Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: Befriend
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: https://scottsauls.com/
CITY: Nashville
STATE: TN
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY:
RESEARCHER NOTES:
LC control no.:
n 2014072841
LCCN Permalink:
https://lccn.loc.gov/n2014072841
HEADING:
Sauls, Scott
000
00294nz a2200109n 450
001
9717260
005
20141123002255.0
008
141123n| azannaabn |n aaa
010
__ |a n 2014072841
040
__ |a DLC |b eng |e rda |c DLC
100
1_ |a Sauls, Scott
670
__ |a Jesus outside the lines, 2015: |b E-Cip t.p. (Scott Sauls)
PERSONAL
Married; wife’s name Patti; children: Abby and Ellie.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Pastor. Redeemer Presbyterian Church, New York, NY, lead pastor and preaching pastor; Christ Presbyterian Church, Nashville, TN, senior pastor.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Scott Sauls is the senior minister of Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville, Tennessee. Formerly, he was the lead pastor and preaching pastor at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City. He has been a frequent speaker at conferences, leadership retreats, and universities.
In 2015, Sauls published Jesus Outside the Lines: A Way Forward for Those Who Are Tired of Taking Sides. In this book, he discusses ways to escape political, religious, and social divisions by seeing the truth and beauty of Jesus in the face of conflict. Through social media, politics, and pulpits, many Christians tend to focus on their differences with others, creating polarizing discussions that tackle topics such as faith versus science, homosexuality, abortion, and feminists. Sauls observes that this approach creates a misperception of the Christian faith and Jesus himself. Rather, Sauls says Christians should embrace the tolerance of Jesus and spend their time discussing what they are for, rather than what they are against. Sauls proposes that Jesus offers a way forward, away from the destructiveness of harmful rhetoric, stereotypes, and caricatures.
In a review at the Redeemer Presbyterian Church Web site, Aaron Bjerke admired Sauls for emulating Jesus’s own “humble posture,” stating: “Jesus Outside the Lines is not a book that ‘Bible-thumps’ other Christians. [Sauls] does not preach to the reader; rather, he preaches to himself—the best kind of preaching—and the reader is given intimate access to his thought processes.”
Saul’s next book, Befriend: Create Belonging in an Age of Judgment, Isolation, and Fear, was released in 2016. A 2017 ECPA Christian Book Award Finalist, Befriend challenges persons to go outside their comfort zone and look for friends who may have worldviews different from theirs. Sauls notes that people often seek only like-minded peers and thus remain isolated in their safe, narrow worlds. Just as Jesus modeled a diverse vision of friendship, Sauls encourages Christians to take risks and be compassionate and courageous in finding new friends. Things may be rocky at first and some may feel vulnerable, but the rewards are great.
Sauls believes that the desire for community and companionship transcends divisions based on race, class, politics, and sexual orientation. Writing in Englewood Review of Books, Ashley Hales summarized Sauls’s message: “We cannot begin to have ethical or moral conversations until we actually befriend those who are different from us. We must humble ourselves and realize they have something vital to teach us.” A Publishers Weekly contributor deemed the book required reading “for those stuck in the world of digital-first relationships who seek to enrich their lives and the lives of those they come into contact with .”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Publishers Weekly, August 8, 2016, review of Befriend, p. 59.
ONLINE
Englewood Review of Books, http://englewoodreview.org/ (November 23, 2016), Ashley Hales, review of Befriend.
Gospel Coalition, https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/ (June 21, 2016), “On My Shelf: Life and Books with Scott Sauls.”
Redeemer Presbyterian Church, https://www.redeemer.com/ (May 2015), Aaron Bjerke, review of Jesus Outside the Lines.
Scott Sauls Blog, https://scottsauls.com (May 21, 2017)
ABOUT SCOTT
In March 2012, Scott began serving as the Senior Minister of Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville, Tennessee, where he lives with his wife Patti and two daughters, Abby and Ellie. Previously, Scott was a lead and preaching pastor for Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, where he worked alongside Dr. Timothy Keller. He has also planted churches in Kansas City and St. Louis, and is a frequent speaker at conferences, leadership retreats, and to university students.
