If God Is Love, Don't Be a Jerk: Finding a Faith That Makes Us Better Humans
- Downloads：4533
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-08-11 13:21:17
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：John Pavlovitz
- ISBN：0664266843
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
Thou Shalt Not Be Horrible。
Imagine for a moment what the world might look like if we as people of faith， morality， and conscience actually aspired to this mantra。
What if we were fully burdened to create a world that was more loving and equitable than when we arrived？
What if we invited one another to share in wide-open， fearless， spiritual communities truly marked by compassion and interdependence？
What if we daily challenged ourselves to live a faith that simply made us better humans？
John Pavlovitz explores how we can embody this kinder 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。
This simple phrase， Thou Shalt Not Be Horrible， could help us practice what we preach by creating a world where:
• spiritual community provides a sense of belonging where all people are received as we are;
• the most important question we ask of a religious belief is not Is it true？ but rather， is it helpful？
• it is morally impossible to pledge complete allegiance to both Jesus and America simultaneously;
• the way we treat others is the most tangible and meaningful expression of our belief system。
In If God Is Love， Don't Be a Jerk， 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。
Imagine for a moment what the world might look like if we as people of faith， morality， and conscience actually aspired to this mantra。
What if we were fully burdened to create a world that was more loving and equitable than when we arrived？
What if we invited one another to share in wide-open， fearless， spiritual communities truly marked by compassion and interdependence？
What if we daily challenged ourselves to live a faith that simply made us better humans？
John Pavlovitz explores how we can embody this kinder 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。
This simple phrase， Thou Shalt Not Be Horrible， could help us practice what we preach by creating a world where:
• spiritual community provides a sense of belonging where all people are received as we are;
• the most important question we ask of a religious belief is not Is it true？ but rather， is it helpful？
• it is morally impossible to pledge complete allegiance to both Jesus and America simultaneously;
• the way we treat others is the most tangible and meaningful expression of our belief system。
In If God Is Love， Don't Be a Jerk， 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。
Reviews
Meghan
，
This book was received as an ARC from Westminster John Knox Press in exchange for an honest review。 Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own。This book was very interesting and informative with an interesting point of view。 We get so caught up in all of the issues rather its social or political and forget our true purpose in life and this book really brought me back to the level that I should be。 The approach John Pavlovitz took with this book was at first confusing bu This book was received as an ARC from Westminster John Knox Press in exchange for an honest review。 Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own。This book was very interesting and informative with an interesting point of view。 We get so caught up in all of the issues rather its social or political and forget our true purpose in life and this book really brought me back to the level that I should be。 The approach John Pavlovitz took with this book was at first confusing but as I read on， I began to understand his reasoning and appreciated the direction he took with this book。 We hear so much on the news and social media about every single issue there is that it puts us in a bitter， angry mood and we can't help but adapt to the surroundings but the good news is ， we never had to。 It is so difficult to remain positive when everyone around you is negative and this book really opened that perspective。We will consider adding this title to our Non-Fiction collection at our library。 That is why we give this book 5 stars。 。。。more
Michelle Drake
，
Once again John Pavlovitz encapsulates the hope that more people of faith are looking to include rather than exclude and fully embrace diversity。 We have a great opportunity in this age of Covid to reimagine society and the shed the institutions as they existed before in order to truly create an equitable society。 We have the ability， we need to collectively find the will。
Kristine M Smith
，
