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God Is Just Love: Building Spiritual Resilience and Sustainable Communities for the Sake of Our Children and Creation
How can people of faith foster love and resilience in our children while building sustainable, diverse communities? That’s the big question Ken Whitt answers in light of the many threats looming in our world. Through wisdom he has gleaned from scientists, scholars and lots of real families, Ken shows how God’s love is a hopeful compass in our lives. He encourages enjoying stories, songs and explorations of the natural world with children, and closes with “100 Things Families Can Do To Find Hope and Be Love.” Because Ken has years of experience working with multi-generational groups, his book encourages reflections and activities with our families that he knows will be both fun and faithful. The cover of his book illustrates a central story he shares about the wonderment families discover when they look up into the starry night sky with their children. “Ken Whitt offers care to weary souls in this book. It is not just his words but the spirit that manifests through the words. Ken says that love is at the heart of reality and love is what he gently breathes on us here,” Christian ethicist David Gushee, author of Changing Our Mind, writes in the book’s Foreword. “As you read this wise and joyful book, I know you will feel both instructed and delighted, and you will agree that your life has been enriched by adopting Ken Whitt as a literary pastor, mentor and friend,” Brian McLaren, best-selling author of more than 20 books, writes in the Preface. “In extensive dialog with scientists and theologians, Ken shows the delightful and enriching complementarity of faith and science. Both can feed us mentally and emotionally, and both are needed to move us in constructive and creative ways in the face of the global perils we face,” writes Daniel Buttry, author of Blessed Are the Peacemakers and the former Global Consultant for Peace and Justice of the American Baptist Churches.
232 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 2, 2021
2 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 4, 2021
What is the future we will leave to our children and grandchildren? What does faith have to do with it. There are those an eschatology that since the world is going to be destroyed when Jesus returns, why bother with protecting what we have now? Let's exploit the resources and live boldly now. I'm not one of those persons. That's not my eschatology. So what should we be about? What does God have to do with it?
In God Is Just Love, retired American Baptist pastor, Ken Whitt introduces us to a spiritual vision that draws on people like Brian McLaren and Richard Rohr that emphasizes love as the defining element of God's nature and our faith. He does so with children in mind. In fact, he begins the book with a story that's rooted in a conversation with his children about God and love. Though the conversations took place long ago, they provide the jumping-off point. Along with the stories that provide context, Whitt is interested in the intersection of spirituality and science. He strongly believes, as I do, that they belong together. From this conversation come three core values that he explores in different ways in the course of the book -- love, wonderment, and diversity. He encourages parents to bring these conversations to their children.
Whitt covers a lot of ground from reading Genesis to telling the truth to children. Central to this conversation is this concept of God is Just Love. I must admit that I didn't completely grasp his definition. I kept wanting to equate this with the idea of the connection of justice and love, but I'm not sure that's exactly what has in mind. I also thought in terms of the Open and Relational Theology conversation, though the conversation partners are a bit different from that conversation. Nevertheless, the goal here is to prepare children for an unknown future that will likely be very different from what we experience now.
In his exploration of the relationship between spirituality and science, he embraces evolution, but like many of us wonders whether God plays a role in this. At one point he talks about a presentation from Stephen Hawking, which at first pulled him in, but later he finds holes in the argument. It's not that he wants to fill the holes with God (God of the Gaps), it's just that the explanation didn't sit well.
The book should provide a helpful spiritual tonic to our overly divided era. It points us to look outward at nature and community, to find God's presence anew. For the most part, the book is positive in its presentation, which is why I found it odd at the end that he was talking about who looked like preparing for a world of despair that took on a survivalist mentality. Perhaps we do need to stock up on supplies for difficult moments, but it seemed odd. Thankfully, there was no word about arming to protect one's house. That would not fit at all with the overall message.
The book concludes with a list of some "100 Things Families Can Do to Find Hope and Be Love." The list starts with a reminder that "God's Just Love surrounds you" and moves on from there to teach children to build a fire and cook on it to planting trees. Lot's of things to do, and I'm assuming that the list is not intended to be exhaustive.
In God Is Just Love, retired American Baptist pastor, Ken Whitt introduces us to a spiritual vision that draws on people like Brian McLaren and Richard Rohr that emphasizes love as the defining element of God's nature and our faith. He does so with children in mind. In fact, he begins the book with a story that's rooted in a conversation with his children about God and love. Though the conversations took place long ago, they provide the jumping-off point. Along with the stories that provide context, Whitt is interested in the intersection of spirituality and science. He strongly believes, as I do, that they belong together. From this conversation come three core values that he explores in different ways in the course of the book -- love, wonderment, and diversity. He encourages parents to bring these conversations to their children.
Whitt covers a lot of ground from reading Genesis to telling the truth to children. Central to this conversation is this concept of God is Just Love. I must admit that I didn't completely grasp his definition. I kept wanting to equate this with the idea of the connection of justice and love, but I'm not sure that's exactly what has in mind. I also thought in terms of the Open and Relational Theology conversation, though the conversation partners are a bit different from that conversation. Nevertheless, the goal here is to prepare children for an unknown future that will likely be very different from what we experience now.
In his exploration of the relationship between spirituality and science, he embraces evolution, but like many of us wonders whether God plays a role in this. At one point he talks about a presentation from Stephen Hawking, which at first pulled him in, but later he finds holes in the argument. It's not that he wants to fill the holes with God (God of the Gaps), it's just that the explanation didn't sit well.
The book should provide a helpful spiritual tonic to our overly divided era. It points us to look outward at nature and community, to find God's presence anew. For the most part, the book is positive in its presentation, which is why I found it odd at the end that he was talking about who looked like preparing for a world of despair that took on a survivalist mentality. Perhaps we do need to stock up on supplies for difficult moments, but it seemed odd. Thankfully, there was no word about arming to protect one's house. That would not fit at all with the overall message.
The book concludes with a list of some "100 Things Families Can Do to Find Hope and Be Love." The list starts with a reminder that "God's Just Love surrounds you" and moves on from there to teach children to build a fire and cook on it to planting trees. Lot's of things to do, and I'm assuming that the list is not intended to be exhaustive.
April 25, 2021
Great book for young families to read - brings god and creation together in practical conversational ways
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews