Episode Date: 06-06-2025
About This Episode
What does it mean to flourish and pursue "shalom?" In our language, shalom is translated, simply, as peace. But Dr. Amy Sherman, author of Agents of Flourishing, suggests that on a broad level, shalom is simply what God intended things to be. More narrowly, it means to have peace with God, peace with self, peace with others, and peace with God’s creation. Join us for a conversation between Dr. Amy Sherman, named by Christianity Today as one of the 50 most influential Evangelical women in the U.S., and Dr. Steven D. Mason, President of 每日大赛官网, as we explore what it means to flourish and pursue shalom in every corner of society.
“The call to be “Agents of Flourishing” isn’t just about doing good deeds–it’s about participating in God’s great work of restoration, bringing foretastes of the coming kingdom into every corner of society, from our families and churches to our schools, workplaces, and communities."
Key Takeaways
- Biblical flourishing, or shalom, is a holistic vision of life that goes beyond personal success and includes spiritual, emotional, social, and environmental wholeness. Shalom is everything being as God intends it to be.
- Dr. Amy Sherman challenges the cultural obsession with individual achievement by presenting a richer, more communal and God-centered understanding of what it means to truly flourish.
- Christians are called to be agents of restoration, not just by preaching the gospel, but by embodying it through acts of justice, compassion, and care in all areas of life, including health, environment, and social justice.
- While technology can contribute to human flourishing, it must be approached critically, prayerfully, and ethically. Christian technologists should consider not only whether something can be built, but whether it should be, and what its impact will be on human dignity and community.
- Becoming an agent of flourishing starts with inner transformation through a relationship with God, and grows as we step out in sacrificial love, bringing glimpses of God’s kingdom into our families, workplaces, and society.
In a world obsessed with personal achievement and individual success, Dr. Amy Sherman offers a radically different vision of what it means to truly flourish. In our Built For This podcast, she reveals profound insights about Biblical flourishing that challenge our culture's definition and call us to something far more beautiful and comprehensive.
In her book, Dr. Shermon uses the Hebrew word shalom interchangeably with flourishing—a word that encompasses far more than the English translation of "peace." True flourishing (Shalom) involves harmony in four foundational relationships:
- Peace with God (spiritual wholeness)
- Peace with self (psychological and emotional wholeness)
- Peace with others (social wholeness)
- Peace with creation (physical and environmental wholeness)
This framework reminds us that authentic flourishing isn't about maximizing personal pleasure or comfort, but about everything being "the way God wants it to be."
Jesus came not only to make us new creations, but because God is making all things new. This means Christians are called to partner with God to bring His restoration to the world. When we start health centers, fight human trafficking, or care for creation, we’re not being distracted from the gospel, we are demonstrating it.
At LeTourneau, we are aware of the great benefits, but also the dangers, of advancing technology. Dr. Sherman emphasizes this sentiment. While innovations like pacemakers clearly enhance human flourishing, technology can also diminish human community, reshape our understanding of patience and intimacy, and embed values that may conflict with human dignity. Her advice to Christian technologists? Approach innovation with “eyes wide open,” asking not just “Can we built this?” but “Should we?” and “What will this do for human flourishing?”
Even though flourishing requires contribution to the world, becoming an agent of flourishing is primarily an inside-out process. We need to be filled by the Lord before we are able to pour into others. However, this doesn’t mean we will reach perfection before serving. Instead, we grow in our capacity for sacrificial love as we step into the hard but rewarding work of helping others flourish. “The call to be “Agents of Flourishing” isn’t just about doing good deeds–it’s about participating in God’s great work of restoration, bringing foretastes of the coming kingdom into every corner of society, from our families and churches to our schools, workplaces, and communities.”
