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Not Like Me (Blog Tour with author Eric Bryant)

We live in a diverse world filled with unprecedented opportunity. There is a call to move past the barriers that stand between us and those who may be different. Eric Michael Bryant has seen tolerance shown to those who are different than us — racially, religiously, sexually, politically, economically — and believes there must be more. After all, Jesus didn’t just tolerate people; he embraced them all with love.

Not Like Me: A Field Guide for Influencing a Diverse World helps people of faith effectively love, serve, and reach people overlooked by the church.

Using lighthearted humor, engaging personal stories, and a “party theology,” Bryant shows us how to love our neighbors and fulfill the vision Jesus had for the church from the beginning.
Whether that is through building relationships with the help of bounce houses, stand up comedy, or piñatas, followers of Christ will be inspired to actively engage the world around them.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, August 12th, 2010 at 6:10 am and is filed under Books. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

  • http://www.ericbryant.org Eric Bryant

    Thanks for posting about my book! In many ways the book is about my journey from a more sheltered and suburban childhood to understanding how to get along with people who may look differently or even make different choices than I would.

    I grew up outside of Dallas/Fort Worth and then moved to Seattle after college where I discovered a very different world. The last 12 years I have been a part of the leadership team at Mosaic in Los Angeles. In my life I have realized that I learn more when I am outside of my normal surroundings – much like on a mission trip. In the meantime I have learned how to love, serve, and even influence our very diverse world.

    I have been amazed at how immigration and our economy have made even the places you least expect strategic mission fields. From Eritreans in Seattle to Cambodians in Amarillo, all of us have opportunities to transform the world from where we live.

    Have you seen that where you live? Has your part of the world changed much in the last 10 years?

  • http://bryonharvey.com BryonHarvey

    Eric,
    I love how you connect this with our local community. I come from a tradition that focus heavily on foreign missions. I think the presumption in those circles is that the Gospel has a firm hold in our local communities so we need to invest our time and resource in reaching the “under-reached people groups.” This usually means sending missionaries to Africa, the Middle East, and South East Asia. Yet, I find that there is a mission field in our local community. The people that live next door to our churches are often very different from the people that are a part of the church community, ethnically, culturally, or maybe just philosophically. I love the fact that you are providing a resource that will help us engage the people around us and show them God’s love.

  • Derian Baugh

    Diversity is obvious as it relates to different people groups and cultures, but there is also an aspect that is interpersonal. For me it is also about who we are and why we believe what we believe. I’ve found that there are also people who look like me, but have a very different approach to life. And in addition, there are absolutely those who do not look like me, however at times we seem to have the most in common. When I think of diversity I can’t help but to think of what it is to love. And this is beautiful. And when I think about how different we are from one another it makes me thankful for the cross. This is because there is this truth in the fact that we all sin, and therefore it is also true that we ALL need Jesus. What a beautiful mess to be in! Not only in receiving salvation, but also in the redemption of life. And in this pursuit, Loving God and Loving people, we can all come and truly experience something wonderful. Together.

  • Belinda

    I appreciate that Eric’s book highlights loving people around us especially those that are overlooked. We once were overlooked. It is easy to forget that. Thank you for writing this book Eric to remind us to look around us and see people. People who don’t look like us, dress like us, live like us, but need hope like us.

  • bob burnside

    Eric,I like your book concept and your parting question,yes,over the last ten years my/our part of the world has changed.I realized after the attack on our country ( 9/11 ) that there were people as passionate about there beliefs as I am about mine.I didn’t realize this and it made me take a closer look at Jesus and what He has called us to do,this was a challenge for me.I discovered in the metro-Detroit area we have strong, unwavering believers of all faiths.If we really believe in Jesus ( WHICH I DO ) we have A LOT of work to do.I hope to read your book for inspiration,thank you.