Welcome back, Pilgrim. Here’s what’s happened in town since you’ve been away…
Welcome back to the Reformer Newsletter, where we can take a dive into various projects and activities from around web3 and across the Christian community. You have joined this network to contribute to our collective mission of building for Christ’s Kingdom, and we will use this newsletter as a platform to enable that.
I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.
John 17:15-19
Jesus prayed this “High Priestly Prayer” just before He was betrayed and crucified, asking the Father to both set His followers apart from the world and to bless them as they are sent out into the world. This is a tension that has provided a wellspring of energy for 2000 years (and counting) of discipleship and evangelism. Let’s take a few key points from the prayer:
Jesus is the “Word” of God and the embodied “Truth” of the Gospel (as the Book of John teaches).
Jesus asks not that we are separated from the world to live externally, but that we are separated “in the truth”- it is not where we live, but how we live that separates us.
As He lives in and acts through us, we are a beacon of that same Truth called to reflect it “in the world” to attract others.
The world will be pointed to Him through this expansion of the Truth. This Truth is still not separate from the systems of the world, but instead it unifies those systems, peoples, and institutions as part of the body of believers.
So we are engaging in the world. It is not a calling of some Christ followers to reform the systems around them. It is a calling of all Christ followers to reform the systems around them. At this moment in time, there are some glaring areas which are running low on the truth-o-meter: government institutions, financial institutions both traditional and web3-based, educational institutions, even some religious institutions. How can you shine as a believer “sanctified in truth” who operates alongside these systems? How can you spread that truth today?
Around Web3
To be “sanctified in the truth” implies clearing your head from the noise of the lies. Literally try to separate yourself from them. McKinsey just released a Web3 Beyond the Hype article to guide those interested in the who-what-where-why-when-how of the cryptocosm. Say what you will about McKinsey (and there is a lot to say), if there is one thing high-paid-yet-overworked business analysts are good at, it’s building a clear infographic:
It is also helpful to focus on successful projects and initiatives happening in the space and to celebrate wins. Following up last year’s Ethereum Merge, the Shanghai Fork will allow users who staked their ETH to unlock those assets. This combo of good news (demand spike) mixed with additional assets on the market (supply spike) may cause some unpredictable market swings, so hang on!
Finally, a cautionary tale of theft to remind us to stay frosty. A crypto-space influencer clicked a seemingly innocuous link only to have all of his digital assets drained and his media accounts (with 16,000 followers) hacked. Remember, we are “in the world,” and it is a dangerous place. Exercise good security practices as you spread the truth.