Hundreds if not thousands of great events happen in the Christian community across North America every year. But nobody brings together a wider and wilder spectrum of people to engage with spirituality, art, and justice than Wild Goose. Amazing people contribute their music, curiosity, intelligence, energy, stories, talent, good cheer, passion for justice, and creative genius to produce four days that will easily become a highlight of your year. The outdoor setting, the fantastic food trucks, tents, campfires, impromptu jam sessions, and the presence of the holy make the Wild Goose Festival a delight, a joy, and a growing catalyst for goodness in the world. People who read my blog can use this code - WILDGOOSE13 - to get a 20% discount if you go here:http://wildgoosefestival.org/tickets
About race ...
It's time, folks, for North Americans - and especially North American Christians - to have long-resisted conversations about race. My friend Bruce Reyes-Chow has written a needed book on the subject.
And several friends from the Native American/First Nations communities contributed to this superb and important book, Buffalo Shout, Salmon Cry. I was honored to be a contributor as well.
It's time. These books are good on-ramps into this conversation.
Need a Father's Day Gift?
Here's a good one: a book called Men Pray to which I contributed.
Q & R: Was this original to you?
Here's the Q:
I thought of "The Story We Find Ourselves in" when I read this from Gregory of Nyssa Reminded me strongly of your description of Resurrected body as composite of every moment of the human's life, all remembered by God into existence . Did his work inspire yours, or were they just similar thoughts ?
Gregory wrote:
“But still the question remains: Is the state which we are to expect to be like the present state of the body? Because if so, then, as I was saying, men had better avoid hoping for any Resurrection at all. For if our bodies are to be restored to life again in the same sort of condition as they are in when they cease to breathe, then all that man can look forward to in the Resurrection is an unending calamity....”
“If, then, a particular man is not the same even as he was yesterday, but is made different by this transmutation, when so be that the Resurrection shall restore our body to life again, that single man will become a crowd of human beings, so that with his rising again there will be found the babe, the child, the boy, the youth, the man, the father, the old man, and all the intermediate persons that he once was.”
Here's the R: I hadn't heard of anyone talking about this ... but it's pretty encouraging to find that one has stumbled on one's own (so to speak) into an insight articulated by a great theologian centuries ago. Thanks for sharing this!
Links Roundup
A reader asks us to help with a worthy cause ...
Did you know three of your books are in an audio format specialized for the learning disabled, at LearningAlly.org? I have a learning disability and utilize the resources that LearningAlly provides. I hope you'll excuse my direct email to you, but I wanted to make a quick (and urgent) appeal. You have a widespread network ... and I know you care about social justice. This is a petition for LearningAlly, the nonprofit that provides books in audio format to those who learn differently, such as the blind and dyslexic ... Since I personally utilize the services this organization provides, I'm personally invested in it. But regardless of that, I still think LearningAlly is a vital resource for some of those on the margins of our society. ... Much love, Mr. McLaren. Keep it up. I pray and wish peace and blessings upon you. https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/side-blind-over-obstructionist-companies-secure-treaty-blind-makes-books-accessible-globally/ZJtgcVph
I'll be with the Network of Biblical Storytellers in August. What a fantastic group! Learn more here.
And Wild Goose - you should come in August. It's Wild:
I wish I could have been there ...
The Theology and Peace conference grappled with racism this year. Learn more here. Quotable from Tony Bartlett:
Black theology allied to Girardian theory shows us that the God of Jesus has always been with the black body suspended lynched and crucified on a tree. That’s the point, and it always was the point, and now the whole post-platonic community of Jesus is beginning to understand this, white and black. White because Jesus reveals the victim and undoes all the violence fastened upon him or her, and now the meaning of Christianity is not to get to an ethereal otherworld, but to transform the violent material existence of this one. Black because as James Cone wrote “’Calvary’…was (always) redemption from the terror of the lynching tree.” “Oh see my Jesus hanging high” Black Christians sang, and they knew that Jesus’ death already transformed their body terrors, and by extension those of all other human victims.
Lynchings are now faith, in the strange paradoxical, subversive language of the gospel, and they are faith for black and white alike. They are a faith which leaps beyond the dangling monster on the tree into a radical future of life. Because Jesus was the first monster: for the temple authorities—“He has blasphemed”; for the emperor—“There is no king but Caesar”; for the ungovernable crowd—“Crucify him!” But for the God who raised him from the dead he was the beloved Servant and Lord of creation, of a new creation without violence, without victims.
The Black body knew this truth, despite Anselm, despite Calvin, and before Girard. This for me was the great discovery of our conference. From now on Theology & Peace cannot go forward without the active participation and leadership of people of color. (This was already evident in the splendid election of Julia Robinson to our board!) The black body experience has become an icon and pathway for the transformative post-platonic Christian faith that we long to build.
Being made in God's image need not mean being made perfect before falling and being redeemed. Virtually Christian, which explains how humanity is continuing to evolve in heart and mind from our violent natures into the peace of Christ, and also The Joy of Being Wrong by James Alison, which explains how we cannot understand original sin except retrospectively from the vantage point of seeing the mess we are coming out of in the light of Jesus, helped me reach this understanding. There was no pristine humanity before Jesus from which we “fell”; rather, we are created to “rise” to Jesus. We are created with the potential to form and understand meaning and to be transformed by the meaning of Jesus. In fact, if Girard says that human consciousness was formed by an act of violence, but the absolutely nonviolent Jesus is the truly human one, then we're not done evolving... we're not fully human yet... we're still in the process of becoming, being transformed. We're evolving because of Christ into his body. This is how God is forming us in God's own image, and God's not finished with us yet... In the light of Christ we look back at all the violence we were and are still involved in and see that we are sinners, but we can only see this because we're on the way out.
Q & R: Mission agencies
Here's the Q:
Here is a question I have been wondering about and am personally interested in:
Which mission organizations today are theologically and missiologically compatible and supportive of your teachings and viewpoints?
