By Nicola Menzie
Tullian Tchividjian, pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and the grandson of the Rev. Billy Graham, says he believes the Christian Church has gone off course, and that he is praying for a new reformation.
Calling 16th century German theologian Martin Luther one of his heroes, Tchividjian recently told The Christian Post that he believes the church has been placing an unbiblical, and burdensome, emphasis on “performancism,” instead of sticking to “Sola gratia,” or as he puts it, “one way love.”
“Church is the one place where people who are weary and heavy-laden should be able to come and find rest, so that when they leave they feel lighter that the pressure’s off. They’re reminded that everything you need, God has done for you in Jesus and given to you,” said Tchividjian. “Oftentimes, people don’t leave worship services feeling like that. They feel more burdened, because they’ve been given a to-do list. They’ve been given a checklist of things they must do if they’re gonna be a good Christian, a checklist of things they must do if they want God to really love them and even like them. I’m trying through this book to maybe help the church make some sort of a paradigm shift.”
The Florida pastor’s new book, One Way Love: Inexhaustible Grace for an Exhausted World, is “about God’s grace, specifically the radical nature of God’s grace and how that grace transforms our relationships on the ground, how it transforms our perspectives on life, on work, everything,” Tchividjian explained.