Listening In preview: Caleb Kaltenbach

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Next up on The World and Everything in It: the tension between grace and truth.

Caleb Kaltenbach was just 2 years old when his parents divorced. Both of them said they were gay. His mother became an activist and took him to pride parades. But as a teenager, Kaltenbach had a coming out of his own as a Christian.

NICK EICHER, HOST: He eventually went to seminary and became the pastor of one of the fastest-growing churches in Silicon Valley. He now teaches other churches how to love LGBT people without sacrificing their theological convictions.

On this week’s Listening In, host Warren Smith talks to Kaltenbach about his work.

WARREN SMITH: We know that not all love is love and yet that is a powerful idea that has taken root in our culture. How do we talk about that in ways that are meaningful?

CALEB KALTENBACH: I think we began with the tension of grace and truth. And the reason why we need tension in between things like grace and truth is because our culture right now, our society is being overtaken by false dichotomies, one after the other. Where people think you only have a voice if you’re an extremist on this side or that side. And false dichotomies that, that we see in our science society today, it creates extremism. It excludes people. It forces people into categories. We’re just headed in a poor direction for our country.

But when we have the tension in between, it gives room for a bridge. It allows people conversation and to dialogue, which you would think tolerant people would want to do. But it’s just not always the case. Right? Unless you agree with me, then we can dialogue on what we agree on.

But dialogue happens when people have the freedom and feel safe enough, to share ideas and opinions and thoughts and feelings. And so the tension, when we allow that, that is a bridge, it’s strong. It unites people. It kills the false dichotomies. It’s huge.

And it’s love because we are giving people opportunity to be themselves. We are giving God room to do heart surgery. Because spiritual heart surgery takes time.

And in our culture love is not love. Love is self-sacrificial. Love is, I’m going to lay my life on the line and so that I can add value to you. Love is, you are more important than me.

(Photo/The Gospel Herald)

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