By Andy Hale
The church has some significant issues that are finally coming to light as many people who have been victimized by it for years are finally being heard, whether political idolatry or marginalization, racism or misogyny. There is a direct connection to these matters and why many are leaving the church: around 12% of adults per decade.
But there is a problem. It’s easy to paint a picture of the church with broad strokes, leading many people to believe that everyone in the church is a racist, homophobe, bigot, and misogynist, which is simply not true.
“Inside our church doors, hurting people are struggling to see Christ in their lives. Instead of giving the world a beautiful picture of Christ’s bride and a glimpse of his love for us, many see disillusionment, despair, and abuse. Look at our scars. Look at the scars on the church. How did we get here? Church isn’t what many of us thought it would be,” asked Aimee Byrd on the CBF Podcast Conversation.
Byrd, a prolific writer, speaker, and thinker, sat down with us to discuss her new book, The Hope in Our Scars. She has also authored The Sexual Reformation, Recovering From Biblical Manhood & Womanhood, and Housewife Theologian.
Listen here.
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This podcast is presented by:
- Baylor’s Garland School of Social Work: Social workers can be found addressing the full scope of the human experience in churches, schools, prisons, government agencies, senior living centers, nonprofits and Fortune 500 companies.
- Baptist Seminary of Kentucky: BSK equips leaders through their Homegrown Initiative, offering ministry leaders training and growth that fits into their busy schedules.
- A Model Ministry: A Model Ministry is a registered non-profit organization specializing in safety education, policy writing, and risk assessment to mitigate child sexual abuse in ministry organizations.
- The Gardner-Webb School of Divinity: The Gardner-Webb University School of Divinity aims to equip, nurture, encourage, and support men and women for their very best service in the Kingdom of God.
- The NRSV, Update Edition from Zondervan: Explore the depth and beauty of Scripture with the NRSV, Updated Edition. With revisions based on new textual evidence, historical insights, and linguistic precision, this updated edition of the NRSV delivers a translation of Scripture based on meticulous care for accuracy and readability.
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Andy Hale is the creator and host of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Podcast. Hale is the Associate Executive Coordinator of CBF North Carolina. He’s also served as CBF’s Church Start Specialist, the founding pastor of Mosaic Church of Clayton, and the senior pastor of University Baptist Church of Baton Rouge. Follow on Twitter @haleandy.