We live in a world that constantly tells us to look inward — to follow our heart, trust our feelings, and find our identity within ourselves. But Christians are called to a completely different posture. In this episode, host Elizabeth Pittman sits down with Rev. Joshua Pfeiffer, author of Lift Your Eyes: How to Live Outside Yourself. Pastor Pfeiffer draws on Lutheran theology and cultural analysis to help us understand what it means to lift our eyes up to God and out to our neighbor — and why that posture changes everything about how we live the Christian life.

Episode Timestamps

1:51 — Introduction — Welcome & book overview

2:00 — The spiritual posture of looking: how the Nicene Creed sparked the idea for the book

5:00 — Expressive individualism: what it is and how it shapes both culture and the church

9:30 — Pastoral approach: helping people find their identity in Christ rather than in self-expression

12:30 — Two realms and two kinds of righteousness: the Lutheran theological foundation of the book

16:00 — Looking up — faith, worship, and lifting our eyes to Christ in the divine service

20:30 — Looking out — love within the Christian community and why it has a special priority

27:00 — Looking inward rightly — self-examination, mortification, and avoiding the downward spiral

32:00 — Looking forward — the resurrection hope and living with one eye on the horizon

35:30 — How Pastor Pfeiffer hopes readers and congregations will use the book

About the Guest

Rev. Joshua Pfeiffer is pastor of the Tarrington Lutheran Parish in the southeastern state of Victoria in Australia, where he lives with his wife, Kimberley, and their four children. He served various congregations in Australia before moving to the United States for graduate studies. He hosts a YouTube channel and enjoys mountain biking, hiking, golf, and other outdoor activities.
 
Resources Mentioned

Lift Your Eyes: How to Live Outside Yourself by Rev. Joshua Pfeiffer — cph.org

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