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Leadership and Emotional Sabotage: Resisting the Anxiety That Will Wreck Your Family, Destroy Your Church, and Ruin the World
Who are you when the teeth come out?For every true act of leadership, there is an equal and monstrous act of sabotage.Our leaders have been entirely routed by the agitated and the anxious. These emotional tyrannies manifest themselves in local libraries, HR cubicles, elder meetings, and at your Thanksgiving dinners.
In this book Professor Joe Rigney seeks to recover the nerve of old that steadied leaders to make tough calls. The nerve that braces them when sabotage comes--because it will. The nerve that has more fun than its enemies.
Cheer up, there's no way out but through.
In this book Professor Joe Rigney seeks to recover the nerve of old that steadied leaders to make tough calls. The nerve that braces them when sabotage comes--because it will. The nerve that has more fun than its enemies.
Cheer up, there's no way out but through.
94 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 26, 2024
471 people are currently reading
1751 people want to read
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March 28, 2025
See my review of Rigney's The Sin of Empathy here.
Here's a positive review from Joe Holland. Another positive review at Clear Truth Media.
Joe used to be known as the Things of Earth guy (see here). Among some, he is now known as the empathy guy. Below are some of the articles that have contributed to this seeming shift.
- "Killing Them Softly" at Desiring God (2019)
- "The Enticing Sin of Empathy" at Desiring God (2019)
- "Dangerous Compassion" at Desiring God (2020)
- "Do You Feel My Pain?" at at Desiring God (2020)
- "Where Do We Disagree?" at Desiring God (2021)
- "On Empathy Once More" (2021: Part 1 and Part 2)
- "Empathy, Feminism, and the Church" at American Reformer (2024)
- "Of Empathy and Monsters" at American Reformer (2024)
For non-articles, but still with Joe, see below:
- Man Rampant with Doug Wilson (2019)
- Alastair Roberts with Hannah Anderson (2021)
- Home Fires interview (2021)
- Conversation with Josh Daws (2023)
- Video series at Canon+ (2024)
- Interview with Grimké Seminary (2025)
For related material, see below:
- Abigail Dodds and "untethered" (2020)
- Andy Naselli (2020)
- Abigail Dodds (2020)
- Doug Wilson's response to the popular Brené Brown video (2021)
- On "toxic empathy" (2023)
- Doug Wilson on untethered empathy (2023)
- Allie Beth Stuckey has a new book called Toxic Empathy (2024)
Here's a positive review from Joe Holland. Another positive review at Clear Truth Media.
Joe used to be known as the Things of Earth guy (see here). Among some, he is now known as the empathy guy. Below are some of the articles that have contributed to this seeming shift.
- "Killing Them Softly" at Desiring God (2019)
- "The Enticing Sin of Empathy" at Desiring God (2019)
- "Dangerous Compassion" at Desiring God (2020)
- "Do You Feel My Pain?" at at Desiring God (2020)
- "Where Do We Disagree?" at Desiring God (2021)
- "On Empathy Once More" (2021: Part 1 and Part 2)
- "Empathy, Feminism, and the Church" at American Reformer (2024)
- "Of Empathy and Monsters" at American Reformer (2024)
For non-articles, but still with Joe, see below:
- Man Rampant with Doug Wilson (2019)
- Alastair Roberts with Hannah Anderson (2021)
- Home Fires interview (2021)
- Conversation with Josh Daws (2023)
- Video series at Canon+ (2024)
- Interview with Grimké Seminary (2025)
For related material, see below:
- Abigail Dodds and "untethered" (2020)
- Andy Naselli (2020)
- Abigail Dodds (2020)
- Doug Wilson's response to the popular Brené Brown video (2021)
- On "toxic empathy" (2023)
- Doug Wilson on untethered empathy (2023)
- Allie Beth Stuckey has a new book called Toxic Empathy (2024)
March 21, 2024
Fantastic.
March 26, 2024
This one right here.. Right at the top
May 12, 2025
A wildly insightful book!
