Love, Acceptance and Forgiveness: Equipping the Church to Be Truly Christian in a Non-Christian World [Paperback]

Jerry Cook (Author), Stanley C. Baldwin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 25, 1979

"You're nothing but a bunch of garbage collectors!" That's the kind of reaction Pastor Jerry Cook has received over the years as he and his church have gotten serious about showing love, acceptance and forgiveness. When Jerry and his wife came to East Hill Church in 1965 total membership was 23. In the next 14 years they grew to over 4,500 by "becoming the Body of Christ in their own community". To share his provocative approach to ministry, Jerry teamed with free-lancer Stanley Baldwin to produce a highly readable account of how he has applied biblical principles to real people seeking real love, real acceptance and real forgiveness. You'll meet and learn about: the adulterous minister with no place to go the doper saved by special appointment how to make your church a spiritual forcedeveloping a philosophy of church ministry equipping everyone in the church to serve turning members loose to minister the crucial role of the family handling hassles in the Body of Christ why every church must become a servant. Here is a book full of hope and help for everyone, from Christians looking for reality in their churches, to pastors and other leaders seeking to provide that reality.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

How Can the Church Be a Healing Force in the World? As Christians, we need to understand who the church should be in this hurting world: people who are redeemed, filled with the Holy Spirit and equipped to serve to meet needs everywhere in Jesus' name. That concept of the church will affect everything from the way the pastor preaches to the way the building is designed. It will direct the church away from the "professionals" and into the hands of laypeople. And as these laypeople step into roles of service and admit their own brokenness, they wil find that they can love, accept and forgive those who are hurting around them and put out the "welcome mat" in their community. Love, Acceptance and Forgiveness is a book full of hope and help for everyone- pastors, homemakers, taxi drivers, executives, blue collar, white collar, no collar- who wants to adopt a vision for individual ministry in the church.

As a young leader, Love, Acceptance and Forgiveness helped to fashion the foundation of my perspective of life and ministry. This heralded work remains a must-read for every emerging leader and every avid student of life.  Wayne Cordeiro, New Hope Christian Fellowship, Oahu, Hawaii

Jerry Cook's word is a boon to a wonderful renewal that is awakening true New Testament discipleship today. He points to not only Bible study (which is needed) but also cultivating the local Body for ministry impact in the community and marketplace.  Jack W. Hayford, President, The Foursquare Church Chancellor, The King's College and Seminary, Los Angeles, California

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

JERRY COOK is the former senior pastor of East Hill Church in Gresham, Oregon, where his perspective on the role of the Church in the world helped expand East Hill Church from a handful of people to over 4,500. Jerry is now an associate pastor at Eastside Foursquare Church in Bothell, Washington, where he also maintains a teaching and church-consulting ministry. He and his wife, Barbara, were awarded the Medallion Award from Seattle Pacific University in tribute to their accomplishments as a professional team. He is the author of A Few Things I’ve Learned Since I Knew It All (co-authored with Stanley Baldwin), Choosing to Love (with his wife, Barbara) and The Monday Morning Church: Out of the Sanctuary and Into the Streets. Jerry and Barbara have a family of four children (two boys and two girls) and three grandchildren. 

 

STANLEY C. BALDWIN is an author and speaker based in the Pacific Northwest. A former periodical editor and book editor, he has authored and coauthored 20 books, including four titles that have sold more than 250,000 copies each: The Kink and I, Your Money Matters, What Did Jesus Say About That? and Love, Acceptance and Forgiveness. Baldwin’s books have been translated into 11 languages, and he has lectured abroad in Nigeria, India, Japan, Singapore, Fiji, Taiwan, the Philippines and Australia. He speaks frequently at writers’ conferences across the United States. Since 1996, he has also served as director for International Christian Writers.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Regal Books; 1st edition (June 25, 1979)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0830706542
• ISBN-13: 978-0830706549
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #881,622 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Practical Christianity, January 12, 2004

By 

Manuel Hernandez (Groton, CT) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Love, Acceptance and Forgiveness: Equipping the Church to Be Truly Christian in a Non-Christian World (Paperback)

I sat down with this book and did not get up till I finished it. That is not amazing due to the few pages there are. The amazing part is how my faith, my worldview and my Chrisitanity was so radically changed by such a small book.

The Bible is the original text while this book if the Cliff Notes in applying the real Christianity.

I now see Jesus in the eyes of the homeless; the prisoner; the "pain in the neck" people and therefore my christian expression has changed.

Do Not read this book if you do not want to change your actions toward people.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why I keep reading this book, October 1, 2002

By 

Jeffrey W. Espeseth (Bettendorf, IA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Love, Acceptance and Forgiveness: Equipping the Church to Be Truly Christian in a Non-Christian World (Paperback)

Love, Acceptance, and Forgiveness changed the way I view church, ministry, and Christians as a whole. As a result of first reading this book ten years ago, and rereading it every year, I have discovered that people need unconditional love simply because they are humans.
The key concept is simply that people need to be loved and deserved to be loved because they were created in the image of God.
Acceptance should have nothing to do with stature or position, but simply with the fact that we are all humans.
Forgiveness should flow freely without strings attached because we can all receive that same gift.
I would encourage all people to read this book, embrace the concepts, and allow it to change the way you opperate as a person. In the simplest terms, in the most concise way to put it, it will challenge you to examine the way you view humanity.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love Acceptance & Forgiveness, June 23, 2000

By 

Linda Whiddon (Pompano Beach, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Love, Acceptance and Forgiveness: Equipping the Church to Be Truly Christian in a Non-Christian World (Paperback)

This book should be on the reading list of every Christian. In this day when people are searching for a return to simplicity in everyday life, this book boils all of the programs and rituals into simple terms to show the difference between being "religious" and living as Christ lived.

I wish every Christian friend I have could read it. My husband and I read it chapter by chapter aloud to each other and could hardly put it down until the last page was finished.