Damage Control
How to Stop Making Jesus Look Bad
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- 42,00 kr
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- 42,00 kr
Publisher Description
People don't like Christians. It's a sad fact, but it's true. Instead of being seen as representatives of a loving God, Christians are often seen as narrow-minded, exclusionary, or pushy.
In Damage Control, Dean Merrill examines what Christians can do to stop making Jesus look bad. "Let's shine a light on what we're doing wrong--and what we, as 'field reps,' could do better," he says. In three parts, Merrill looks at God's "shaky plan"--why God left his reputation in the hands of fallible humans--the ways we hurt God's cause without realizing it, and the ways we can help God's cause. This insightful and energizing book will show Christians how to engage in spiritual disciplines, peaceful practices, and evangelism to represent Christ for who he really is.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
As Merrill tells it, "the cause of Christ is at the mercy of human handling." And therein lies the problem. Christians believe that God chose fallible humans to be his ambassadors on earth, but these emissaries routinely botch the job. This honest and provocative book points out how Christians often fail to make their faith attractive, and how unintended hindrances bury the message of God's love. Merrill focuses closely on how words are among the worst offenders: Christianese mystifies, overwhelms, antagonizes and manipulates those who don't hold similar beliefs. He also addresses Christendom's fractured unity, group agendas and frequent hypocrisy. The good news is that Merrill also describes how Christians can overcome these deficiencies by choosing effective vocabulary, using cogent reasoning when discussing God and tailoring the message of Christianity to individuals. Readers can't help being challenged by Merrill's message of change and love. He'll offend a few, encourage many others and cause some Christians to make huge changes in how they relate to the people around them. This is a necessary and timely book.
