Good Faith Reads

This book presents a psychological explanation of the gospel. It deals with the nine basic human needs that salvation fills.

Believing that we have acceptance, love, and value gives us peace and contentment: “We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 5:1).

Believing that we have security, forgiveness, and guidance gives us assurance and confidence: “All things can be done for the one who believes” (Mark 9:23).

Believing that we have support, purpose, and hope gives us meaning and significance: “We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor for the soul” (Heb 6:19).

People today want more than creeds and platitudes. Discovering that there are logical reasons for the positive changes that take place when we become a Christian helps us understand how and why a conversion experience makes such a real difference in our lives.

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For many LGBTQIA+ Christians and allies, the infamous “clobber” passages (the handful of passages used by religious conservatives to demonize LGBTQIA+ people) elicit a similar response: stay far, far away. These verses haven’t been used to make us uncomfortable; they’ve been used to cause us deep harm.

As we deal with the damage that these verses have done, we each have our own healing journey to walk. For some of you, the conversation this book provides will be a healing balm; for others, encountering these passages again may be too deep a reminder of the pain they’ve caused you. Your path to healing may not include revisiting these passages or reading this book, and that’s okay. Engage both God and your own inner wisdom before choosing to embark on this journey.

To the straight cisgender folks who may have picked this book up on a whim, you may feel like you’re “on the outside looking in” while reading the experiences of the queer folks who contributed to this book. I want to encourage you to read it anyway. Treat this as an opportunity to learn about your siblings in Christ and how you might be a better sibling for them. You might even find some healing for yourself within these pages.

If you—queer folk or cishet ally—choose to take this path, know that we are not starting at ground zero. Thanks to many fantastic theologians and pastors, we know that those verses have been used improperly for far too long, and we can examine them with new eyes. We can see lessons full of love instead of hate. We can see instruction instead of condemnation.

Together, we can discover a message around which people from all walks of life can talk, laugh, and be nourished.

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The resurrection of Jesus is the lynchpin of the Christian faith. As Paul wrote, “If Christ hasn’t been raised, then your faith is worthless” (1 Cor. 15:17a CEB). Without Easter, there would be no church. All four gospels present the Resurrection as historical occurrence, and most of the other books of the New Testament allude to or elucidate the meaning of the Resurrection. That Jesus died for our sins and was raised to new life by the power of God is the heart of the gospel.

Easter is the most important day of the Christian year. Thus, it seems fitting that we should read and study the accounts on which Easter is based, namely the stories in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John about the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.

The goal of this volume is to move beneath the surface of the stories to explore what the Resurrection means for our lives. This is the method of “spelunking scripture.” As we examine each passage, we move beyond the details of the narrative to probe how it speaks to us, and to seek connections with life today. Each resurrection narrative, or post-resurrection appearance, is interpreted by three sermons. The sermons are designed to bring the resurrection of Jesus into our time and circumstance, and to enable us to recognize the risen Christ in our midst.

Spelunking Scripture is a series of studies based on some of the most important passages of the Bible. Other volumes in this series include Christmas, The Letters of Paul, and Acts and the General Epistles of the New Testament. The Easter study focuses on the passages in the Gospels that tell about the Resurrection, just as the Christmas study focuses on the birth narratives. All scripture is inspired, but not every passage of scripture is of equal importance. These passages of scripture that tell the story of the Resurrection are among the most important ones in the Bible.

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A good story contains between five and ten components that help readers understand what is happening, why they should care about the characters, and how the story will ultimately end. In The Gospel According to Broadway, Terrell Carter examines the characters, setting, plot, conflict, and resolution in various Broadway plays while interweaving biblical stories and scriptural lessons. By delving into both scripture and plays, Carter explores the implications of God’s love for all creation and how God’s unwavering love should impact how we live in relationship with our Creator, each other, and all that God has made.

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Enjoy this collection of 51 sermons written by husband and wife team, Maralene and Miles Wesner. These sermons are written for holidays throughout the year, from New Years Day to Christmas.

Special days often attract the greatest church attendance and thus offer the greatest opportunity for outreach. Unfortunately, many holiday and seasonal messages are shallow and sentimental. So, these sermons were developed with three goals in mind: appropriateness, depth, and psychological soundness. They are highly adaptable and require a minimum amount of preparation.

The authors hope this collection of their most meaningful and successful “celebration services” will be useful to others.

Learn more at GoodFaithMedia.org.