Speaking

The themes of Peter’s talk are:

1. Pretending to be human: Hiding who you are and pretending to be someone you are not is all too common in our world, including our faith communities. Why do we pretend?

2. Beyond the Self-made project: We have been told that life is all about us. But if life is “all” about us, it can’t also be about others. Living for ourselves and ourselves alone will continue pushing us into emotional and spiritual isolation from others and God. But when we replace the self-made project with the servant project that Jesus lived and calls us into, only then will we begin to make room for others and start opening up.

3. The risk of authenticity: The reality is that all relationships require varying degrees of risk. While the idea of “risk” is all too often ignored or rejected outright in many Christian theologies, the Bible is full of stories about risk and the value of risk in our life of faith. To trust in God at any level involves risk. The answer to healthy relationships is not to reject or ignore risk, but to learn to value it and let it free you from the slavery of certainty.

4. When Christians become human: Shouldn’t following Jesus enable us to become better versions of ourselves–“to become more human, not less?” Part of the “more human” bit is learning to treat others in the same way we want to be treated. Which means thinking about people differently. Thinking about people the way Jesus thinks about people. Which means doing relationships differently. Living authentically.