Untangling the Mess Study Guide: Challenging Hurtful Messages about God's Love

Sometimes the church can be a painful and unwelcoming place. Sometimes Christians are so eager to bring people to Christ that they say or do unloving things.Have you felt excluded from a church because of who you are, how you dress, or what you think?Have you been told that God doesn't love you because of what you've done?Have you been told that you should change or deny who you are so that God will love you?Have you been told that there are things you should do or words you need to say before you are included in God's love?Sadly, you may have been on the receiving end of these messages or experienced these behaviors or know someone who has. These unloving messages and hurtful actions have created a tangled mess of God's love.In this book, you will explore the five common knots which have created a tangled mess of God's love. Along the way Pam challenges the hurtful messages and tactics of Biblical literalism, making God's love dependent on what someone says and does, holding a narrow understanding of God that excludes people, overemphasizing humanity's brokenness, and having theological understandings and church practices that create obstacles to experiencing a loving God.Throughout Untangling the Mess, you will encounter a different and more life-giving way of thinking about God and God's relationship with you. The good news is that this relationship doesn't depend on your religious affiliation or anything that you've done or not done because it is God's good pleasure to love you.This study guide provides additional questions and prompts for a deeper exploration of the themes and topics in the primary book. Consider using this book for individual study or with others in a book study group.