Love, Acceptance and Forgiveness: Being Christian in a Non-Christian World

by Jerry Cook, Stanley C. Baldwin

How can the Church be a healing force in the world? In this long-time bestseller now revised and update, authors Jerry Cook and Stanley C. Baldwin suggest that it is only when believers admit their own brokenness that they can love, accept and forgive those who are hurting around them and put out the welcome mat to their community. They offer clear teaching about the Church in a hurting world, and as veteran leaders who practice these principles; they speak from experience, not theory. Through touching true stories and practical guidelines for connecting with fallen, sinful people, Cook and Baldwin announce the good news. The church is not broken and it is the broken people who can change the world.

Genres: Christian, Faith, Christian Living, Religion, Discipleship, Leadership

189 pages, Paperback

First published June 25, 1979

Reviews

[Sam Nichols · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jerry tells a ton of great stories and gives great insights into what he believes Jesus aspires for His church.

[Pablo Siliezar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excelente y Transformador.

[Sherri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I believe this book is one that every Christian should read. In fact, I plan to read it about once a year, just to remind myself of how I should treat people and what the church's purpose is. Jerry's illustrations are great and he is an amazing communicator. Here are some things this book addresses:
1. People just need to be loved, accepted and forgiven and unfortunately there are many churches that don't model that.
2. The bottom line is that the church should be a place where people are brought to wholeness, equipped in their spiritual gifts and released to use those gifts in their circles of influence.
I highly recommend this book. He doesn't hold anything back.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is the author's views on how we can be a better church - such as being more accepting of those who sin (and uses stories to illustrate his point such as a former minister who had an affair and lost his way and was rejected by a lot of churches in that town before finding one that would let him worship there) and really setting up the church to be part of the community in which we live and help lead others to Christ. I thought it was a good book.

[Scott Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The key distinction of the Church as a force rather than a field is very helpful, and one that church leaders and pastors would do well to recognise.

Here is a description of the church as field model: "This work [the work of God], once the people are gathered centres around a professional." And further on we read, "Ministry becomes a positional identity within the organisation. That is, if you are going to minister you must be director of something or minister of something or associate something. You will have a title and a position within the organizational structure. As a result, the individual member is easily misled about the meaning of Christian service and is often reduced to a spectator. You see, once he's in the field, unless he wins a position he has little relevance except to keep the machine going. He keeps his seat occupied and invites his neighbors, but that's not fulfilling so he becomes confused. Then he either grabs for power or drops out."

The church as a force model encourages and equips the flock to minister in Christ's name as they go about their daily lives outside the church institution.

This is pretty much the big idea of the book.

[Randy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I believe that this book is an essential read for every church leader. Seeing the church as a force instead of a field is the key philosophy of this book. However, you need to understand the definitions of those philosophies.

I believe that too often the goal is to get the world into the church, when actually we should put our efforts into getting the church into the world. The truth is that we don't GO TO church. We ARE the church. We need to trust God and His Spirit to work through HIS people to do HIS work instead of relying on the spiritually mature to do the work of ministry.

As a former pastor, I wish the philosophy that is promoted in this book was more of my philosophy about leading the church. Now as I serve in a different type of pastoral role, it is my desire to do that with love, acceptance, and forgiveness.

I took my time going through this book and I need to read this book again down the road as a way of checking if I am living out the philosophy that the church, as His body, is a force for God to do His work in this world.

[Jesse English · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really short book, and honestly it could have been even shorter. A good chunk of it is Cook explaining his view of what “church” should be, not as an institution, but as something lived out in anyone who follows Jesus.

But I still really enjoyed it. The core message is simple, practical, and deeply needed: love people, accept people, and forgive people. Period. No caveats, no exceptions.

I genuinely wish more churches and more Christians would read this and follow the simplicity of what Pastor Cook lays out. If they did, I think a lot of people would feel a lot safer around “church.”

[Glynis Elizabeth]

"The church is people, equipped to serve, meeting needs everywhere in Jesus' Name." I received this book years ago from a friend, read it, and then life happened and I forgot about it. I recently dusted it off and found the message of Shalom vs. Empire that has been refraining in my heart. Throughout its pages, Cook illustrates how we are to partner with God to do His work in this world. We are to live redemptively, with kindness and compassion building relationships so that a lost world can find healing salvation in Christ.

[Melissa Vining · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing and powerful book about loving people, accepting them and forgiving them.