Formative experiences have included being an athlete, living in a global city, and suffering through a season of anxiety and depression. Influential voices in Scott’s life include Tim Keller, CS Lewis, Leslie Newbigin, Soong Chan Rah, Jonathan Edwards, Johnny Cash, Joni Eareckson Tada, Miroslav Volf, Paul Tripp, Ann Voskamp, Martin Luther King, Jr., Marva Dawn, and NT Wright. In his free time you might find Scott relaxing with people or a book, strumming his Gibson J-45, hiking, eating Edley’s BBQ, enjoying live music, or cheering on the St. Louis Cardinals and North Carolina Tar Heels.
Scott has authored two books: Jesus Outside the Lines and Befriend. Scott also writes weekly on his blog at scottsauls.com and can also be found on Twitter at @scottsauls.
On My Shelf: Life and Books with Scott Sauls
June 21, 2016
0 Comments
159
On My Shelf helps you get to know various writers through a behind-the-scenes glimpse into their lives as readers.
I corresponded with Scott Sauls, senior pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville, Tennessee, and author of Jesus Outside the Lines: A Way Forward for Those Tired of Taking Sides (Tyndale, 2015) and Befriend: Create Belonging in an Age of Judgment, Isolation, and Fear (Tyndale, forthcoming) about what’s on his nightstand, books that have shaped him, his favorite fiction, what he’s learning, and more.
What’s on your nightstand right now?
I just finished a pre-release copy of a deeply moving book called Struck by Russ Ramsey. It’s a memoir on affliction and grace. I think it releases sometime in 2017. I’m also plodding through a handful of other books, including Tim Keller’s book on the Psalms, Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead, and Richard Rohr’s Breathing Under Water. On deck is Eugene Peterson’s Run with the Horses, Martyn Lloyd-Jones’s Spiritual Depression, and a collaborative book just released by several PCA ministers on racial reconciliation and belonging, titled Heal Us, Emmanuel. Ann Voskamp also has a book called The Broken Way that I can’t wait to read, but it hasn’t yet released.
What are some books you regularly re-read and why?
Outside of the Bible, Mere Christianity seems to be the book I return to more than any other. I’m also greatly helped by Paul Tripp’s book for pastors titled Dangerous Calling. In a day where many pastors seem to be stumbling and even losing their ministries (some of whom are friends of mine), Tripp’s book feels especially urgent. I also find great encouragement from Brennan Manning’s The Ragamuffin Gospel and Tim Keller’s The Prodigal God, who both encourage heart application of biblical sonship, but in two distinct voices. Because my heart is prone, perhaps more than many others, to wander from the identity secured for us in Jesus’s death, burial, and resurrection, I need books like these to lead me back home. Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Life Together reminds me there’s often a difference between our dream of what true Christian community should be, and what true Christian community actually is.
What books have most helped you teach Scripture to others?
Tim Keller’s sermon archive in Logos is tremendously helpful, not only as a practical commentary and source of great anecdotes and quotes, but also devotionally. (If you have read this far, you should be able to tell Keller’s voice is very significant in my life.) I also find N. T. Wright’s For Everyone commentaries on the New Testament immensely helpful. I’m drawn to Wright’s obsession with Jesus’s kingdom already being here, and with how the resurrection of Jesus moves us out in the world to love people, and also places and things, to life. I’m also deeply grateful to those who contributed to the notes in the ESV Study Bible, including my predecessor at Christ Presbyterian Church, Ray Ortlund. Jonathan Edwards’s On Revival and Charity and Its Fruits provide fresh reminders that good theology is meant to catch fire in the preacher’s heart. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Testament of Hope helps me remember the importance of life experiences and perspectives different, and less privileged than, my own—which I believe is essential to understand for a preacher. Preachers must have high levels of cultural and emotional intelligence, especially as the landscape in the West diversifies. Speaking of that, I find anything by Soong Chan-Rah to be both prophetically challenging and inspiring.
