April 04, 2023

44. "Faith, Friendship, and Challenging Conversations" with Rebecca McLaughlin

1 hour

How should we handle topics about Christianity that bring up potential offense and tension? In this episode of Voices’ Where Ya From? podcast, author Rebecca McLaughlin shares the surprising truth that facing these tough subjects can be an opportunity to show respect to people and to deepen our faith.

Guest Bio:

Rebecca McLaughlin is the author of Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World’s Largest Religion (2019), which was named book of the year by Christianity Today. She has also authored three additional books which encourage Christians to face uncomfortable questions in their faith. She holds a PhD. in renaissance literature from Cambridge University and a theology degree from Oak Hill College in London. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts with her husband, Bryan, and their three children.

Notes & Quotes:

It feels really distressing and alienating to feel like the culture around you is kind of actively hostile to Christianity in certain ways. I’ve always lived in spaces where there was active hostility to Christianity, so it’s not surprising or unsettling to me, it feels much more normal.

What I experienced from my father was the idea that Christians should definitely be the most intellectually curious people in town. There was no sense of faith being the opposite of intellectual inquiry or exploration.

It’s typical for people to say—in order to respect somebody, you need to affirm their beliefs and choices. I don’t think that’s true. I think actually it’s ultimately a sign of disrespect to someone if you think, “Well, because of their cultural background, they couldn’t possibly make their own choice to repent and believe in Jesus.”

I think that if we look closely, we will find that Christianity is the original and best foundation for love across racial difference.

I wrote “Confronting Christianity” in many ways as a love letter to my non-Christian friends. I wanted it to be something which I could put into their hands and say, “This is what I’ve been trying to say very inadequately for the last however many years that we’ve known each other."

Links Mentioned:

Check out Rebecca’s book Confronting Christianity, and see her other books on her website.

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