Status Updates From I Think You're Wrong (But I...

Started May 2

Holy cow, YES! 🙌🏻

If I could write a book about how much I’ve struggled with how the world has tried to turn our politics and our friendships into black and white issues, when it is so much more gray than that, this would be it.

A must read for everyone.

Excellent so far 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻

Reading this one chapter per month and discussing it with my church group. So far we have had some good discussions! I have been feeling very sad about the divide between people and the mean things on social media. I’m hoping this book will help me know what to say and how to say it in a kind way.

“We feel spiritually dehydrated as we reel from the latest headlines and try to separate fact from fiction, so we’ve just decided it’s best to tune it all out . . .[but] we realized that having calm, kind conversations from opposing perspectives is more than possible - it’s a spiritual imperative.”

What did I get myself into

Taking my time reading this (plus one of he junior engineers sat with me at lunch today and interrupted my reading hahaha) and I’m going to have to focus outside of the faith bits. But overall I like the tone.

“When we believe the power to either fix or destroy everything lies in our politics, it becomes increasingly important to label people who disagree with us as enemies and to endure that our thoughts prevail. We don’t want to talk about politics, especially with people who disagree with us, because we’ve decided our politics define us and everything around us.”

"We...can't have productive dialogue with others without getting curious about what stakes color the other person's perspective." With the 2020 Presidential Campaign on the horizon, we must be mindful of what is going on in the politics of our nation -- and how to approach the discussions and conversations that are sure to arise with knowledge and grace. So much good stuff in this book for joining the conversation.

They’ve been claiming to look at ‘both sides’ throughout this chapter while only making the case for one side. :-/

We have elevated the importance of government and the stakes behind political issues to the point of believing that every Supreme Court decision and state law will lead to utopia or dystopia.

In many ways, we treat politics, and specifically the government, as both the sole cause of all our problems and the sole solution. It has become the one societal institution expected to shoulder every problem facing us.

“... the world is not a stage for American drama”

I wish EVERYONE would read this book!!! We should all learn to engage in and value honest, real, open-minded civil discourse around hard topics. We need to “take off the jerseys” of our chosen political teams and look at the history and facts of policy discussions.

One way to keep ourselves centered on community and service instead of conflict and politics is by gently and regularly posing the question, “How can I personally be of service to my neighbors?”...The key is to find our specific work, asking, “What can I do with my two hands, with the gifts that I’ve been given?”...We can just show up each day to do our work in the world, and when we do, the results will blossom.

So, so necessary for all Americans to read without being defensive. Keep an open mind and dig deep to uncover opportunities for personal change. If you are my friend and reading my review, you will read this book!

I’m a quarter through this and declare it a must-read!

Thinking about leading with the why and how that can help me talk politics with my family. Here’s to hoping!

So so good. Has some religious stuff in it that triggers me a little from my past, but they make really great points about politics and how to live your values.

Step the first, learn about the issues at hand and how both sides view them. Don’t just blindly follow/agree with whichever party you consider yourself a part of. Good advice, know the issues, though I don’t really consider myself part of either party. I think most politicians are in it for themselves and not their constituents. I guess I lean more one way than the other, but I am not “ride or die” with them.

"Living in community with other people … is uncomfortable. We have ideas that test each other. We have vigorous and painful disagreements. Rather than being discouraged, we can recognize our discomfort, ease into it, and share the experience of being human together.”

“In many ways, the aspect of the story of Christ that we both find so compelling and relatable is God’s choice to experience the discomforts of being human as a sign of his love for us."

This book is full of gems including this working definition of grace: “infusing discussions with kindness and respect for no other reason than to uphold the dignity of our fellow humans.”
If you find yourself in frustrating, painful discussions on political issues you care deeply about and you want those conversations to be more meaningful and less painful, this book is for you.

This book is full of gems including this working definition of grace: “infusing discussions with kindness and respect for no other reason than to uphold the dignity of our fellow humans.”
If, somehow or another, you find yourself in frustrating, painful discussions on political issues you care deeply about and you want those conversations to be more meaningful and less painful, this book is for you.

Loving this SO MUCH. Should be required reading for civic engagement. Curious to check out their podcast.

Only 20 pages in but already so SO good.

Loving the specific ways they invite me as the reader into some serious introspection. Side note: I’m a bit surprised by the extent of the Christian perspective/references in the opening chapters but appreciate the authors’ explanation that a truly productive & vulnerable discussion of difficult political issues requires a firm examination of one’s values- which for Sarah & Beth is Christian faith.

I can’t believe I got an advanced copy! ....still time to pre-order the book. Pre-orders are SO important for new authors.

My only complaint about this book is that I AM HIGHLIGHTING 90% OF IT! It's so good. I gasped last night, turned to my husband and said, "This book is calling me out on my BS every stinking time I pick it up." The copy that I am reading is a digital ARC provided by the publisher to members of the launch team. I can't wait to receive my hard copy on pub day (February 5th!) and mark it up for much future reference.

It's lije reading the transcript of a reflective podcast episodes. I don't particularly care for the bible verses that start each concluding section with the discussion questions since I'm not big on religion, but that aspect/approach is true to their personal lives.