Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

Open: Unorthodox Thoughts on God and Community
Open: Unorthodox Thoughts on God and Community
Open: Unorthodox Thoughts on God and Community
Ebook331 pages4 hours

Open: Unorthodox Thoughts on God and Community

Rating: 0 out of 5 stars

()

Read preview

About this ebook

In Open, Brad Braxton boldly articulates an open theology--progressive approaches that promote unorthodox theological reflection and the creation of inclusive communities. Despite attempts by many right-wing politicians and conservative Christians to curtail diverse religious and cultural expressions, an open embrace of pluralism enhances Christianity's capacity to foster healing, hope, and restorative justice. Thus, Christian communities should be audaciously open about being open.

Attempts to box in God diminish us spiritually and render us prone to small-mindedness and mean-spiritedness. Certain Christians function as if God cannot withstand robust engagement with the complexities of a diverse world. God does not need to be protected by religious fence-building and cultural gatekeeping. To honor an open God who delights in diversity, we should create open communities committed to radically inclusive love.

This book engages serious, even controversial, topics including Jesus's identity, reparations for slavery, LGBTQ equality, the Black Lives Matter movement, warfare and non-violence, environmental justice, and interreligious collaboration. Insisting that there is room for all, an open theology empowers us to create broad spaces where people from diverse backgrounds with divergent beliefs can peacefully probe their differences and celebrate their similarities for the sake of a better world.

If you are tired of closed-minded religion that sows division and hatred, open this book! If you are searching for compassionate spirituality that promotes inclusion and justice, open this book! Here you will find an open theology--creative thinking about God and courageous practices for building diverse communities through radically inclusive love.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateApr 4, 2023
ISBN9781506488820
Open: Unorthodox Thoughts on God and Community

Related to Open

Related ebooks

Christianity For You

View More

Related articles

Reviews for Open

Rating: 0 out of 5 stars
0 ratings

0 ratings0 reviews

What did you think?

