Leonard Sweet is a preacher, teacher, theologian and scholar. He has served as professor, dean and president at a variety of educational institutions, and he currently works with graduate students at Drew University, George Fox University, Tabor College and Evangelical Seminary. He preaches and speak at events around the world and is the best-selling author of more than 60 books, including his latest, Rings of Fire: Walking in Faith Through a Volcanic Future.
Key Questions for Leonard Sweet
-Why do you use volcanic imagery in your latest book?
-How can ministry leaders honor the mission of God as we live in an increasingly hostile culture?
-How do you see local churches entering into the “walking alongside” instead of “taking a stand”?
-Do you think the church has lost the public battle or do you see an opportunity for the church to once more drive culture, instead of merely react to it?
Key Quotes from Leonard Sweet
“We’re better at ‘watching out’ than we are at ‘watching.’”
“The world is facing volcanic forces, and it needs volcanic leaders to meet those volcanic forces.”
“The best soil on the planet is lava-rich soil.”
“These could be some very dangerous and damaging days for the church, but if we can make that shift back to where Jesus was in the first century and the kind of culture that was faced by those early Christians, where the crowds actually cheered for the lions to eat them up, if we can realize the power and potential of that, I think we’ve got some great days ahead.”
“This is not a secular culture. It’s a culture that turns everything into something that’s sacred. It sacrilizes everything, it doesn’t secularize everything.”
“Celebrity culture is a religion…This is a culture that everything it touches, it turns into an idol.”
“We can really learn from our Eastern Orthodox sisters and brothers.”
“In a culture where everything is an idol, including the self, we’ve got to learn to be icons, icons of Jesus, that say, ‘Don’t look at me, but look through me.’”
“I’m less concerned about the decline of Western culture and Western Christianity than I am the missing Jesus in Western churches.”
