Studying for the Bar Exam
This is an excerpt from "Shocking, Unexpected Grace" a chapter in the book Stories of Emergence: Moving from Absolute to Authentic. It was written by Jay Bakker, the son of televangelist James Bakker (and Tammy Faye Bakker). He's got a great story, but I wanted to share this part because, for reasons you'll soon recognize, it resonates with me:
If you want to deal with people on a real level, go to a bar.
Every Monday night I go to an English pub. I've gotten to know the people there. They've become my close friends, and I've earned their trust. It took time for them, but in some way, I've impacted their lives...
I've learned not to worry about what other Christians say about me. If no Christian would receive me ever again, I would still go to bars, to those areas where I can get to know people who need grace. I'd do it even if I didn't have ministry credentials.
My pub friends see Christians handing out tracts on the street all the time. They see it as incredibly eerie; it makes them uncomfortable. They say to me, "They're telling us we're sinners and going to hell. See? That's why I'd never be a Christian".
That kind of evangelism makes the Christian feel better, not the people they pray for. To me it's a cop-out. Scripture says God won't raise his voice in the streets or snuff out the smallest hopes. (Isaiah 42:2-3)
The church has to get back to being more practical and offering the radical message of grace. It's not always easy to live by grace. I've come a long way from not knowing grace existed to finally seeing the light, but I'm far from where I need to be. Grace isn't alwasy popular in churches that are uncomfortable with people who don't fit into its molds. People who live in grace may not look like us.
Grace is the whole reason Jesus died! Grace is the ultimate freedom. We can't give our lives to teaching anything less.
Amen!
If you want to deal with people on a real level, go to a bar.
Every Monday night I go to an English pub. I've gotten to know the people there. They've become my close friends, and I've earned their trust. It took time for them, but in some way, I've impacted their lives...
I've learned not to worry about what other Christians say about me. If no Christian would receive me ever again, I would still go to bars, to those areas where I can get to know people who need grace. I'd do it even if I didn't have ministry credentials.
My pub friends see Christians handing out tracts on the street all the time. They see it as incredibly eerie; it makes them uncomfortable. They say to me, "They're telling us we're sinners and going to hell. See? That's why I'd never be a Christian".
That kind of evangelism makes the Christian feel better, not the people they pray for. To me it's a cop-out. Scripture says God won't raise his voice in the streets or snuff out the smallest hopes. (Isaiah 42:2-3)
The church has to get back to being more practical and offering the radical message of grace. It's not always easy to live by grace. I've come a long way from not knowing grace existed to finally seeing the light, but I'm far from where I need to be. Grace isn't alwasy popular in churches that are uncomfortable with people who don't fit into its molds. People who live in grace may not look like us.
Grace is the whole reason Jesus died! Grace is the ultimate freedom. We can't give our lives to teaching anything less.
Amen!
