Barnabas File

Even when a novel is on the New York Times Best Seller list and is picked up by various book clubs, I am usually rather skeptical about whether it will appeal to me or not.     However, when several friends recommended Theo of Golden to me, I decided to give it a try.     Actually, I bought it in March and just read it in August.    Once I started, I was hooked.   Author Allen Levi shares the story a mysterious stranger who arrives in the city of Golden, Georgia, and begins investing in the lives of people there.  Levi weaves together various themes—faith, nature, art, music, relationships—to illustrate the impact that one individual can make in the lives of others.  He reminds us not only of the power of generosity but of compassion as well.  He does not ignore the ugliness and chaos present in even a small community but reminds us that love and faith make a difference in any circumstance.   To share just one exampl...

How believers talk about the faith to unbelievers, those of faith who have differing interpretations of the faith, or those estranged from the faith has always been a challenge for the Christians.   Does one pursue persuasion and reason or attack and ridicule? Unfortunately, the aggressive approach seems to win out more often in contemporary society.   Apologetics (defense of the faith) very easily becomes polemics (disputation about the faith) in the marketplace of ideas. Much of this is motivated by fear.   We fear that which is different from ourselves.   We fear that which calls into question our established habits and norms.   We also may be afraid that we will be proven wrong or made to look foolish. We see this when a “prayer breakfast” becomes an occasion to attack those who are different from ourselves.   A speaker finds it is much easier to stand on a platform and pontificate than to acknowledge the “other” as a real person who ...