Countdown Day 14

It’s hard to believe that two weeks from today, the new book will be released. From where I sit today, in the Holy Land with all the unholy things happening here, it’s clear that a new kind of Christianity is desperately needed … as are a new kind of Judaism, a new kind of Islam, etc. The kinds of religion that are now dominant in our world are perfectly designed to give us the results we are now getting – in terms of personal transformation, ecological care, peacemaking, and justice for the poor and marginalized. God has better options for us all. Today’s quote:

[In Genesis,] God is faithful to Joseph, and through Joseph God is gracious to Egypt, and through Joseph God is even gracious to Joseph’s wicked, Cain-like brothers. Joseph is blessed not to the exclusion of anyone, but for the blessing of everyone. Blessing triumphs. Goodness triumphs. God triumphs. And in the end, God provides something better than the “knowledge of good and evil” offered by the serpent: just as God had brought light from darkness and order from chaos and life from barrenness, God now creates a good outcome from the evil intentions of Joseph’s brothers. Through Joseph’s willingness to forgive and forego revenge, God creatively overcomes evil with good. (54)

From A New Kind of Christianity: Ten Questions That Are Transforming the Faith (available February 9, 2010)
“Brian’s writing is brave and honest, vulnerable and courageous, disturbing and unsettling, reassuring and hopeful. Every now and then you come across a book you’ve been waiting for. A New Kind of Christianity is that book.” (Steve Chalke, MBE, founder of Oasis Global, UN Special Advisor on Human Trafficking)