Book Notes

The following quotes are taken from the book, Real Church in a Social-Network World by Leonard Sweet.

"In the ancient world, faith did not mean subscribing to the convictions of theology; it meant living in the confidence of relationships."

"Faith in God is a relationship involving all of who you are and all that is around you. Faith is a lived encounter, a relationship of truth with the Divine."

"Christians use the words belief and faith interchangeably. But to admit (believe) falls far short of to commit (faith). To become a Christian is not to adopt a different belief system. To become a Christian is to experience a transformation into the image of Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. Admitting is useless without committing."

"The purpose of Christianity is to help people come to faith, which means to establish a relationship with God. Faith is not salvation per se, or liberation per se, or correct belief about the Godhead per se. Faith is the willing acceptance of Jesus’s invitation, “Follow me.”

"What does God want from you and me? Does God want us to think the right thoughts or to do the right things? Of course. But above all God wants us to be involved in right relationships. When the Bible says, “God is love,” it is saying that God is a relationship. Love has no value or meaning in a vacuum. Right relationships are not produced by right thoughts or right actions. Just the opposite. Right thoughts and right actions are produced by right relationships."

“We Bring Good Things to Life.” If Jesus launched an advertising campaign, he might use this slogan: “I Bring Things Good, True, and Beautiful to Life.” The Incarnation—God taking on human flesh—is a participatory event. But we have made it representational."

"This is what missional means: to participate in the mission of Jesus in the world, to incarnate in the experiences of our lives and our communities the good news of God’s love for the world. We must become a GOOD church, which stands for “get out of doors.” We must get out of the church building and venture into the world to join the God who fills “the hungry with good things.”

The quotes above are from:  Sweet, Leonard (2011-12-20). Real Church in a Social Network World: From Facebook to Face-to-Face Faith. Random House, Inc.. Kindle Edition.