Here's the R:
I'd LOVE to answer this question, but I am hesitant. Let me explain why.
I have close relationships with the leaders of several mission organizations. I know they are personally "compatible and supportive" (which doesn't mean 100% agreement on every issue, obviously). But I also know they have a wide constituency that includes people who do not consider themselves compatible and supportive (often, based on misunderstanding and misinformation). There are people who monitor this site and if I were to mention the names of some mission agencies that I consider supportive, they would use my "endorsement" to harm those organizations. So ... I think I'll defer, and hope you understand why.
Going to Carolina ...
I'll be in Hendersonville this weekend. If you're in the area, c'mon over. Details here.
Will Campbell
I didn't know him, but I started reading him when I was in college. And I liked him.
Oh, when I was a boy in Mississippi we claimed that we weren’t [creedal]. But we were. We said the Bible was our creed and made a fetish, an idol of the Bible. Which part of the Bible? Certainly not those parts where Ezekiel said, “She lusted after lovers whose genitals were like a mule’s genitals and whose ejaculations were like that of horses.” (That’s from Chapter 23 of Ezekiel, verse 20. I’m sure some of you want to grab that Gideon Bible when you get back to your room and check the text.)
I cite it here for more than comedic or melodramatic effect. The significance of that text for this gathering is that the prophet was addressing a group not too dissimilar to the neo-Baptists of our day. (And neo-Baptist would be a more accurate designation than Fundamentalist.) “Your genitals are like mule’s genitals.” If you grew up in the country as I did you know what God was saying through the prophet Ezekiel. A mule is a hybrid. Sterile. God was saying to that right-wing bunch, “Ha, you can’t even get it …” Well, never mind.
I was speaking to the state annual meeting of the ACLU in Mississippi not long ago. It was not a large gathering, which struck me as being odd for Baptist is the state church in Mississippi and the First Amendment was the idea of a couple of Baptist preachers. Anyway, some Baptists were protesting the gathering because the ACLU defends pornographers. It does, but it also defends Baptists, if it can find any, which isn’t easy to do these days. Anyway, I cited that passage and challenged the censors to burn that book because it contains hundreds of passages equally tempting to the aggressive scissors of censorship.
Q & R: Using New Kind of Christianity for a group study
he question has come up as to whether its necessary to study the whole book, in sequence. Some of the 10 questions are going to end up being more important (to us) than some of the others. It looks like we could take the first five questions in series, and then pick and choose from the final five as standalone issues for discussion.
What are your thoughts? I'm sure your initial reaction will be to 'read the whole book', but is it truly that inter-linked?
Thanks, and thanks for writing these inspiring books.
Here's the R:
I think you have a good plan. It's a good ideato work on the first five questions together - but then, for the second five, you can pick and choose in whatever order makes sense for you.
A reader writes: Sanest answers
I divorced the institutional church when I gradually came to believe its message as it is currently being preached was superior/exclusionary/hostile to those who do not self- identify as Christians. I have spent many years in the wilderness bereft of an understanding that resonates with what I have prayed the church could be, while still loving the church. I am currently reading Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha and Mohammad Cross the Road? I believe it offers the sanest answer yet to how the church can begin a return to the spirit of Christ. God bless you for your understanding, your love, your compassion, your scholarship and your effort in this.
Thanks for these encouraging words.
A generous impulse?
You can indulge a generous impulse today by helping Little LIghts, founded by my friend Steve Park in Washington, DC. Little Lights helps kids in one of DC's toughest neighborhoods. Learn more here.
links roundup
Here's something I wrote about my indebtedness to Walter Brueggemann. I've been thinking about that debt as I'm working on my upcoming book that should be published about a year from today. The title will be A Table, a Bible, Some Food, Some Friends: 52 Experiments in Spiritual (Re)Formation. It's an overview of the Bible and an introduction (or catechesis) to the Christian faith. It reflects Brueggemann's influence on many levels.
There's some important new work being done on the Christian teaching of the Trinity. Check out this book on worship and the Trinity (to which I contributed) ... and this new resource from Cynthia Bourgeault (which I endorsed).
I have searched your site for two days trying to find additional resources where I can learn more about what you wrote about in New Kind of Christianity regarding how to read the bible (library or Constitution?). I couldn't find any resources to read further on this. I even checked the notes section in the book. Can you offer any suggestions or send a link to a post on your blog?
I'd recommend you read books and blogs by Peter Enns, Derek Flood, Sylvia Keesmaat and Brian Walsh for starters, and of course, Walter Brueggemann. My next book will try to exemplify this ... I'm deep in the writing process now.
A reader writes ...
Hi, Brian - I greatly enjoyed your provocative presentation at the Festival of Homiletics today. I was put in mind of a song by Peter Mayer, a singer-songwriter in my Unitarian Universalist tradition, that I thought you would enjoy. It's called "the Birthday Party," and it concerns the aforementioned holy ones getting together to attend a birthday party for Jesus.
It's here . Another of Peter's songs that would speak, or sing to you, I think, is called "Everything is Holy Now." It's here
You are a great encouragement to those of us who are trying to build bridges among and between religious communities where they have been blown out, mostly a lack of imagination and commitment Never stop.
Thanks for the encouragement. I'm a big Peter Mayer fan, but I hadn't heard "Birthday Party." It's a treat when songs and books strike a synergy. Here's one you might like from Phil Madeira.
Achieving Respectful Disagreement: two good examples
A lot of us try to achieve agreement before we've reached disagreement.
Sometimes, we try to convince our counterparts who see things differently before we accurately understand the nature of our disagreement. In so doing, we often misjudge their line of thought, or deeper still, their motives.
Sometimes, we try to convince people who aren't yet thinking about an issue to take sides - with us - by caricaturing or mocking our opponents so their viewpoint doesn't even receive a fair hearing.
Both patterns are terribly common in religion and politics. It's always nice to see people bucking the trend. Here are two examples.
