Ian Harber

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Articles

Bibles, Books, and Brain Rot

Dec 10, 2024 | theaquilareport.com | Ian Harber

Bible sales rose to 14.2 million in 2023 from 9.7 million in 2019, and hit 13.7 million in the first 10 months of this year. Readers are also stocking up on related titles that provide guidance, insights and context—even sets of stickers to flag particularly meaningful passages. What happens a few years from now after roughly 14-15 million people bought Bibles, many of them for the first time, for two years in a row? Reading might not be the only revival we’re on the cusp of.
Bibles, Books, and Brain Rot

Dec 3, 2024 | backagainwords.com | Ian Harber

Three stories caught my attention over the past week. The first is Oxford’s word of the year for 2024. Ready for it? Back Again with Ian Harber is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Oxford defines Brain Rot as:(n.) Supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as a result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging.
The Christian in a Therapeutic Age

Nov 14, 2024 | mereorthodoxy.com | Ian Harber

There have been numerous pieces published by secular media outlets and influencers lately warning of the rise of “therapy speak.” While hard to define, you could loosely say that it is the prescriptive use of psychological and therapeutic terms in everyday language to describe one’s experience, identity, and the various situations in life. You hear it most in the overuse of words like “trauma,” but it shows up in many other places.
Review: ‘Invisible Jesus’ by Scot McKnight and Tommy Preson Phillips

Oct 30, 2024 | thegospelcoalition.org | Ian Harber

Recent studies reveal about 10 million people have been labeled “dechurched casualties.” These are folks who’ve left the church over the past 25 years because of their negative experiences, and they have no intention to return. Faith deconstruction, while not exactly synonymous, is a common experience among this group. Much has been written extolling either the dangers or benefits of deconstruction. But is seeing deconstruction as a threat or as liberation the only options?
Of What Use Is Doctrine To Formation?

Oct 8, 2024 | backagainwords.com | Ian Harber

The needle I’ve been attempting to thread lately has been the space between what Trevin Wax recently called the third and fourth waves of evangelicalism: gospel-centrality and spiritual formation. You can read my first article wading into these waters here. One of the keys to this discussion is, in my opinion, regarding the role of doctrine in the Christian life. What is someone to do with doctrine? It seems to me that there are at least four postures someone could take toward doctrine.
The Sunday Pages | 012

Sep 15, 2024 | backagainwords.com | Ian Harber

The Sunday Pages is a weekly newsletter for paid subscribers that rounds up five interesting links for the week, recommends a book with highlights of about a dozen meaningful quotes from the book, and includes occasional updates on personal projects. I’m very glad this book as a new edition out with introductions and footnotes or else I might not have made it through. But I did and it was entirely worth it. I typically don’t love most apologetics books.
In Defense of a Rule of Life

Sep 10, 2024 | mereorthodoxy.com | Ian Harber

In a recent article, Phoenix pastor Erik Coonce critiqued the idea of a rule of life, with particular attention paid to John Mark Comer’s articulation of the idea. Unfortunately, his article is an excellent example of why the Gospel-centered movement actually needs concepts like a rule of life as articulated by someone like Comer. As I said in a previous piece, Login to read more Sign in or create a free account to access Subscriber-only content. Sign in Register
Cage-Stage Comerism

Jun 5, 2024 | backagainwords.com | Ian Harber

The first time I listened to a sermon from John Mark Comer was around 2013 or so. He was preaching through Philippians; his church was still called Solid Rock Church. It was a confusing time in my life. I was about midway through my deconstruction. He wasn’t yet a major influence on my faith, but I occasionally enjoyed his preaching more than most other evangelical preachers on offer, especially in that time period.
What Is Social Media Good For?

Feb 27, 2024 | theaquilareport.com | Ian Harber

What we see on social media cannot be construed as what is broadly true, sociologically speaking. However, social media can be incredibly insightful, as it allows us to encounter people who are different than us and challenge our preconceived notions about a people, group, or subject. It enables us to connect with people we normally wouldn’t in our local communities who have the potential to positively impact our view of the world. It’s worth asking: What is social media good for?
Bearing Life

Feb 25, 2024 | theaquilareport.com | Ian Harber

Augustine wrote in his Confessions, “It is a disease of the mind, which does not wholly rise to the heights where it is lifted by the truth, because it is weighed down by habit.” In other words, it doesn’t matter how much we believe the truth if we don’t get the truth into our bodies through our daily habits. We shouldn’t be surprised we feel crazy when we simply allow ourselves to go along with the current of the crazy world we live in. We don’t have to resign or rage; we can resist.