Dirty diapers …
A reader writes:
I have to say that the evangelical world has really been doing a good job of dragging you through the mud. It seems the younger the evangelical, the more they are concerned about you. What I mean is… those fresh out of Bible School or the eager ones in their churches have been downloaded such incorrect information about you and emergent. It REALLY bothers me. And the worst part of it is that they read or listen to what you say with such STRONG presuppositions they don’t even HEAR or READ what you are actually saying. Its maddening!
But those that have never been to church, those who did not grow up in the segregated evangelical household, love what you have to say. They don’t know you but they feel and experience what you are saying every day. And that is the hope. That they will discover a New Kind Of Christianity that will continue on for generations. It’s just sad that those who seem so convinced can not see that change has always happened through history. And historicaly there have been people who have fought it. After all as Mark Twain once said, “the only one who likes change is a baby with a dirty diaper”!
This note prompts me to venture this humble request: If you’re one of those Evangelicals – young or older – who have “been downloaded” negative information about me, but you’ve never read any of my books, how about opening your mind a bit this summer and picking up one of these:
If you want a gentle and short introduction to my work, try
More Ready Than You Realize or
Secret Message of Jesus
If you want a more challenging introduction, try
Everything Must Change or
A Generous Orthodoxy
If you prefer fiction for summer reading, then try this:
New Kind of Christian or one of its sequels
I don’t recommend you try this one unless you like to jump in the deep end of the pool.
A New Kind of Christianity
And if you have a long drive, or like to jog or walk, or just hate to read – how about this podcast series – an overview of the Bible?