Hugh Hewitt - In, But Not of Revised and Updated: A Guide to Christian Ambition and the Desire to Influence the World

IN, BUT NOT OF

OTHER BOOKS BY HUGH HEWITT

FIRST PRINCIPLES (1987)

SEARCHING FOR GOD IN AMERICA (1996)

THE EMBARRASSED BELIEVER (1998)

IN, BUT NOT OF

A GUIDE TO
CHRISTIAN AMBITION
AND THE
DESIRE TO INFLUENCE
THE WORLD

HUGH HEWITT

Copyright 2012 by Hugh Hewitt

All rights reserved. Written permission must be secured from the publisher to use or reproduce any part of this book, except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Published in association with Yates & Yates, LLP, Attorneys and Counselors, Orange, California.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from THE NEW KING JAMES VERSION. 1979, 1980, 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc.used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

ISBN 978-1-59555-482-6 (repack)
ISBN 978-1-59555-974-6 (TP)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Hewitt, Hugh, 1956-

In, but not of : a guide to Christian ambition and the desire to influence the world / Hugh Hewitt.

p. cm.

ISBN 0-7852-6395-0 (hardcover)

1. SuccessReligious aspectsChristianity. I. Title.

BV4598.3.H48 2003

248.4dc21

2002155522

Printed in the United States of America

12 13 14 15 16 QG 6 5 4 3 2 1

For Ron Karrenbauer and all extraordinary teachers,
and
for the staff and volunteers of Young Life,
an organization dedicated to all young people.
Learn about it at www.younglife.org. Support it.

CONTENTS

AND
STUDY GUIDE INSTRUCTIONS

THIS STUDY GUIDE EDITION OF In, But Not Of STARTED IN DISNEY World. Well, not exactly. I did first read the book while vacationing in that happiest of places with my family in 2003. An ambitious Christian writer, communicator, and leader, I had picked up the book at a local northeast Ohio bookstore for my birthdaythe big 30. There in the place where dreams come true, surrounded by Walts legacy of cultural influence, the book got me thinking some pretty big thoughts.

Hughs voice of experience focused my ambitions in an intensely practical way. I had studied a wide range of wise leaders. I had been privileged to learn firsthand from some exceptional ones. Nonetheless, In, But Not Of (IBNO) gave me a how-to primer, a handbook for effectively influencing culture as a Christian. Not long afterward, I discovered Hughs nationally syndicated radio show and his passion for the blogosphere (www.HughHewitt.com). Due primarily to this books impact on my thinking, I chose to obtain my MBA from Case Western Reserve Universitys Weatherhead School of Managementone of the nations best in my nonprofit management concentration. I completed the degree at night while serving in my primary calling as a school administrator at Cornerstone Christian Academy in Willoughby, Ohio. My magnificent wife patiently held things together with our then five young children. (We have since upgraded to six.) Clearly the book made quite an impact.

It also left me wishing I had read it about a decade earlier. Fortunately, my calling at Cornerstone was all about equipping a generation of Christian leaders who will impact their world for the glory of God. It was a natural fit. IBNO debuted in the Cornerstone senior classroom in 2004 alongside Understanding the Times (Summit Ministries) as a required one-two learning punch. Every Cornerstone graduate since has benefited from Hughs wisdom as practical polishing before shining at some of the top colleges and universities in the nation. It has been my privilege as the principal of CCA to lead the discussions of IBNO in those sessions for most of the last nine years. The study guide for this edition sprang from those years of refining that discussion, gaining feedback from students, and focusing on key selections and questions that resonated with Hughs primary audience of ambitious young adults.

Ambitious young adults soon become the entrepreneurs, city council members, screenwriters, college professors, pastors, engineers, media personalities, political and cultural leadersand moms and dadsof tomorrow. Cornerstone Christian Academy is an innovative K412 conservative, college-prep school just east of Cleveland, Ohio. For the last dozen years, CCA has equipped young adults to intentionally pursue influence for the broader purpose of making effective disciples of Jesus Christ. Unlike far too many sincere people of faith who shy away from the secular for fear of transgressing the spiritual, Cornerstone embraces the truth of the incarnation that the earthphysical and spiritualis the Lords. Our students train to apply their faith in both public and private as our nations foundersand Jesus himselfso clearly did. I welcome you to find out more about the Cornerstone experience at www.CCA-impact.info.

A few notes about using the study guide itself. Some chapters are combined that share common themes while a few others do not have corresponding guides. Although all chapters contain worthwhile advice, I have focused on those that have proven to be of the greatest value to the widest audience. To get the most from the guide, note the symbol as you work through it. It denotes critical answers or discoveries to record in the summary section of the study guide for easy reference. Plan on revisiting that section often over the next many years. As Hugh says, Repetition is the precondition of success.

As a special benefit for those using this book in a group or classroom setting, leaders may wish to download the IBNO Group Leaders Study Guide from Hughs Web site (www.HughHewitt.com). The Leaders Guide aligns with this study guide edition to make the content of the book even more accessible to school, church, college, and other groups or classrooms. In it youll find instructions, advice, and ready-made plans for guiding any group through the books content.

Should questions remain or you simply wish to connect further, I invite you to follow on Twitter @BillintheBlank or visit my blog (www.BillintheBlank.com) where I regularly communicate helpful perspectives for growth in family, faith, and life.

As I have absorbed the lessons in this book, listened to Hughs radio broadcasts for nearly a decade, read his blog daily, and engaged him as a friend, I would be remiss not to mention this fact: Hugh practices what he teaches in this book. May that candid observation give you greater confidence as you read, apply, and lead others to apply these life-changing lessons.

Thank you to Hugh and Cornerstone Christian Academy for the opportunity to partner in this endeavor. May this guide help the book expand your vision and equip your imagination as God lights His walk of faith before you.

Bill Blankschaen

IF IT IS TRUE, AS JESUS SAID IT IS, THAT HE IS THE WAY, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me (John 14:6), then salvationhappiness for infinitydepends upon the ability of individuals to hear the gospel.

The effective and mass communication of the gospel depends upon the freedom to proclaim it. Though it is possible to proclaim the gospel in the face of persecution, the unfettered freedom to do so is much, much to be preferred. There are billions of souls who are up for eternal grabs, so the unfettered ability to reach them with the good news is a great and wonderful thing, hard to create and difficult to defend.