Hello lovelies! I am sorry it has been so long since we talked. Life in the Krabill house has been filled with life and activity which has meant less time and creativity spent on blogging. It sure is good to be back. I missed you all.

Anyway, this week something extra exciting is happening and I am thrilled to be sharing it with you! What is that you may ask? Well, I’ll tell you…

FRANK & GENIE SCHAEFFER ARE COMING TO VISIT!!!

Sorry for yelling y’all. I am just really excited.

Anyway, in light of the quickly approaching arrival of the Schaeffer’s, I thought I would share a series of excerpts from Frank’s latest book, Why I am an Atheist Who Believes in God: How to Give Love, Create Beauty and Find Peace. Tomorrow I will be recording a live interview with Frank and I am super excited to be sharing that with you this week as well. Fun times!

Without further ado, here is the first excerpt. It can be found on page 47:

Jesus certainly was not a “Bible believer,” as we use that term in the post Billy Graham era of American fundamentalist religiosity that’s used as a trade-marked product to sell religion. Jesus didn’t take the Jewish scriptures at face value. In fundamentalist terms, Jesus was a rule-breaking relativist who wasn’t even “saved,” according to evangelical standards. Evangelicals insist that you have to believe very specific interpretations of the Bible to be saved. Jesus didn’t. He undercut the scriptures.

The stories about Jesus that survived the bigots, opportunists and delusional fanatics who wrote the New Testament contain powerful and enlightened truths that would someday prove the undoing of the Church built in his name. Like a futurist vindicated by events as yet undreamed, Jesus’ message of love was far more powerful that the magical thinking of the writers of the book he is trapped in. In Jesus’ day the institutions of religion, state, misogyny and myth were so deeply ingrained that the ultimate dangerousness of his life example could not be imagined. For example his feminism, probably viewed as an eccentricity in his day, would prove transformational.

Jesus believed in God rather than in a book about God. The message of Jesus’ life is an intervention in and an acceleration of the evolution of empathy.

If you are anywhere close to the DFW area you can come see Frank and Genie speak at Eddie Deen’s Crossroads in Arlington (near Cowboy’s Stadium) Saturday, October 25th from 5-9. Tickets are $20 at the door ($15 with a student ID) and include All-you-can-eat BBQ, dessert and non-alcoholic beverages. There will be a cash bar available. There will be no childcare available.