A Bigger Table:
Building Messy, Authentic and Hopeful Spiritual Community by John Pavlovitz
is one man’s journey to Christianity and envisions a table where everyone is
welcome. He focuses on homosexuality and the LGBT community. He opens with the
feelings of the morning after the election of Donald Trump and sees the already
deep divides among the American people becoming “cavernous.” He discusses his
belief that the only sin in the world is exclusion. We need to love each other
and leave us that way as that’s how we were made. He doesn’t really offer any
ideas to bring all Christians to the table, only that we need to gather
together. It seems to be a lot of talk without much thought to the action
needed.
I really wanted to like A
Bigger Table and gladly accepted an invitation to read it. However, I was
turned off by his self-righteousness and self-congratulatory tones. I feel as a
pastor, he questions the authority of the Bible and what it says about
homosexuality. You cannot hand pick which verse to believe and follow and which
ones to ignore. While I admit that these verses
have been used as the basis for horrible and horrific treatment of the LGBT
community and it is wrong. However, to ignore the clear language of the verses
is equally wrong especially in the New Testament. I am highly disappointed in this book. I can see Mr.
Pavlovitz’s goal to open the conversation and I can appreciate this goal.
However, I feel he further pushes others away instead of trying to pull
everyone in together at the same table. I do not recommend A Bigger Table.
A Bigger Table
is available in
paperback and eBook
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