If you’re a leader of any kind desiring more tactfulness, or someone just seeking to mature in your sober-minded decision making, this book is the one you want
Worth reading and returning to many times. Rigney writes clearly, humorously, and powerfully on the fact that “for every true act of leadership, there is an equal & monstrous act of emotional sabotage”.
This book is practically helpful for growing & recovering an essential muscle: the nerve of old that steadies leaders to make tough calls—a nerve that braces them when sabotage come, since it inevitably will. A nerve that is more settled on pleasing God rather than man, grounded in convictions instead of compromise, and clear-headed thinking instead emotional sway
If you’re a leader of any kind desiring more tactfulness, or someone just seeking to mature in your sober-minded decision making, this book is the one you want
Worth reading and returning to many times. Rigney writes clearly, humorously, and powerfully on the fact that “for every true act of leadership, there is an equal & monstrous act of emotional sabotage”.
This book is practically helpful for growing & recovering an essential muscle: the nerve of old that steadies leaders to make tough calls—a nerve that braces them when sabotage come, since it inevitably will. A nerve that is more settled on pleasing God rather than man, grounded in convictions instead of compromise, and clear-headed thinking instead emotional sway
August 30, 2024
Own. hardback.
I've recently read Failure of Nerve several times and led an online discussion through it, so the core ideas were not new to me, but I appreciated Rigney's pulling out of one essential, practical message. It's not a reworking of all of Failure of Nerve, but rather a quick guide to staying self-differentiated and truly help others in emotionally charged situations.
Further development of "degree" would have been helpful, especially since I think he's right that lacking proper hierarchy is a root problem in modern America, yet it's a concept we've totally lost even our imagination of.
I'm hoping this is the "Strangely Bright" version and a "Things of Earth" edition with greater development will be forthcoming. Maybe that one could not have an obnoxious cover (even the hardback, not just the dustjacket is yellow with the ugly monster face).
I've recently read Failure of Nerve several times and led an online discussion through it, so the core ideas were not new to me, but I appreciated Rigney's pulling out of one essential, practical message. It's not a reworking of all of Failure of Nerve, but rather a quick guide to staying self-differentiated and truly help others in emotionally charged situations.
Further development of "degree" would have been helpful, especially since I think he's right that lacking proper hierarchy is a root problem in modern America, yet it's a concept we've totally lost even our imagination of.
I'm hoping this is the "Strangely Bright" version and a "Things of Earth" edition with greater development will be forthcoming. Maybe that one could not have an obnoxious cover (even the hardback, not just the dustjacket is yellow with the ugly monster face).
April 10, 2024
A great Christian appropriation of Friedman (and then some). Rigney seems to me to be one of the most perceptive and psychologically astute theologians of our day, and this book is a fruit of those gifts. There were many helpful words in this book for me.
Also to be noted, Rigney's interpretation of Paul's leadership and immovability in Acts is superb.
Finally, Rigney's use of Shakespeare did not grip me, but that may have more to do with me than with the writing.
Also to be noted, Rigney's interpretation of Paul's leadership and immovability in Acts is superb.
Finally, Rigney's use of Shakespeare did not grip me, but that may have more to do with me than with the writing.
February 21, 2024
Rigney truly has a way with words, and does a fantastic job at distilling and presenting a cohesive and unified view of Christian leadership here from a variety of different sources. Every man should read this book, but especially men with the burden of serious responsibilities.
May 17, 2024
Joe Rigney absolutely nailed it here. This book was very needed for the time that we are in, I would recommend every husband, father, church, pastor, and business to read this. We need people who are quick to act in a godly manner in difficult situations, and not just react in whatever way their emotions might be steering them in. Very good stuff.
March 15, 2024
Even though Leadership and Emotional Sabotage is unabashedly written for and marketed to Christian men in leadership positions—whether in the home, the church, or the workplace—I found it encouraging and helpful to read as a Christian woman interested in the topic. Here, Joe Rigney has attempted to write a Christian version of rabbi Edwin H. Friedman’s A Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix, and to provide a “biblical cure” to what both men would recognize as a “societal illness”.