I have every title John Pavlovitz has ever written。 He is the full meal deal when it comes to being a true advocate and follower of Jesus。 His latest， If God is Love， Don't Be a Jerk， is un-put-downable。 I loved every word and highly recommend it to everyone with a heart of gold， whether you're spiritual/religious in any way or not。 He has a wonderful， implementable recipe for what ails us。 I have every title John Pavlovitz has ever written。 He is the full meal deal when it comes to being a true advocate and follower of Jesus。 His latest， If God is Love， Don't Be a Jerk， is un-put-downable。 I loved every word and highly recommend it to everyone with a heart of gold， whether you're spiritual/religious in any way or not。 He has a wonderful， implementable recipe for what ails us。 。。。more
Myndi
，
OK this book took me forever to finish reading but only because there is just so much to digest。 The whole basic premise of the book is just to be kind。 As Christians we are supposed to be like Jesus love like Jesus and most Christians do not follow that。 For people like me who are searching for faith in a church where they don’t really belong anymore there’s always extremely eye opening。 It really helped me see what I can still call myself a Christian without being like “those Christians。” It r OK this book took me forever to finish reading but only because there is just so much to digest。 The whole basic premise of the book is just to be kind。 As Christians we are supposed to be like Jesus love like Jesus and most Christians do not follow that。 For people like me who are searching for faith in a church where they don’t really belong anymore there’s always extremely eye opening。 It really helped me see what I can still call myself a Christian without being like “those Christians。” It really helped me examine my face and look more closely at the type of person I want to be and I know in order to be more like Jesus we need to love and be kind like Jesus。 A definite must read for anyone who calls himself a Christian or a follower of Christ。 。。。more
Mark Myers
，
I began following John Pavlovitz on Twitter this year and jumped at the chance to read his book。 As someone who grew up in the church， his ideas speak to me and he grabbed me right off with the first chapter - You Had One Job！ That’s exactly what I’ve advocated for a decade and not seen in today’s religious establishment - especially in the politics of the last five years。 Our job as given by Jesus is to lead with love。 When we balance truth vs。 love， we should always tip the scale towards love。 I began following John Pavlovitz on Twitter this year and jumped at the chance to read his book。 As someone who grew up in the church， his ideas speak to me and he grabbed me right off with the first chapter - You Had One Job！ That’s exactly what I’ve advocated for a decade and not seen in today’s religious establishment - especially in the politics of the last five years。 Our job as given by Jesus is to lead with love。 When we balance truth vs。 love， we should always tip the scale towards love。 The author does a great job sharing how we often put God in a box and presume to speak for him。 But God is way too big for our box of understanding。 We are constantly learning， growing， and changing as life happens， and there are many like us who are trying to reconcile our experiences and what we see around us with the God they learned about in Sunday School。 It is helpful to me to challenge the assumptions I’ve made over the years and look through a fresh lens， while always leading with love。 As for the politics he advocates， I couldn’t agree more！ In the end， I am glad I read this book。 I felt very alone in my spiritual wandering as a believer who doesn’t seem to fit in。 However， I’m not sure I got much more than a feeling of community from it。 There wasn’t a great epiphany that will help me change or find a new place going forward。 I agree with most of the book’s content， and recommend it for those who， like me， have been put off by the church establishment over the past decade。 I just wish there had been more help for what to do next。Thank you to Westminster John Knox Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Shirley Alarie
，
Wow！ This book is either a huge breath of fresh air or a bucket of cold water in the face depending on the reader’s perspective。 I was drawn to the book from its title but I quickly encountered the first political reference and I almost stopped reading。 The last place I wanted to hear about politics is in a religious book， but I kept reading because the writing is witty and extremely engaging and the content was ringing true for me。 I later understood the need for including current social/politi Wow！ This book is either a huge breath of fresh air or a bucket of cold water in the face depending on the reader’s perspective。 I was drawn to the book from its title but I quickly encountered the first political reference and I almost stopped reading。 