“Faith Intersections” is a book about listening to people who have different belief systems than our own. In each chapter a Christian interviewer listens as an individual talks about what they believe and why. We hear from them what they consider to be the purpose of life and their view of the afterlife. In some cases, we listen as they talk about us.
Some chapters are almost painful to read. Right off I find myself listening as a former Christian dismantles modern Christianity. This man knows us well and many of his observations are, I fear, painfully accurate. The conversation with the Mormon leaves me feeling frustrated as I hear the “party line” stated with such conviction. The chapter on Scientology leaves me deeply saddened. It’s the only chapter without an interview. The reason? The knowledgeable writer has years of experience trying to dialogue with adherents and knows it can’t be done in the spirit of this book.
Let me add that there’s some positive material in this book, some encouraging and some instructive. The whole idea is to model for the reader how to listen, valuing the speaker’s point of view without having to debate them. In fact, in some instances, the genuine friendships have had wonderful results. It’s encouraging to hear people who aren’t Christians speak positively of Jesus even if some are rather critical of his followers. Sometimes I’m critical of our crowd myself. The “atheist” chapter has a great story in it that will bless your heart.
I appreciate the opportunity to do an early read of this thought provoking book.
You will find the book here
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