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People to Be Loved

People to Be Loved

Few topics today divide people (especially Christians) as quickly as our views on gay relationships. I continue to wade through this one as my heart longs for a stance that my understanding of Scripture doesn’t support. So I keep reading, and processing, and listening to gay people share their stories and perspectives with me. All the while trying to hear from God as clearly as possible. In that light, I was very grateful for Preston Sprinkle’s book, People to Be Loved. In it Preston goes point by point through the six passages in the Bible that address homosexuality and how to best understand them today. Preston does a great job exploring this through an objective lens with a heart for both sides. More importantly, he keeps his heart (and you as the reader) focused on people instead of an abstract issue. I would highly recommend this to anyone seeking to understand the Biblical perspective on this better.

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Top 20 Quotes from Bart Tarman

Top 20 Quotes from Bart Tarman

This is part of a series of posts on 20 quotes. Click here to see others.

I spent last week in Colorado with a group of guys connected with Carl Medearis. Some were pastors and some were business leaders but all wanted to talk more about Jesus. Carl is an author and has a way of connecting people to Jesus. He models how to engage Muslims through a conversation in community rather than opposition. During this gathering we had the opportunity to hear from a pastor named Bart Tarman who they affectionately refer to as “Yoda.”

Below you’ll see my 20 favorite ideas shared throughout our time together from ideas Bart shared. Normally I save my ’20 quotes’ posts for conferences, but this week brought a ton for me to think about so I decided to include it. This list is my best attempt at capturing some of the incredible insights I received from this week in hopes it can be a blessing to you as well. These are in order of our conversations, not in rank.

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The Power of Ideas

The Power of Ideas

Our ideas matter, especially our ideas of God.

Let’s break it down logically for a moment. If I assume that those hot and fresh-off-the-conveyor-belt doughnuts from Krispy Kreme have ingredients that will allow me to live a healthy lifestyle and feel great, I’m going to have an issue. This is especially true for the Krispy Kreme cheeseburger, affectionately known as “baseball’s best burger.”

If I relegate seat belts as a waste of time, I’m going to put my life and the lives of my family at unnecessary risk. At a minimum, I’m inviting an easily avoidable ticket.

If I assume that country music is actually good music, I’m going to experience a lot of depression and confusion. (This is a running joke with many of my Arizona friends. It’s tough growing up in Arizona when you don’t happen to be a fan of country music.)

If I assume that cows are holy and could be a person reincarnated (as Hindus believe), I will drive around a cow instead of moving it from the middle of the street. As an entire community, we will stop traffic for a cow until it moves. I’ve seen this happen in Nepal firsthand.

The list goes on and on. Ideas shape actions.

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The End of Religion

The End of Religion

end of religionI finally got to a book I’ve been eyeing for a few years now. The Canadian pastor Bruxy Cavey wrote The End of Religion, and it provides a great way to see Jesus, the Church, and spirituality in a fresh way. In case you’ve never heard of him, Bruxy is one of those guys I keep up with on a regular basis as he challenges my thinking and keeps me on my toes. I was beyond excited when he agreed to write an endorsement for my book last September.

If you are of the more conservative variety in your theology (which isn’t super likely if you’re reading my blog), you might not appreciate the boldness in which he writes. For example, one of the lines of the book says, “Whenever the church gets into bed with political powers, the church becomes the state’s whore.” Your reaction to that quote may indicate whether this is a book you’d enjoy reading or not.

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Is Following God a Covenant or a Contract?

Is Following God a Covenant or a Contract?

We live in a world today of contracts. It’s difficult to even buy a new phone without navigating pages and pages of contractual agreements first. Or think of how many pages of contractual terms you get every time you sign up for anything (and of course we read every paragraph). Contracts fuel our business interactions with those around us. Here’s what you agree to, here’s what I agree to, and here’s what happens when one of us breaks it.

Contracts are designed to help us navigate situations where no trust exists. This is extremely helpful in these contexts. If I don’t know you, I’m less likely to vulnerably trust you with something important. The danger is when we start applying contracts into areas that cannot function this way.

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"Two thousand years ago God started a revolt against the religion He started. So don’t ever put it past God to cause a groundswell movement against churches and Christian institutions that bear His name. If He was willing to turn Judaism upside down, don’t think for a moment our institutions are safe from a divine revolt. I am convinced that even now there are multitudes of followers of Jesus Christ who are sick and tired of the church playing games and playing down the call of God. My travels only confirm that the murmurings of revolution are everywhere. I am convinced that there is an uprising in the works and that no one less than God is behind it."

Erwin McManus