The last place I wanted to hear about politics is in a religious book， but I kept reading because the writing is witty and extremely engaging and the content was ringing true for me。 I later understood the need for including current social/political issues。 “If God is Love， Don’t be a Jerk” calls Christians to take a serious look in the mirror and challenges them to grow beyond the typical establishment-thinking and instead lead lives with love as God’s marching orders。 Being inclusive and loving to others， as Jesus did and God does， meets the intention of how Christians are called to live。 Many of today’s top social topics are used to make the points， noting the distinction between America’s political parties。 Liberals will likely shout “Hallelujah” for this book， while conservatives who are interested to take a serious look in the mirror and who are willing to consider a different viewpoint might find this book to be truly life-changing。 The discussion points for each chapter lend themselves to group discussion or further self-reflection。 。。。more
Marie Pinkham
，
I am still reading this book， little by little。 It was of particular interest to me given the events of the past couple years and reactions of people from all walks of life to them。 There is a lot I agree with here， about how we as Christians could do better。 I do not agree with everything the author has written， but there is a lot here to be used for examining our hearts to see if we are displaying the love of God to people， as we have been commanded to。 There has been a lot of disagreement and I am still reading this book， little by little。 It was of particular interest to me given the events of the past couple years and reactions of people from all walks of life to them。 There is a lot I agree with here， about how we as Christians could do better。 I do not agree with everything the author has written， but there is a lot here to be used for examining our hearts to see if we are displaying the love of God to people， as we have been commanded to。 There has been a lot of disagreement and division。 It has been heartbreaking to me， not that we disagree on some things， but in the delivery of our disagreements。 As Christians， i do agree we all could do better in loving even those we disagree with， as Jesus has loved us。 I believe that has to come before politics， opinions， doctrines， etc。。。 I hope some who may not agree with this book will read it and use it for examining their hearts as well。 。。。more
Nicki
，
I really tried with this book， but it frustrated me too much to actually read more than a page or two at a time。The author claims to be a christian， but removes Jesus from the equation。I have detailed notes for the portion of the book that I was able to get through， but won't waste my time finishing it。Chap 1Pg 13"These days。。。 God is different"。God does not change。 He is the same yesterday， today and forever。 Perhaps he meant to say， these days people experience God differently？"This is where t I really tried with this book， but it frustrated me too much to actually read more than a page or two at a time。The author claims to be a christian， but removes Jesus from the equation。I have detailed notes for the portion of the book that I was able to get through， but won't waste my time finishing it。Chap 1Pg 13"These days。。。 God is different"。God does not change。 He is the same yesterday， today and forever。 Perhaps he meant to say， these days people experience God differently？"This is where the journey to a more loving religion begins"。 No religion is loving or not loving。 It is the people who love （or don't）。 What people should be searching for is a more intimate relationship with God （by praying and reading His word）。 And they should be striving to pass on His love to those around them。Pg 15Tiffany should turn to。。。。 wait for it。。。God！ Religion is not God。 Nothing （no religion， mantra， communing with nature） is a substitute for God。 Certain things make you feel closer to Him， but do not replace or encompass Him。"If we're going to find a bigger God。。。" Either you know the one true God （creator of the universe） or you don't。Pg 16I completely agree with point number 2。Pg 18"Our initial faith traditions are all valid and meaningful"。 Although they may all be meaningful， they most certainly are NOT all valid。 How can a Christian pastor state that Muslim， Hindu and Buddhist traditions are valid？！"Jesus wasn't asking people to register for a religion， but inviting them into a way of being"。 Exactly！Pg 21-22God is everywhere。 You can feel His presence in all of those non-church ways mentioned。 But by not going to church， you miss out on the community of people who believe in the same general worldview as you。 And just because you "have a religious experience" or "feel God" in some place or act， does not mean that you have a relationship with Him or that you will go to heaven when you die。 Only a relationship with Jesus does that。 。。。more
