Who is my enemy?

A while ago I met Rich Nathan over breakfast and his talk at the conference I was attending on post-Christian culture was superb. I have reread his excellent book 'Who's my enemy?' this week and it is one you should have on your shelf. 

You don't need to be around the church that long before you recognize that there are a number of hot potatoes.  Nathan takes them on thoughtfully, theologically and with both grace and rigour. The subject matter he tackles are post-modernity, the role of women, liberalism, the new age and homosexuality. All of these in one book.  

Here's what he says:

'I hope after reading this book, many of my Christian brothers and sisters will gain new perspectives on the question "Who is my enemy?" and will join me in saying, "We must stop shutting the door of the kingdom in the faces of those whom God is inviting in. We will reserve our harshest judgement for ourselves. As we carry out our ministry of welcome, we will season our moral stances with profound mercy and compassion for a hurting world'

This book  has a treasure trove of stuff in it and here is but one-from C S Lewis- apt as I am so into the Narnia Code at the moment. Lewis coined the wonderful phrase 'Chronological snobbery' which I like.

"You must find out why [an idea] went out of date. Was it ever refuted (and if so by whom, where, and how conclusively, or did it merely die away as fashions do? If the latter, this tells us nothing about its truth or falsehood. From seeing this, one passes to the realization that our own age is also a "period" and certainly has, like all periods, its own characteristic illusions" (P.43)

You can listen to Rich Nathan preach-HERE