In his new book Pastor Gino Jennings and the Black Christian Church, pastors Frank Schaefer and Raymond Manuel Fernado Jr. present an alternative view of marriage and Christianity. Pastor Gino, an African American pastor, tackles some tough issues for today’s Christian church. While other pastors have whitewashed their pastoral theology to make them more acceptable to the broader spectrum of society, Pastor Gino challenges traditional views on race and gender. This book provides a different perspective on faith than most others present in our society. It also challenges leaders of our youth to be bold in their love for God despite the obstacles that face our young people.
Pastor Gino addresses some troubling issues in our culture. Sexual exploitation of children by adults is an all too common problem. Children are being misled about both sex and God and this leads to dangerous activities such as molestation and rape. Many churches overlook child abuse and try to sweep it under the rug, but Pastor Gino and the writers of this book present an alternative viewpoint on this tragedy. Pastor Gino Jennings and Hood Evangelist
Pastor Gino shows the way by showing the different illustrations of how God used different people in order to bring them into eternal life. Most people have a simple answer for this: “I am a good Christian.” However, this is not a satisfactory answer because it does not take into consideration the role of ethnicity or cultural heritage in the equation. Race and gender do indeed factor into this equation. The writer presents several examples from the life of Jesus to the life of Moses to show that while Christ was a Jew, he was a human being with the ability to sympathize with the suffering of the Gentiles.
As a result of Pastor Gino’s insightful writing and the many eye-opening examples that he includes in this book, many Christians will be motivated to live differently. They will look at situations from a different perspective and learn to embrace differences instead of tolerating them. They will see that differences can actually bring about strength and peace in a home. In fact, this book is so well-written and thoughtfully presented that even non-Christians will feel compelled to read it.
Churches do need leaders. The challenges we face are many and we have fallen into the bad habit of looking for leaders within our walls. Instead of finding these leaders through tradition, we search for them outside of it. People like Pastor Gino will encourage you to look at the possibilities outside the box. He will show you how God has placed leaders in the right places to lead you and help you become a strong vibrant church that can move out into the world and minister to those who are hurting.
I was blown away by what I discovered in this book. I felt like I had gained new insight. I had so much more confidence in my fellow members of my church that I wanted to share this book with everyone. After purchasing the book, I felt refreshed and ready to start sharing again. I know there are other leaders like Pastor Gino out there who are struggling and seeking God’s leadership. If you are a leader like him, I encourage you to read his book and give it a read.
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