119. Being Leaders of Grace in a Divided World, with Kirsten Powers, author of Saving Grace

Spiritual Life and Leadership

Saving Grace, by Kirsten Powers, addresses the challenge of leadership in a divided world. How can we be people of grace when we are surrounded by so much ungrace?
As a USA Today columnist and senior political analyst for CNN—and a committed follower of Jesus—Kirsten Powers comes at this challenge as someone who has had to wrestle with her own tendency toward ungrace.
In this interview, Kirsten Powers gives us some really important wisdom on the subject of grace, ungrace, dividedness, and wholeness.
THIS EPISODE'S HIGHLIGHTS INCUDE:

• Kirsten Powers is CNN senior political analyst and USA today columnist and author of Saving Grace.
• Falling Upward by Richard Rohr was a very formative book for Kirsten in recent years.
• Kirsten Powers grew up with a minimal faith background, but came to faith at Redeemer Presbyterian Church, pastored by Tim Keller. Eventually, Kirsten converted to Catholicism.
• After reading Falling Upward, Kirsten realized that she engaged in a lot of hyper-dualistic thinking.
• After 2016, Kirsten Powers had to wrestle with how she perceived and understood people she disagreed with politically.
• Kirsten had a difficult time figuring out how to love her enemies. Eventually, she realized she had to let go of dualistic thinking.
• Grace gives people the space to not be you.
• Establishing boundaries with people has been a key practice that has helped Kirsten express grace toward others.
• Judgment will quickly lead to contempt, which will pretty quickly lead to hatred.
• Grace requires effort. Grace is a practice.
• Good behavior toward others is not necessarily evidence of grace. Grace is about how we think of others internally.
• You can follow Kirsten Powers on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:

• Kirsten Powers:
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
• Books mentioned:
  • Saving Grace by Kirsten Powers
  • Falling Upward by Richard Rohr
• Sign up for the Church Leadership Institute newsletter
• Related episodes:
  • Ep 55: Healing our Polarized World, with Dan White, Jr.
  • Ep79: The Loss of Evangelical Identity, with Michael Cooper
  • Ep 95: Judgment and Grace, with Jay Bakker
  • Rhythms of Leadership, Ep 11: The Beloved Community, with Kirsten Powers
  • Rhythms of Leadership, Ep 23: Giving People Grace, with Kirsten Powers

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