Read a book with me

Tim Keller writes the following:

Next to sex and gender, the subject of race is the most discussed topic in our culture today. Storms of rhetoric and conflict swirl around it every day in politics, the arts, business, the media, and especially social media. It is natural and right for Christians to speak in these conversations out of their personal experience, but since we believe that the Bible has the right to interpret our experience and to critique every culture, we must look to it as our final authority.

Yes! "... We must look to (the Bible) as our final authority." And it is toward that point that I want to invite you to read a book with me by John Piper entitled Bloodlines: Race, Cross, and the Christian.

I realize that John Piper's book is not the Bible. I am very aware that his book does not speak with the authority that the Bible speaks. We must be people of God's Word first and foremost.

I do believe, however, that John Piper's book will take us into the Bible and help us see and understand what God thinks about issues surrounding race.

The tragic events in our country over the last several weeks have brought the topic of race and racism to the forefront of everyones mind (and our social media feeds!). I want us as a church to think Biblically about these topics and have God's Word inform how we discuss these topics and how we interact on these topics. I want parents - including me! - to have biblical answers for our kids about all of the issues that we see and hear everywhere in our culture and society on these topics. John Piper's book will provide a guide towards this goal.

I would love it if everyone at SOMA would join me in reading this book! But I especially want to invite nine of you to join me for a Growth Group book club. My plan is that we will meet once a week on Tuesday evenings for the months of July & August to discuss the assigned chapters. We will meet in a backyard in person where we will be able to be physically together while practicing the appropriate physical/social distancing. There will also be the option to join via Zoom. Are you interested?

If you are interested please send an email and let me know. I have purchased 9 copies and can offer them to the first 9 people for only $12 each (Amazon is sold out at the moment AND their cost is much higher!). Desiring God's website has a FREE PDF option of the book as well as links to a Kindle version if that suits your reading preference.

Once I hear if there is sufficient interest I'll provide further details. The first Growth Group would be on Tuesday, July 7.