Tap to rate

Review must be at least 10 words

    Book preview

    Open - Brad R. Braxton

     n+dbook_preview_excerpt.html}˒F@m"C$T()|d3Q@% V'vvOї9^wIʬd̈q>}y}{t'W>o'ݾ&zpCbE7b<ȈGΟ-u߶ʺعChuY*dpc1}qGlƓb{QZaQU:mXS񀷻z%q!]U)E;?rzL|q9XFK뛺:w7U9aw?iM|q";ArlUq)zcGrI:(3ؾ6W~[lw;X0o~߻uGMe3G׿ x]n_ۯ[WX]ߏxv vG_~p=ڵoo=b2B9` CaZ'y$9x!Zua_ lPOz ?֛Fu9HޑUu>Hm݁%XybC* #`|T{]b(kL7rn~" ;<kY`*߬3edP@@f>QƯ˾> c凱+TxV~w|cX7$M뛘u/"º CٌR >3 XCy .nY4?r]G)aEƪ[Wŷ-u MO.)˵аw# MKQ\Z.Jǘ ] V^8;s0U(!&+(CzdcaHFH^Ƕpc"8ė`BП `{wiH1LTg0" d[dC-?3)Qu\S5tb[NJ1ŗ{aK};6rB $+_'3LYH  U-kC|?s=ٴ7(شjnqBu>V3QkR(IlS݄d߰y.S!+4iAd%c{-20[}8ү ' wp DXwDX{*Hn)kj1ګQҌA̸\(#) rGۺͦ.^45 zT\Lu$THotX|v #8HKg!Av* R@ǒ2 m MYѩ­X  zp3G\c*_m GWP*H܂/qκtPyS8M='5 rjl cXa!U-af;kRs|qڝiiu0bQw+{p@ +R!]> )`@*wxX}QK27i1tȑ&XNQXK/x,q ,vΟhhd1QU KQ\x'V%?$㇏\,^I=& @{|UuyHHGJļm 1 Ag܇îXbOHR#U?(%cٺ>dX*Zrʲ5b#&'aő$k@e22eyR&*nmrk(Wy ,8WoL?rU ^z>/NM;`U4gПMOs^PyS! nlҍݵSpokؐ; D] .]^|*P[XPkMv }Gdϰ^ jp6ݕ__틋G?_.GNgdz|0=nFy$IS:]BmtMi`Jo"yUaOz2> Ĕ%T—YUgEd65']]*!Xc愉ҐJ wґI5…d]w<9\Qٯ!Ͻ}TO^;@<piy*ܭBpz?* _ư'73#ϓe,-3`8=;ԍy<~G_M5 q8@(ZHmRIquܻ@h+R0`f90}叺+jβ~?R-'vjFK#v?,oЎ?c.6Q6^h)<}Ks/J ydB3޳GV+14 =̿Y~r. Q-|qHvF4Br_:HV"?n-}9V`Ǟxp裳#sD'{)Wfp.=*Z7qqzwT8\7I_X P;F+mpy2#o`jνkQn Fu GpV &gr#x*BO38K.P2|UT%-& sy~'T!p2ZP*]/Quf'; oy] DQO1ri1=Yk:' #{G D hpt]Lz,$p$0F  N+=2@;"d`KگW˰1t[y(>>X™:t@XLGn|Ԗ"cMH1ȁͭ$|H4liQ)FP6XF/"p, vgN\IP5>mq&\E%hN2q>etT0 qșLG`{?2%!5otVYPRIiQҥӼIઠӲ0ə Qˁ`U.;r=GRo kYaV*0MAD#T0i](~'bG{=-pý!0(D4FĖSXl<2zu<7hoKK){]*:%C{oT eYu -~!}Pz^TDoNoJvHY#$_*&͹$ %b.^].㞦[-t w kBQ- PNCXtB:7 Ȟ h5KMc4&vGE{t!` %ϲg򐪆ဘBxHӧew+6`XǬD,JI|d{1Rtp, 8V':vC3j¬l^!i9*Mw30"rqmۥ-21ehS0zУ7f!GyZkPkf_%{M.s3CRǭlJ7)a56S´%YپKQk'6mY >j*V0eE0M okӂ]EO'}($ [Blԝma]%IZ2АLE}uD̗0f&u*Hʼni$H=J(m^T:;̇):Q3V)b&/e0& ÐQ*:*`uID%VӵKE%y:Yp_YZ'H-M~h6kp8RgFT$=SSXC*)'DēwjYK8`_&׀YUN(%АPʲ˾f~c x3v?W{׊N_U曯QExl% Y&C6Lңd]Y/EI r>06ee)9E9'& K%:Ved#8.y?e:>e y`Dc+_TyN>{@ќdNOrfU)SM`?LNt*+DqJUT5۬-#^^9p#2_ qGY =S#ѧ@ũ.y-w Xj< jXp#UV'O eѠTs=n~s78tу"՜+, `x7(s ĝ00P;H#𧥺W㇏>_6J*.!tw! F_z!w#,J,Cd^-k۩ZHLUXtMt_o#Dd_|įeKqdhfSBRȩ|\s%+ _Q̫T%I~xS&*X~y֣+'J=c95(FX6*~SJ :0D ,JKM?KR%ZްΪqV0 ?zck1wǛK i2F*$ nas[E)fXEf}xJ搿Ӽ^k3^ >p1%:ri~+X֯!jgé.3&ndކBZ ^@/bSf|ahI& MV9%c\Tr8nhYء Z5&"`Y)h>19 c!iA 8ihf#KFhKAv 2utg{zw1u;N*K9SA{$|G*8 9`2lR20p](,Z B2!{̕J?w>Mcq Z:U;j=_sƘ{ki*/.3EWuͤSMd|LBBfuiN{Uu0A~.$A?eEs~,R86 1N92p ^bt;a"T ^R%60uizTQA< %-#XZ[&^A,5ʁK\7@ȽhtA*ABYա8t^`@'lHb398!5"ZMrcITEVI Lټ4#3(s$%QO4nҰRm6ʜSf}ZQE )Y Ek3+U:vScL+5ݮqymcDRCz&W@-վ[Iݳ7ҫ 0hU MLҔv ,Y$z|c`IgG5G#'h@AӲ fJ:{ib&!Vu-ii&u͠C;7]q yɻ7g&7NB1NZ#ѽas|zZCY1{-PR{a$ 1D +uJ1?(zPZvM$wD,R6jKxI(WʓWX9׬QXNWbħ@16:WV7Tm=o@ÓTLXLD bFŪgyaݮ3΍Zsҝpd QA2 +DP,tCBtN%}"J%򴥘x_tF)K"k~ce:Cm2ߜ7'Ѵ@5,䌡jB"^f93yS97Ć JdYSCtD$҈sՃY;3 >j =0ޜ&s!cZN{*]Kl&#Vw$jti$0!c0KL6 kl<ӚILMzdtT */sH˷NJt @k7DqI2}&uy_cP%eQ5L8 w`a /9ݥêN/!S\X^)ag/^%Qzj7Q=+ 3*J $';1=Qa: tD4AOXu{QcԔ] ;OP}lCzlؔ?Z:T5$2 |BZwr"M)El>3ƴ*KzZPT@͵:LZX~SӃ{ hR-eY$v^գPz3|3`W{tX+hJ6wB[YhJ}A=Fm**ͭ*$0]nI,X.Bt<R$Ø&U: .\K*NwbDĺ~QT.cTU MO sJI?c6Y.sD Ao?!Vh*8gao}2=vV94R7*p$.y,C7HIҠIѣT{IX ,=*7q4)3YbvH)+.GunYi䞔jĤ Mk#aO:E}[/oZ}k]RK]^=/Z7>'| [" d꣫8h[.IxSHZ| ~ޟ(5(^9-=Xj`p^3ELSޟ@wsFdR.VVw%zS)tD$SP(v `ߨ&u֌vC!D6^C 0{ d20hj_[zYu'*$E\bmM͜%F3k@EY*J(HKHm*IQZГW7`xdNRc h1LyV8rIfR4euZf+iOYS*I^&h\; ?`ng1)V91 l!+-Oi}_Qr}QkLaI[%QAI-ZSP^e FKm~.ս齋LieTHW''wKrR22 kf!fЙ|ē5O559^?g,s7pHzВH4UZ %Wz ]K3h>'a3@u~RץP.>w!Jm Fl&ɜP+|UQQLg;4KpX kc6^sͲ9[nV"Ʌu!uIh0yގB)+Iڄmg ܩ>\]PxYY$[y mtuMU-ՅJh0d+Y8]*Fw Mul6YevAwK{tEmJB,wgj0o>_lN gmHҨ;6O1ԁ߹bO Б;b _Ʈ )/V)}ٮ;*vP j˙jXrq ;͟ ew"?͙9Xd-xStkƧdk\o ݲj+Ļ? |FR^gCu3Brɡ+',># yt#YivMm b={Da/xL 2$ҽT&T8R5۵ RdxB6a˛%/hN8c
    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1