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
-
Forgiving What You Cant Forget
$29.99New York Times bestselling author Lysa TerKeurst helps readers address how to stop suffering from what others have done to them while exploring what forgiveness is, what it isn’t, and how to deal with difficult relationships.
Have you ever felt stuck in a cycle of unresolved pain, playing offenses over and over in your mind? You know you can’t go on living like this, but you don’t know what to do next. And you just aren’t sure if you’ll ever get past it.
Lysa TerKeurst has walked this journey, wrestling with deep hurts and struggling to move forward. And she’s discovered that–to find life-giving freedom–you have to let go of bound-up resentment and resistance to forgiving people who aren’t willing to make things right. With deep empathy, therapeutic insight, and rich Bible teaching coming out of 1,000 hours of study, Lysa will help you:
*learn how to move on when the other person refuses to change and never says they’re sorry;
*walk through a step by step process to free yourself from the hurt of your past and feel less offended today;
*discover what the Bible really says about forgiveness and the peace that comes from living it out right now;
*identify what’s stealing trust and vulnerability from your relationships so you can believe there is still good ahead; and
*disempower the triggers hijacking your emotions by embracing the two necessary parts of forgiveness.
Add to cart1 in stock
-
Cup Of Love
$15.99In his first children’s book, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Relationship Goals shares a tender story that helps kids understand how our families are strengthened by God’s love.
Drawing on key ideas from his #1 New York Times bestseller Relationship Goals, Pastor Michael Todd offers a fun and sweet tale about how developing a close relationship with God spills over into healthy relationships with our family and friends.
Seven-year-old Isabella loves spending time with her mom and dad, so she feels left out when they prepare to go on a date night without her. Her father brings her into the kitchen and uses the faucet, a pitcher, and cups of water to illustrate how God fills him and Isabella’s mom with love, and they pour love into each other by taking time for their relationship. Then all that love overflows onto their kids! When we make room for ourselves to be filled with God’s love and care for our most important relationships, nobody’s “cup of love” will run dry.
Add to cartin stock within 3-5 days of online purchase
-
Girls Guide To Making Really Good Choices
$13.99Every girl is a beautiful creation, uniquely equipped by God to do His work in the world. But as girls are growing, changing, and making choices about the kinds of lives they will lead, they are bombarded with conflicting messages about what it means to be a woman. The media says one thing, boys say another, and friends seem obsessed with whatever is newest and coolest. As a result, girls too often hand their decisions over to those least qualified to make them.
Into the breach steps Elizabeth George, bestselling author and beloved Bible teacher. With wisdom, gentleness, and tremendous grace, she guides tween girls ages 8 to 12 through the most challenging decisions they face, teaching them to let God-not the world-define who they are. Discussing such topics as attitude, friendships, crushes, parents, school, and avoiding bad situations, Elizabeth helps girls see that the very best choice of all is a choice to live within God’s will.
Perfect for individuals, small groups, and mentoring.
Add to cart3 in stock
-
Streams In The Desert Updated Edition
$15.99In a barren wilderness, L. B. Cowman long ago discovered a fountain that sustained her, and she shared it with the world, Streams in the Desert — her collection of prayerful meditations, Christian writings, and God’s written promises–has become one of the most dearly loved, best-selling devotionals of all time since its first publication in 1925. Filled with insight into the richness of God’s provision and the purpose of His plan, this enduring classic has encouraged and inspired generations of Christians. I heard the flow of hidden springs; before me palms rose green and fair; The birds were singing; all the air was filled and stirred with angels’ wings. Now James Reimann, editor of the highly acclaimed updated edition of My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers, again brings us the wisdom of the past in the language of today, by introducing this updated edition of Streams in the Desert. With fresh, contemporary wording and precise NIV text, the timeless message of the original flows unhindered through these pages, lending guidance and hope to a new generation of believers. We never know where God has hidden His streams. We see a large stone and have no idea that it covers the source of a spring. We see a rocky areas and never imagine that it is hiding a fountain. God leads me into hard and difficult places, and it is there I realize I am where eternal streams abide. Day by day, Streams in the Desert will lead you from life’s dry desolate places to the waters of the River of Life — and beyond, to their very Source.
Add to cart1 in stock
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.