Integrity in a World of Pretense: Insights from the Book of Philippians

Employee. Parent. Daughter. Neighbor. Student. Son. Spouse. Friend. Volunteer. We each have so many different roles to fulfill that we feel splintered, our lives divided into a dozen pieces. We don't intend to cover up one side of ourselves. But sometimes that happens anyway as we try to meet a myriad of expectations. Insidiously a pattern of pretense creeps into our lives almost without our knowing it.What should tie our lives together, of course, is our commitment to Christ. But even this can be compartmentalized. We act as if we have it all together, as if we are successful people and good Christians. Yet inside we fight a fierce battle to keep the strands of our life together.Earl Palmer answers our cries for help by showing how we can live as Christians with integrity. He shows how Christ can guide all we do and help us to be honest about where we fall short.This takes us to the Philippians, a group of believers who, like us, faced many difficulties that put stress on their consistency in Christ. And this is why we love the letter to the Philippians, because it is written to and about people, people at risk, much as we are at risk.Paul urges the Philippian Christians to live out their faith "worthy of the gospel." He is urging a style of living that is in keeping with and dependent on the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is this integrity of life as a Christian woman or man that Paul advocates, directly or indirectly, all through this letter.