What books have most influenced your views on culture and cultural engagement?
That’s easy. The Gospel in a Pluralist Society by Lesslie Newbigin and The Reason for God by Tim Keller.
What are your favorite fiction books?
John Steinbeck’s East of Eden, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, and C. S. Lewis’s Narnia Chronicles. Regarding Lewis, his are among my favorite fiction books chiefly because, in truth, they aren’t fiction at all.
What are you learning about life and following Jesus?
These days, I’m learning that by virtue of being a pastor, I’m vulnerable. Satan hates the ministry, and the flesh is always at war against the Spirit. I’ve been deeply affected by the number of pastors who’ve lost their ministries due to isolation that led to moral compromise, and know deep down that under different circumstances, it could be me instead of them. I recently wrote a blog post called “Thoughts on the Rise and Fall of Pastors,” which seemed to resonate with fellow pastors especially. What I’m learning is that we pastors need more friends and fewer fans. We need to pay more attention to Scripture and less to building platforms. We need people in our lives to remind us that God hasn’t called us to be heroes or celebrities, but humble, forgiven, faithful sons and servants to Jesus.
Also in the On My Shelf series: Karen Swallow Prior, Jackie Hill Perry, Bruce Ashford, Jonathan Leeman, Megan Hill, Marvin Olasky, David Wells, John Frame, Rod Dreher, James K. A. Smith, Randy Alcorn, Tom Schreiner, Trillia Newbell, Jen Wilkin, Joe Carter, Timothy George, Tim Keller, Bryan Chapell, Lauren Chandler, Mike Cosper, Russell Moore, Jared Wilson, Kathy Keller, J. D. Greear, Kevin DeYoung, Kathleen Nielson, Thabiti Anyabwile, Elyse Fitzpatrick, Collin Hansen, Fred Sanders, Rosaria Butterfield, Nancy Guthrie, and Matt Chandler.
Browse dozens of book recommendations from The Gospel Coalition’s leaders and sign up your church at Hubworthy.
4/12/17, 4(41 PM
Print Marked Items
Saul, Scott. Becoming Richard Pryor
Chris Martin
Library Journal.
140.1 (Jan. 1, 2015): p107. From Book Review Index Plus.
COPYRIGHT 2015 Library Journals, LLC. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.libraryjournal.com/
Full Text:
Saul, Scott. Becoming Richard Pryor. Harper. 2014. 592p. photos. notes. index. ISBN 9780062123305. $27.99; ebk. ISBN 9780062123336. performing arts
There are many things to praise about this title, not least of which that it is an exhaustive historical account of the legendary entertainer Pryor's life (1940-2005) and career up to the late 1970s. Saul (Freedom Is, Freedom Ain't) marshals more archival resources and personal interviews than any previous biographer of the comedian, providing a comprehensive chronology of his early years. The exacting detail is often painful reading. Pryor grew up in a brothel (a contested biographical detail until now), and even while striving toward themes of liberation in his work, he abused lovers and substances prodigiously. Yet the author demonstrates how Pryor's background and turmoil, as well as larger social and political forces of the 1960s and 1970s, fueled his creativity and willingness to take artistic risks. For now this book serves as the final word on how its subject rose to occupy a singular spot in the American comedy and cinema landscape. VERDICT This essential book for Pryor enthusiasts will be equally valuable to scholars of modern American history and popular culture.--Chris Martin, North Dakota State Univ. Libs., Fargo
Martin, Chris
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Martin, Chris. "Saul, Scott. Becoming Richard Pryor." Library Journal, 1 Jan. 2015, p. 107+. PowerSearch,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do? p=GPS&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA443057066&it=r&asid=268083c93017e859f1504fb7480f0f8f. Accessed 12 Apr. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A443057066
about:blank Page 1 of 2
4/12/17, 4(41 PM
Befriend: Create Belonging in an Age of Judgment, Isolation, and Fear
Publishers Weekly.
