I love the Bible and appreciate its diversity of styles

(especially its poems and stories)

James, however, is not one of my favorite books

– there were followers of Jesus who believed,

• to be a true Christian a person had to be Jewish (cf. Acts 15:1)

◦ this was the dominant opinion in Jerusalem

◦ those who held to it included some Christian leaders

• the apostles, Peter and Paul did not agree with them

◦ they believed Gentiles could know God in their own culture and context

◦ and apart from fulfilling all the requirements of the law