Rigney calls Leadership and Emotional Sabotage his “attempt to do justice to Friedman’s insights while grounding them in the Scriptures and extending them and applying them in the home, the church, and the world” (Introduction).
According to Rigney, we live in an “age of anxiety, agitation, and turmoil,” wherein faithful, steadfast leadership is often met with emotional sabotage: “any attempt to steer or derail you, to take you and your people off mission” (Chapter 3). Emotional sabotage can take the form of slander, "social stampeding," or "emotional blackmail" masquerading as “appeals to empathy” that are not rooted in truth or reality. This makes leaders wary of leading, creating a culture characterized by reactivity, herding, blame displacement, quick-fix mentality, and failure of nerve (Chapter 3). Rigney writes:
“We live in a culture constantly looking for a quick fix, a silver bullet, a magic spell that will solve all our problems. As a result, the individuals and institutions that ought to act as shock absorbers in crises are instead held hostage and paralyzed by indecision and failures of nerve…leaders are put in impossible situations: We need you to fix the problem, but you can’t bring up the elephant in the room. As a result, they adopt appeasement strategies in order to avoid conflict. When entire institutions fall prey to the spirit of appeasement, paralysis, and excuse-making, the most mature and motivated members begin to quickly drift away, which just makes everything worse” (Introduction).
This is a phenomenon that many have observed within the secular culture (especially university settings), as well as in the church. The solution, according to Rigney, is neither the absence of leadership, nor tyrannical leadership, but what Friedman calls well-differentiated leadership, characterized first and foremost by a sober-mindedness marked by "clarity of mind, stability of soul, readiness to act” (Chapter 3).
A sober-minded leader, inspired by the 1st, 5th, and 10th commandments, is willing to take responsibility for his actions, knows himself well through the process of intentional self-reflection, aligns his standards with the truth of God’s word, cultivates his ability to be a “shock-absorber” by increasing his “tolerance for emotional pain and distress,” and resists the temptation to respond in kind to slander and name-calling (Chapter 3). One of my favorite themes is Rigney’s encouragement for leaders to be “alert to the presence or absence of playfulness, in your family, your workplace, and your church. Playfulness is a sign of high trust, humility, and health, and its absence is almost always a sign that reactive passions have hardened into an ungodly intensity” (Conclusion).
I really enjoyed this book and found it to be both a biblically sound guide to leadership and a hopeful prescription for some of the problems we are seeing with leadership in Christian settings. I think the book’s title and cover art suggest that more time will be spent analyzing the emotional saboteurs—their methods, motivations, and goals. But these people don’t, in actuality, play a huge role here, as the emphasis is placed more on the leader’s responsibility to lead. For those looking for another installment in the evangelical Christian culture wars, this may lead to some disappointment, but I found Rigney’s restraint here admirable and dignified.
“When a land transgresses, it has many rulers, but with a man of understanding and knowledge, its stability will long continue" (Proverbs 28:2).
“Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a poor people. A ruler who lacks understanding is a cruel oppressor, but he who hates unjust gain will prolong his days" (Proverbs 28: 15-16).
(Note: I listened to the audiobook version of Leadership and Emotional Sabotage. Without a print copy of the book, I sometimes struggled to differentiate Friedman’s quotes from Rigney’s. Apologies for the absence of specific page numbers and for any errors in quoting.)
Rigney calls Leadership and Emotional Sabotage his “attempt to do justice to Friedman’s insights while grounding them in the Scriptures and extending them and applying them in the home, the church, and the world” (Introduction).
According to Rigney, we live in an “age of anxiety, agitation, and turmoil,” wherein faithful, steadfast leadership is often met with emotional sabotage: “any attempt to steer or derail you, to take you and your people off mission” (Chapter 3). Emotional sabotage can take the form of slander, "social stampeding," or "emotional blackmail" masquerading as “appeals to empathy” that are not rooted in truth or reality. This makes leaders wary of leading, creating a culture characterized by reactivity, herding, blame displacement, quick-fix mentality, and failure of nerve (Chapter 3). Rigney writes:
“We live in a culture constantly looking for a quick fix, a silver bullet, a magic spell that will solve all our problems. As a result, the individuals and institutions that ought to act as shock absorbers in crises are instead held hostage and paralyzed by indecision and failures of nerve…leaders are put in impossible situations: We need you to fix the problem, but you can’t bring up the elephant in the room. As a result, they adopt appeasement strategies in order to avoid conflict. When entire institutions fall prey to the spirit of appeasement, paralysis, and excuse-making, the most mature and motivated members begin to quickly drift away, which just makes everything worse” (Introduction).
