ontology
Epistemology simply means the 'theory of knowledge' – we could reduce it (simplistically) to know-how. Ontology is 'dealing with the nature of being'. But what if epistemology is the new ontology?
Artificial Intelligence – On Personhood
A soft alarm wakes me – perfectly in sync with my circadian rhythms – and I trundle downstairs, set to face a new week. Alex notifies me of the weather, so the blinds remain closed.
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