The gown of the Bride of Christ is being shredded by sibling
rivalry within the Christian community. The Church's life is
weakened and its witness compromised. This is nowhere more
evident than the issue of sexuality. Dr. Steve Harper laments
this sad state of affairs and offers a way of love through the
dilemma. His pastoral spirit and practical counsel offer guidance
and hope for the future.
“A dark picture is emerging—a contentiousness between professing
Christians and a persecution of the sexual community by
professing Christians. In the season of Lent, the Holy Spirit
broke my heart one morning by speaking into it these words, “My
Bride, the Church, is being abused. Her gown is being torn to
shreds by siblings who are trying to end up with the biggest
piece of the cloth, and who would rather expose her nakedness
than give up the fight. Enough is enough!" “I was stunned— so
much so that I kept the experience to myself. I’m old enough to
know the difference between a passing feeling and a sacred
impression.” -- Excerpted from the introduction.
“Steve Harper writes as an evangelical who loves the United
Methodist Church. He has written a thoughtful, helpful, and
surprising book on the church he loves and the ways it might
wrestle with the issues that divide it.” —Rev. Adam Hamilton,
United Methodist Church of the Resurrection, Leawood, Kansas
“For The Sake of the Bride is a helpful reflection on the unity
of the church concerning human sexuality. He risks moving deeply
into the conversation, and he does so in a way that is
evangelical (Christocentric) and mystical. His rediscovery of E.
Stanley Jones's round-table discussion points a way beyond our
tribalism. I hope you will read this book, for the sake of the
bride--the church of Jesus Christ.” —Bishop Kenneth Carter, The
Florida Annual Conference, The United Methodist Church
"Steve Harper has written a book for “just such a time as this.”
He provides a balanced theological reflection on the crisis
facing The United Methodist Church today. Reflecting upon
Scripture, tradition, and the work of E. Stanley Jones, Harper
lovingly proposes a way forward.” —Rev. Steve Manskar, Director
of Wesleyan Leadership, Leadership Ministries, GBOD, The United
Methodist Church
“For the Sake of the Bride sets aside the all-too-easy rhetoric
of division and antagonism and invites the divided church to
fully engage the greater way of love that Jesus models and bids
us follow. Harper writes with pastoral courage, sensitivity and
genuine humility, inviting us not to a particular position, but
to generous dialogue on behalf of the church we cherish.” —Dr.
Kandace Brooks, Senior Pastor, Tamoka United Methodist Church,
Ormond Beach, Florida
“Steve Harper succeeds in his desire to move the Church beyond
the impasse of name calling and shouting and calls for schism,
and brings us to the table, the Round Table, in a spirit of grace
filled love, integrity, honesty and mutual respect for all
parties. That’s a difficult place for many to maintain, but it’s
where we all must meet.” —Dr. Dan Johnson, Senior Pastor,
Trinity United Methodist Church, Gainesville, Florida
“Steve Harper reflects the evangelical and holiness traditions
of American Methodists. From this framework of traditional
Christian piety, he shows how we can reflect faithfully on these
contemporary issues in ways that honor each other as the presence
of Christ, the “Bride of Christ.” This is a breath of fresh air
amid the rancor that has too often polluted church conversations
in recent years. His concern is that Christians damage the
church—not just the institution of the church but the church as
the body and “bride of Christ”—by the uncharitable and
unprofitable conversation we too often carry on, especially over
the issue of same-sex relationships.” —Ted Campbell, Associate
Professor of Church History, Perkins School of Theology
“Steve Harper courageously shares his thoughts after weeks of
prayerful reflection on a topic that has challenged the Church
for millennia. Pay particular attention to his mention of E.
Stanley Jones’ use of the roundtable. Steve has renewed my own
desire to be more loving and far less judgmental.” —Robert G.
Tuttle Jr., Emeritus Professor of World Christianity, Asbury
Seminary
“Invaluable . . . Steve Harper is 'spot-on' for what he
describes as a need for a third way. In our social media-driven
culture, selecting the enter button often creates environments
fueled by vitriol, instead of love for the sake of the
Bride.” —Toni King, retired registered nurse, Department of
Veterans Affairs
“Steve Harper entrusts us with a deeply personal account about
his unexpected, prayer-born call to reexamine the church's
embattled position regarding same-gender relationships. ,
prayerful, and tenderly biblical—this book reminds us that we
already share a way forward—and the way is Love.” —Pam Hawkins,
discipleship pastor and former associate editor of Weavings,
Belmont United Methodist Church, Nashville, Tennessee
“Steve Harper does not provide easy answers to our problems,
but challenges a polarized church to focus on Christ through our
Wesleyan tradition.” —Kyle Cuperwich, pastor, Bernardsville and
Gladstone United Methodist Churches, New Jersey