A Christianity Worth Believing

I just started reading a book that just came out by Doug Pagitt, pastor of Solomon's Porch in Minneapolis. The book is titled A Christianity Worth Believing - Hope-filled, Open-armed, Alive-and-Well Faith For The Left Out, Left Behind, and Let Down in Us All.

Here is a little tidbit from Chapter 6...

So much of what I've come to believe about God and humanity and Jesus and the way we are to live comes from the Bible. For me, it is a living thing. It is a member of my community and a vital source of wisdom and truth. But it's rarely used that way. Which is why I often cringe when I hear someone getting ready to use the Bible.

In my years of being a Christian, I have witnessed the most brutal fights over the Bible. I know families where some members no longer speak to one another because of disagreements over the Bible. I have heard stories of people losing their jobs because they disagree with someone about a biblical principle. Entire denominations have split over disagreements about the "proper" interpretation of the Bible. I have witnessed people saying and doing henious things with the justification that the Bible made them do it.