Deb
，
I really liked this book， “If God is Love Don’t be a Jerk。” Regardless of your religious beliefs， this is a good book to inspire self-introspection。 Stick with it – it’s worth it。 Thought provoking…Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher， Westminister John Knox Press， for an Advance Reader Copy of this book。 Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own。
L。A。
，
"What if we were fully burdened to create a world that was more loving and equitable than when we arrived？"The title alone。。。。 Are we jerks？ Do we judge others？ Do we help those that are "walking wounded"？Why are we less than a compassionate group of human beings？ Starting this book， I was taken back to my upbringing as a christian， maybe I shouldn't read this。 Do I allow myself to succumb to something I don't want to see is there？ Quickly realizing， John Pavlovitz has risked his reputation to r "What if we were fully burdened to create a world that was more loving and equitable than when we arrived？"The title alone。。。。 Are we jerks？ Do we judge others？ Do we help those that are "walking wounded"？Why are we less than a compassionate group of human beings？ Starting this book， I was taken back to my upbringing as a christian， maybe I shouldn't read this。 Do I allow myself to succumb to something I don't want to see is there？ Quickly realizing， John Pavlovitz has risked his reputation to relinquish his understanding of the religious tradition。 Sometimes humorously he points out What Would Jesus Do。 Would he look at us and say "You had one job" and that was to love one another？ Did you make comparisons with others and choose to love them by their socioeconomic level， political affiliation， religious background， and color？ Some of his views may have people looking the other way instead of judging one's self。。。"Can't claim 'All Lives Matter' while protecting only those who share your pigmentation。" "Life inside the womb is precious， so is the life outside of America"。 A humorous side was an analogy of the bumper sticker "How is my driving？" Do we really want to know？ Not our automobile abilities， but our life。 "Maybe we should ask someone how our driving is。。。would we listen？"I think we could all be better humans， more compassionate and lose our less-than-loving ways towards others that don't fit into the realm of our "coffee shops"。 If he sounds angry in the book， he is。 He devoted a whole chapter to his personification of his anger。 。。I needed to see my own self-delusion and failure to recognize some people may never receive love， if we never give it。 This was a quick read， but one I will not forget。 It is not preachy for some of you who are worried about that。 It is a view of America and how we have quickly descended into something our nation may never recover from。 This may not be for the faint of heart that WE have dropped the human ball on a generation of delusional parents on social media instead of heeding to the love and compassion to their offspring。 Call it what you want Gen Z kids or "sharenting" are the stars of their parents’ social media。 You have 18 years to get it right with that child and teach them to love。 I may be an outlier on my opinion， but this book had me on an anomaly of my usual book reviews。 "Love is the greatest force in the Universe。" Rev。 Dr。 ML KingThank you NetGalley & Westminster John Knox Press for this ARC for my honest opinion。 。。。more
Josh Olds
，
I first heard of John Pavlovitz sometime in 2016 when someone recommended him to me as “another pastor speaking out against the evangelical obsession with Trump。” I clicked the like button Facebook and followed him for a bit。 And basically， if you’ve followed him on social media， then you’ve got a pretty good idea of the tone， structure， and content of If God is Love， Don’t Be a Jerk。I have two primary criticisms of the book。 First， it’s not really substantive。 That’s not to say that Pavlovitz d I first heard of John Pavlovitz sometime in 2016 when someone recommended him to me as “another pastor speaking out against the evangelical obsession with Trump。” I clicked the like button Facebook and followed him for a bit。 And basically， if you’ve followed him on social media， then you’ve got a pretty good idea of the tone， structure， and content of If God is Love， Don’t Be a Jerk。I have two primary criticisms of the book。 First， it’s not really substantive。 That’s not to say that Pavlovitz doesn’t engage with deep issues。 He does。 All the hot-button issues of sexuality， gender identity， abortion， politics， eternal judgment， and more get Pavlovitz’s signature treatment。 But it’s all done at a superficial level。 The exact same thing he does on Facebook， he does here。 