Creating a safe place
In my book, Moral Values: What I Learned Growing Up in Church, (available as an eBook), I ask the question: “Can the Christian church, divided over different beliefs about moral values, create safe places so people can live together in love?” My answer, in part, includes a “Safe Place Covenant” to guide congregations in learning [...]
Grace as a practice of love
Grace is love freely given, with no restrictions and no demands on the person who is loved. Grace chooses to accept and respect other people simply because they are part of God’s creation, made in God’s image, and because God loves them. Grace is not only God’s gift to us individually, but our gift to [...]
The platinum rule
Some years ago I came across a book called The Platinum Rule by Tony Alessandra. I realized there is a downside to the Golden Rule. Other people are not like us. And when we treat them the way we want to be treated, that is not how they want to be treated. So The Platinum [...]
How do I want others to treat me?
From a purely practical perspective, this question is a good starting place for relationships. Jesus said, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” [Matthew 7:12] Christian tradition calls it The Golden Rule. Every faith tradition has some variation on this idea, even it is stated as a negative rule: “Do not [...]
Moral Values: What I Learned Growing Up in Church