This is a phenomenon that many have observed within the secular culture (especially university settings), as well as in the church. The solution, according to Rigney, is neither the absence of leadership, nor tyrannical leadership, but what Friedman calls well-differentiated leadership, characterized first and foremost by a sober-mindedness marked by "clarity of mind, stability of soul, readiness to act” (Chapter 3).
A sober-minded leader, inspired by the 1st, 5th, and 10th commandments, is willing to take responsibility for his actions, knows himself well through the process of intentional self-reflection, aligns his standards with the truth of God’s word, cultivates his ability to be a “shock-absorber” by increasing his “tolerance for emotional pain and distress,” and resists the temptation to respond in kind to slander and name-calling (Chapter 3). One of my favorite themes is Rigney’s encouragement for leaders to be “alert to the presence or absence of playfulness, in your family, your workplace, and your church. Playfulness is a sign of high trust, humility, and health, and its absence is almost always a sign that reactive passions have hardened into an ungodly intensity” (Conclusion).
I really enjoyed this book and found it to be both a biblically sound guide to leadership and a hopeful prescription for some of the problems we are seeing with leadership in Christian settings. I think the book’s title and cover art suggest that more time will be spent analyzing the emotional saboteurs—their methods, motivations, and goals. But these people don’t, in actuality, play a huge role here, as the emphasis is placed more on the leader’s responsibility to lead. For those looking for another installment in the evangelical Christian culture wars, this may lead to some disappointment, but I found Rigney’s restraint here admirable and dignified.
“When a land transgresses, it has many rulers, but with a man of understanding and knowledge, its stability will long continue" (Proverbs 28:2).
“Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a poor people. A ruler who lacks understanding is a cruel oppressor, but he who hates unjust gain will prolong his days" (Proverbs 28: 15-16).
(Note: I listened to the audiobook version of Leadership and Emotional Sabotage. Without a print copy of the book, I sometimes struggled to differentiate Friedman’s quotes from Rigney’s. Apologies for the absence of specific page numbers and for any errors in quoting.)
June 17, 2024
Okay, the hype is real, this is an incredible book. What Rigney was able to do is such a short amount of pages is impressive, and I have already benefited from this book’s insight. Will be revisiting this one often.
March 19, 2024
My only complaint: Rigney held back with only 103 pages—I hope he writes more on Edwin Friedman.
January 19, 2025
Great stuff in this book. Wish it would have been written years ago when I was a new elder. Glad I read it.
March 26, 2024
Good stuff.
January 10, 2025
This is apex-Rigney.
It could be entitled, “Biblical Sober-mindedness.”
Clarity of Mind.
Steadiness of Soul.
Readiness to Act.
Wonderful.
It could be entitled, “Biblical Sober-mindedness.”
Clarity of Mind.
Steadiness of Soul.
Readiness to Act.
Wonderful.
January 4, 2025
Save yourself time and energy by not reading this. Joe Rigney likes to say edgy things without biblically or theologically backing it. The subtitle of this book is edgy for no reason and is not what the actual book is about. He likes to throw out psychology terms like “anxiety” “scapegoating” and “blame-shifting.” However, these terms are passed over quickly without much explanation. Also, he is only writing to men, so don’t read it if you are female. He seems to come from the camp of only men can be leaders in all spheres of life.
April 15, 2024
Really good. It would be interesting to see the same principles applied to the particular sycophancy surrounding Moscow (Idaho). I’m sure Joe is aware of that kind of emotional sabotage (as defined by him) but you wouldn’t think so from reading this. Still, an excellent and timely book. The chapter on courageous leadership in the home is the best thing on headship–its biblical basis and the practical outworkings–I’ve ever read (and I’ve read a lot on it).
