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Self-Respect
Is selfhood a gift from God, or a temptation to be resisted? Christians know that selfishness is sinful. But what does it mean to be human—if not to be a self? And how can believers live selflessly without losing personal presence or the capacity to flourish? In this piercing study, Dr. Sarah Sumner (PhD, Systematic Theology, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) confronts widespread confusion about what it means to love others “as yourself.” Drawing primarily on Scripture, she develops a theology of holy self-respect that frees men and women from embracing the false choice between prideful self-approval and fearful self-erasure. With clarity and practical insight, she shows how a right understanding of self grounds moral responsibility and makes genuine love of neighbor possible.
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JANUARY - COMPLIMENTARY SESSION
Dates & Times =
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Tuesday, January 20 at 4:00 - 5:30 pm PST
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Thursday, January 22 at 6:00 - 7:30 pm PST
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Monday, January 26 at 3:45 - 5:15 pm PST
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Thursday, January 29 at 10:45 am - 12:15 pm PST
This introductory session is offered without charge. In this 90-minute discussion, we will review the syllabi for three upcoming studies, listen to each others’ initial response to the breadth of material being covered, then review what it means to think theologically about headship, self-respect, and the elegance of God. NOTE: Engaging in these studies requires us to commit to the authority of Scripture, the objectivity of truth, careful definition of terms, and a coherent theological framework.
FEBRUARY
Dates = Monday, February 2, 9, 16, 23
Time = 4:45 - 6:25 pm PST
Cost = Without Subscription: $150/mo | Subscription: $99.99/mo (Gold) or $149/mo (Platinum)
What is self-respect? What distinguishes self-respect from therapeutic notions of self-esteem and independent worth? How does self-respect differ from self-awareness and self-acceptance? Many in the church are taught to “deny yourself” without noticing this command presumes a self that is capable of loving others “as yourself.” How can a true Christ-follower “do nothing from selfishness” while still possessing a self? What does it mean to be a selfy? What stories have we lived that reveal our human need for biblical formation of the self?
MARCH
Dates = Monday, March 2, 16, 23, 30
Time = 4:45 - 6:25 pm PST
Cost = Without Subscription: $150/mo | Subscription: $99.99/mo (Gold) or $149/mo (Platinum)
Most people like to have user manuals that explain to them the nature of their home appliances. Yet few people pause to ask about the nature of what it means to be a “self.” What exactly is a self? Is it possible for a self to forgive itself? Is God a Self? Is a self simply that which bears God’s image? What does it mean to bear the image of God? Do angels qualify as being selves? Why is it that angels do not marry? When a husband and wife become one, do they become one self?
APRIL
Dates = Monday, April 6, 13, 20, 27
Time = 4:45 - 6:25 pm PST
Cost = Without Subscription: $150/mo | Subscription: $99.99/mo (Gold) or $149/mo (Platinum)
Is self-respect an aspect of willpower? Or is it something deeper and more foundational? How might a person’s lack of self-regard lead them into sexual promiscuity? What if sexual purity was cast in terms of honoring the self? Would people listen better to God’s standards regarding sex if they could see that sin imperils selfhood? What does sex have to do with selfhood? What types of relational boundaries do we need to draw in order to maintain self-respect? How is setting wise boundaries quintessentially different from selfishly engaging in cancel culture?
MAY
Dates = Monday, May 4, 11, 18, 25
Time = 4:45 - 6:25 pm PST
Cost = Without Subscription: $150/mo | Subscription: $99.99/mo (Gold) or $149/mo (Platinum)
What does Scripture say about the nature of the self? Is selfhood something people can negotiate? What happens when the self is seen as “buffered”? What results when it is defined without reference to the physical human body? How did the human body come to be viewed as a constraint on personhood rather than as a constitutive part of it? What philosophical assumptions underlie the claim that a body may not represent who a person “really” is?
