You can live a radically inclusive life without compromising your beliefs or the truth of the gospel. Humanity is more divided now than ever, gridlocked over social issues, race, gender, climate change, immigration, and our responsibility to vulnerable people. How did we get here? And what can we do to build bridges where walls exist? As a pastor committed to building deep relationships with people whose life experiences are different than his own, Terry Crist knows the beauty and challenge of connecting across dividing lines of race, economic status, faith, and much more. And in this book, he shares how you can too. Profoundly weaving the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well with his own stories and examples from culture today, Terry addresses how we've strayed from the unity God intended and how we can trade judgment for grace, disputes for harmony, apathy for empathy, and hate for love and acceptance. By the end of this book, you will be able to: • Identify how you personally see the world and why it matters • Recognize those on the margins who are right around you • Imitate Jesus's love for all humanity in the interactions you have with others • Extend dignity to those suffering from mental illness, homelessness, and addiction • Maintain thriving relationships when family members are on opposing sides of issues • Be an ambassador of reconciliation in your community
It doesn't have to be one or the other-you can both love God and love your neighbor.
