Uncommon Ground: Living Faithfully in a World of Difference

Twelve Christians explore the question of how to interact with others when beliefs differ in this thoughtful set of essays. Each writer dives into the ways Christians can be humble, patient, and tolerant amid culture wars and the dominance of heightened rhetoric due to the rise of social media. Professor Kristen Deede Johnson speaks to the way she, like many Christians, once placed unrealistic hope in politics to effect change, while Keller (The Reason for God) expands on that thought to talk about how his experience in rural Virginia and New York City taught him that the gospel is not the property of either the Right or the Left. Tom Lin speaks to embracing the adventure of God’s plan (in his case, becoming a missionary in Mongolia), its costs (the decision devastated his parents), and how God’s grace plays out (healing the fractured relationship with his parents). And legal scholar Inazu, singer Lecrae, author Trillia Newbell, and others speak to the racial discrimination they’ve experienced and the importance of relationships and living by God’s command to love thy neighbor to bring about reconciliation. Capturing minister Claude Alexander’s statement that “peacemaking is not only between individuals and between cultures, peacemaking is also internal,” these vibrant essays will be revealing for any Christian reader. [em](Apr.) [/em]