Review: "The best of friends" by Phil Knox

This new resource from the Evangelical Alliance looks at the importance of having, and being, good friends. It comprises 5 videos of about 10 minutes each, all presented by Phil Knox, who has written a book on the topic. There is also a free downloadable small group resource.

The 5 sessions look at such topics as the biblical basis for friendship, the pressures on friendships today, having close friendships and, finally, the importance of friendship with God.

How to use the book

The teaching is based on a biblical approach to friendship and the study guide along with it includes welcome activities and discussion topics, as well as a Bible study. I haven't had an opportunity to try this out with my Barnabas Group, but it looks like it would be easy to use and has plenty of ideas to make an engaging study out of each topic. Each session also suggests reading a chapter or two of the associated book beforehand, but I think you could still make a good course out of the materials, which are freely available on EA's website (link below).

Jesus and friendships

The course offers some useful insights into the way modern life can get in the way of friendships (How often do screens get in the way of you investing in people?) and the way the enemy seeks to use these to break valuable friendships. It also explores the life of Jesus and how he valued friendships, as modelled by the 12 disciples, an inner circle of 3 and, of them, one "best" friend. Phil looks at the value of the variety of Jesus' friends - many of his disciples would have had nothing to do with each other - and how that might be a challenge to the "sameness" of our friendship circles. 

Healthy intimacy

I expect that most people reading this will not need convincing of the value of friendships. As many of us will have chosen singleness, and even those who are married may struggle with same-sex friendships, we probably value healthy intimacy more than most. The course doesn't get as far as exploring the struggles of "unequal" friendships, when one party may feel a lot more than the other one.  

However, it could still be useful as an insight into what "healthy" friendships look like. I think it is also helpful to understand that close same-sex friendships are clearly valued in the Bible. If this encourages us to pursue and value friendships, even when this means navigating the risky waters of closeness and intimacy, then it could be well worth looking at.

If you want to have a taste of the course, here's a link to the teaser. But don't worry, this is the only time that Phil raps!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMjv1LPfji8
 

You can find the whole course, including the downloadable small group resource, here:
www.eauk.org/what-we-do/initiatives/friendship/the-best-of-friends-video-series#

This article was originally published in the Autumn 2024 edition of the TFT magazine, Ascend. Click the button below to download your copy.