Christlike Acceptance across Deep Difference
- Church Leadership & Ministry
- World Religions
- Ethics, Culture & Social Issues
- Publisher: Baker Academic (Baker Publishing Group)
- Published: 2025
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Publisher's Description
Has your faith community been torn apart over sexuality and gender? While affirming and traditionalist Christians wage culture wars, many believers have left the church entirely because of disputes over how best to respond to LGBTQ people. Ronald Pierce and Karen Keen show us a different way to approach the controversy. In Christlike Acceptance across Deep Difference, they bring together a broad range of contributors--scholarly and pastoral; affirming and traditionalist; evangelical, mainline, and Catholic--who demonstrate a more constructive response to LGBTQ concerns. You'll discover· fresh readings of Scripture from diverse theological perspectives,· models for respectful dialogue in church communities,· first-person insights into ministering to LGBTQ people,· pastoral guidance for supporting their parents, friends, and family, and· communication strategies for navigating deep theological differences. Despite their differences, the contributors unite in their commitment to biblical authority and Christlike love of neighbor. They invite the church to join them in this new and better way. Perfect for pastors, church leaders, and any Christian worried about polarization, this timely volume shows us how to forge a future shaped by Christlike acceptance.
Endorsements (3)
“This is a hopeful and a helpful book. It retains moral and theological seriousness while modeling and fostering the warmth, generosity, and hospitality that are much needed in this long-standing debate. This is the way forward for the church as we build a common life around our common object of love, Jesus Christ.”
“In an era when conversations about sexuality so often feel stale and repetitive, this dialogic collection is a breath of fresh air. As I read, I found myself wishing to join the discussion, to ask questions and push back, to cheer and shout ‘amen!’ May many more of our Christian disagreements be as gracious and thought-provoking as this one.”
“I read Christlike Acceptance across Deep Difference in one sitting, like a ravenous woman in a wilderness. I have held my convictions around gender and sexuality for many years now, but I have struggled with how to engage this topic with those in my context with whom I disagree. I have served in evangelical churches for over twenty years, locally and abroad. I have seen more conflict, church splits, and dissension over debates around sexuality than any other issue. This book offers a solution to these problems and one that is deeply rooted in Christ. Christlike Acceptance across Deep Difference is a must-read for anyone looking to responsibly engage the topic of human sexuality from both a pastoral and a theological perspective. Offering comprehensive guidance, the contributors to this volume provide everything you need from scholarship to practical theology to personal testimonies that inspire and instruct all believers to accept one another as Christ has accepted us. This book will live on my shelf, and I will reach for it often.”
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