263.32 (Aug. 8, 2016): p59. From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
Befriend: Create Belonging in an Age of Judgment, Isolation, and Fear Scott Sauls. Tyndale, $15.99 trade paper (224p) ISBN 978-1-4964-0094-9
Sauls (Jesus Outside the Lines), senior pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville, Tenn., writes eloquently on the topic of befriending. He covers his bases thoroughly when challenging Christ followers to be proactive about their relationships in these 21 candid chapters. His message is tailored to inspire engagement with new people--both inside and outside the church--with courage and compassion, reminding Christians that it is all too easy to engage in digital, transactional, one-dimensional friendships when Jesus demands Christians move toward people with intent and self- sacrifice. Befriending, according to Sauls, is the kind of action that may include some initial friction, some hard surfaces, but over time these differences can result in richer, deeper relationships. Readers will learn how to practically seek new relationships with bullies, children, the dying, family members, and strangers. Each chapter is overflowing with compelling true accounts, biblical commentaries, and brief summaries to tie the overarching points together. This is a must read for those stuck in the world of digital-first relationships who seek to enrich their lives and the lives of those they come into contact with daily. Agent: Robert Wolgemuth, Wolgemuth & Associates Inc. (Oct.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Befriend: Create Belonging in an Age of Judgment, Isolation, and Fear." Publishers Weekly, 8 Aug. 2016, p. 59+.
PowerSearch, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do? p=GPS&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA460900421&it=r&asid=a8249b7b6a75cf3ea3342d363cacf056. Accessed 12 Apr. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A460900421
about:blank Page 2 of 2
Jesus Outside the Lines by Scott Sauls: A book review
May 2015 Aaron Bjerke
In a recent op-ed piece in The New York Times, columnist Nicholas Kristof acknowledged that society often unfairly caricaturizes Christians as “rubes,” noting that in society “evangelicals constitute one of the few groups that it’s safe to mock openly.” And yet a disproportionate number of aid workers he has met have been Christians. He noted, however, that “rube” is not always an unwarranted label, citing evangelical leaders who blame “9/11 on feminists, gays and lesbians, and doctors who perform abortions.” It is statements like this, made by Christians, that show Christianity to be hostile toward the culture and one another. This, however, begs the question: to what extent is this caricature true?
In Jesus Outside the Lines, Scott Sauls, senior pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville, shows that this does not need to be the reality in the church, nor the culture’s perception of it. His thesis is that because Christians focus on their differences and spend an inordinate amount of time in polarizing discussions, rather than also discussing what they are for, the community itself becomes known by only what it is against, which creates a misperception of the Christian faith and Jesus himself. As Sauls points out time and again, Jesus lived a life that does not fit neatly into any single denomination, theological system, or political party. And if Christians are to be “conformed to the image of Jesus” (Romans 8:29), then they must assume that their life experiences are not exhaustive and their faith has room to grow. In practice, this means that Christians with different perspectives should be able to draw from the unifying love of Jesus in order to humbly listen to one another and destroy the “us vs. them” mentality so that they can navigate difficult conflicts together. In so doing, they will accurately portray God’s love to those around them.
One of the most admirable qualities of the book is that Sauls models this humble posture in his writing. Jesus Outside the Lines is not a book that “Bible-thumps” other Christians. He does not preach to the reader; rather, he preaches to himself — the best kind of preaching — and the reader is given intimate access to his thought processes. One example of this humility is his navigation through the apparent conflict between personal faith and institutional religion. There is a feeling that a person does not need the church in order to grow in one’s faith and to have spiritual discussions. Sauls explains that personal faith and church do not need to be at odds with each other. In this chapter, which alone is worth the price of the book, he shows that the Christian community and the individual need one another. Loving difficult people is Christlike, but it only happens when someone commits to Christian community. Moreover, the community, because of its imperfections, needs individual Christians in order to become more loving and genuine.
