I picked up The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness at the 2013 Gospel Coalition meeting in Orlando, FL.  It’s a helpful booklet that is essentially an exposition of 1 Corinthians 3:21-4:7.  In it, Keller extols the Christian virtue of self-forgetfulness.  He points to Paul’s assertion that he, Paul, did not live his life under the bondage of what others thought about him or even what he thought about himself.  Rather, Paul’s sense of self and of value came from who he was in Christ.

Keller does a good job of handling the text and of critiquing the modern culture of self-esteem and self-affirmation.  He points out the danger of ego and self-reliance and points instead to a healthy sense of self-forgetfulness and reliance on Jesus for one’s sense of worth.

It’s a very simple, short work that would be an encouragement to anybody bound up in concerns about what others think of him or her.