John Pavlovitz - If God Is Love, Dont Be a Jerk - Finding a Faith That Makes us Better Humans

Praise for If God Is Love, Dont Be a Jerk

John asserts that he is a longtime Christian by aspiration (if not always in practice), and his book demonstrates how his choiceshis practicehave matched that aspiration repeatedly, even when hes sad, angry, or disillusioned. Johns compassion, humanity, humility, and humor are present throughout. His candor is authentic, and his inspiration accessible and also challenging, in the very best sense. This is a book for anyone on a journey of faith or a journey of service, whether or not those two, as they do for John, intertwineor for anyone who loves a terrific read.

Chelsea Clinton, author and advocate

With clarity and candor, John reminds us of the compassion at the heart of what it means to be a spiritual human being and offers a loving expression of faith that is so necessary right now. If God Is Love, Dont Be a Jerk calls us to create a more just and equitable worldone that affirms the beauty in all humanityand leaves us feeling that it is all within our hands.

Yvette Nicole Brown, actress, writer, and activist

John Pavlovitz is the real thing. His compassion, empathy, wisdom, and guts will remind you of what Jesus actually preached. This self-described theological mutt is a pastor, a prophet, a poet, and a prince. John has given us a book of great insight and wit. It will remind you of what Christianity is supposed to be about. I cant wait to give it as a gift.

John Fugelsang, comedian, writer, and political commentator

John gives us a road map to take the best parts of our religious beliefs and find a space for reconciliation, compassion, and kindnessnot just for others but for ourselves. Johns bold, unwavering voice encourages us to find our common ground and, together, to rise up against bigotry and hatred.

Amy Siskind, activist and author

John Pavlovitz is an artisan of words. Hes a poet and a provocateur. Like the prophet Jeremiah, hes got a fire shut up in his bones that has to come out. That fire is love. But the love he writes about is not the sentimental love of storybooks and fairy tales and greeting cards. It is the harsh and dreadful love that Dostoyevsky spoke ofthe love that caused Jesus to flip tables in the temple, the love that got the prophets killed, the love that led the freedom fighters to jail and the martyrs to be burned at the stake. The love John writes about is the love that keeps us up at night because there are folks still out on the streets while we have an extra room in our homes. It is the love that cuts with the precision of a surgeons scalpel, because before we can get better, we have to cut out the cancer that made us sick. Enjoy this book, and let it mess with you.

Shane Claiborne, author, activist, and cofounder of Red Letter Christians

IF GOD IS LOVE, DONT BE A JERK

IF GOD IS LOVE,
DONT BE A JERK

Finding a Faith That Makes
Us Better Humans

JOHN PAVLOVITZ

2021 John Pavlovitz

First Edition

Published by Westminster John Knox Press

Louisville, Kentucky

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All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. For information, address Westminster John Knox Press, 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202-1396. Or contact us online at www.wjkbooks.com.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission. Scripture quotations marked NIV are from The Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Book design by Drew Stevens and Allison Taylor

Cover design by Allison Taylor

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Pavlovitz, John, author.

Title: If God is love, dont be a jerk : finding a faith that makes us better humans / John Pavlovitz.

Description: First edition. | Louisville, Kentucky : Westminster John Knox Press, 2021. | Summary: John Pavlovitz examines the bedrock ideas of our religion: the existence of hell, the utility of prayer, the way we treat LGBTQ people, the value of anger, and other doctrines to help all of us take a good, honest look at how the beliefs we hold can shape our relationships with God and our fellow humansand to make sure that love has the last, loudest word Provided by publisher.

Identifiers: LCCN 2021026138 (print) | LCCN 2021026139 (ebook) | ISBN 9780664266844 (paperback) | ISBN 9781646982134 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Christian life. | Conduct of life. | LoveBiblical teaching. | Theology, Doctrinal.

Classification: LCC BV4501.3 .P394 2021 (print) | LCC BV4501.3 (ebook) | DDC 234/.23 231.6dcundefined

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021026138

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021026139

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Information SciencesPermanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1992.

Most Westminster John Knox Press books are available at special quantity discounts when purchased in bulk by corporations, organizations, and special-interest groups. For more information, please e-mail .

This book is dedicated with gratitude
and affection to Jen, Noah, and Selah.

Thank you for loving me so well,
even when Im a jerk.

CONTENTS

Love is the greatest force in the universe. It is the heartbeat of the moral cosmos. He who loves is a participant in the being of God.

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

If you want a good laugh, Google the phrase You had one job. The results are a hilariously tragic parade of seemingly impossible fails, unfathomably poor planning, and facepalm-inducing human error: a piece of melted cheese on top of a fast-food burger bun, the word STOP misspelled on a street crossing, a Keep to the Right sign with its arrow facing left, a toilet lid inexplicably installed below the seat itself. Seeing these stupefying train wrecks in task execution tends to elicit two responses: usually making you feel a little bit better about yourself while simultaneously wanting to track down the culprits in an effort to understand how they managed to neglect the primary duty assigned to them. We begin to speculate: Were they temporarily distracted? Did they not properly comprehend the instructions? Did they feel as though someone above them in the chain of command dropped the ball? Were they just plain lazy? When people miss the point so spectacularly, we want to know how and whybecause that kind of failure feels impossible from the outside. It seems unfathomable to get the main thing wrong, and seeing it happen sparks our curiosity. I imagine Jesus knows well the curiosity that comes with watching people given clear direction lose their way.

As a longtime Christian by aspiration (if not always in practice), I often envision an exasperated Jesus coming back, and the first words out of his mouth to his followers as his feet hit the pavement being You had one job: Love. So, what happened? I wonder what massive wave of excuses and rationalizations would come flooding from the mouths of the faithful multitude in front of him, how they might justify their mistreatment of the assailed humanity in their care, the verbal and theological gymnastics theyd attempt to avoid culpability for their own cruelty. Would they stridently recite him a verse from Leviticus? Would they blame the Liberal Media for morally corrupting America? Would they talk about peoples wicked lifestyle choices? Would they argue that they