May 5, 2025
Read it out of curiosity…
There might be some good bits of wisdom here, but I found many broad generalizations and not much to back up his main points. I could hardly make sense out of the book until chapter 4 (Courage in the home) which was by far the most cohesive, sensical and helpful chapter.
I felt like he was trying to make the content sound more controversial than what was really discussed🤷🏻♀️
There might be some good bits of wisdom here, but I found many broad generalizations and not much to back up his main points. I could hardly make sense out of the book until chapter 4 (Courage in the home) which was by far the most cohesive, sensical and helpful chapter.
I felt like he was trying to make the content sound more controversial than what was really discussed🤷🏻♀️
April 4, 2024
Fantastic, after benefiting from Friedman but also feeling frustrated with him, this book is the perfect Christian distillation.
March 28, 2024
Listened to the audio version. Much needed and biblically insightful. Highly recommend.
July 29, 2024
Great read. Methodical and practical truths to walk in. Definitely want to go through with a fine-toothed comb to digest the points a bit more and meditate on the application in my life.
I love the use of Paul in Acts as a method of holding it together. He had went through all types of trauma where he’d be excused by today’s standards if he appealed to having anxiety or depression. He kept it together by God’s Grace.
I will note, I am kind of a pleb when it comes to reading Shakespeare with any level of comprehension.
Dope book, Joe 😎
I love the use of Paul in Acts as a method of holding it together. He had went through all types of trauma where he’d be excused by today’s standards if he appealed to having anxiety or depression. He kept it together by God’s Grace.
I will note, I am kind of a pleb when it comes to reading Shakespeare with any level of comprehension.
Dope book, Joe 😎
January 14, 2025
2025: Even better the second time through!
This was a great help to me. I appreciate a lot of what was said and am able to practically apply. As with most stuff coming from canon press, the section on the family was great!
I also thought Rigneys sentiments around sober-mindedness and the way he defines it was really good and a helpful foundation for the points he makes throughout the book.
This was a great help to me. I appreciate a lot of what was said and am able to practically apply. As with most stuff coming from canon press, the section on the family was great!
I also thought Rigneys sentiments around sober-mindedness and the way he defines it was really good and a helpful foundation for the points he makes throughout the book.
September 11, 2024
Wonderfully wise. Outstanding and timely.
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2nd Read (by Audible). I think I need a print copy. Really rich, and much of it is timeless, as people have used the same tactics to steer and manipulate leadership from millennia.
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2nd Read (by Audible). I think I need a print copy. Really rich, and much of it is timeless, as people have used the same tactics to steer and manipulate leadership from millennia.
April 10, 2024
Mkay mkay, everything in here is great. Edifying, insightful and clear. The problem is that the promise of the hype, title, and beginning chapter is not delivered. This is probably an editing/publishing problem rather than an author problem (ahEm looking at you Canon).
The mini episodes of Rigney and Wilson discussing Friedman’s fables had me pumped. The Girardian analysis of Shakespeare in chapter 1 had me pumped. I was primed for a baptised rendition of Friedman and simplified Girard, freed of philosophical floundering and applied specifically to those in positions of leadership. At the very least I expected some discussion of emotional sabotage.
What was delivered was a very good but generic discourse on leadership in church and in the home, and a slightly more on-point and interesting break down of Paul in Antioch. Emotional subterfuge was oddly elusive throughout.
I was nearly too grumpy to appreciate the wisdom contained in each chapter, as I was distracted by waiting for “the main point” to arrive. Turns out what I thought was build up (eg an explanation of headship) was actually the main content.
The mini episodes of Rigney and Wilson discussing Friedman’s fables had me pumped. The Girardian analysis of Shakespeare in chapter 1 had me pumped. I was primed for a baptised rendition of Friedman and simplified Girard, freed of philosophical floundering and applied specifically to those in positions of leadership. At the very least I expected some discussion of emotional sabotage.
