If God Is Love, Don't Be a Jerk

If God is Love, Don't Be a Jerk is a book on faith unlike any I've read before; Reading this book was enjoyable, not painful as some I've attempted to read. It's like curling up with the only person you can trust to express your honest feelings and thoughts regarding God and your faith. Stripped bare the essence of this book is "Thou Shall Not Be Horrible" a phrase that I have thought to myself often when encountering certain types of Christians.

This book isn't stuffy or scary, nor does it make false promises. One thing that is made very clear from the very first page is this will NOT be quick and easy so if you're looking for something you can just change instantly move right along and keep searching for what does not exist. Ideally you'll read this book instead and realize that while it may not be easy or quick it is the most inspirational relevant and desperately needed call to transformation.

John Pavlovitz writes with soul and it shines though every section of this book. Pavlovitz is humble, honest, and knows the meaning of humility; He bares his uncomfortable and frightening experience of the evolution of his Faith and leaves no room for mistaking his message. With simple sounding prose that flows naturally you'll find yourself nodding "mmhmming" and turning the page after page with no sense of time passing because you needed this book even if you didn't know it.

Before I even finished the book I was recommending it to my family and every friend I was in touch with and they are all excited at the idea of what this book can do for them, for their relationship with God and with themselves and their community. I am confident that they won't be disappointed and neither will you.

Do not ignore the call of this book. Make the time to give it a try and let your soul soar as you're led to a place in your Faith that you've been longing for (likely for quite some time)

Thank you so much to Netgalley and to John Pavlovitz for letting me preview an advance e-copy in exchange for my review. I am a much better person for the opportunity and I am beyond thrilled to have this blessing to pass on to every individual I can.

This book was my first introduction to John Pavlovitz, and l am beyond impressed. By the time I read the second chapter I was already researching who he was and following him on social media. Not only did John's words resonate with my own beliefs, I was challenged with how I live it out as well.

In this day and age, being a progressive Christian should be something that is more widely known and accepted. Especially if we claim to grasp Jesus' two commandments "1) Love God and 2) Love others" (Mark 12:29-31 MSG). Yet, unfortunately, that is not what is being done, which this past year (2020) has made abundantly clear. Instead of a year of turmoil, racism, death, and isolation bringing out the compassion of those following Christ we were shown more hate, violence, and segregation. People are literally being thrown out on the streets, beaten, and killed just for being different. Although aren't we all supposed to be brothers and sisters? John's book not only makes one question how the world is today, but he compares it to how it was during the biblical times. The parallels he points out are uncanny.

I personally believe that all people no matter their race, sexual orientation, religion, gender, or any way a person identifies themselves should be shown respect, equality, and ultimately love. None the less, I also value others opinions and understand we may not agree. Does that mean you should not read this book? That's up to you, but let me ask you this... do you believe "God is love"? Then, read this book and "Don't be a Jerk".

I really loved this book. I've been thinking about my feedback for a few days, because I don't want my personal Christian beliefs, especially where I disagree with the author, to negatively impact my review. The book is very well written. The author is a well-known (in liberal, Christian circles, anyway) pastor who truly believes we need to treat all humans as Jesus would if He were still here in physical form. Each chapter covers a different topic (race, religion, gender, etc.) and offers Scripture references (in footnotes) to support the author's beliefs. I think one mark of an excellent book in this genre is that it changes the reader's behavior, or makes the reader think about something differently. I came to the realization that despite my faith, I definitely acted like a jerk to someone a couple of years ago and need to ask forgiveness from that person. I think anyone who wants to be more like Jesus, or who thinks Christians are judgmental, arrogant, hateful people should read this book to see how we're supposed to act.

With blogger, author, and pastor Pavlovitz (Hope and Other Superpowers), what you see is what you get. Fans of his Twitter account or his blog Stuff That Needs To Be Said know that he’s a progressive plain talker in his writing, religion, and politics; his latest book is no exception. Pavlovitz identifies dangerous and destructive paths that the United States has taken, particularly in the early 21st century, as the result of the union of the MAGA movement and Evangelical Christianity. Pavlovitz was raised Catholic and now identifies as a Unitarian Universalist, and he points out that by some right-wing standards, neither he nor Jesus is a Christian. With candor, the former megachurch pastor states that we can all do better; he powerfully advocates for a more equitable and loving society and emphasizes that Christians shouldn’t oversimplify or cherry-pick from Scripture in order to justify beliefs. Pavlovitz decries mistreatment of LGBTQ people, immigrants, and other marginalized groups, while exploring the purpose of prayer and the value of anger. The basic tenet of his personal and professional philosophy is “Thou shalt not be horrible.”VERDICT Complete with a discussion guide, this is a sobering yet inspiring discourse for open-minded, thoughtful readers.