We human beings are burdened by our tendencies to harshly judge others and ourselves. Unfortunately for believers, this bent is as prevalent in the church as in the world.
Pastor and author Gregory A. Boyd calls readers to a higher standard through understanding the true manner in which God views humanity: as infinitely worthwhile and lovable. Only an attitude shift in how we perceive ourselves in light of God's love can impact how we relate to people and transform our judgmental nature.
Believers wrestling with the reality of God's love and Christians struggling with judging in the local church will appreciate this examination of how we move from a self-centered to a Christ-centered life.
Are you frustrated by a tendency to judge others? Pastor and award-winning author Greg Boyd asserts that God shares his unsurpassable worth with each of us, making the practice of judgment foreign to Christian character.
In Repenting of Religion, Boyd shows you how to begin practicing a religion of love rather than embracing judgmental doctrine based on our human perceptions of morality. He exposes lies we have believed about ourselves and others and demonstrates the freedom we have for establishing true biblical community.
If you're ready to reap the rewards of loving others, this book is for you.
"Anything but another run-of-the-mill evangelical book, it is radical and revolutionary. It will make readers think critically about some traditional evangelical habits of the heart."--Roger E. Olson, George W. Truett Theological Seminary, Baylor University
"The local church is called to be God's community of redemption rather than the exclusive clique of rejection it has often become. This is a prophetic call to repentance."--Gilbert Bilezikian, author of Christianity 101
"Mere Christianity is religionless, Boyd rightly says. It is about dancing with the triune God. And, since it's all about mercy, let's love one another and stop judging."--Clark Pinnock, author of Most Moved Mover
Gregory A. Boyd is senior pastor of Woodland Hills Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. He is the author of twelve books, including Seeing is Believing and the best-selling Gold Medallion Award winner Letters from a Skeptic.
Description:
We human beings are burdened by our tendencies to harshly judge others and ourselves. Unfortunately for believers, this bent is as prevalent in the church as in the world.
Pastor and author Gregory A. Boyd calls readers to a higher standard through understanding the true manner in which God views humanity: as infinitely worthwhile and lovable. Only an attitude shift in how we perceive ourselves in light of God's love can impact how we relate to people and transform our judgmental nature.
Believers wrestling with the reality of God's love and Christians struggling with judging in the local church will appreciate this examination of how we move from a self-centered to a Christ-centered life.
From Publishers Weekly
Boyd, pastoral theologian and author of Seeing Is Believing, presents a forceful, if one-sided, solution for Christians torn between judgment and acceptance. Drawing on biblical images including the Tree of Knowledge, the Samaritan woman at the well and Jesus' reputation as a "friend of sinners," Boyd argues that "the church must be the community of people who simply love as God loves." Christians who judge others are, in effect, eating forbidden fruit, labeling people as good or evil in exchange for a tainted boost of spiritual energy. Even in the context of church discipline with the best of motives, Boyd is skeptical about the benefits of confrontation and rebuke, decrying the "trust we have in our power of judgment rather than the power of God and his love flowing through us." Bucking evangelical convention is nothing new for Boyd, but his development of the biblical basis for his conclusions is less comprehensive than in most of his previous works. This is unfortunate considering that Boyd's proposals for the church—such as treating homosexuality and overeating as essentially equivalent issues—are already guaranteed to raise eyebrows among evangelical readers. While its message is engaging, this title incorporates more repetition and less nuance, more rhetoric and less practical pastoral guidance, than Boyd usually delivers.
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From the Back Cover
Freedom from judgmentalism.
Are you frustrated by a tendency to judge others? Pastor and award-winning author Greg Boyd asserts that God shares his unsurpassable worth with each of us, making the practice of judgment foreign to Christian character.
In Repenting of Religion, Boyd shows you how to begin practicing a religion of love rather than embracing judgmental doctrine based on our human perceptions of morality. He exposes lies we have believed about ourselves and others and demonstrates the freedom we have for establishing true biblical community.
If you're ready to reap the rewards of loving others, this book is for you.
"Anything but another run-of-the-mill evangelical book, it is radical and revolutionary. It will make readers think critically about some traditional evangelical habits of the heart."--Roger E. Olson, George W. Truett Theological Seminary, Baylor University
"The local church is called to be God's community of redemption rather than the exclusive clique of rejection it has often become. This is a prophetic call to repentance."--Gilbert Bilezikian, author of Christianity 101
"Mere Christianity is religionless, Boyd rightly says. It is about dancing with the triune God. And, since it's all about mercy, let's love one another and stop judging."--Clark Pinnock, author of Most Moved Mover
Gregory A. Boyd is senior pastor of Woodland Hills Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. He is the author of twelve books, including Seeing is Believing and the best-selling Gold Medallion Award winner Letters from a Skeptic.