“The church as a force is people, equipped to serve, meeting needs everywhere in Jesus name.”

“The church-as-a-force emphases are worship, training, and fellowship, because these are the things that produce Spirit-filled people who can meet others’ needs in Jesus’ name.”

“The church is rested and restored at meetings so that they can work in the world all week long.”

Foundational - Eph 4:12

Page 49 - pastor and pastoring.

[David Barter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Embracing the approach of this book is so important in the church. Loving, accepting and forgiving people are the hallmarks of christianity and what people need to grow and move past hurts and experience Gods love.

[Amy Bechtel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is awesome! It outlines how to maintain a mindset of ministry outside the four walls of the church. Church is for equipping. Ministry happens outside the doors. Lots of practical application.

[Jenny Fribbins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took me a while to get into it but it was a very wise book.

[Kenneth Malott]

This book is a good exploration of the challenge of being like Jesus among people who are not like you, especially those you don't like.

[David Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book

Would be an excellent group to study as a small group or Sunday School class. Would probably be good for a all group of pastored to study.

[Shaun Vining · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great practical advice with good illustrations
to make the point

[Pamela Tucker · Rating 5 out of 5]

The greatest gift God can give to us is forgiveness, which this is not a greatly practiced ideal in the world in which we live today. When I go into the world as I am now as called by God to help someone this is not easy. I just came out of a situation where I had to go through years of mourning before his death and now the impact of the reality is life changing for me in the present. It is a little ironic how God has given me someone who has been dealing with this for the past three years. We together have soul searching and talking of those things that have great discomfort. The challenge is that he will not attend church for something that he refuses to forgive. Simply as usual a baby old time Christian had to make a comment about the stench she smelled (cigarette smoking). What is interesting God is more than willing to take the desire away and he did ask. The problem is he has too much faith in himself instead of believing it has already been applied. My task (I do not smoke) is to help him to see the answer is right in front of him. What the church should be doing is what I have accomplished over and over again, and that is to be a vessel used by God so that this example given of my dear friend will receive a whole healing. See they usually have underlying past hurts and other addictions associated with not seeing this enlightenment from God. So Jerry Cook and Baldwin speak of matters of the heart that are brought inside the church from attitudes that people have today because of their beliefs. Interesting book and one can learn a lot about people from where they came from and why the church is designed for.

[Robert Bogue · Rating 5 out of 5]

In my Sunday school class at church, we’re watching an old series by James MacDonald titled “Lord, Change My Attitude.” During one of his sessions he mentions a book that he refers to as being out of print – Love, Acceptance, and Forgiveness. At the time he made the comment it was true, but in the intervening years the book was revived and republished so when I went searching for it, I found it.

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[Karla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing book, easy to read and still very deep. Jerry cook's point of view on spirituality and christianity are radical, powerful and confronting. It takes you back to the heart of christianity and challenges us to get rid of religious senseless practices, to think out of the box of traditionalism and live a coherent life according to jesus' true message which is still relevant now a days and can still change the world.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that came to me at a very good time. I appreciate his points about "church as a field" and "church as a force". I agree with his suggestion of reading the book through and THEN use the study guide the 2nd time through. This book has individual application, yet is probably more for changing the paradigm at the local church level.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great, I will definitely read this book again at some point. I really believe it has answered a lot of questions that I have had for some time about what the church is and how it should function. I recommend this book.

[Gilbert Paez · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book covering the topic of loving the churched and unchurched people, based on experience working with the broken (while being made to realize that we are all broken) and not fluffed up theory. Highly recommend it!

[Janice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book! I learned a lot about how church could be more satisfying to me.

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

The cover says it all. A well written book meant for every Pastor as well as the believers.

[Chris Hyde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every pastor should read this book and learn how to integrate this kind of culture into their church!

[Mark Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great, practical advice and life experience on how to actually live like a true Christian...

[Heather Djama · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a wonderful book explaining how to show the love of Christ without compromising what you believe. An amazing book. I am going to have the leadership at my church read this book.

[Jerry Mahn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a classic. One of the best I've read on the call to the church to be Christ to the world. Highly recommended.

[Robert Guiller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible!!!!!!

[Greg Davenport · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book on how to live as a Christian in your community and how to live TOGETHER as a church in a community to impact for the kingdom of God! Second time I have read it!

[Kim French · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book every Follower of Jesus Christ should read. Feel it should be read more than once.
Grateful to Jerry Cook for writing such a book.