January 18, 2007 11:21 AM
From radical left to radical right - in a blink of God's eye
While at the Christian Book convention last summer, Laura Christianson interviewed me for Today's Christian magazine.
You can find the online version here:
Credible Christianity. Here's a little excerpt:
Barbara—now a Christian—doesn't hide her tattoo or her past. Nor does she flaunt them. Instead, she draws on what she's learned from her experiences as she lobbies for a new cause: challenging Christians to befriend non-Christians, and encouraging conservatives and liberals to interact. Her latest book, Reaching the Left from the Right: Talking About Social Issues with People Who Don't Think Like You (Beacon Hill), is one means to that end. "The only way Christians can change society is by understanding our culture," she asserts, "and by becoming involved on a personal level.The Accidental Christian
Barbara became a Christian "quite by accident." Twenty years ago she and her second husband, Tripp, attended a FamilyLife marriage conference where they learned about God's love for them and committed their lives to Christ. "We came home as different people. We weren't sure what had happened to us, but we knew something had changed."
For Barbara, everything changed. No longer drawn to being a liberal, feminist, moral relativist, Barbara spent the next ten years focusing on learning to follow Christ. As she taught her children about Noah, Moses, and Jesus, she learned about them, too.
While Barbara says becoming a Christian felt like "coming home," she found some aspects of Christianity troubling. "The biggest disappointment was discovering how closed some Christians are to the rest of the world. It was as if I had entered this other dimension that was supposed to take up my whole social life," she says.
What the online version doesn't have that you can see in the magazine, though, is some pictures of me back in my hippie heyday:
It's kind of vague because it's a scan of a scan of a scan. I've lost track of the original - and I didn't take many pictures in those days - too busy having what I thought was a good time. Note the beer can. And that is my oldest daughter Samantha, taken shortly after our arrival in San Francisco.
What you need to know from this is that God's love is unlimited. Never give up on anyone! And never stop loving them!
Posted in Inspiration | Permalink
Comments
Hi Barbara,
I recently purchased this book and quickly saw the wisdom in it. I've often been very quick to condemn my former views, not always realizing that I'm often condemning those who hold them now.
Thank you for sharing so many things from your life. What an inspiration! I accidently came across your blog after purchasing your book! I'm thoroughly enjoying reading each day!
Stacie
Posted by: Stacie | January 18, 2007 12:42 PM
That was a great article. I parituclarly liked this paragraph:
Rather than focusing on the sinfulness of others, "we should be reflecting on what God would like to root out and deal with in our own lives," she says. "We should be a clear conduit so that God's message can shine through our lives and our actions."
I've been suggesting this for years now. I hope it gets heard more when coming from an "insider" like yourself than it does when someone "on the outside" says it.
Posted by: Jarred | January 18, 2007 1:17 PM
I can't wait to read the whole article! I had to comment though on your new picture here. It's fantastic! It captures the warmth and openness of your personality. Wonderful!
Posted by: Beckie | January 18, 2007 1:41 PM
I have to say that I really like your new picture too. It was the first thing I noticed. Great joy!
Posted by: Pam | January 18, 2007 2:52 PM
You said ... "What you need to know from this is that God's love is unlimited. Never give up on anyone! And never stop loving them!"
I say: AMEN!!!
Posted by: GiBee | January 18, 2007 4:06 PM
Thanks, Barbara, for posting the link to the article I wrote about you. I received the magazine yesterday and after reading through the article, I decided it was one of the favorite articles I've ever written. Not only are you an interesting person, but you were right on target with so many of your challenges to Christians in general, and to me, personally. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with the world! I feel blessed to have played a role in your ministry.
Posted by: Laura Christianson | January 19, 2007 12:44 PM
