When David Hansen’s thoughtful volume on pastoral ministry came out in 1994, my wife, Nancy, read it and said it should be required reading for every pastor. The book was The Art of Pastoring: Ministry Without all the Answers.[1] I read it and agreed. That was in the twentieth century, and we were training Asian pastors in Singapore. Its universal principles carried an impact on pastoral ministry even in Asian cultures.

This week I read a brief and thoughtful little book called A Call to Contentment: Pursuing Godly Satisfaction in a Restless World[2] by David Kaywood. Its focus on the Christian life in an age of anxiety and anger left me with the same response to this volume as Nancy had to Hansen’s volume. This book should be required reading for all people in or preparing for pastoral ministry and for those doing cross-cultural ministry work.

Kaywood is a pastor in Jacksonville, Florida whose life has been tested by much loss, suffering, and unanswered questions. If I simply quoted the first two pages of the book, you would know that he writes from deep experience, and you would also go out and immediately buy the book.

The book addresses the paradox of the affluent and comfortable life we enjoy in the West today—more so than any other time in history—and yet persistent growing anxiety, discontentment, and even anger color our human experience (pp. 5-8). Discontentment is like a pandemic: it spreads by contact with others and it can be devastating to individuals and communities. The power of discontentment ought not be trivialized, though we seldom acknowledge its force in basic discipleship teaching.

Kaywood summarizes its power in quoting the wise English Puritan, Jeremiah Burrows, who said that “the root of all sin is discontentment.” This caused me to pause.

He then turns to another Puritan, Thomas Watson, who said that “discontentment is the mother sin that gives birth to other sins . . . [such as] unrighteous anger . . .” (p. 27). This, in part, is why this book is so important for those of us in ministry and mission. There is much discontentment in our world and yet the word, the concept, even the notion of it being a sin is not a common part of our discourse in theology and ministry. It is a topic that ought to be talked about more.

I suggest that Kaywood’s approach in his book is a good place to start. The book is well organized with sections on “Understanding Contentment,” “Applying Contentment,” and “Cultivating Contentment.” Each includes chapters that offer biblical and historical insights (the latter coming mainly from the Puritans), and it is accessible. It can be used as a textbook in seminaries but also in basic discipleship groups and church settings where deepening Christian virtues and the spiritual formation of its congregants is paramount.

Of particular note and value is his section “Applying Contentment” (Part II), which explores what prevents contentment today:

  • Money and Possessions (we can say with the ancients, “avarice”) (Chapter 4)
  • Pain and Suffering (Chapter 5)
  • Success and Work (Chapter 6)

I found that these three chapters connect directly with major causes of discontentment today, and that the biblical and historical discussions are clear and purposeful. In addition, there are memorable sentences to meditate upon: “For most people the natural reaction to suffering is resentment, not contentment.” From this pithy comment he offers the reader a picture of someone who suffered greatly and can provide guidance for how we, too, can think, pray, and act when we suffer: St. Paul, as recorded in II Corinthians 12.

We just had elections in the United States, and many people are content because of the results, and many are discontented because of the results. This suggests that our contentment today is more conditional than Christ-like. Contentment is a choice, often a difficult choice, made possible by the work of Jesus Christ and by our knowing and living into the providence of God as a doctrine of comfort.

“I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:11-13

[1] Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 1994.
[2] Geanies House, Fearn, Ross-shire, Great Britian: Christian: Focus Publications Ltd, 2024. NOTE: I was not asked to review this book, but under the rubric of being “attentive,” I believe this volume is written for our epoch of discontentment.

Dr. Scott W. Sunquist, President of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, is author of the “Attentiveness” blog. He welcomes comments, responses, and good ideas.