Mixed
Embracing Complexity by Uncovering Your God-led Identity
- Christian Living
- Publisher: W Publishing Group (Thomas Nelson)
- Published: 2023
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Publisher's Description
Many of us feel like we don't belong or are out of touch with our true identity. Discover how you can gain a stronger sense of who God made you to be and step confidently into every relationship, fully owning your unique distinctions and celebrating the differences of others. Group dynamics can be based on the simplest forms of physical and cultural distinctions, and those who don't quite fit the mold of a group can feel like outsiders. The reality is none of us fit into a box. We're all unique with a mixed background—socially, culturally, experientially. For some of us, like Eli Bonilla Jr., we are also mixed ethnically. No one person is an identical copy of anyone else. In Mixed, Eli questions the basis of unity and inclusion and explores the multiple components of our identity, discovering how they can all be reconciled for God's purpose as we reflect His image. Mixed will lead you to: find peace with the complexity within yourself, understand yourself more deeply so you can relate to others, experience more human connection through a God-led identity, and develop greater empathy, celebrate cultures without creating division, and fight for people in the margins. Eli will remind you that God made you the way you are for good reason, and you belong wherever He says you belong. Pairing personal stories with biblical teaching, Eli will inspire you not to hold back from others but to confidently share the fullness of who you are, and to love, celebrate, and unite with people who are not just different, but beautifully complex.
Endorsements (9)
“Since I’ve known him, I have seen Eli lead the next generation in a powerful way. In an age where identity politics and social disruption are raising new questions and demanding answers from the church, Eli, from his personal experience, provides a powerful kingdom way forward. Through Mixed, he offers a vulnerable window into the importance of finding one’s God-led identity. Eli’s story and in-depth look at Jesus invite us into this timely and complex conversion around what it means to be human.”
Dr. Rob Hoskins
“It is one thing to pray for an answer; it is another to receive an answer. But it is best to BE an answer. Eli’s book Mixed is an answer—a well prepared, biblically solid response to the conundrum of identity in our culture!”
Bishop. Dale C. Bronner
“Mixed both challenged and comforted me by revealing that Christ had an accent and a mixed background. Maybe I had chosen not to see it when reading the Word, as I have chosen to ignore some of my shortcomings in handling the tensions of living in a mixed society. I might have lost patience with Christ if I needed help with directions to Nazareth. Eli helped me realize I was too busy hiding my struggle and pain of being a Mexican American, Christian woman that is neither here nor there in almost every circle I walk in. Mixed comforted me by reminding me of my identity in that mixed Savior.”
“Our world is growing increasingly complex, and there’s absolutely no sign of that slowing down. This is especially true in the area of identity and figuring out how we belong in a multiethnic culture and society where we find more and more individuals who themselves are mixed in ethnicity. This hits home personally for me as my children are half Indian and half white, or as they refer to themselves—mixed. Eli reminds us we aren’t in need of a new or novel approach to see the intrinsic value and worth of people. Rather, we need to reexplore the story of Jesus and see how his own upbringing (sadly often overlooked) gives us intimate insight into the importance of all people, and especially those of us that are mixed or raising mixed children in a highly diverse world. Eli is practical, vulnerable, winsome, and most important, theological in his approach in Mixed.”
“When I first heard Eli speak, I immediately thought, he should write a book on that! This is why I’m so excited that he did! Mixed will take you on a complex journey that will be both uncomfortable and encouraging, disruptive and comforting. While navigating delicate topics like multiethnicity in America, the politics of race, and divisions in the church over cultural topics, Eli keeps the gospel at the forefront of everything he says. Eli’s brutal honesty combined with Christ-like humility made this book very hard to put down.”
“Eli has a unique wisdom and understanding of culture, the church, and the current generation. In Mixed, he brings much needed clarity around identity, purpose, and the way we see the world. Allow him to be your guide for navigating the complex issues we are all facing today in leading well.”
“Eli Bonilla is an important voice for the church to hear. His perspective represents a new generation hungry to wrestle with the complexities of faith applied in our complex cultural moment. Mixed offers a window into the conversations Christians must have. It’s an invitation to know God better by understanding one another more.”
“I have personally benefited from conversations with Eli on complex issues such as race and faith. He is wise beyond his years, and he leaves room for discussion and disagreement. In the pages ahead, as we realize we are all mixed, Eli reminds us where our identity comes from and why that matters most.”
“The church is not made of a single color, race, language, or cultural context, but of all those who have accepted Jesus as Lord and have chosen to be His disciples. As interracial marriages become increasingly common, Mixed is a timely guide for helping this and future generations, including my own Guatemalan American children, not feel left out or out of place, but instead find their identity in Christ. It is the beauty and strength of the church to be mixed. It is our superpower.”
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