Can a Christian do GTD and Col 2:8?

A dear brother emailed me this afternoon to alert me to an interview with Wayne Grudem by C.J. Mahaney.  Grudem is a theological giant of modern orthodox Christianity.  I have heard several Christian leaders (including Sally Michaels of Children Desiring God) say that Grudem's Systematic Theology is the most important book, outside the Bible, for anyone with a teaching ministry to own.

In the interview with Mahaney, Grudem says:   "As far as human advice and counsel, I have found the system described in Getting Things Done by David Allen to be very helpful—I am just now rereading that to try to get all of my “in box” items back under control again and listed in one place, and then processed. I should add that I find effective use of time to be a continual challenge and I keep making small modifications here and there."

I have mentioned before that I approached GTD with a fair amount of skepticism because of Allen's New Age background and aims.  I'm in the middle of reading his latest book, Making it all work and I remain on guard against the promise of "Winning at the Game of Work and the Business of Life" (as the full title offers).  The Bible is about victory in life and everything else!  And because it is, there is a part of me that wants to throw into the fire any other book that makes a similar claim.   I think that part of me is righteous and I want to keep that fierce rejection of claims that compete with the Bible's claims.   And, at the same time, I have found that, as a bottom-up approach (set of tools) for managing what God puts in my life, GTD has helped me serve my family, teach, fight sin, lead, pray, and respond to the Spirit in church more effectively.  I love and desire productivity for the Lord, and want to steward his time and tasks well.  The disciplines associated with GTD are not essential for me to do that, but they do help.

So it is comforting to hear that someone whose heart and mind I admire as much as I do Grudem's has come to similar conclusions.  I do think it takes an enlightened mind and a strong foundation of faith and theology to read David Allen and remain true to Paul's exhortation in Col 2:8, "See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ."  But it is possible.  And if the heart and mind conditions are right, GTD can be a powerful tool in the hand of a Christian.

Comments

[Andy Jackson]

Ahh, at the risk of sounding snarky, the GTD workflow practices that lead to "Winning at the Game of Work and the Business of Life" are simply tools for executing the *how* of winning.

The Bible is the source of *why* we can "Win at the Game of Work and the Business of Life".

I don't agree with David Allen's personal spiritual philosophy, but that does not make me want to toss his books in the fire anymore than I would stop using a fork to eat with if I found out it was invented by a pagan.

[TonyP]

Well said, Andy. I love the folk/food analogy. And, I mostly agree with you. GTD is more like the fork than the food. And "Making it all work" is about the how.

At the same time, I would say that the Bible is more than the "why." The Bible also defines the win, the game, the work, and the life. And the Bible shows the "how" of winning--losing your life, meekness, delight in the Lord, rest in Jesus. It's a different category of "how" but that the "how" category that matters to God and the Biblical writers. "Stress-free productivity" (to borrow from the title of the original book) is not the aim of the Christian life. It's hard to imagine Jesus talking that way.

I think my "throw in the fire" reaction is related to the connotation that if you follow these practices, you win at life. Allen's content is actually not that (he is saying that you can choose what winning is and GTD helps get you there--food and fork stuff), but I think that's the sales pitch books like this make to people seeking happiness. And it's a very compelling pitch..including to me. Like the brothers and sisters who attended my last seminar, I have the fantasy that a good night's sleep comes from having a trusted system in place with a bucket for everything. Yet Ps 127 says it's the Lord who gives sleep to his beloved.

So, at base, I think we're saying the same thing. I have read GTD so many times and teach people the workflow because it has been a very good fork for me. But as a psychologist who dwells in the land of secular humanism, I happen to be sensitive to any philosophy--or even workflow--that makes claims about leading one a winning life, to the good life. Only the Spirit does that.

Thank you for taking the time to read and comment, Andy. May the Lord bless you.

[Brad Blackman]

Great post. I hadn't thought of GTD in light of being a Christian. I have to admit David Allen's New Age background makes me a little uneasy. GTD is great; it's helped me get more organized and a little bit more productive. Yet at the same time I can't help be reminded of Matthew 6, where Jesus tells us not to worry about things but give it all to God.

[TonyP]

Hi Brad. Thanks for pointing to Matthew 6. You make a very good point. I once heard a wonderful sermon by John Piper (http://tinyurl.com/btw4j5) about that passage. He pointed out that Jesus gives eight compelling reasons not to be anxious. It is worth noting that none of those reasons had anything to do with how you manage your "stuff."

Again, I use GTD and it has helped me a great deal, I just think Christians need to be careful we don't trust in our "trusted systems" to give us peace. The Bible (including Matt 6) is clear that our peace comes from believing God is good.

I'm glad you found the post stimulating. I've actually wanted for some time to do a longer series examining GTD (the book and the workflow) from a biblical perspective. It's still on the someday/maybe list, but your comment encourages me to consider elevating it.