What was delivered was a very good but generic discourse on leadership in church and in the home, and a slightly more on-point and interesting break down of Paul in Antioch. Emotional subterfuge was oddly elusive throughout.
I was nearly too grumpy to appreciate the wisdom contained in each chapter, as I was distracted by waiting for “the main point” to arrive. Turns out what I thought was build up (eg an explanation of headship) was actually the main content.
June 9, 2025
Highly relevant for any church leader.
June 15, 2024
“Cowards die many times before their deaths; The valiant never taste of death but once.” -Shakespeare (Julius Caesar, 2.2.34)
Joe Rigney’s Leadership and Emotional Sabotage is as timely as it is timeless. The potency of this work lies not only in its incorporation of Edwin Friedman or Shakespeare, but in Rigney’s ability to provide biblical vocabulary to circumstances we’ve all felt but might not of been able to articulate. While the work’s central thesis is essentially akin to the lesson Harrison Ford’s Air Force One teaches: “Don’t negotiate with terrorists,” there’s some important nuances made. When should a conflict remain private or go public? When is your “courage” actually arrogant stubbornness? When does a situation deserve a sharp word or a soft answer? How can one remain stable when everything devolves into chaos? Rigney does not assume the answers to these questions. Instead, he follows the logic of stories like Adam’s failure to lead Eve, Aaron’s abdication with respect to the golden calf, and the apostle Paul’s gentle treatment of misled sheep and unflinching opposition to compromisers of the gospel (The Galatian controversy). This collection of Rigney’s obvious observations proves to be incredibly fruitful. Who knew such profit could be gained from simply reading the Bible and asking insightful questions? This is one of those books that is easy to read, but hard to stomach. It’s hard because “The greatest pressure [to compromise] comes from those closest to you” (76). Although the danger is real, the book never devolves into despair. Instead, it reminds the reader of God, his gospel, and the glorious promise that Jesus will be with us “always, to the end of the age” (Mt 28:20).
Joe Rigney’s Leadership and Emotional Sabotage is as timely as it is timeless. The potency of this work lies not only in its incorporation of Edwin Friedman or Shakespeare, but in Rigney’s ability to provide biblical vocabulary to circumstances we’ve all felt but might not of been able to articulate. While the work’s central thesis is essentially akin to the lesson Harrison Ford’s Air Force One teaches: “Don’t negotiate with terrorists,” there’s some important nuances made. When should a conflict remain private or go public? When is your “courage” actually arrogant stubbornness? When does a situation deserve a sharp word or a soft answer? How can one remain stable when everything devolves into chaos? Rigney does not assume the answers to these questions. Instead, he follows the logic of stories like Adam’s failure to lead Eve, Aaron’s abdication with respect to the golden calf, and the apostle Paul’s gentle treatment of misled sheep and unflinching opposition to compromisers of the gospel (The Galatian controversy). This collection of Rigney’s obvious observations proves to be incredibly fruitful. Who knew such profit could be gained from simply reading the Bible and asking insightful questions? This is one of those books that is easy to read, but hard to stomach. It’s hard because “The greatest pressure [to compromise] comes from those closest to you” (76). Although the danger is real, the book never devolves into despair. Instead, it reminds the reader of God, his gospel, and the glorious promise that Jesus will be with us “always, to the end of the age” (Mt 28:20).
December 15, 2024
I love Rigney's writing and want to get my hands on Live Like Narnian.
Rigney begins the book by explaining that Leadership and Emotional Sabatoge is a Christian version of Friedman's 'Failure of Nerve.'
He then dedicated a chapter to explain one of the main problems plaguing Western civilization: a crisis of degree. What is Degree? Degree is how the world is ordered and structured. It is man being head over his wife, the general over the private, and the gravitational pull of the Sun on the Earth. In the West, we have forgotten what Degree is, and as a result, we are left in chaos. There is no order, no sense of right and wrong, and everyone runs amuck in their passions and desires.
