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The Company We Keep: In Search of Biblical Friendship [2014, PDF/EPUB, ENG]

by Jonathan Holmes

(191 ratings)
Book cover

Friendship: it’s one of the simplest of human relationships in comparison to marriage or family relationships, yet it’s one of the least understood and practiced. For all of our progress in making connections through Facebook, Twitter, and other social media, people are consistently experiencing loneliness and growing disenchanted with the whole notion of friendship.

Could it be that our understanding of friendship has been more informed by pop culture and social media, and less informed by the vision of friendship offered in Scripture? Is it possible that friendship exists for a greater purpose than merely our enjoyment and comfort? Does real friendship involve more than just hanging out on a weekend, participating in a book club, or hitting the golf course together? These questions and more are answered in this book.

Broader and deeper than simple fellowship, biblical friendship is first and foremost about a relationship with Jesus Christ. As you are brought into friendship and relationship with the Father, Jesus Christ calls you a friend! It is out of this friendship that our human friendships find their beginning and their purpose.

Aelred, a Cistercian monk who wrote a profound treatise on friendship, said, “And so in friendship are joined honor and charm, truth and joy, sweetness and good-will, affection and action. And all these take their beginning from Christ, advance through Christ, and are perfected in Christ.” This is the core of biblical friendship, and what sets it apart from what the world is offering: it all flows from Jesus Christ. Friendship finds its origin, purpose, and power in Jesus. Our human friendships then must be shaped by this life-changing truth.

Biblical friendship is deep, honest, pure, transparent, and liberating. It is also attainable. Dig into this book, and learn how your friendships can embody this amazing and wonderful reality.

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Book details


  • Author : Jonathan Holmes
  • Publisher : Cruciform Press
  • Published : 08-19-2014
  • Language : English
  • Pages : 122
  • ISBN-10 : 1936760959
  • ISBN-13 : 978-1936760954
  • Reader Reviews : 191 (4.6)
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About the Author


Jonathan Holmes


Jonathan Holmes is the Founder and Executive Director of Fieldstone Counseling. He also serves as the Pastor of Counseling for Parkside Church Bainbridge and Green. Jonathan graduated from The Master’s University with degrees in Biblical Counseling and History and his MA from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He is the author of The Company We Keep and Counsel for Couples and the forthcoming books, Rescue Skills & Rescue Plan (P&R Publishing, 2021).

Jonathan has written for a number of sites and organizations including Christianity Today, The Gospel Coalition, Biblical Counseling Coalition, the ERLC, and the Journal for Biblical Counseling. Jonathan serves on the Board of Directors for CCEF (Christian Counseling Educational Foundation) and the Council Board for the BCC (Biblical Counseling Coalition). He is a frequent speaker at conferences and retreats. He and his wife, Jennifer, have four daughters, Ava, Riley, Ruby, and Emma.

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Reader Reviews

J
Nathan
Biblical, Practical, Accessible!
Reviewed in the United States on 10-07-2018
This was a very profitable book, and in a fun and straightforward way explains what a healthy Christian friendship should look like. I finished it in about two hours. I particularity appreciated his section on male-to-male friendship, very helpful. However one thing I believe should be noted is that the term 'Biblical Friendship' may not be the best choice of words for what is discussed here. By 'Biblical friendship' the author is not talking about 'how to build all your friendships in a biblical manner', he is talking more specifically about healthy close friendships. I personally am not favorable to using the term 'Biblical friendship' to describe only the friendships that have the qualities he discusses as being characteristic of the type of relationship he's describing here, because it makes it sound like if you're just casual friends with someone it is a unbiblical friendship, though as you read the book it is clear he doesn't believe that. I think it is more accurate to say this is a book mostly for conducting close-knit relationships in a biblical way, because the kinds of things he describes would not be applicable to casual relationships or to meaningful friendships that are with people outside of your best friends. This is not a book for someone who is trying to just learn how to build general friendships in a biblical way (which was what I initially bought it for), it is more useful for learning how to better deepen already existing relationships. Aside from the potentially misleading subtitle, excellent book!.
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J
Bfleegs
Good, practical book
Reviewed in the United States on 10-13-2020
While not as much a theology of friendship, this book is certainly a decent primer on the topic. It bears the mark of great study, care, and experience in relationships. His frameworks on threats to friendship and the purpose of friendship are extremely helpful..
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J
Eric W. Zeller
Clear Exposition of Friendship in Biblical View
Reviewed in the United States on 09-21-2014
The Company we Keep by Jonathan Holmes really helped me grow in my understanding of the place of friendship in the lives of believers. The book is readable, engaging, honest, and short enough to move quickly through (I read the whole thing over a couple days). Holmes uses familiar biblical arguments that are often used to suggest the importance of community generally (e.g, arguing for why small groups should exist), but uses them, convincingly, that what scripture is calling for is not satisfied merely by participation in meaningful community and requires purposeful and loving friendship. So I was helped by this book and wholeheartedly recommend it as a resource either for reading yourself or for working through with a friend..
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