The widening of political, racial, generational, and religious differences leads too often to an "us vs. them" mentality. The Sacred Overlap communicates a refreshing vision that embraces tension and shows us how to live in radical love and faithfulness between the extremes that isolate and divide people.
The gospels display how Jesus was committed to crossing the either/or waters of the cultural and societal wars of his day. His miracles and parables often broke or ignored religious and political lines that seemed all important. He comforted the disturbed and disturbed the comfortable.
Using Jesus' example, J. R. Briggs offers a fresh and relevant understanding of evangelism and discipleship in our present time of extreme polarization. Without sacrificing biblical integrity, The Sacred Overlap is a joyful exploration of the complexity of life in the peace of Christ. With careful discernment, Briggs:
- Shares creative ways to engage with God's mission of ministering to those who are intrigued by Jesus but turned off by church.
- Explores what it means to be joyful in the midst of heart-wrenching pain and earthly suffering.
- Models what it means to maintain a posture of convicted civility which emphasizes both grace and truth.
The Sacred Overlap helps readers see how Christians are called to live with their feet firmly planted in two different worlds—in both heaven and earth—living naturally with both the sacred and the ordinary. Only then can a Christian be a faithful witness and disciple of Jesus.
In the quickly changing culture we live in, Christians must become mandorla people, who are capable of living naturally with grace and truth. When done well, we live in the sacred overlap, where heaven and earth come together and hold hands. When done faithfully, we live in this both/and reality as faithful witnesses in the way of Jesus.
'Justice or grace? Belief or practice? Sinners or saints? Our world seeks compartmentalization. J.R. Briggs looks for common spaces in these paradoxes, and in Jesus, who embodies the sacred overlap in his incarnation. Following this example, the place of tension is where peculiar practices can enable authentic faith to thrive.'
