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God’s Image, My Irritation: Learning to Love the People Who Frustrate Me

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Image
  by Bart Denny I believe every human being is created in the image of God—the imago Dei . Genesis tells us, “God created mankind in his own image” (Genesis 1:27). That declaration comes before differences in nationality, politics, occupation, social standing, education, religious affiliation, or usefulness to society. People have worth because God made them. Their value isn’t something the government grants, the culture recognizes, or actions and opinions I personally approve of. I believe all of that. The harder question is whether anyone could tell I believe it by the way I treat people who frustrate me. James confronts this inconsistency with uncomfortable directness: “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness” (James 3:9). That verse doesn’t allow me to separate my theology from my tone. I can’t praise the God whose image a person bears while casually belittling, mocking, or dehumanizing that person...
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Dear Self-Published Christian Author

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by Bart L. Denny, Ph.D., Th.M.  Dear Self-Published Christian Author, I’m rooting for you. Truly, I admire your courage and commitment. You believe God has given you a message worth sharing, and you’ve put in the work to get it into book form. That’s no small feat. I want to see your book succeed—and if I’m buying inventory for a Christian bookstore, then your win can be our win, too. So allow me, with both candor and care, to echo the words of Jerry Maguire: “Help me help you!” But I want to share with you what I learned working as a buyer for a Christian bookstore. I hope it will help clear up a few common misconceptions I’ve encountered from self-published authors over the years—and that it will help you have realistic expectations. 1. Being Local Isn’t Enough I often hear, “My book should sell well—it’s by a local author.” I never saw that happen. I understand the sentiment, but unfortunately, that alone won’t move books. There's too much competition by high-quality, profession...
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