During my years in a Lutheran Bible study group, I can’t tell you how many times the word “humanist” got snarls and sneers whenever it was mentioned. It was as if we were somehow inviting Satan among our midst. There was absolutely nothing even approaching good, said about those despised people. It wouldn’t be until later that I studied humanism to any degree, and discovered how misplaced this spite was.

I am going to say something that will be very distressful to the Lutheran country club clan.

I am convinced that Jesus was a humanist

It wasn’t until I read some words from one of my favorite Christian authors, that I was totally into the words above. That author is Philip Gulley. I have read many of his books, but the two that affected me the most are shown here. They pointed me to the Loving God of the New Testament. Mr. Gulley is certainly not afraid to tackle subjects that many theologians are terrified of. He is a Quaker who happens to be just down the road from me. Someday I will get the guts to go and see him in person, and maybe thank him for turning my spiritual life around. I was most certainly on a path to total rejection of anything religious, until I found his books. He truly convinced me, contrary to many who call themselves Christians, that

God is Love

I am going to use much of the remainder of this post to show you his words from his “Plain Speech with Philip Gulley” series recently

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Instead of trying to figure out ways to say what he has said, I have decided to let him speak for himself: (click to see a larger view)