Jim Fletcher and I have been corresponding for a while both in private and in public. He and I see a lot of things quite differently. He wrote an article recently about the future of traditional Evangelical/fundamentalist approaches to biblical prophecy in which, I thought, he handled disagreement very well.
Erik Freiburger posted a response to a chapter from my book Naked Spirituality. In my chapter on gratitude, I talked about being grateful for capacities like sight, hearing, mobility, etc., and Erik responded as a person who was injured in a car accident 18 years ago.
It was a few nights ago though that after starting Brian McLaren’s new book ‘Naked Spirituality‘ that I came across a conversation he expressed having about gratitude that deeply disturbed me. I usually am greatly inspired by his writing which is why it took me back so much when reading it. Try as I might, the discontent would not leave so I thought it best to put pen to paper and express my thoughts in an open letter here.
Then he explains "In open truth, here I am, in a wheelchair, paralyzed as a quadriplegic after a car accident 18 years ago, reading this story, and what I’m hearing is you would rather do anything, including go as far into debt as possible, then become like me!"
At that point, if Erik's goal was to find and defeat an opponent, he could cast me as an uncaring, unempathetic, unenlightened clod and stir up one of the online skirmishes for which the world-wide internet webs have become so famous. Instead, he uses his response as an opportunity to instruct: "Will McLaren ever read it? I do not know but, I hope by verbalizing it we might all grow to find a deeper, more unconditional spirit of gratitude."
That spirit and motive for disagreement - not to mention its tone - is, to me, downright inspiring. In the referenced anecdote in my chapter on gratitude, I was indeed trying to help people find gratitude. I wasn't aware that my anecdote encouraged gratitude of a conditional nature. That may not be a bad place to start, but it has unintended consequences that I didn't think of when I was writing - but Erik did. So he didn't attack my motives or my intelligence. He simply added a new perspective that is truly important and worthwhile.
I have been helped by people disagreeing in this constructive and respectful way so many times in my life. I hope we can all go and do likewise.
links roundup
David Marks has a new blog ... www.GodisNotaGuy.com. The purpose is to promote the use of God-language that doesn't reinforce the idea that ... God is a guy.
You should know about the Global Immersion Project - They train people for the gritty, subversive, everyday work of peacemaking. Learn more here: http://theglobalimmersionproject.com
Dear Brian, you have written "Any definition of justice and holiness that involves being unsatisfied unless the imperfect are suffering seems to many of us as unworthy of a human being and if so, how much more unworthy of God whose justice must be better than our own." Should Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson ( Matthew Shepard's murderers) be set free and welcomed back into society?
Here's the R:
I'm not sure how to interpret the tone - or the purpose - of your question. If you're asking whether it's possible for a wrongdoer to be incarcerated to protect others from harm, without intending malice or revenge toward the wrongdoer, I would say yes, it's possible, but terribly difficult and rare. That's why we have created court systems and juries ... so that the community seeks to carry out justice in relation to law and the common good, not as an act of malice or revenge.The primary goals of incarceration, in an ideal world, I think, would be a) to keep a habitually destructive person from wreaking more havoc, b) to rehabilitate the destructive person whenever possible, and c) to provide clear and predictable consequences for unacceptable behavior. Some crimes impress us as being so serious and heinous that we think b) is impossible, so we default to a) with a sentence of life in prison without parole.
I'm sorry, but I'm not knowledgeable enough about the McKinney and Henderson cases to render an opinion.
I wonder, though, if your question is aimed more at the context from which that statement came, which, if I recall correctly, was about God not being able to rest unless any and all imperfections that God has chosen not to forgive are being punished with eternal conscious torment. Fortunately, no human has that capacity for infinite punishment, and fortunately, God is more gracious than human beings. At least, that's how I understand God. And that's why I trust God ... I hope that helps!
I'm really looking forward to being interviewed for On Being with Krista Tippett at Wild Goose Festival this summer. I hope you'll come!
A reader writes: an (un)sinner's prayer
I just finished a chapter in your book and I couldn't help but think that in the evangelical tradition we need an (un) sinners prayer. Perhaps it would sound something like this:
I have become aware that the path I am on is not at all what you had in mind. It turns out that this path has led to decisions and consequences that have negatively affected my life, those who are close to me, those I hardly know and has even contributed to the problems in the culture at large. I have decided to pursue a new path, one that is more in line with what I am learning God had in mind. But, I can not do this alone, I will need the help of others who can give me perspective and help me in my journey.
Thanks. This might help someone today!
A reader writes: changing on homosexuality
A reader writes ...
i am, more or less, an all-the-things-you-wrote-about Christian in "a generous orthodoxy" and more, or less ... desirous of being more like Christ.
i loved that book, which i read 6 or 7 years ago. since "life-changing" is an over-used phrase which makes me cringe... i will say your book was transforming ... as it renewed my mind and refreshed my spirit so tremendously. thank you.
today, one of my sweet daughters is a beautiful adult woman, and in a same-sex relationship. like you, the Lord had been working on my heart regarding this subject years before she was and years before i knew of it. yet, when it hit home, i was hurt, grieved, ashamed, fearful, confronted, behaved religiously. since then i have repented, and am now "in transition" ... for lack of a better description.
... i have asked God to teach me about the subject of sex and fornication many times over many years for many reasons. i do not believe homosexuality to be the abomination that the Christian church, at large, condemns; nor do i see some very loving, committed to Christ and loyal to each other heterosexual, unmarried relationships as sinful as most preachers preach. in the Christian community in which i live, my family and friends, i am alone on this issue. if and when i state my views, people think i have "softened" (compromised) due to my daughter's involvement and that i am deceived. as i stated above, the holy spirit convicted me regarding this subject long before that, yet i reacted hypocritically at first, to my own dismay. i do not condemn myself for that as i believe God is in me and with me, even in that ... to bring me to where i am today and to where He is preparing to take me.
lovingly yours, in Christ,
Thanks for sharing your story. As I initially read it, I imagined two scenarios.
