No Perfect People Allowed...

I have starting reading the book No Perfect People Allowed by John Burke. As I get further through the book, I am sure I will have more to say about it. Right now, I'd like to reflect on a statement he makes relatively early in the book. As a campus minister, he was having a conversation with a college student. The student eventually tells the minister that he doesn't want to like him.

Upon reflection, Burke offers this thought: "I've since discovered that the average person has a strong perception of what Christians are against, but little of what Christians are for." (p. 30)

There is something to what he is saying. When you think about Christianity in the headlines and in circles, it is usually in judgment. The stances taken on controversial issues can overshadow what makes Christians who they are.

Jesus wanted us to focus on love, love for one another and love for God. He wanted us to be in relationship with God and with others. With this in mind, how we live out lives speaks for itself. But, people don't perceive us as people of love and relationship. Somehow, we need to work on changing this.