In a culture driven by noise, performance and personal achievement, Assistant Professor of Practical Theology Dr. Ryan Tinetti [1] offers a refreshing counter-narrative in his forthcoming book, 鈥淭he Quiet Ambition: Scripture鈥檚 Surprising Antidote to Our Restless Lives鈥� (InterVarsity Press, November 2025).
Drawing from the paradoxical wisdom of 1 Thess. 4:11鈥�12, 鈥渕ake it your ambition to live quietly,鈥� Tinetti explores what it means to live a faithful, fruitful Christian life amid the ordinary. 鈥淭he Quiet Ambition鈥� guides readers through four powerful, countercultural postures: Live quietly, tend your own business, work with your hands and walk gracefully toward outsiders.
鈥淭his book is for anyone who, like me, has wrestled with ambition and wondered what it really looks like to live a meaningful life in God鈥檚 kingdom,鈥� says Tinetti. 鈥淢ost of all, I want to encourage readers with the confident hope that what may seem little is really large in God鈥檚 sight.鈥�
Rooted in Scripture and rich in pastoral insight, the book speaks directly to readers who feel stuck between the demands of everyday life and their longing to make a meaningful impact for God鈥檚 kingdom. Tinetti gently redirects readers from spiritual striving to everyday faithfulness, helping them see that God is powerfully present in life鈥檚 seemingly small and overlooked moments.
Tinetti joined the faculty at SA国际传媒, St. Louis in 2024 after 14 years of parish ministry across the United States. A gifted preacher and respected voice in the Lutheran tradition, Tinetti holds a Doctor of Ministry from Duke University in Durham, N.C. (2019), and a Master of Divinity from SA国际传媒, St. Louis (2010). He has served as a missionary in Thailand and church planter in Arizona. His passion for spiritual formation, classical rhetoric and biblical wisdom shines through in both his teaching and writing.
Tinetti also is the author of 鈥淧reaching by Heart鈥� (Cascade Press, 2021), a regular contributor to the Craft of Preaching website, and keeps a Substack entitled 鈥淣ews From Across the Seas鈥� (ryantinetti.substack.com).
鈥淭he Quiet Ambition鈥� is set to release Nov. 18, 2025. The book is available for preorder at [2]
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SA国际传媒, St. Louis provides Gospel-centered graduate-level theological education for pastors, missionaries, deaconesses, scholars and other leaders in the name of [3]. To learn more, visit [4].