You can excuse it on social media for being social media， but the context of publication in book format deserves more depth and nuance。 Pavlovitz is ostensibly writing to his “opposition” on the Christian right， telling them hey， If God is Love， Don’t Be a Jerk。 But there’s nowhere in this book where Pavlovitz tries to understand evangelicals。 There’s nowhere that he even tries exegeting Scripture or providing solid argumentation for interpretational differences。 He just states it blunt “Nope。 You’re wrong about the Bible and silly for holding that interpretation。” To be quite honest， Pavlovitz sometimes comes across like a jerk。Second， he uses language and terminology meant to evoke feeling rather than precision。 When I read this book， I shared a quote from it in a fairly progressive pastor’s group that I’m involved with without any of my thoughts so as not to influence first thoughts and it received a fair amount of pushback。 Here’s the quote: “God is decidedly nonbinary and that is really good news， because it means that we can discover the character of that God in every human being we encounter without exception。” On the surface， that might resonate with some believers。 But there’s a difference between being nonbinary and transcending gender。 God isn’t part of the binary because he’s the image of the full spectrum of humanity。 It’s an emotionally evocative sentence， but in the end it exploits nonbinary people for the purpose of making an edgy and ultimately not very meaningful statement。A third more minor point that I might bring up is that Pavlovitz presents himself as an insider critiquing Christianity， particularly evangelicalism。 However， it’s important to note that Pavlovitz has stepped outside orthodox belief and currently practices Unitarian Universalism。 UU is a unity faith that incorporates elements of most major religions and sees them all as being equally valid。 Thus， Pavlovitz has moved outside of the orthodox bounds of faith and his criticisms then， are as an outsider rather than an insider。 In the end， if you’re a fan of Pavlovitz’s writings on social media， this is more of the same repackaged and edited into book form。 If you’re looking for something a bit more nuanced or substantial， you’ll find yourself unfortunately disappointed。 。。。more
Lew Button
，
If God is Love， Don’t be a Jerk， John Pavlovitz， Westminster John Knox PressAs I read this book， I imagined a conversation between the author and Rob Bell， the author of Love Wins。Rob， I read your book and it really got me thinking。 I could write about the same topics， but I would make it clearer。Rob responds， “My book isn’t clear？”John， “Not really， you dance around the topics of hell and salvation but when I finished reading， I wasn’t sure where you stood。 Do you believe everybody goes to heav If God is Love， Don’t be a Jerk， John Pavlovitz， Westminster John Knox PressAs I read this book， I imagined a conversation between the author and Rob Bell， the author of Love Wins。Rob， I read your book and it really got me thinking。 I could write about the same topics， but I would make it clearer。Rob responds， “My book isn’t clear？”John， “Not really， you dance around the topics of hell and salvation but when I finished reading， I wasn’t sure where you stood。 Do you believe everybody goes to heaven or are you just questioning whether a God of love and a place of eternal judgment are compatible？”Rob challenges him， “If you think you can do a better job， then have at it。”John takes up the challenge and this book is the result。 （My imagined conversation）There is no hell。 We are all good people。 Most evangelicals are white republicans， and they don’t give a damn about anybody else。 Also， the Bible would have been written differently if there were some women on the editorial board。Now， in case you get the impression that I didn’t get anything out of the book。 That is not accurate。I think every Christian should read the first chapter， “You had one job”。 （Spoiler alert） We are to love God and love others。 That preaches。 As the author states at Kindle location 35 “…I often envision an exasperated Jesus coming back， and the first words out of his mouth to his followers as his feet hit the pavement being， ‘You had one job: Love。 So， what happened’。” I wonder the same thing。I also wonder if lack of love was the impetus for the rest of the book。 In other words， would the writer have fled orthodoxy if we all loved our neighbors as commanded？In calling us to love the author has given away too much ground， even questioning the authority of the very Scripture that gives the command to love。I agree that many of the messages that are preached and many that I have heard have not oozed love。 I have heard it said that Jesus taught more about hell than heaven so we should preach more about hell than heaven。 