Janie and I just returned from a week of vacation. It was good to get away and relax, unwind and unplug. Sometimes we “do stuff” on our vacations…climb mountains, look for waterfalls, do Disney. This time we just focused on relaxing…not doing stuff. While we were away, I read a recently published book The Allure of Gentleness: Defending the Faith in the Manner of Jesus written by Dallas Willard. Willard was a philosophy professor at USC…the other USC, the one in California. My preacher buddies and I consider Willard one of our mentors. He has influenced our thinking and our approach to Scripture and life. Let me give you an extended quote from Willard’s book:
“Christian apologetics is not an attempt to prove we’re right…You did not get saved because you were right. You got saved because of the grace of God, who loves you and gave his Son for you, and the Holy Spirit, which touched your heart through the word of the Gospel so that you found yourself believing…That is why so many churches have “Grace” in their name. Not many people want to go to “Right Church”, but will gladly go to “Grace Church”. I’ve been to “Right Church”…it’s a tough place. There are a lot of dead people at Right Church, because life comes by grace”.
The model of life and ministry is Jesus. His approach to the lost, to the open and searching, was with a gentle spirit. He made the Gospel accessible and attractive. He reveals a good and beautiful God who welcomed honest questions. As one person said of Willard’s book “he advocates for truth, born on the wings of grace, and does so in the manner of a fellow pilgrim, keen to listen and to share.” Sounds a lot like Jesus.
The bottom line for us, in defending our faith, is not just our positions on certain issues. It is our disposition as well. If truth would have been God’s only objective, He could have just dropped big old Bibles on our heads with a message that says “Read This-It Is True”. Instead, He sent Truth to us in the person of His Son, Jesus. Truth revealed in the personality of Jesus. God’s position on truth is seen in the personality and disposition of His Son, who is the Truth. It is difficult, if not impossible, to separate truth from personality. It is not enough to just be right. Remember what your mother told you: “God don’t like ugly”.
Truthfully, Willard’s books can be a little heady. So to balance it, we listened to a book on cd, The Shack by William Young! Wow, where have I been to miss this little gem. I laughed and wept on I-95 from Miami to Exit 33 at Pocotaligo! What a wonderful story of a loving God.
I recommend both of these to you. Willard’s writings, as I said, are a little more heady. Maybe a little more academic than we prefer for leisure reading. He is readable, but you may have to chew slowly. On the other hand, The Shack is fun and whimsical. You could read it in a night if you try hard. Either way, happy reading…be blessed.
Pastor Tom
“Christian apologetics is not an attempt to prove we’re right…You did not get saved because you were right. You got saved because of the grace of God, who loves you and gave his Son for you, and the Holy Spirit, which touched your heart through the word of the Gospel so that you found yourself believing…That is why so many churches have “Grace” in their name. Not many people want to go to “Right Church”, but will gladly go to “Grace Church”. I’ve been to “Right Church”…it’s a tough place. There are a lot of dead people at Right Church, because life comes by grace”.
The model of life and ministry is Jesus. His approach to the lost, to the open and searching, was with a gentle spirit. He made the Gospel accessible and attractive. He reveals a good and beautiful God who welcomed honest questions. As one person said of Willard’s book “he advocates for truth, born on the wings of grace, and does so in the manner of a fellow pilgrim, keen to listen and to share.” Sounds a lot like Jesus.
The bottom line for us, in defending our faith, is not just our positions on certain issues. It is our disposition as well. If truth would have been God’s only objective, He could have just dropped big old Bibles on our heads with a message that says “Read This-It Is True”. Instead, He sent Truth to us in the person of His Son, Jesus. Truth revealed in the personality of Jesus. God’s position on truth is seen in the personality and disposition of His Son, who is the Truth. It is difficult, if not impossible, to separate truth from personality. It is not enough to just be right. Remember what your mother told you: “God don’t like ugly”.
Truthfully, Willard’s books can be a little heady. So to balance it, we listened to a book on cd, The Shack by William Young! Wow, where have I been to miss this little gem. I laughed and wept on I-95 from Miami to Exit 33 at Pocotaligo! What a wonderful story of a loving God.
I recommend both of these to you. Willard’s writings, as I said, are a little more heady. Maybe a little more academic than we prefer for leisure reading. He is readable, but you may have to chew slowly. On the other hand, The Shack is fun and whimsical. You could read it in a night if you try hard. Either way, happy reading…be blessed.
Pastor Tom
