Brimstone

I get the big picture of Jesus, but every time I read about His life, I am just amazed at how He was able to do it. I get that He was fully God, but He was also fully human. We see that throughout the whole New Testament. I love those moments where you see His humanity and His fully God on displayed at the same time. But how was He able to live on this world that is broken and remained pure? That is what amazes me about Him. He was tempted in every way that we were and yet He did not sin. I think Hugh does a great job of helping us see the full picture of Jesus being able to love people and yet, be honest with people. How He was able to connect with sinners without being drawn into their lifestyle. How He was able to not be afraid of religious leaders even though they had His life in their "hands." Jesus was just simply an amazing person! I appreciate Jesus even more after reading this book. Thanks.

Hugh Halter writes books that force you to open your mind and heart to a different way of thinking. If you tend to be stubborn, set in your ways, or closed-minded, you will likely not finish this book. For those that do finish the book, you will likely come away with a different perspective and outlook on cultural norms relating to your fellow man.

This book was released just a few days after the U.S. Supreme Court decision regarding same sex marriage. While that decision in no way prompted the writing or release of this book, Halter certainly discusses key elements from the issues of the recent past. He also dives into issues including marijuana, alcohol, different religions, and many forms of alternative lifestyles.

The bulk of the first half of the book deals with judgement - the overuse of poor judgement, the underuse of right judgement, and the misuse of people who get caught in the middle. Halter claims that he wrote this book for people like himself who live in the real world, who have friends and family with real issues. I'd say that's just about everyone I know.

Halter coins a term "whimsical holiness", which is the ability to hold on to personal values of Christ-likeness while being deeply in relationship with people who do not hold your same convictions. In other words, it's about keeping a sense of humor while keeping a sense of holiness. Here's a little example of what that means:

"God has been to the brothels, the bars, and the back alleys of Sin City. People with Jesus's whimsical holiness don't gasp when someone curses. They don't avoid a group of people, a place, or a party because someone might get out of hand. They inhabit the dark places with the intention of protecting and redeeming, befriending and befuddling people with acceptance and love. They win the lost because they're the only ones who hang out with the lost.

This is the power of incarnation (living our human life like Jesus lived His) and the character of whimsical holiness with which every Christian must learn to clothe him- or herself. Redemption, liberation, and sanctification are dirty jobs. The dirtiest! And to follow Christ is to jump into pain, hell, and all kinds of sinful acts without an arrogant, finger-pointing, judgmental thought."

The second half of the book focuses on how to be on mission for Christ. Missiology is the study of how to bring the gospel to the world. Specific groups and cultures have very different norms that you must know about before you reach out to them.

I really enjoyed this book, but, like I said, some of you may not. For some it may be too liberal or too accepting of different lifestyles and cultures. But keep in mind that Mr. Halter is merely presenting his views as a guide, not telling us that this is the law of the land. Keep an open mind. I like that at the end of each chapter he provides a list of key points, divided into four categories: 1) What do we know for sure? 2) What should we change in light of what we know? 3) Who might this change affect, and what is God asking you to do? 4) Why is this good news for you?

Overall I give this book 5 stars. Halter challenged me to dig deep and think about how I treat my friends, enemies, and those that are just different from me. The recent Supreme Court decision is obviously the first of many changes that different groups will try to make that will greatly affect our way of life. It's up to you to decide how you will react to the changes.

I received this as an ARC from David C. Cook Publishing on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What I am arguing for is removing, or at least decreasing, the amount of lousy judgment that we pour ourselves and, consequently, everyone else. No, our problem is not judgment itself. It’s the lack of right discernment, the absence of perfect knowledge, the void of righteous reasoning that creates the buzz saw of trite, dehumanizing black and white lines.

Judgment is misused, misunderstood and we all do it. We have to. We judge which direction in life we take, we judge whom our friends will be, and we judge others on our own standards of dress, conduct, and life. We also make judgments when we drive and someone cuts us off, or 12 items or less line when we have one item and the person in front of us as 20. We have standards. Hugh Halter invites us to inventory how many times we do judge. What are attitudes are in our judgment calls. How we judge, reveals our own insecurities.

This book is more of a call to see how judgment can dehumanize the people we are called to love. Do we desire justice or mercy? What do you desire for your neighbor? Do we have the ministry of mercy and leave judgment to Christ?

The question becomes who has authority? As a Christian this is essential in how we view others that we do life with. Do we feel it is our job to rid the world of evil? Better yet, or we qualified to get rid of evil that is in the world? Porn may not be considered an evil to some but to others the sex slave industry is evil. Evil is another confusing word. What I call evil may not be evil to someone else but we all agree that there is evil in this world. Halter says this…Jesus doesn’t come into the world with the desire to punish us or push us into the lake of burning brimstone. His intention is exactly the opposite-He came to save. This is really important nuance about Jesus that we often miss. Most of us feel it is our job to rid of evil, to call it out, to rant and rave over all the bad stuff people. But Jesus didn’t come with this posture toward people or political aggravations.. As you can see there is tension. I don’t agree that we should not call out evil or be concerned with evil. However, I think we can relax the tension when we become the solution to share the love of Christ however; where there is evil, there is tension.

I was encouraged in ways to love others and without compromising the truth. Taking issues with current news events, Facebook posts, the blog wars, Halter has a passion to love others to the Gospel. Sharing ourselves with others that may not hold the same values as we do is key in loving as Christ loved. If the bible is not a book of authority for your friend, throwing it in their face will not change it. The only way we can change it, is when we put ourselves under the authority of the word. I love this quote…Being the Truth is better than imposing the truth That truth is only received when it is presented from a posture of love.

All nine chapters are thought provoking and will ultimately challenge how we can love better.

Each Chapter ends with What do we know for Sure? What should we change in light of what we know? Who might this change affect and what is God asking you to do? Why is this good news for you?

This is not another read on theology but a way to open doors without compromising our worship of God.

A Special Thank You to David C Cook and Netgalley for ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.