Just simple math。 I would counter with some other statistics—Jesus says more about finances than he does about hell so let’s hear more about our finances and stewardship thereof。 But the solution is not to do away with hell。 I agree with the author’s point that much that is heard from evangelicals demeans or， in some way， does not appreciate the gifts God has given women。 However， suggesting this is because the Bible was written by men questions the inspiration of Scripture。Didn’t God oversee the writing？ The author in another chapter makes a big deal that God is not male and at the same time writes of God’s feminine qualities。 So， getting back to the point about the Bible authors foisting their male gender on the words of the Bible it occurred to me that， as the author states， the Hebrew word “ruach” （spirit） is feminine。 That being the case can’t we say the feminine was represented on the Bible’s editorial board。 If the Spirit didn’t like what was being written， if it were too male， the Spirit of God could have it removed。Besides the issue just raised Mr。 Pavlovitz doesn’t clearly state that the Bible is not superintended or inspired by God but he does take a few digs at the authority of the Bible for today。 For example， when speaking of Genesis 1-2 he questions whether this 4000 year old poem is clear enough for us today。 If we throw out Gen 1-2 because the chapters are a poem， what can we get from the Psalms that Jesus quoted with authority？Two other things had me scratching my head， and he may just be exaggerating to make a point， but…。 he states that “81% of white evangelicals ended up passionately embracing both him （Donald Trump） and that message （Make America Great Again）。 As far as I know no survey has measured the passion or the real reason so many evangelicals supported Trump。He also writes that the expression， “Love the sinner， hate the sin” was an invention of the Religious Right （location 1072）， When did Augustine join the religious right？ It appears he was one of the first to say something like that and I heard the expression long before Mr。 Pavlovitz was born。 It seemed to me that the author was less than humble in claiming he has heard all the arguments against what he has to say and don’t bother me with your concerns。 However， when I got to Chapter 17 High Horses and Better Angels the author is clear that we need to hold our opinions without a sense of moral superiority。 （Kindle location 2205）。 That reminds me of a quote from Anne Lamott （I think） “Our opinions may not be right， but we think they are， or we would change them。”As I read the book I kept asking if the message of the Bible， the good news， spoken in love， and not with the judgmental， hateful timbre often heard， would have kept the author within the boundaries of orthodoxy。In making a point about the lack of love Mr。 Pavlovitz， by his own admission， has stepped over the rather expansive lines of orthodoxy。（Kindle location 508） So what basis does he have for， Love your neighbor as yourself？I hear what he is saying， and it should affect every message I preach， every word I say and every interaction I have。 We have one job， Love。I received a copy of this book through netgalley。com with the understanding i would read it and offer a review。 。。。more
Richard Propes
，
The odds are fairly strong that you're either a fan of John Pavlovitz or you're not a fan of John Pavlovitz。 With Pavlovitz， there's really not much in the way of a middle ground。 Though， I suppose you could say that even among those who identify as more progressive among Christians Pavlovitz is still an acquired taste who can be simultaneously maddening and endearing。 All of these qualities are， of course， on full display in Pavlovitz's latest book "If God Is Love， Don't Be a Jerk: Finding a Fa The odds are fairly strong that you're either a fan of John Pavlovitz or you're not a fan of John Pavlovitz。 With Pavlovitz， there's really not much in the way of a middle ground。 Though， I suppose you could say that even among those who identify as more progressive among Christians Pavlovitz is still an acquired taste who can be simultaneously maddening and endearing。 All of these qualities are， of course， on full display in Pavlovitz's latest book "If God Is Love， Don't Be a Jerk: Finding a Faith That Makes Us Better Humans。" Only a few years ago， Pavlovitz was a newly unemployed former megachurch pastor whose blog post that he'd support his children if they were gay went viral。 This spiraled into more blog posts， essays， and the now Unitarian pastor has millions of blog readers and over 300，000 followers on Twitter with an approach to Christianity that finds its foundation in the very theme of this book - love should be at the center of our faith。 If it's not？ We're doing it wrong。 