The first unfolds back in the 1960's or early 1970's in an American Evangelical church:
... today, one of my sweet daughters is a beautiful adult woman, and she recently married a previously divorced man. like you, the Lord had been working on my heart regarding this subject years before she was in this relationship. yet, when it hit home, i was hurt, grieved, ashamed, fearful, confronted, behaved religiously. since then i have repented, and am now "in transition" ... for lack of a better description.
... i have asked God to teach me about the subject of divorce and remarriage many times over many years for many reasons. i do not believe divorce to be the abomination that the Christian church, at large, condemns; nor do i see some very loving, committed to Christ and loyal to each other second-marriages as sinful as most preachers preach. in the Christian community in which i live, my family and friends, i am alone on this issue. if and when i state my views, people think i have "softened" (compromised) due to my daughter's involvement and that i am deceived. as i stated above, the holy spirit convicted me regarding this subject long before that, yet i reacted hypocritically at first, to my own dismay. i do not condemn myself for that as i believe God is in me and with me, even in that ... to bring me to where i am today and to where He is preparing to take me.
The second unfolds back in the 1950's in a Southern state in the US, with you as a Caucasian Christian parent:
... today, one of my sweet daughters is a beautiful adult woman, and in an inter-racial marriage. like you, the Lord had been working on my heart regarding this subject years before she was in this relationship. yet, when it hit home, i was hurt, grieved, ashamed, fearful, confronted, behaved religiously. since then i have repented, and am now "in transition" ... for lack of a better description.
... i have asked God to teach me about the subject of race and discrimination many times over many years for many reasons. i do not believe inter-racial dating to be the abomination that the Christian church, at large, condemns; nor do i see some very loving, committed to Christ and loyal to each other inter-racial marriages as sinful as most preachers preach. in the Christian community in which i live, my family and friends, i am alone on this issue. if and when i state my views, people think i have "softened" (compromised) due to my daughter's involvement and that i am deceived. as i stated above, the holy spirit convicted me regarding this subject long before that, yet i reacted hypocritically at first, to my own dismay. i do not condemn myself for that as i believe God is in me and with me, even in that ... to bring me to where i am today and to where He is preparing to take me.
No two situations are perfectly analogous, of course. This kind of argument-by-anology doesn't prove anything decisively, and good people still see this issue differently and will for quite a while. But the parallels are provocative.
A new resource integrating moves from Yoga, Tai Chi, and Chi Gong with Christian Spirituality
"My God, I pray better to you by breathing.
I pray better to you by walking than by talking."
-Thomas Merton (Dialogues with Silence)
A few years ago I wrote a book called Naked Spirituality. I tried to write a book on the spiritual life that I wish someone could have given me thirty or forty years ago.
In it, I tried to strip away superficial layers to get to twelve essential practices or postures of the heart. The book has been warmly received, and I continue to hear about churches, classes, retreat centers, spiritual directors, and others who are finding it a helpful resource. (Readers have been sharing their own creative resources in response to the book here.)
Shortly after the book came out, I had a conversation with my friends Bob and Suzanne Jackson. Suzanne is a widely-respected opera singer and yoga instructor. She has worked with notables like Placido Domingo, helping them use yoga and related disciplines to improve their art.
Suzanne and I started talking about Naked Spirituality and how the twelve simple words in the book could be fused with movement to help people move from "wordy prayer" towards simple prayer ... body prayer ... and wordless prayer.
We started dreaming up a series of videos that would help people integrate body movement and deepening heart-postures of prayer. We found a gorgeous location and started working on a script that help both people who had read the book and people who hadn't. We set aside several days to video me introducing the postures of the heart while Suzanne presents the bodily movement.
You could ...
1. Use the videos to accompany the Naked Spirituality book in your book club or study group
2. Begin your home group with ten minutes of movement each week
3. Explore them with your youth group
4. Introduce children to movement as a way of prayer and inner composure
5. Make these movements a part of your daily practice each morning or evening.
6. Introduce simple body prayer on a retreat or even in a worship service
7. Use as a short family devotional time
8. Introduce them at your local yoga studio as a way of integrating movement and prayer
Christians have always used their bodies in prayer - sitting quietly, standing, kneeling, raising hands, even lying prostrate. It's exciting now to see a greater integration of more thoughtful bodily movement with contemplative Christian spirituality, especially creating an atmosphere that is hospitable to people from a wide variety of religious or nonreligious backgrounds. We hope you'll find Twelve Simple Words to be meaningful in your own life - and a resource to share with others.
Open Letter to Worship Leaders (Revised)
Several years ago, I wrote an open letter for worship songwriters and leaders. It appeared in Worship Leader magazine and was widely distributed. It seemed like time for an update (especially in light of the "Liturgical Challenge" section of my most recent book) ... Feel free to pass it on to a worship leader or songwriter you know and love:
An Open Letter to Worship Songwriters (2013) (by Brian D. McLaren, www.brianmclaren.net)
Greetings, fellow songwriters, fellow worshippers, fellow leaders in worship, fellow musician/artists, and fellow Christians who are working for deep renewal in Christian faith, identity, life and mission:
For about seven years now, I have been writing and speaking “on the road” full time, speaking to Christian leaders from across the denominational spectrum, from Africa to Asia to Europe to Latin America to the North America. For twenty-four years before that, I served as a church planter and pastor serving a church that committed itself to grapple with the rapidly changing culture we often refer to as "emerging" - postmodern, post-colonial, post-industrial, post-nationalist, post-communist, and so on.
There are no maps to guide us in this adventure – nobody can offer a $39.95 package that will get you through the postmodern transition if five easy steps. We only know we’re on a quest to honor God and follow Jesus, in the power of the Holy Spirit, rooted in the Scriptures and educated by our rich (and checkered) Christian tradition. We find ourselves in a story very much like the children of Israel did when they left Egypt and crossed the Sea into the unknown wilderness. We’re trusting that a God-sent cloud-pillar and fire-cloud will guide us by day and night.