Is the church an institution of rubes? Hopefully not, but without the willingness to grow and dialogue with the “other side,” this perception will always be more accurate than it is wrong, and the church will fail in loving others well. Sauls invites the reader, whether a Christian or a friend of one, to be compelled by the Jesus of the Bible rather than by the Jesus of one’s own denomination, theological position, or political party. What the reader will find is that the Jesus of the Bible is infinitely more complex than the political and theological boundaries that the church has attempted to draw around him, and yet he is surprisingly simple
Scott Sauls – Befriend [Feature Review]
November 23, 2016 — 3 Comments
40 37 0 80
Moving Toward the Other
A Feature Review of
Befriend:
Create Belonging in an Age of Judgment, Isolation, and Fear
Scott Sauls
Paperback, Tyndale 2016
Buy now: [ Amazon ] [ Kindle ]
Reviewed by Ashley Hales
After America’s recent election, we’ve discovered (again) how divided we are. It is not simply that one-half of the nation disagrees with the other, but that each half is afraid of the other, as noted by ABC News. In a climate of fear, Scott Sauls’ Befriend is a timely book. Its subtitle, “create belonging in an age of judgment, isolation, and fear,” speaks to a human desire for community that transcends divisions based on race, class, socio-economics, politics, and sexual orientation. It plots a way forward for the church.
But to move towards friendship, Sauls isn’t about to wallpaper over potential differences. Described as both humble and orthodox in his previous book, Jesus Outside the Lines, Sauls maintains here, too, a typically conservative ethic. Always pastoral and winsome, Sauls always seeks to build bridges across our many divides. In twenty-one short chapters, Befriend not only posits but also illustrates how “real friendship happens when we move toward the people we are most tempted to avoid.” He doesn’t sugarcoat deep divides, systemic injustice, or fear. Sauls’ vision for the book is that it would be read in community — with others who act like sandpaper on us — so that both become smoother because of the friction.
Befriend asks the question: Is real friendship is too risky? When the world feels like it’s spinning out of control, is our only way forward to hide in bunkers, engage in trench warfare (online, in person, and even in the church), and only befriend those who hold our same convictions and persuasions? Scott Sauls thinks not. His book Befriend is a way forward for the church.
If you know your early church history, you’ve likely heard how new converts to Christianity climbed over walls that were meant to ghettoize ethnicities in order to meet together. Today, our churches often build walls to keep people out. Scott Sauls’ Befriend seeks to get at the heart of that wall-climbing ethos. Can the church be an organization that supersedes divisive mud-slinging and learns to love both the marginalized and the affluent, both the right and the left?
This seems idealistic now. Yet, our church history tells a grander story, a story Sauls’ book helps us recover in today’s language and stories. Of course we cannot move forward when we are rooted in fear, when we give way to caricature and gossip. The prerequisite to ethics is friendship, Sauls notes. We cannot begin to have ethical or moral conversations until we actually befriend those who are different from us. We must humble ourselves and realize they have something vital to teach us. No single group has the corner on the market on grace and truth. So we start by taking small steps towards the “other;” like Mother Teresa, we move toward what others run from.
In tumultuous times, I pray the church learns how to be this covenant community Sauls writes of — not one that is based on transactional friendship where we only befriend those who look like us. That option is no different than the spirit of the age. Jesus said it best, “For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even Gentiles do the same?” (Matthew 5: 46-47).
May it be true of the church that we ask more questions, we learn and practice empathy, and we fight for justice for the oppressed. May it be true that we seek to grow in compassion for those who voted against us. May we seek to love not only the marginalized but also not vilify the rich and powerful, the bullies and perpetrators (who are also subjects of Sauls’ essays). How else could a watching world see that we are Christians, except by our love?
Scott Sauls tells a powerful story of his friend and mentor, Pastor Ronnie, an African American preacher who has helped Sauls see his own privilege and how Jesus’ Kingdom . When he opened up his pulpit to Scott Sauls, the author recounts how Ronnie treated him as a friend: he “elevated [his] dignity,” he did not belittle or “caricature [him] as one of them; instead he welcomed [him] as part of us.” That is what a transformed heart can do: it can move toward instead of away. May our church learn how to befriend others, it’s what our nation needs more than anything.