Do Ask Do Tell Lets Talk
$9.99
Conversations among friends accomplish more than debates between opponents…
Conversations on controversial issues do not to go well when the dialogue happens community-to-community or figurehead-to-figurehead. Whether it’s race, religion, or politics, groups don’t talk well with groups. Too much is at stake when we feel like our words and actions speak for the collective whole. Platforms and podiums will never accomplish what can only be done around dinner tables and in living rooms.
Two individuals from those respective groups are much more likely to forge a good relationship, influencing one another in various ways. Unfortunately, an individual who listens well is often viewed by his or her collective compatriots as engaging in compromise; at the group level, representing each side fairly feels too much like agreement.
That is why the aim of this book is friendship. Friendship is the level at which influence can be had, because the dialogue does not seek to represent an agenda but to understand a person. Friendship is what protects good points from becoming gotcha moments.
The subject for which this approach may be most vital for the modern church may be homosexuality and same-sex attraction (SSA). Yet our approach has tended to be more polemical or political than pastoral and personal.
Churches have articulated their position on a conservative sexual ethic. Churches have re-examined the key biblical texts that are challenged in defense of a progressive sexual ethic. As important as these things are, however, they do not equip everyday Christians to develop meaningful friendships with people who experience same-sex attraction or have embraced a gay identity.
In the absence of relationship, our theology becomes theory.
Many Christians are seeing that the church’s unwillingness to befriend people who experience SSA has blocked us from engaging with the subject of homosexuality on a person-to-person level. We are reticent to engage relationships where it feels probable that there will be awkwardness.
Admittedly, this book is not as “neat” as you might like for it to be. Many tensions will be navigated; maybe not all contradictions will be avoided. However, when it comes to being salt and light for the sake of the gospel, it seems far better to choose possible messiness over guaranteed ineffectiveness.
That means we must realize that it is good for us to have conversations where we don’t know what to say. This is part of the ess
in stock within 3-5 days of online purchase
SKU (ISBN): 9781941114117
ISBN10: 1941114113
Brad Hambrick
Binding: Trade Paper
Published: February 2016
Publisher: Cruciform Press
Print On Demand Product
Related products
-
What About Honesty
$7.99Add to cartJoin 10-year-old Will and his best friend Wisdom–who just happens to be a Bible scholar and fun-loving guinea pig–as they explore such timeless virtues of faith, honesty, perseverance, and kindness. Each colorful book takes your child on an entertaining, educational adventure as Will and Wisdom learn important spiritual lessons that bring them closer to God.
-
Blood Moons Rising
$15.99Add to cartHas the final countdown to the end days begun? Are the heavens telling us we are nearing the end? Astronomers have noticed it is coming. Historians have noted its significance. In 2014 and 2015, there will be a phenomenon in the skies of four blood moons falling during Jewish feasts. This has only happened three times in recorded history: 1493-94, 1949-50 and 1967-68. Each time these dates have had extraordinary significance for the Israelites. From the discovery of the New World to the creation of modern-day Israel, these years of the four blood moons have truly been turning points in history. Bible prophecy describes the moon being darkened and turned to blood. What is the significance of these signs in the skies? What will the future bring? Prophecy expert Mark Hitchcock guides you through the relevant Bible passages so you can understand the times in which you live.
-
At The Altar Of Sexual Idolatry Workbook New Edition (Workbook)
$8.99Add to cartThis workbook is designed to help men get the most out of the biblical principles presented in every chapter of At the Altar of Sexual Idolatry. It will also lead them into a richer, fuller understanding of how to win the victory over sexual sin. Each workbook chapter is broken down into four parts: Study Questions, What do the Scriptures Say?, Personal Examination, and Digging Deeper questions. This workbook will help men destroy the idol of lust and honor God with their thought life, unearth the roots of sexual sin as they search the Scriptures, and step into radical transformation of their heart and life as they apply proven biblical answers.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.