In my travels, I have the opportunity to be with hundreds of worship teams, bands, and leaders, and have spent hundreds of hours being led in worship - from high liturgical to store-front Pentecostal, from "under a tree" indigenous to rock-concert-megachurch, from house church with a lone guitar to cathedral with a massive pipe organ and a mass choir. There are many observations and affirmations I could imagine sharing with you who are worship leaders based on my experience. But one request stands out: a request for the songwriters among us to explore and then lead us into some new lyrical/spiritual territory.
One still hears a lot of complaints about lame music, trite and repetitive lyrics, theological shallowness, etc., etc., in the world of contemporary Christian music. Some of these complaints come from people who secretly wish we would go back to singing hymns like they did back in the -50’s (18- or 19-, your pick). I am not interested in complaining, and I have more interest in what will be in the 2050's than in what was in the 1950's (the decade of my birth). My concern has to do with substance, because for all the musical changes (pipe organs to rock bands) and lyrical changes (traditional hymns to worship choruses), what we're singing - the content - hasn't changed much, except, perhaps, to be condensed or reduced.
Whether we're vocalizing in traditional four-part harmony or singing and swaying to a solid rock and roll beat, we're still generally celebrating the same basic theology that emerged in American frontier revivalism, or in British revivalism before that, or in the Reformation and Puritan eras still earlier. That theology served well (some irony is intended in that word "well") during the time of European colonialism and industrial-era exploitation of the planet. By and large it didn't disturb slavery or segregation or apartheid. It left public this-wordly life largely undisturbed while concentrating our private life on the afterlife, and on issues of guilt and forgiveness, hell and heaven, damnation and redemption.
Many of us have been going back to the Scriptures and allowing them to critique our theology. We have become convinced that there is more going on from Genesis to Revelation than the revelation of "the sinner's prayer" and "the Roman Road," or TULIP or this or that set of denominational distinctives. We have gotten a fresh vision of Jesus and his gospel of the kingdom (or reign, commonwealth, community, or ecosystem) of God.
That understanding of the gospel teaches us not to fear death. It infuses the afterlife with both hope. But it also gives us a sense of heightened accountability for how we live this life - in relation to the poor and marginalized, our enemies, future generations, and our fellow creatures in God's world. It proclaims good news of great joy, not just for "people like us," but for all people and all creation. Yes, it celebrates the holiness and joy of "one day in God's courts," but it also celebrates the holiness and joy of all of life, all work, all creation. Yes, it holds out a great future when "I'll fly away" and "the circle will be unbroken" in heaven. But it also celebrates a meaningful present when "I'll get involved" in the work of healing our broken circle on earth.
In short, it is a gospel of transformation and incarnation, not evacuation and abdication. We need songs and other liturgical elements that celebrate this powerful, holistic, integral, missional gospel.
Songwriters and worship leaders who only want to respond to market demands will be kept busy helping people rejoice within existing theological paradigms. That is good and needed work, I suppose. But we need more songwriters and worship leaders who will play a key spiritual role in the articulation and celebration of this more holistic theology in and among a new generation of worshipers.
Sadly, as I have sat in scores of venues listening (and usually participating in) extended times of worship around the world, I have sensed that our song lyrics are usually keeping us happy in the sanctuary of the status quo. They give us a kind of sugary theological chewing gum - keeping us busy without adding much in the way of nourishment. They are in some ways holding us back - repackaging some highly problematic theology in hipper camouflage.
Let me make this specific: Too many of our lyrics are embarrassingly personalistic, as if the whole gospel revolved around "Jesus and me." Personal intimacy with God is a priceless gift indeed, and such a wonderful step above a cold, abstract, wooden recitation of dogma. But it isn’t the whole story. In fact – this might shock some – it isn’t necessarily the main point of the story. A popular worship song I've heard in many venues says that worship is “all about You, Jesus.” But apart from that line, it really feels like worship and Christianity in general have become “all about me, me, me,” or maybe "us, us, us" (where us = privileged spiritual consumers in the Western religious industrial complex).
If you doubt what I’m saying, listen next time you’re singing in worship. It’s about how Jesus forgives me/us, embraces me/us, makes me/us feel his presence, strengthens me, forgives me, holds me close, touches me, revives me, etc., etc. Now this is all fine. But if an extraterrestrial outsider from Mars were to observe us, I think he would say either a) that these people are all mildly dysfunctional and need a lot of hug therapy (which is ironic, because they are among the most affluent in the world, having been materially blessed in every way more than any group in history), or b) that they don’t give a rip about the rest of the world, that their religion/spirituality makes them as selfish as anyone else, but just in spiritual things rather than material ones.
I don’t think either of these indictments are as true as they would sound to a Martian observer; rather, I think that we songwriters keep writing songs like these because we think that’s what people want and need. The scary thing is that even though I don’t think these indictments are completely true … they could become more true unless we take some corrective action and look for a better balance.
It’s embarrassing to admit, but some of us are thinking right now, “If spiritual songwriting is not about deep, personal intimacy with God, what else is there?” Let me offer a list of Biblical themes I think we would do well to explore in our lyrics:
1. You’ll be surprised to hear me say “eschatology” first – and let me assure you that I don’t mean putting the latest apocalyptic novel to music. By eschatology (which means study of the end or goal towards which the universe moves), I mean the Biblical vision of God’s future which is pulling us toward itself. For many of you, raised like me in late-modern eschatologies, you’ll be surprised to hear that there is a whole new approach to eschatology emerging. This approach doesn’t indulge in future-telling charts or shaky predictions. Rather, it bathes itself in the Biblical poetry of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Revelation … poetry which, when it enters us, plants in us a vision of a world very much different from and better than ours. And when this hope grows and takes root in us, we become agents of it.
What joy I can imagine being expressed in songs that capture the spirit of Isaiah 9:2-7, 25:6-9, 35:1-10, 58:5-14! Who will write those songs?
They need to be written, because people need hope. They need a vision of a good future on earth as in heaven. They need their imaginations set afire with hopeful images of the celebration, peace, justice, and wholeness towards which our dismal, conflicted, polluted, and fragmented world must move. This is much, much bigger than songs about me being evacuated to heaven with Jesus, leaving the earth to be destroyed.
