Comments on: Three Books for Free http://www.ubfriends.org/2014/12/26/three-books-for-free/ for friends of University Bible Fellowship Wed, 21 Oct 2015 04:34:18 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=4.3.1 By: BrianK http://www.ubfriends.org/2014/12/26/three-books-for-free/#comment-17705 Wed, 29 Apr 2015 13:29:40 +0000 http://www.ubfriends.org/?p=8728#comment-17705 And because ubf likes numbers, the number of books sold/given away is around 300.

]]> By: BrianK http://www.ubfriends.org/2014/12/26/three-books-for-free/#comment-17704 Wed, 29 Apr 2015 13:24:14 +0000 http://www.ubfriends.org/?p=8728#comment-17704 Hey everyone,

In honor of mrkimmathclass I am making the following adjustments to my books. If anyone would like to understand my journey from being the #1 ubf fan to the #1 ubf critic, please read my books. If you want to know why I joined ubf, why I stayed for 24 years and why we shut down our ubf chapter and resigned in protest of the abuse, please get my books.

* All 3 Kindle editions of my books are reduced to $.99 USD for all of May (the pricing may take affect today or tomorrow actually)

* All 3 Kindle editions are FREE if you purchase the paperback version

* All 3 Kindle editions may be LOANED to any other Kindle user for FREE

All of the details about my books can be found on my primary website:

Unexpected Christianity | Finding Jesus in unexpected places

]]> By: BrianK http://www.ubfriends.org/2014/12/26/three-books-for-free/#comment-16121 Mon, 29 Dec 2014 01:01:02 +0000 http://www.ubfriends.org/?p=8728#comment-16121 Thanks MJ! Merry Christmas and happy new year!

It was awesome to see over 50 free copies downloaded in the first 2 days of the give away!

]]> By: MJ Peace http://www.ubfriends.org/2014/12/26/three-books-for-free/#comment-16120 Mon, 29 Dec 2014 00:36:34 +0000 http://www.ubfriends.org/?p=8728#comment-16120 I just downloaded all 3 of your books on my kindle.
I’ll read them soon.
Thanks!

]]> By: BrianK http://www.ubfriends.org/2014/12/26/three-books-for-free/#comment-16111 Sat, 27 Dec 2014 13:29:53 +0000 http://www.ubfriends.org/?p=8728#comment-16111 New year inspiration!

never give up!

don’t you ever say I just walked away

]]> By: BrianK http://www.ubfriends.org/2014/12/26/three-books-for-free/#comment-16110 Sat, 27 Dec 2014 13:15:53 +0000 http://www.ubfriends.org/?p=8728#comment-16110 in regard to my books, the 5 day free sale for all 3 books on Kindle has started! (Already gave away five books this morning).

I am about to publish my 4th book the first week in January. This book won’t have anything to do with ubf, however, ubfers might want to process what I’m saying if they want to expand their thinking about the gospel.

And ubfers might also want to realize that there are gay people at ubf. Some of them have reached out to me. Here is a thought: Can your ubf chapter openly welcome gay people? Why or why not?

Here is a preview of my 4th book:

“The Lambhearted Lion: Why Christianity Needs Gay People”

“The flaws in our gospel understanding may lead us to believe that God requires moral perfection and is pleased most by our most pious acts. Yet because we experience day-to-day failures, we know that moral perfection is out of reach. Whatever ideals about humanity we may find in the Garden of Eden, such ideals fail in today’s world. When we try to show our reverence for God by doubling our effort to fulfill ideal religious obligations, our church community becomes a masquerade ball where people put on more and more elaborate masks to hide their real emotions, pain or situations. The yeast of hypocrisy spreads. In such a toxic environment LGBTQA people have no place to fit in, and straight people suffer needlessly as well. Suppose the church does attempt to be more welcoming toward gays, what are we welcoming them into? In many cases, we would be welcoming them into a dance of hypocrisy.” pg 45

]]> By: BrianK http://www.ubfriends.org/2014/12/26/three-books-for-free/#comment-16109 Sat, 27 Dec 2014 13:09:24 +0000 http://www.ubfriends.org/?p=8728#comment-16109 Ben, like every other former ubf member I’ve met, I do long for acknowledgement of our genuine, authentic, self-narrative, as opposed to the maddening silence or darts of shame. I’m thankful for our ubfriends who have given an ear to our stories. I would love to “move on” and discuss so many other topics, and I think we will be able to do that in the new year. Still we need to remember there will be new former and current members who need to process their stories.

I have done a lot of things– I resigned, I criticized, I failed, I shared, I blogged, I visited– but I have never given up.

Yes indeed, Merry Christmas and happy new year everyone!

]]> By: Ben Toh http://www.ubfriends.org/2014/12/26/three-books-for-free/#comment-16108 Sat, 27 Dec 2014 00:01:24 +0000 http://www.ubfriends.org/?p=8728#comment-16108 Thanks, Brian. I think that your above excerpts are rather well chosen, apt and quite relatable to those who have felt the authoritarian control, manipulation, shaming and guilt-tripping by some leaders in the church.

I also think that your very real stories (over 24 years no less!) do help expose certain longstanding bad practices, and that those who care to read your accounts and your books will find the courage to resist, expose and even denounce such unhealthy un-Christ-like, unbiblical, unloving practices.

Thank God that you have not given up on those of us who are still in ubf, and that you are continually willing to engage us, even if some people will continually refuse to read what you have written—which, if I may add, will be to their own loss and lack of illumination and insight.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

]]>