Two years ago I sat down with a 24-year-old young man named John who gave me eight reasons he was not a Christian. As we talked it became apparent that he was not rejecting Jesus, but a particular version of Christianity; a version that saw the world in black and white terms that made no sense to him. He was rejecting a God who would bring about the death of John’s friends serving in Iraq, who would send faithful people of other religions to hell, who could only be believed in if one was willing to reject foundational concepts in modern science, and a God whose followers seemed narrow minded and judgmental. Several recent studies of young adults have pointed to the fact that John is not alone in these feelings.

My conversation with John was one of several factors that led me to write, Seeing Gray in a World of Black and White: Thoughts on Religion, Morality and Politics. The book includes 24 essays including, “Where Is God When Bad Things Happen?” “In Praise of Honest Doubt,” “Is Your Jesus Too Small?” “The Messy Truth About Spirituality,” “Will There Be Hindus in Heaven,” “How to be Pentecostal Without Losing Your Mind,” “Homosexuality at the Center,” “Questions of War,” and 16 others.

Seeing Gray is officially being released by Abingdon Press on Tuesday, April 2 (yes, we intentionally postponed releasing it on April Fool’s Day!). I was fortunate to have a number of Christian leaders read the book and give their endorsements including Jim Wallis, who wrote the forward, Len Sweet, Bill Hybels, Brian McLaren, John Ortberg, a number of seminary professors and seven bishops. To read their endorsements.

I am hopeful that this book will be helpful to all who have struggled with the black and white, either/or approach to faith, morality and politics - an approach that tends to polarize our churches and our nation. I also hope each chapter will encourage meaningful discussion (there are discussion questions for each chapter included in the book). Abingdon will be releasing video clips as small group discussion starters based upon some of my sermons by September.

If you read the book and find it helpful, please spread the word. We released the book just weeks before the United Methodist Church’s General Conference in the hope that it might be helpful as we prepare to debate thorny moral issues. We sent a copy to each of the active bishops of the church. We also released the book this year to coincide with the presidential elections. A friend is presenting a copy of the book to Senators Clinton, McCain and Obama.

If you read the book and find it helpful, please help me get the word out. I’d like the guys like John to know that there is another kind of Christianity out there - one that appreciates the gray in a world of black and white.