Despite his overuse of acronyms, Leonard Sweet has some important things to say. My colleague Tony Cartledge interviewed the author/minister/teacher for an upcoming article in the autonomous, national news journal Baptists Today.
I was particularly impressed by Sweet’s talk about the need to “nudge” (the title of his most recent of many books). He explained the value in hearing other people’s stories and nudging them to see where God is at work. Connecting points are made between an individual’s story and the Gospel story.
The emphasis is on connecting rather than condemning — something persons of faith do too often. As Sweet puts it: “Nudging doesn’t include an element of judgment.”
It is impossible to show a hint of humility while standing in judgment over another person. But nudging one another to connect our own narratives with God’s can be gratifying and meaningful.
Many of us could compile large lists of those who have nudged us along the way — for which we are grateful.
Nudging sounds like a good idea to me. Perhaps we’ll even start seeing some “Nudgment Houses” this fall replacing those awful scare-the-hell-out-of-kids Judgment Houses that are well beyond their expiration date.
[BTW, one can subscribe to the news journal in time to get Sweet’s interview and other uniquely written content at www.baptiststoday.org.]
Director of the Jesus Worldview Initiative at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee and former executive editor and publisher at Good Faith Media.