A lot of us are doing it wrong。Even among Unitarians， Pavlovitz is a bit unusual。 The entire Unitarian-Universalist movement， of which I have been a member， leans more toward humanists， atheists， and agnostics than it does those who still lay claim to the Christian identity。 But， I think it's firmly established that John Pavlovitz is unafraid to be different。 Truthfully， I found the first 1/4 of "If God Is Love， Don't Be a Jerk" to be a bit of a mishmash with an uneven tone that far too often crossed the line into rambling lectures that often felt like off the cuff remarks after a beer or two by an angry theologian。 I didn't hate it。 Far from it。 In fact， I agreed with most of it。 I just didn't find it to be a particularly engaging read。 However， something happened at exactly the 26% （Thanks Kindle！） mark。 Pavlovitz found his groove and what had previously been rambling exhortations suddenly felt more grounded in humanity and compassionately communicated。 It's not that there's anything wrong with anger， an actual subject within the book， but as Pavlovitz himself would likely note if that anger causes you to be a jerk you're doing it wrong。 Early on here， I couldn't escape the feeling that Pavlovitz was coming off like a bit of a jerk。 Then， it went away and the "If God Is Love， Don't Be a Jerk" that followed was engaging， compelling， and a call for Christians to become better humans。 "If God Is Love， Don't Be a Jerk" demands an open-mindedness that is seemingly not that present these days within the Christian community， a willingness to hear differing opinions and a willingness to be called up toward Christ's teachings rather than getting settled into our baser instincts that allow for hatefulness， separation， division， and all those other things Christ never， ever taught。 Pavlovitz imagines a world where Christians live into the basic concept of "Thou Shalt Not Be Horrible" is a basic foundation of faith and where one's living out of Christianity builds people up and creates a sense of belonging rather than tears people down and sows division。 Pavlovitz explores such basic concepts as the existence of hell， the utility of prayer， the way people of faith treat people who are LGBTQ， the value of anger， and a myriad of other subjects in "If God Is Love， Don't Be a Jerk。" While I at times wished that Pavlovitz would weave into the book's tapestry more theological and scriptural discussions， the truth is that so much of what Pavlovitz writes here is absolutely fundamental within Christianity that it's kind of disturbing that a book even needs to be written about it。 Alas， here we are。 While I struggled early on with "If God Is Love， Don't Be a Jerk，" once I got into Pavlovitz's rhythm I found the book to be unapologetically and relentlessly compassionate， purposeful， and aimed squarely toward imagining a faith more like Christ and a whole lot less like Donald Trump and， quite honestly， anyone who would hijack Christianity with a vision toward power rather than people。 An important and timely work， "If God Is Love， Don't Be a Jerk" finds John Pavlovitz at his most passionate and fiery and precise and willing to ask the questions and have the conversations so desperately needed in the Christian church today and amongst those who call themselves Christians。 。。。more
Kirsten
，
review to come
E
，
I really loved this book。 I've been thinking about my feedback for a few days， because I don't want my personal Christian beliefs， especially where I disagree with the author， to negatively impact my review。 The book is very well written。 The author is a well-known （in liberal， Christian circles， anyway） pastor who truly believes we need to treat all humans as Jesus would if He were still here in physical form。 Each chapter covers a different topic （race， religion， gender， etc。） and offers Scrip I really loved this book。 I've been thinking about my feedback for a few days， because I don't want my personal Christian beliefs， especially where I disagree with the author， to negatively impact my review。 The book is very well written。 The author is a well-known （in liberal， Christian circles， anyway） pastor who truly believes we need to treat all humans as Jesus would if He were still here in physical form。 Each chapter covers a different topic （race， religion， gender， etc。） and offers Scripture references （in footnotes） to support the author's beliefs。 I think one mark of an excellent book in this genre is that it changes the reader's behavior， or makes the reader think about something differently。 I came to the realization that despite my faith， I definitely acted like a jerk to someone a couple of years ago and need to ask forgiveness from that person。 I think anyone who wants to be more like Jesus， or who thinks Christians are judgmental， arrogant， hateful people should read this book to see how we're supposed to act。 。。。more
