The Dangerous Act of Loving Your Neighbor: Seeing Others Through the Eyes of Jesus
2011 Christianity Today Book Award winner
Jesus didn't see a sick woman, he saw a daughter of God. He didn't see an outcast from society, he saw a child of Israel. He didn't see a sinner, he saw a person in the image of the Creator.Are we able to see others with the eyes of Jesus? Seeing rightly is the beginning of renewal, forgiveness, healing and grace. Seeing rightly, says Mark Labberton, is the beginning of how our hearts are changed. Through careful self-examination in the Spirit, we begin to bear the fruit of love toward others that can make a difference. Here is a chance to reflect on why our ordinary hearts can be complacent about the evils in the world and how we can begin to see the world like Jesus.With each chapter broken into brief segments punctuated by questions, this book is ideal for both personal reflection and group discussion.See what happens when you take a chance on the dangerous act of loving your neighbor. Your vision might just be changed forever.
1102189014
The Dangerous Act of Loving Your Neighbor: Seeing Others Through the Eyes of Jesus
2011 Christianity Today Book Award winner
Jesus didn't see a sick woman, he saw a daughter of God. He didn't see an outcast from society, he saw a child of Israel. He didn't see a sinner, he saw a person in the image of the Creator.Are we able to see others with the eyes of Jesus? Seeing rightly is the beginning of renewal, forgiveness, healing and grace. Seeing rightly, says Mark Labberton, is the beginning of how our hearts are changed. Through careful self-examination in the Spirit, we begin to bear the fruit of love toward others that can make a difference. Here is a chance to reflect on why our ordinary hearts can be complacent about the evils in the world and how we can begin to see the world like Jesus.With each chapter broken into brief segments punctuated by questions, this book is ideal for both personal reflection and group discussion.See what happens when you take a chance on the dangerous act of loving your neighbor. Your vision might just be changed forever.
18.99
In Stock
51
The Dangerous Act of Loving Your Neighbor: Seeing Others Through the Eyes of Jesus
Jesus didn't see a sick woman, he saw a daughter of God. He didn't see an outcast from society, he saw a child of Israel. He didn't see a sinner, he saw a person in the image of the Creator.Are we able to see others with the eyes of Jesus? Seeing rightly is the beginning of renewal, forgiveness, healing and grace. Seeing rightly, says Mark Labberton, is the beginning of how our hearts are changed. Through careful self-examination in the Spirit, we begin to bear the fruit of love toward others that can make a difference. Here is a chance to reflect on why our ordinary hearts can be complacent about the evils in the world and how we can begin to see the world like Jesus.With each chapter broken into brief segments punctuated by questions, this book is ideal for both personal reflection and group discussion.See what happens when you take a chance on the dangerous act of loving your neighbor. Your vision might just be changed forever.
Mark Labberton teaches at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, and directs the Lloyd John Ogilvie Institute of Preaching, which encourages the convergence of worship, preaching and justice (micahgroups.org). Previously Labberton served as senior pastor at First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley, California. A senior fellow of the International Justice Mission, he is also the author of The Dangerous Act of Loving Your Neighbor.
Table of Contents
Introduction: The Injustice of the HeartPart I: Discovering Where We Live1 Our Address2 Paying Attention to Paying AttentionSabbath EncouragementPart II: Seeing3 The Problem of Misperceiving4 Learning to See5 Self-Seeing6 The CruxSabbath EncouragementPart III: Naming7 Choosing Names8 A New Name9 Social Naming10 Distorted Names11 Changing NamesSabbath EncouragementPart IV:Acting12 Free To Act13 Suffering14 Practicing Dignity15 The Act of WorshipSabbath EncouragementConclusion: Just HopeGroup Discussion GuideAcknowledgments
What People are Saying About This
Richard J. Mouw
"For too long we have divorced the quest for 'being spiritual' from a commitment to 'doing justice.' In this powerfully inspiring book, Mark Labberton provides wise insights--and some wonderful stories!--about how to connect inside with outside in the Christian life. A must-read for all who care about faithful discipleship!" Richard J. Mouw, president and professor of Christian philosophy, Fuller Theological Seminary and author of Uncommon Decency
Alan Hirsch
"Here is a book to heal the demonic split between private religion and public action. Eloquent and subversive, intelligent and passionate, these reflections are designed to move you toward a true worship of God that involves loving him in and through every sphere and domain of life." Alan Hirsch, author of The Forgotten Ways and coauthor (with Debra Hirsch) of Untamed
Gary A. Haugen
"Mark Labberton draws us to understand the reality of injustice in our world--a reality that we can all too easily turn into vague abstractions--by beginning first with a raw, honest examination of our own hearts. Mark's manner with his reader is at the same time gracious and incisive, invoking careful consideration of the assumptions and broken perceptions that lead us away from the heart of God--and above all, compelling us to a restored perception of the image of God in every human being. This is a book you will want to spend considerable time ingesting, and as you do so, you are sure to be changed. Let this book lead you to encounter the gospel from a renewed perspective, bringing you into a transformed relationship with the broken world that God has called his people to love with justice." Gary A. Haugen, president and CEO, International Justice Mission and author of The Good News About Injustice
Dr. David Zac Niringiye
"Reading Mark Labberton's book . . . has rekindled my faith in the gospel of Jesus--the good news of God, who sees, names and acts truly, in love; a gospel that frees me to act, without deception or pressure to change anyone. The Dangerous Act of Loving Your Neighbor has also rekindled my resolveto continue on the path of seeking God, who alone is just and changes the human heart--my heart, which, except for his grace, is prone tomisperceiving, misnaming and misacting! . . .I thank God for Mark Labberton and the gift of this book. I commend it wholeheartedly to all those whose work (as all work should be) is devoted to bringing hope to those on the margins of society and to all who desire tobe true to the gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus. I commend it to all inthe pastoral vocation, and I commend it to disciples of Jesus who serve inthe realm of politics and the judiciary. It is groundbreaking in its elucidation of how the roots of injustice are embedded in the shaping ofthe human heart through the most ordinary stuff of daily human interaction." Dr. David Zac Niringiye, bishop in the Church of Uganda (Anglican)
Chris Heuertz
"Mark Labberton's new book, The Dangerous Act of Loving Your Neighbor, is an intensely human and courageously confessional reflection on radical loving. His pastoral approach is inviting, drawing the reader into theurgent conversation that thoughtful Christians need as they desperately attempt to reclaim an embodied love in a world that longs to experience it. Provocative, prophetic, pastoral and passionate about living into a reality of love, Mark's book is captivating and compelling." Chris Heuertz, international director of Word Made Flesh, author of Simple Spirituality and coauthor of Friendship at the Margins
Sara Groves
"The Dangerous Act of Loving Your Neighbor asks important questions, deeper questions we may not have thought to ask yet in our pursuit of justice, and ones that will take a lifetime to answer. We say we want justice, but our self-centric hearts betray us.So how do we override our hearts? This book opened my eyes to the difference between doing something and becoming someone--a person of justice, reoriented to the heart of Jesus." Sara Groves, singer/songwriter
Rev. Dr. Brenda Salter McNeil
"The Dangerous Act of Loving Your Neighbor is a book that I've been waiting for! It is a practical and thought-provoking guide that shows us how to cultivate lives of justice, mercy and faith in a world that is in desperate need of compassion and reconciliation. I highly recommend this book to everyone who really wants to make a difference in the world. It is an outstanding sequel to The Dangerous Act of Worship!" Rev. Dr. Brenda Salter McNeil, president of Salter McNeil & Associates and author of The Heart of Racial Justice