Unoffendable by Brant Hansen

My friend started reading this book and recommended it to me. I think this is really a needed subject at this (Facebook) time and age. Here are my favorite quotes from "Unoffendable" by Brant Hansen:

“Are we to cling to anger at their sin? God took out His wrath on Jesus for other people’s sin. And I believe Jesus suffered enough to pay for it, and my sin too. He will deal with others’ sin; it’s not my deal. And while I thought the idea of choosing to be “unoffendable” was ludicrous, I’ve tried it. And I’m not perfect at it, but I’m much better than I used to be. I just let stuff go. I go into situations thinking, I’m not going to be offended. No matter what.”

“We have no idea what is in someone else’s heart. We don’t know the backstory. We don’t know what’s happening in his mind. We don’t know how her brain works. We think we do, sure, but we don’t. so let’s review: God knows others’ private motives. We don’t. God knows our private motives. We don’t. we think we can judge others’ motives. We’re wrong.”

“I used to be scandalized by others’ moral behavior. I’m just not anymore. It frees up a lot of mental space, and we probably need more of that, to pause and reflect on what matters in life. It’s not that I think that potentially offensive behavior is “right” or “good.” Not even close. It’s just that it’s not about me. I’m not going to be threatened or scandalized by someone else’s immoral behavior. So what if—just dreaming out loud, here—Christians were known as the people you couldn’t offend?”

“Yes, we get angry. Can’t avoid it. But I know that anger can’t live here. I can’t keep it. I can’t try it on, can’t see how it looks. I’m not entitled to anger, because I am me. I can’t handle anger. I don’t have the strength of character to do it. Only God does.”

“War is not exceptional; peace is. Worry is not exceptional; trust is. Decay is not exceptional; restoration is. Anger is not exceptional; gratitude is. Selfishness is not exceptional; sacrifice is. Defensiveness is not exceptional; love is. Judgmentalism is not exceptional; grace is.”

“The world is broken, and selfishness is our default setting. But that’s all the more reason we get goose bumps when there’s a ray of light, and we can suddenly see the kingdom from here, where things are set right. When we recognize our unsurprising fallenness and keep our eyes joyfully open for the glorious exceptions, we’re much less offendable. Why? Because that’s the thing about gratitude and anger: they can’t coexist. It’s one or the other.” 

“I used to think that to be Christlike meant to be alienated and put off by the sin of others. But it is quite the opposite. Refusing to be alienated and put off by the sin of others is what allows me to be Christlike. Mike Yaconelli once wrote: “Christians do not condone unbiblical living; we redeem it.”

“No wonder we get so angry. We’re displeased with others because we’re convinced God is displeased with us. We “believe” God loves us, but we suspect it’s provisional, based on whether we ever get our act straightened out. That’s a lot to carry. And then we see other people not trying as hard as we are, and that’s downright enraging. We hope God will give them their comeuppance someday, because if He doesn’t, what the heck are we doing all this for?”

“To be in ministry means to choose to be unoffendable. Ask anyone in ministry to the homeless. Or families who open up homes and hearts to foster children. Or prison ministers. Or people serving troubled kids. Or anyone, anywhere, truly serving anyone. It’s not a side issue, not a secondary concern, not a strategy. Choosing to be unoffendable out of love for others is ministry. And real ministry forces us to abandon our relentless search for approval from others. That frees us to love beautifully and recklessly.”