JUNE
Dates = Monday, June 1, 8, 22, 29
Time = 4:45 - 6:25 pm PST
Cost = Without Subscription: $150/mo | Subscription: $99.99/mo (Gold) or $149/mo (Platinum)
Practicing self-respect may appear counter-cultural to women in the church who seek to be biblically submissive. What does submission look like when a wife has self-respect? Is it sinful for Christian women to guard their sense of dignity and personhood? How can godly women practice self-respect? Can a wife respect her husband, yet not respect herself? Many women and girls withhold self-approval when it comes to the size and shape of their physique. How does self-respect play into the way a woman sees herself—and relates to her own body?
JULY
Dates = Monday, July 6, 13, 20, 27
Time = 4:45 - 6:25 pm PST
Cost = Without Subscription: $150/mo | Subscription: $99.99/mo (Gold) or $149/mo (Platinum)
Men with Christian convictions may find that self-respect functions as a stark reorientation—a necessary corrective that, over time, steadies a man’s internal strength. What light does biblical selfhood shine on the quest for manhood in the church? How might the experience of having been bullied stunt a man’s development in self-respect? How can men respect themselves when secretly inside they feel inadequate? Why is it so common for men to be out-of-touch with themselves, as selves? How can a Christian husband love his wife “as himself” if he lacks self-awareness?
AUGUST
Dates = Monday, August 3, 10, 17, 24, 31
Time = 4:45 - 6:25 pm PST
Cost = Without Subscription: $150/mo | Subscription: $99.99/mo (Gold) or $149/mo (Platinum)
Paradoxically, self-respect arises from humility. How did Jesus’ humility guard Him from pride and shame that suffocates self-respect? How do pride and shame draw ordinary people, including professing Christians, into elaborate systems of self-revision? How do pride and shame fool people into projecting a false self? How can people discern who their true self is? How does a person find space to exist when someone else tries to erase them? How can disciplemakers help others to develop self-respect?
SEPTEMBER
Dates = Monday, September 7, 14
Time = 4:45 - 6:25 pm PST
Cost = Without Subscription: $150/mo | Subscription: $99.99/mo (Gold) or $149/mo (Platinum)
In what sense is the challenge to build self-respect a battle that pertains to spiritual warfare? How does acting in the capacity of one’s official role put a person at risk of letting go of their selfy? Ethically, should Christians—or anyone else for that matter—ignore their own convictions if they have agreed to play a certain role? How does systemic evil entice Christians to forfeit their “selfy” in exchange for human approval, or belonging in the family, or for an honored seat at the decision-making table? Should Christians be held accountable for what they go along with?
OCTOBER
Dates = Monday, October 5, 12, 19, 26
Time = 4:45 - 6:25 pm PST
Cost = Without Subscription: $150/mo | Subscription: $99.99/mo (Gold) or $149/mo (Platinum)
Epistemologically, what do we need to know in order to practice self-respect? What knowledge do Christians need in order to retain a sturdy sense of self that cannot be defeated or dismantled? What habits can we form to anchor our sense of identity so that we persevere and stay on mission in times of testing? How can a normal person maintain self-respect, even when being maligned or mistreated by an abusive authority figure? What does moral courage have to do with self-respect?
NOVEMBER
Dates = Monday, November 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
Time = 4:45 - 6:25 pm PST
Cost = Without Subscription: $150/mo | Subscription: $99.99/mo (Gold) or $149/mo (Platinum)
If everyone in Christ were to practice self-respect, what would result? How much more respectful would we be towards other people? Is it right to respect someone else’s poor decision? At what point do we, as Christians, become complicit in the bad decision of another member of the Body of Christ? How does self-respect play out from person to person in Christ given that we are members of one Body?
DECEMBER
Dates = Monday, December 7, 14, 21
Time = 4:45 - 6:25 pm PST
Cost = Without Subscription: $150/mo | Subscription: $99.99/mo (Gold) or $149/mo (Platinum)
How does the desire to be a great Christian short-circuit the spiritual process of practicing self-respect? What does it mean to go gently with yourself? How can eager Christians learn to pay respect to a reasonable pace of living that is sure and manageable? How can those who are sluggish find the spiritual impetus to practice self-respect? How can we effectively help other people practice self-respect? Why does self-respect even matter? What is the ultimate purpose of the self?