Dig into those passages, songwriters … and let your heart be inspired to write songs of hope, songs of vision, songs that lodge in our hearts a dream of the future that has been too long forgotten … the dream of God’s kingdom coming, and God’s will being done on earth as it is in heaven. Write songs about polluted rivers running clear again, about smokestacks giving way to wind generators, about drones, assault weapons, and bullets being melted down and recast as playgrounds, plows, and trumpets. Write songs about people waging peace, about land thieves returning lands, about the seas being full of fish again, about farmland being cherished rather than plundered, about the rich using their wealth to create opportunity for others rather than hoarding it for themselves. Write songs about slums becoming joyful communities, about polar bears and sea turtles making a comeback (for they too, are beloved by their Creator), about forests and valleys and coral reefs being cherished as God's original temples.
2. You may be equally surprised to hear me suggest that we need songs of mission. Many of us believe that a new, larger sense of mission is the key element needed as we move into the future. We're not just talking about missions, and not just evangelism, but mission – participating in the mission of God, the kingdom of God, which is so much bigger and grander than our little schemes of organizational self-aggrandizement.
Jesus came not to be served, but to serve … and as he was sent, so he sent us into the world. The very heart of our identity as followers of Christ must not be that we are the people who have been chosen to be blessed, saved, rescued, and blessed some more. This is a half-truth heresy that our songs currently root more and more deeply in our people. No, the heart of our identity is that we are the people who have been blessed (as was Abraham) to be a blessing, blessed so that we may convey blessing to the world, blessed not to the exclusion of others but for the blessing and benefit of all.
For many of us, the world exists for the church. It is like a strip mine, and people are mined out of it to build the church, which is the only thing that really matters. It's time for us to acknowledge that this kind of image is disgusting. It mirrors the raping and plundering of the environment by our modern industrial enterprises. In it, the church is another industry, another mega-corporation, taking and exploiting for its own profit.
How different is the image of the church as the apostolic (or missional) community, sent into the world as Christ’s hands, feet, eyes, smile, heart. We need songs that celebrate this missional dimension – good songs, and many!
For inspiration, we have to again go back to Scripture, and read the prophets, and the gospels, and engage their heart for the poor, the needy, the broken. Shouldn’t these themes be expressed in song? Don’t they deserve that dignity? Remember Colossians 3,where Paul talks about singing the teachings of Christ to one another in songs of the spirit?
3. You may be equally surprised to hear me recommend that we re-discover historic Christian spirituality and express it in our lyrics. There is a wealth of historic spiritual writings, including many beautiful prayers from the pre-modern era, that are crying for translation into contemporary song. Every era in history has rich resources to offer, from the Patristic period to the Celtic period to the Puritan period. On every page of Thomas a Kempis, in every prayer of the great medieval saints, right up to the work of Walter Rauschenbusch, Karl Barth, and Dr. King, there is inspiration waiting for us. When we look at the repetitive and formulaic lyrics that millions of Christians are singing these days (because that’s what we’re writing, folks), the missed opportunity is heartbreaking. These “alien voices” will stretch our hearts and enrich them immeasurably … and eventually, these voices will become the voices of friends, of brothers and sisters, because that is what they are – if we invite them into our worship through songs.
4. You will likely be less surprised to hear me say that we need songs that are simply about God … songs giving God the spotlight, so to speak, for God as God, God’s character, God’s glory, God's beauty, God's wonder and mystery, not just congratulating God for the great job God is doing at making me feel good. And similarly, we need songs that celebrate what God does for the world – the whole world – not just for me, or us. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, read the Psalms, because they love to celebrate what the Lord does for the whole earth, not just the people of Israel.
Many of the songs we need will also celebrate God as Creator … an important theme in Scripture, but not for most of our churches. We have lacked a good creation theology in the modern era, and we need songwriters/artists and theologians to join together in the emerging culture to celebrate God as God of creation, not only 14.7 billion years ago (or whenever) but today, now … "Lord of the starfields" (as one of my favorite songwriters put it), the God who knows the sparrows that fall, whose glory still flashes in the lightning bolt, whose kindness still falls like the morning dew, whose mysteries are still imaged in the depths of the ocean and the vast expanse of the night sky.
While we're at it, how about we find ways to stop reducing God to maleness? The God of Scripture is imaged by male and female alike, but sadly, many of our hymns and contemporary songs reinforce God as a male-only deity. We can start by acknowledging - as Scripture does - that both a mother's and father's love image God's love. And we can continue by learning to avoid male pronouns in referring to our majestic Creator. You don't have to make a big deal about it. You can just do it.
5. I should also mention songs of lament. The Bible is full of songs that wail, the blues but even bluer, songs that feel the agonizing distance between what we hope for and what we have, what we could be and what we are, what we believe and what we see and feel. The honesty is disturbing, and the songs of lament don’t always end with a happy Hallmark-Card-Precious-Moments cliché to try to fix the pain. Sometimes I think we’re already a little too happy, excessively happy on a superficial level: the only way to become more truly and deeply happy is to become sadder, by feeling the pain of the chronically ill, the desperately poor, the mentally ill, the lonely, the aged and forgotten, the oppressed minority, the widow and orphan. (In a recent book, Naked Spirituality, I explain this lack of lament in terms of stunted spiritual development, and I try to center a constructive understanding of spiritual pain in the simple words when?, no!, and why?)
This pain must find its way into song, and these songs must find their way into our churches. The bitter will make the sweet all the sweeter. Without the bitter, the sweet can become cloying, which is why too many of our churches feel, I think, like Candyland. Is it too much to ask that we be more honest? Since doubt is part of our lives, since pain and waiting and as-yet unresolved disappointment are part of our lives, can’t these things be reflected in the songs of our communities? Doesn’t endless singing about celebration lose its vitality (and even its credibility) if we don’t also sing about the struggle?
