Quotable: Brian Harris, The Big Picture – Take 2

Last week we looked at a few of the statements made in the opening chapters of my 2015 book, The Big Picture: Building Blocks of a Christian World View which people sometimes cite back at me. Here are a few more insights from the book which I hope you will enjoy pondering…

• Election is not about privilege but responsibility. We are blessed to bless. It is a biblical truth with challenging implications, but if we are to build a Christian world view we must repeatedly affirm that every God-given blessing is for the greater good of all. Brian Harris (p35)
• Moral instructions in the Bible can either be read as blunt instruments to be slavishly obeyed without question or qualm, or as springing from an underlying moral vision which should be clearly understood if it is to be appropriately adapted and implemented in changing circumstances. Spending a little time with the teaching of Jesus makes it clear that he favoured the second approach. Brian Harris (p39)
• …the quest for leadership is often a search for power and the ability to control and shape a group’s agenda. Whilst the rationale for this is often stated in lofty terms, when we dig a little deeper, all too often we find a compulsive need to be in charge. It is hard to be following Jesus and to be calling the shots at the same time. Brian Harris (p61)
• At times we will find signs of God’s presence in unexpected places. If Jesus was willing to cast the hated Samaritan as hero and role model in the realm of compassion and humanity, we should be prepared for some pleasant surprises as we analyse our own time and culture, and find within its contours not just the demonic but also the divine. Brian Harris (p64)

As always, nice chatting…