No Perfect People Allowed

I'm currently reading "No Perfect People Allowed" by John Burke. John is a pastor in the great nation of Texas and his church is Gateway Community Church. This book is excellent because it has challenged me more than any book has in quite a while.

I try to read two to three ministry books a week and I've hit quite a few that are just too liberal and too wishy-washy for me. My fundamentalist upbringing triggers a gag reflex with some of this post-modern ministry stuff that I just can't overcome. I try and I try to keep an open mind and open heart but some of this stuff is ridiculous. The feminization of Jesus. The watering down of the sovereignty of God. The constant apologizing for what the church has done is doing and will do. I'd rather spend the evening snuggled up next to a sack of my son Jacob's dirty diapers than trudging through that kind of revamped, reheated, repackaged neo-liberalism.

I love the local church and I love exploring my role in the larger church body and I love exploring the church's role in the community. I've found some books that help me flesh out my thoughts on those subjects and I've found some that I wouldn't even use as a stabilizer under the short leg of my desk at work.

John Burke's book will find a prominent role on top of my desk and I plan on buying some extras to hand out to people.

Let me warn you. His "come as you are" philosophy might shock you. His way of handling sin in seekers and new believers might make you nervous. Good! If it makes you think and it makes you search the scriptures and ask the Holy Spirit for discernment and guidance then GREAT!!!! But stick with him and see what he has to say about the power of God to change people and redeem people.

In an attempt to avoid being labeled a fundamentalist evangelical right winger, I am tempted to bring some balance to this post by going into a rant about Bill Bright's "Witnessing Without Fear" but I won't because I live in Lynchburg VA, a city where that book is so revered that some of my friends won't even stack stuff on top of it....