Literary
，
This book was my first introduction to John Pavlovitz， and l am beyond impressed。 By the time I read the second chapter I was already researching who he was and following him on social media。 Not only did John's words resonate with my own beliefs， I was challenged with how I live it out as well。 In this day and age， being a progressive Christian should be something that is more widely known and accepted。 Especially if we claim to grasp Jesus' two commandments "1） Love God and 2） Love others" （Ma This book was my first introduction to John Pavlovitz， and l am beyond impressed。 By the time I read the second chapter I was already researching who he was and following him on social media。 Not only did John's words resonate with my own beliefs， I was challenged with how I live it out as well。 In this day and age， being a progressive Christian should be something that is more widely known and accepted。 Especially if we claim to grasp Jesus' two commandments "1） Love God and 2） Love others" （Mark 12:29-31 MSG）。 Yet， unfortunately， that is not what is being done， which this past year （2020） has made abundantly clear。 Instead of a year of turmoil， racism， death， and isolation bringing out the compassion of those following Christ we were shown more hate， violence， and segregation。 People are literally being thrown out on the streets， beaten， and killed just for being different。 Although aren't we all supposed to be brothers and sisters？ John's book not only makes one question how the world is today， but he compares it to how it was during the biblical times。 The parallels he points out are uncanny。 I personally believe that all people no matter their race， sexual orientation， religion， gender， or any way a person identifies themselves should be shown respect， equality， and ultimately love。 None the less， I also value others opinions and understand we may not agree。 Does that mean you should not read this book？ That's up to you， but let me ask you this。。。 do you believe "God is love"？ Then， read this book and "Don't be a Jerk"。 。。。more
booklife
，
If God is Love， Don't Be a Jerk is a book on faith unlike any I've read before; Reading this book was enjoyable， not painful as some I've attempted to read。 It's like curling up with the only person you can trust to express your honest feelings and thoughts regarding God and your faith。 Stripped bare the essence of this book is "Thou Shall Not Be Horrible" a phrase that I have thought to myself often when encountering certain types of Christians。 This book isn't stuffy or scary， nor does it make If God is Love， Don't Be a Jerk is a book on faith unlike any I've read before; Reading this book was enjoyable， not painful as some I've attempted to read。 It's like curling up with the only person you can trust to express your honest feelings and thoughts regarding God and your faith。 Stripped bare the essence of this book is "Thou Shall Not Be Horrible" a phrase that I have thought to myself often when encountering certain types of Christians。 This book isn't stuffy or scary， nor does it make false promises。 One thing that is made very clear from the very first page is this will NOT be quick and easy so if you're looking for something you can just change instantly move right along and keep searching for what does not exist。 Ideally you'll read this book instead and realize that while it may not be easy or quick it is the most inspirational relevant and desperately needed call to transformation。 John Pavlovitz writes with soul and it shines though every section of this book。 Pavlovitz is humble， honest， and knows the meaning of humility; He bares his uncomfortable and frightening experience of the evolution of his Faith and leaves no room for mistaking his message。 With simple sounding prose that flows naturally you'll find yourself nodding "mmhmming" and turning the page after page with no sense of time passing because you needed this book even if you didn't know it。 Before I even finished the book I was recommending it to my family and every friend I was in touch with and they are all excited at the idea of what this book can do for them， for their relationship with God and with themselves and their community。 I am confident that they won't be disappointed and neither will you。Do not ignore the call of this book。 Make the time to give it a try and let your soul soar as you're led to a place in your Faith that you've been longing for （likely for quite some time）Thank you so much to Netgalley and to John Pavlovitz for letting me preview an advance e-copy in exchange for my review。 I am a much better person for the opportunity and I am beyond thrilled to have this blessing to pass on to every individual I can。 。。。more
Bridget
，