He then discusses the solution and its practical application. The solution is sober minded judgment grounded in the Gospel of Christ. He discusses the application in the three settings: the home, the church, and the world. In each, the principle is the same: as leaders, we must *respond* NOT *react* to the passions of those around us. "If all around you are losing their heads and blaming you..." You must respond and not react. Reacting is answering in kind by giving into your passions- frustration, anger, pride, fear, etc. Responding is keeping your head when everyone else is losing theirs. It is calmly and sober mindedly bringing all of Scripture, reason, and the appropriate information to bear on whatever particular situation is at hand. You must not be afraid to boldly and courageously address the elephant in the room and bring clarity and understanding.
I recommend this book to any Christian with any authority role particularly, and all Christians in general.
Rigney begins the book by explaining that Leadership and Emotional Sabatoge is a Christian version of Friedman's 'Failure of Nerve.'
He then dedicated a chapter to explain one of the main problems plaguing Western civilization: a crisis of degree. What is Degree? Degree is how the world is ordered and structured. It is man being head over his wife, the general over the private, and the gravitational pull of the Sun on the Earth. In the West, we have forgotten what Degree is, and as a result, we are left in chaos. There is no order, no sense of right and wrong, and everyone runs amuck in their passions and desires.
He then discusses the solution and its practical application. The solution is sober minded judgment grounded in the Gospel of Christ. He discusses the application in the three settings: the home, the church, and the world. In each, the principle is the same: as leaders, we must *respond* NOT *react* to the passions of those around us. "If all around you are losing their heads and blaming you..." You must respond and not react. Reacting is answering in kind by giving into your passions- frustration, anger, pride, fear, etc. Responding is keeping your head when everyone else is losing theirs. It is calmly and sober mindedly bringing all of Scripture, reason, and the appropriate information to bear on whatever particular situation is at hand. You must not be afraid to boldly and courageously address the elephant in the room and bring clarity and understanding.
I recommend this book to any Christian with any authority role particularly, and all Christians in general.
March 20, 2025
This was so good. Answered questions I've had for years.
Get clarity on God's will for you and be convictional about it. Take responsibility for your own actions and reactions. Be sober minded, steadfast, and patient in carrying out what God wants you to do. Be able to step outside of immediate reactions and emotions and see things clearly. Get to the heart of the causes of other peoples (and your own) emotional reactions, be curious and caring. Seek God's approval, do not live under their fear of man, be courageous. Accept instruction and correction from wise Christians. There is more good stuff in here than I listed.
Recommend to everyone to read, especially those on the more emotionally pliable side.
Get clarity on God's will for you and be convictional about it. Take responsibility for your own actions and reactions. Be sober minded, steadfast, and patient in carrying out what God wants you to do. Be able to step outside of immediate reactions and emotions and see things clearly. Get to the heart of the causes of other peoples (and your own) emotional reactions, be curious and caring. Seek God's approval, do not live under their fear of man, be courageous. Accept instruction and correction from wise Christians. There is more good stuff in here than I listed.
Recommend to everyone to read, especially those on the more emotionally pliable side.
June 17, 2024
A brief and helpful work that brings common anxieties Christian's face into focus and then provides the Biblical ammunition to fight against them. Of particular note was Rigney's evaluation of the Apostle Paul's engagements with what Rigney calls two types of unbelievers: "apostles of the world" and "refugees of the world." In a nutshell, those who have influence and champion the cause of the world aggressively require a different approach to those who have been mislead by the world and are seeking answers. Every step of the way Rigney validates his observations from Scripture and calls the reader to action by the grace of God.
April 6, 2024
Rigney makes sense of the ideas with a Christian perspective from Edwin freidman’s books failure of nerve and generation to generation. Failure of nerve is one of my favorite books and it’s ideas are super helpful so it helpful to read about how to integrate those ideas with my faith.
April 11, 2025
Loved it! Joe Rigney’s main thesis is that Christian leaders must be sober-minded. Being sober-minded helps us respond in a godly manner to every situation and prevents us from being swayed by the emotions of those around us. The closing chapters were practical and helpful, as they applied scriptural principles to our relationships at home, in the church, and in the world.
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