6. We need to explore fresh and deeper understandings of the gospel - Jesus' gospel. Many of us were raised in contexts that reduced Jesus' gospel to a theory of atonement. We were largely unaware that Jesus' gospel was the good news of the kingdom of God available now, to all, starting with the least, the last, and the lost. Our gospel was a sinners'-prayer gospel, a sin-management quick/easy/convenient free-ticket-to-heaven gospel, a gospel that (to quote the inimitable Dallas Willard) wanted Jesus for his blood and little else. We marginalized Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and selected instead a string of convenient out-of-context texts from Romans, with maybe a verse or two from John (also taken out of context) thrown in. The result was a formulaic gospel that focused on forgiveness and stopped there.
That's like getting a bunch of runners at the starting line. The starting gun goes off and they step across the line and start dancing and celebrating for starting the race.
We have thousands of songs - Puritan and Victorian to "contemporary" - that celebrate this reduced gospel. They do so with great passion and finesse, because that was the best or only understanding of the gospel available to them. But now, as we go back to the Scriptures and grapple with deeper, wider, and more integral understandings of the gospel, we need songwriters to dare to celebrate new understandings in song. How can we sing about the cross in its full range of earth-shaking New Testament meaning? How can we sing about Jesus' death, burial, resurrection, and ascension outside the confines of a reduced gospel? How can we rediscover the gospel - not as a new way to appease a hostile God, but as a new understanding of God as gracious, not needing appeasement, who calls us into a new way of life characterized by reconciliation, inclusion, service, and peacemaking? The best critique of the old is a better celebration of the new, and we need talented songwriters to do the hard work of pioneering that celebration.
7. Finally, we need songs that are occasional - for important occasions in community life. We need more great eucharistic songs (keeping #6 in mind), more great gathering and departing songs, more songs that support "entering God's gates with thanksgiving" and more songs that support intercessory prayer. We need great songs for baptisms, great songs for benedictions, great songs for funerals, great songs for births.
In this process, we need to preserve everything good in our tradition. Sometimes, that might mean keeping a familiar and beloved tune and providing new lyrics. Sometimes that might mean substituting a single word or a single verse. Sometimes it will mean dropping a verse that is problematic, preferably with a footnote and explanation. (Take, for example, this frightful lyric from the otherwise-beautiful hymn "All Things Bright and Beautiful": "The rich man in his castle,/The poor man at his gate,/He made them high or lowly/and ordered their estate." Sounds like it's right out of a Charles Dickens novel, the kind of verse Scrooge would sing with gusto. It was removed from most hymnals decades ago.)
In closing, I'd like to offer a few stylistic observations and requests.
First, is it not time to fully and finally get over King James English in our new lyrics, even if we choose to retain it in our old? Enough said.
Second, may I suggest that we be careful about using gratuitous Biblical language – Zion, Israel, go forth, on high, etc., etc.? If there is a good reason to use such language – in other words, if we are using it intentionally, not just for a “spiritual feel,” then fine. Otherwise, if we can find contemporary language and imagery that would communicate more crisply, poignantly, immediately, and deeply to people who don’t already have a lot of pew time … then let’s use it, in the spirit of I Corinthians 14, where intelligibility to the spiritual seeker is a gospel virtue.
Third, in an era of Quran-burnings, terrorism, and counter-terrorism, is it wise to perpetuate in our songs the language of warfare and hostility? I know such language is common in both the Bible and our tradition. No doubt there is a time and place to talk about that imagery (properly transformed within the gospel). But remember: warfare imagery sounded very different on the lips of a tiny Middle Eastern Bronze-Age minority than it does on the lips of the most heavily-armed and nuclear-capable nation in the history of history. These days I consider it irresponsible to use warfare language that can easily be co-opted by political forces that don't distinguish between spiritual warfare and flesh-and-blood, bullet-and-bomb warfare. We all need a strong dose of Sermon-on-the-Mount peaceableness right about now, don't you agree?
The same goes for language that dehumanizes the other - terms like "the lost," "the nations," "the unsaved," and so on. If we're not careful, these words turn us into smug insiders and render others depersonalized outsiders, which is all the more tragic and ironic when we claim to follow a leader who identified with the outsiders.
Fourth, musically, am I the only one wishing for more rhythmic variety? Why is it that I am being blessed so much by creative drummers and percussionists wherever I go?
Fifth, can our worship leaders enrich the musical experience by reading Scripture, great prayers of the historic church, creeds, confessions, and poems over musical backgrounds? Whether or not you appreciate rap music, it’s trying to tell us something about the abiding power of the spoken word, the well-chosen spoken word that is. (I think you'll agree that we have far too many less-than-well-chosen spoken words already.
And speaking of confessions and creeds ... is it time to confess in contemporary terms what we most poignantly regret and what we most sincerely believe?
And finally, can our lyricists start reading more good poetry, good prose, so they can be sensitized to the powers of language, the grace of a well-turned phrase, the delight of a freshly discovered image, the prick or punch or caress or jolt that is possible if we wrestle a little harder and stretch a little farther for the word that really wants to be said from deep within us? Sadly, while many of our songs have better and better music, but the lyrics still feel like “cliché train” – one linked to another, with a monotonous recycling of plastic language and paper triteness.
When I wrote a version of this letter several years ago, things were much worse than they are now. Many creative songwriters have been making important breakthroughs in recent years (thanks be to God!). But we still have a long way to go, which opens up lots of opportunities for creative leaders ... like you.
Thanks for considering these things. I hope this letter will contribute to an important and ongoing conversation, and I hope it will stimulate creativity too.
Someone recently asked me to "define me" in response to the following quote about some friends of mine and me.
“But their answers have often lacked the substance on which we can live, and what goes by the name of ‘emerging church’ now appears to have settled into another version of mainline Christianity.”
I thought I'd add two comments. First, on Mainline Christianity.
