On Life at Home

fully, we almost lose him a few times each year,
and that’s a battle. But thankfully he always pulls
through, and as I said, he’s happy and positive.”
Throughout his life, Hugh has become a strong
believer in what he calls an incarnational ministry
in the community and he has written several books
on the subject, such as Flesh and The Tangible
Kingdom. And just now, on July 1st his latest book
‘Brimstone’, has been released. It has been somewhat
controversial. The book is loved by many but
hated by some, which is the reason we sought to
have an interview with Hugh to find out the details.
Hugh, before we go any further, would you first
of all care to explain the terms? On your website,
you are called an incarnational ministry
leader. What does that mean?
“Of course. The word incarnation means to
embody an idea. Jesus did that according to John
1:14. The Word became flesh. Jesus could have
stayed in Heaven and produced a Website on
earth and told us to just read about His doctrine,
but He didn’t do that. He became human. An incarnational
ministry is, therefore, a ministry that seeks
to make the message of Jesus come alive through
actual deeds. In a way it is mostly geared to pastors
as it is meant to encourage pastors to not just
stand behind a pulpit and preach, but to also go
out and find ways to embody the love of Christ in a
tangible way that the community can relate to. An
incarnational community is, therefore, a community
that doesn’t just study the Bible, but that will
live in the neighborhood as human to human and
thus make a difference.
Is that the main vision of Brimstone?
“You could say that. Brimstone is actually part two
of what I like to call an incarnational line of books
we wrote. The first one was called Flesh. I called
that book Flesh because of John 1:14.”
Brimstone has been loved by many, hated by
some. What’s going on?
“Yes. Some people love it, but there are others
who are calling for my head. But I am just trying
to be as faithful as I can to the message, the way I
see it. I suppose we have to let the chips fall where
they may. There’s been more buzz about this book
than about any other book I’ve written though, and
obviously it is a hot topic.”
What’s the fuzz?
“Why would a Christian writer who is trying to
encourage people to not just preach, but go out
and put love into action cause such controversy?
A visit to Hugh Halter’s website gives a clue. On
his site, we can read “Incarnational living takes
away all the lines in the sand that keep people from
being drawn to us and more importantly Jesus.”
Right underneath is a movie clip that deals with
the issue of how Jesus would treat the Gay couple
living right next door a Christian man. In the clip it
turns out the gay couple has also adopted a little
girl.
That is a hot issue today and has been for ages
within the church. Especially nowadays with the
issues about gay marriage and the watering down
of the moral values in society at large and the
question of how the church is to respond. Brimstone
argues that the pointing of the finger is
never God’s solution, but that we as humans all
too quickly resort to holding judgment over others
while the life of Jesus clearly shows a different
approach.”
These topics are clearly the reason for the
controversy, although Brimstone is not a book
in defense of the homosexual lifestyle. Any
words on that?
“Not at all. The Gay issue is merely an example
that is being used to point to a much deeper issue
that we as Christians do well to ponder. How well
are we doing in living out the truth that Jesus has
given us, rather than just talking about it and forcing
it upon the world around us? Brimstone also
does not come to condemn finger pointing, but
should be seen as a platform for deeper thought
and holy living.
But, it’s new ground for me too. There were even
times when I was writing the book and I was actually
wondering whether what I was writing was
really true. I ran my book by a lot of theologians as
I needed that support and the confirmation that my
viewpoints were valid.”
Although it is clear that God has a clear standard
of right and wrong, there is a danger for
us as Christians to fall into the trap of legalism,
by focusing too much on the black and white