Thursday, June 6, 2013

Jesus Loves Introverts, Too

For its Bible study, my church is still going through John's Gospel: Wisdom from Ephesus, with Michael Card

I appreciated Michael Card's depiction of John as someone who was quiet and liked to stay in the background, whereas Peter was one who continually spoke up.  Yet, both disciples were loved by Jesus.  That resonated with me, as someone who has often criticized on this blog the tendency of Christianity to stigmatize introverts and to glorify extroverts.  I also liked how people in the group were sharing stories about whether they were more like Peter or John.  The pastor said that he was quiet, like John, and that he had difficulty making friends when he was in high school because he was painfully shy.  That could be why he's so understanding when it comes to my own social difficulties.  He and I have never discussed that topic explicitly, but he does seem to understand that I'm shy around people, and he does not judge me for it. 

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