John Pavlovitz

This is the first book I've read by John Pavlovitz, but after reading the synopsis, I felt like it was just the thing I needed, and I wasn't wrong. For anybody who is alarmed at the direction politics are taking in the US, with the enmity and divisiveness and the attacks on the rights of women, minorities and LGBTQ+ people, this is the book for you, too. While acknowledging all of that, and more, the message John Pavlovitz gets across is that there is still hope, and that kindness and faith will go a long way towards learning how to look at things in a more positive light. It's not a saccharine message, but is more encouraging, and this book, told in small essays, helps you figure out where to start, and how to approach different situations in a kinder, more accepting way. Does it tell you how to change people's opinions and personal beliefs? No. But it does give you advice on how to avoid the pitfalls and negativity that strong opinions sometimes stir up. I, personally, have become so skeptical of anything labeled "Christian" that I feel like I immediately go on the defensive when confronted with it, and this author has given me ways to stop doing that, to know which battles and situations are worth it, and which are best avoided, without preaching at the reader (pardon the pun).

This was a very quick read at only 176 pages, and definitely worth your time if you want to take a step back, ditch the stress, and just breathe.

5/5 stars.

*** I would like to thank NetGalley, Westminster John Knox Press, and John Pavlovitz for the opportunity to read and review Worth Fighting For.… (meer)

As everyone knows, during his lifetime, Jesus jealously guarded his teachings, ousting any who disagreed with him or broke the Jewish law. His disciples rejoiced that he followed Jewish law minutely and kept away from the unclean and undesirables.

Oops, wait a minute. It was the strict Jewish scholars like the sect of the Pharisees who prided themselves on following Jewish laws, and held themselves up as paragons of virtue. And the disciples worried that Jesus was too inclusive; that by eating and spending time with those deemed unclean and unworthy, Jesus was putting his movement – and even his life – at risk.

This book is open-hearted liberal Christianity, where everyone is welcomed. Although not included in this book I have seen a meme where Jesus is standing with his arms outspread in the doorway of a church. In some denominations, His arms bar people from entering; with the same image in other denominations, He is welcoming all.

If Christians are to be known by their love, this book shows the way.… (meer)

In this honest Advent devotional, best-selling progressive Christian author John Pavlovitz reminds us that God came to meet us in the low places of our lives -- and that Jesus continues to come low this Advent season. When we plant our feet firmly in the dirt of everyday life, we see Jesus meeting us in the low places: when we live humbly, when we seek forgiveness, in our grief and suffering, when we act on behalf of someone else, when we pray. As we walk the road of Advent, Jesus reminds us the invitation is not to escape this world to an elevated Heaven somewhere else, but to bring Heaven down.… (meer)