Journal of European Baptist Studies, 2017

s of the second nature, or new self, given through the Holy Spirit. It leads however, to what is genuinely authentic, as a person realises human flourishing in a deepening relationship with God and God’s people. 9 Practising Contentment Contentment is the state of being at peace with, or despite, one’s circumstances; it involves other qualities such as patience, gratitude, hope, and kindness. 10 It is not, as will be discussed, apathy toward circumstances, or deceived bliss about reality. Rooted in the Imago Dei Contentment is rooted in the theological task of understanding identity and relationships as ascribed in the imago Dei. It is the result of security based on the reality of salvation achieved by Christ, which will be culminated at his second coming. God’s image in humans includes metaphysical, intellectual, moral, emotional, volitional, and relational dimensions; for this article, the relational dimension will be most important. 11 At a time when identity formation and selection of life commitments are at their most intense, we consistently remind congregants to see themselves as bearing the image of God as their primary identity. Believers 9 On the development of Christian character, see N.T. Wright, After You Believe: Why Christian Character Matters (New York: HarperOne, 2010) and Stanley Hauerwas, A Community’ of Character: Toward a Constructive Christian Social Ethic (Notre Dame, IN: University ofNotre Dame Press, 1981). 10 Steve L. Porter, ‘Contentment’, in Being Good: Christian Virtues for Everyday Life, ed. by Michael W. Austin and R. Douglas Geivett (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2012), pp. 126-144 (pp. 127, 133). 11 For an overview of the main understandings of imago Dei, see Gordon R. Lewis and Bruce A. Demarest, Integrative Theology, vol. 2 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1990), pp. 142-60. See also Craig L. Blomberg, ‘“True Righteousness and Holiness”: The Image of God in the New Testament’, in The Image of God in an Image-Driven Age: Explorations in Theological Anthropology, ed. by Beth Felker Jones and Jeffrey W. Barbeau (Downers Grove: IVP, 2016), pp. 66-87. Blomberg, Contentment 43 defined as children of God find this identity to be the source of self-worth, the guide to moral behaviour, and the principal influence on relationships. As much as God is unchanging, there can be constancy in the imago Dei within a person. Consumerism, on the other hand, would credit the essence of who one is to ‘what one has’, while at the same time marketing a continually varied array of attitudes, actions, and products which grant status and distinction. 12 Eager for new experiences, young adults can be deceived by the pretence of unlimited freedom of choice and autonomy. In their quest to solidify identity and values, they willingly put on and discard habits and traits as they rise and decline in popularity. This pressure to create and re-create identity is lessened by reminders of their ‘rec