Condemnation feels good and it is now a staple of religion, politics, and the media (both left and right), but it changes nothing. Compassion, on the other hand, changes everything. (p. 121)

...a deep and even paranoid suspicion continues to disparage higher criticism of the Bible, as if someone could publish a paper that would unravel God. (p. 151)

Faith is always supposed to make it harder, not easier, to ignore the plight of our sisters and brothers. (p. 165)

Anti-intellectualism remains strongly entrenched in many parts of the church, but it is grounded in fear, not in faith. (p. 19)

In the beginning, the call of God was not propositional. It was experiential. (p. 10)

Contemporary Christians have declared war on individual immorality but seem remarkably silent about the evil of systems, especially corporate greed and malfeasance. (p. 176)

As long as Christianity is the dominant belief system in America, we cannot afford to be biblically or theologically illiterate, regardless of our personal beliefs. (p. 8)

The most twisted but perennial of American myths is that everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed. (p. 174)

We need to find the light within ourselves, so we can see our true worth.

Social conditioning, accompanied by moral and mental constraints, now serve to render the mediocre mind nearly incapable of unbiased assessment.

It's crazy that you have to tell your phone or your computer or your house or your car 'It's me!' hundreds of times a day. Wearables will solve that problem.

An idea can be as flawless as can be, but its execution will always be full of mistakes.

Learners inherit the earth; while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.

Let the inner ear listen to the voice of truth that is always speaking.

I have reason to be shy. I've been hurt plenty.

I think all good narration contains an element of mystery and suspense. If it didn't, if the storyline were predictable, we would have no interest in reading it.

God accepts us unconditionally, and in his view we are all precious and priceless. Focus on this and you will not waste any time and effort trying to be someone you're not.

I have learned to take a bit more off and rest a little deeper.