In this interview, Chris Seay continues his discussion of his recent book, The Gospel According to Jesus – The Faith That Restores All Things and the difference between rule-based and heart-based faith. “Justification”, he says, is often misunderstood by Protestants. We hear “justification” and we think about how God has made us right. But God is not just moving on an individual level, he says, but moving on a cosmic level, restoring all relationships. It’s not about holiness or rule-keeping…but God’s restorative justice.
In the West, we have to realize that Jesus was talking about us when he talked about how difficult it would be for us to follow Him. The way we “hold on to our stuff” often stands between us and truly ordering our lives around Christ. He talks about his church’s use of Advent Conspiracy and the way his community has begun to think differently about Christmas.
He also discusses the unique way in which his parents have modeled authentic faith and the way that truly immersing himself in the Bible has re-shaped his understanding of Christ.
Chris Seay is the pastor of Ecclesia, A Holistic Missional Christian Community, in Houston, TX. He and his wife, Lisa, have four kids.