{"product_id":"9780664266844-if-god-is-love-dont-be-a-jerk","title":"If God Is Love, Don't Be a Jerk","description":"\u003cmeta content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\" http-equiv=\"Content-Type\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFinding a Faith That Makes Us Better Humans\u003cbr\u003eJohn Pavlovitz examines the bedrock ideas of our religion: the existence of hell, the utility of prayer, the way we treat LGBTQ people, the value of anger, and other doctrines to help us take an honest look at how the beliefs we hold can shape our relationships with God and our fellow humans—and to make sure that love has the last, loudest word.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThou Shalt Not Be Horrible.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eImagine for a moment what the world might look like if we as people of faith, morality, and conscience actually aspired to this mantra.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat if we were fully burdened to create a world that was more loving and equitable than when we arrived?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat if we invited one another to share in wide-open, fearless, spiritual communities truly marked by compassion and interdependence?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat if we daily challenged ourselves to live a faith that simply made us better humans?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJohn Pavlovitz explores how we can embody this \u003cem\u003ekinder\u003c\/em\u003e kind of spirituality where we humbly examine our belief system to understand how it might compel us to act in less-than-loving ways toward others.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis simple phrase, \"Thou Shalt Not Be Horrible,\" could help us practice what we preach by creating a world where:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003espiritual community provides a sense of belonging where all people are received as we are;\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ethe most important question we ask of a religious belief is not \u003cem\u003eIs it true?\u003c\/em\u003e but rather, \u003cem\u003eis it helpful?\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eit is morally impossible to pledge complete allegiance to both Jesus and America simultaneously;\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ethe way we treat others is the most tangible and meaningful expression of our belief system.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eIf God Is Love, Don't Be a Jerk\u003c\/em\u003e, John Pavlovitz examines the bedrock ideas of our religion: the existence of hell, the utility of prayer, the way we treat LGBTQ people, the value of anger, and other doctrines to help all of us take a good, honest look at how the beliefs we hold can shape our relationships with God and our fellow humans—and to make sure that love has the last, loudest word.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rarewaves","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54834994676086,"sku":"9780664266844","price":14.52,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0092\/7504\/8033\/files\/orig_28486489.jpg?v=1732889142","url":"https:\/\/www.rarewaves.com\/products\/9780664266844-if-god-is-love-dont-be-a-jerk","provider":"Rarewaves.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}