annieb123's Review of If God Is Love, Don't Be a Jerk

by John Pavlovitz

Thou Shalt Not Be Horrible.

Imagine for a moment what the world might look like if we as people of faith, morality, and conscience actually aspired to this mantra.

What if we were fully burdened to create a world that was more loving and equitable than when we arrived?

What if we invited one another to share in wide-open, fearless, spiritual communities truly marked by compassion and interdependence?

What if we daily challenged ourselves to live a faith that simply made us better humans?

John Pavlovitz explores how we can embody this kinder kind of spirituality where we humbly examine our belief system to understand how it might compel us to act in less-than-loving ways toward others.

This simple phrase, "Thou Shalt Not Be Horrible," could help us practice what we preach by creating a world where:

spiritual community provides a sense of belonging where all people are received as we are;
the most important question we ask of a religious belief is not Is it true? but rather, is it helpful?
it is morally impossible to pledge complete allegiance to both Jesus and America simultaneously;
the way we treat others is the most tangible and meaningful expression of our belief system.

In If God Is Love, Don't Be a Jerk, John Pavlovitz examines the bedrock ideas of our religion: the existence of hell, the utility of prayer, the way we treat LGBTQ people, the value of anger, and other doctrines to help all of us take a good, honest look at how the beliefs we hold can shape our relationships with God and our fellow humans-and to make sure that love has the last, loudest word.

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

If God Is Love, Don't Be a Jerk is an earnest look at how compassion, support, and acceptance - the tenets professed by most religious beliefs can make us better people. Released 28th Sept 2021, it's 238 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats.

There are three things that struck me pretty quickly after beginning this read - first, the author John Pavlovitz (yes, the same guy who scrolls up FB feeds the world 'round) is honest and genuine, that he's intelligent, and he has a real gift for making concepts understandable.

I've been distressed and saddened by the increasing encroachment of evangelical Christianity on politics and the fusion of that group with right wing political factions in the USA (and to a lesser degree abroad). This is a rational, well thought out collection of 18 essays of contextual counter-philosophy on making a real effort to "not be a jerk" (as we ALL are, from time to time).

The author and editors have also included insightful discussion questions for individual or group study. He has also included succinct chapter notes with citations from the New Testament which are salient to the text. I found many of the discussion questions both simple and difficult (in a good way). There is a lot of humor here too and the author is quite adept at pointing out the inherent absurdity of our cosmic reality without ever once being preachy or mean.

Five stars. This is a great handbook for how to not be a jerk. It's slanted toward people in the Christian denominations, but is in no way exclusive. Everyone will find something to ponder. My only worry/regret is that the people who need it most (radical "evangelical Christian" nationalists) will ignore the important messages here in favor of meanness of spirit and unkindness .

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes

If God Is Love, Don't Be a Jerk

by John Pavlovitz

Reviewed by annieb123 on Jul 21, 2022

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