In my most recent book on Christian identity in a multi-faith world, I explore how groups typically build identity among "us" through hostility to "them." In my experience, many Evangelicals and Mainliners know who they are largely through hostility to one another: "We are not-them," or even "We are anti-them." (Maybe as Protestants, they needed each other in this way after the Protestant feud with Catholicism ran its course.)
On both sides, I sense some hardening of those us-them categories - and on both sides, more and more people are seeking to re-engage with generous voices "on the other side." For example, you would be hard-pressed to find among younger Evangelical pastors a bookshelf (at home, if not at the office) that doesn't include books by Walter Brueggemann, Barbara Brown Taylor, Fred Buechner, Diana Butler Bass, etc., if not also Marcus Borg, Dom Crossan, Jack Spong, or Sally McFague. And there wouldn't be too many Mainline bookshelves that didn't include something by Don Miller, Rob Bell, Bill Hybels, N. T. Wright, Scot McKnight, or Rachel Held Evans.
If I could get one message through to so called "conservative" Christians about so-called "liberal" mainliners, I would ask them to look at this list:
Opposing enslavement of Native Peoples during the colonial era
Opposing colonialism in general
Abolition of slavery
Ending racial segregation
Promoting affirmative action regarding racial equality
Equal rights for women
Opposing elective wars
Defending free scientific inquiry about the "shape" of the universe
Defending free scientific inquiry about the age of the earth
Defending free scientific inquiry about biological evolution
Promoting environmental responsibility
Defending a safety net for poor
Promoting interfaith understanding
Seeking equality for LGBTQ people
On every one of these issues, the conservative Christian majority of their era - Catholic, Protestant, etc. - took the wrong side. On every one. On every one of these issues, a progressive Christian minority took the right side. Every one. Sometimes I think we should define a conservative as someone who agrees with progressives 50 years late. I think we're somewhere into that 50-year process on LGBTQ issues at the moment.
So I would say that if you're Evangelical, rather than looking with disdain on your Mainline brothers and sisters, try some humility. It changes your perspective. (And when I speak to Mainliners about Evangelicals, I say the same thing, because I could create another list - perhaps I will - about issues/practices/values where Evangelicals have led the way or held moral high ground - a balance Rachel Held Evans struck perfectly in a recent blog, I think. BTW - I'm aware that many mainliners aren't progressive, and some evangelicals are progressive. Again, as has been said, labels have a purpose, but they also carry lots of imprecision.)
I was recently in a conversation where all of the participants were bona-fide Evangelicals (with the possible exception of me, depending on whom you ask), and all of the participants were African American, Latin American, Asian American, and Native American, except me. Several of them said something like this, in several ways, at several points in the conversation: "The center of resistance to our well-being and full inclusion as minorities in America, along with the well-being of the planet's ecology, lies in American Evangelicalism." I was stunned by their candor.
I never set out to leave Evangelicalism. I simply wanted to ask the questions I couldn't help but ask and tell the truth as I saw it about some of these things. I'm glad that I was welcomed by Mainliners. And wherever Evangelicals want me around, I'm glad and honored to be there. And the same goes for Catholics and others too.
So I'm not bothered if people want to say I've "gone Mainline." Some would say Mainliners have low enough standards to accept me, and others would say they have more space, grace, and welcome ...
Second, on "the emerging church." This is a term I have generally avoided, depending on who's using it and why. As I explain in my most recent book, many of us are trying to figure out which adjectives to add in front of the problematized noun "Christian." For some, it's born again, for others it's Spirit-filled, and for others, it's born-again-Spirit-filled-Bible-believing. For others it's progressive, or Anabaptist, or missional, or Vatican II Catholic, or whatever. The subtitle of A Generous Orthodoxy pretty much proves that I don't have an easy solution to the problem. I think the term "Emergence Christianity" steers in a good direction, as does "Convergence Christianity," but sometimes I think the problem is with the noun, not the adjectives. Lately, I try to speak of "Christian faith" instead of "Christianity" for reasons that might be obvious or might not. Anyway, I can work with a lot of adjectives and am interested in building bridges to common ground, not erecting walls and fences to keep others at bay.
I never liked the way "emerging church" felt like yet another market sector, and I suspected that in that word "church" there still were a lot of unexamined assumptions hiding like stowaways. My hope is that from the conversations of recent decades, something bigger and more beautiful and dynamic is emerging than we have yet seen ... or labeled.
The only other thing I'd add ... what concerned me most in the quote wasn't what it infers about "mainline" or "emerging", but this: "... their answers have often lacked substance on which we can live." I suppose we all have differing criteria for substance ... but I know, for me, my life as a pastor and now as a writer has been about a quest for "substance on which to live." So if somebody feels I haven't arrived there yet to the degree they have, they can at least take comfort that my quest continues.
Q & R: Hades, hell, etc.
Here's the Q:
I've read quite a few of your books... I'd like to espouse your cause
but have honest questions. Jesus in Luke 16:19-31 speaks of "hades"
or hell. He speaks of Abraham as saying (verses 29 & 31) that people
have Moses and the prophets relating to this. So how can you say that
the concept of hell in Christendom is a result of it being high jacked
by the Greco/Roman philosophy?
One brief comment. Whatever that passage teaches, it does not teach that the only way to go to heaven is by believing in a Christian atonement theory. It does not teach that the only way to avoid hell is through adherence to a certain religion or creed. It does not teach that the sinner's prayer will lead to heaven. If it teaches anything (in a literalistic sense), it is that rich people go to hell and poor people go to heaven, or that people who are lacking in compassion for the poor go to hell and the poor they are careless toward go to heaven. So ... if people want to take the passage literally, they should teach what it plainly teaches.
I don't believe Jesus is teaching us about the geography or ontology of hades/hell in this passage, any more than I believe he is teaching about being able to communicate across the "chasm" between heaven and hell. I believe he is teaching us that the living God is deeply concerned about the way we treat the poorest and most vulnerable among us. Any way of interpreting the text that takes us away from that central moral summons is, I think, a colossal adventure in missing the point.
Caring for the poor is what Moses and the prophets emphasized - as, for example, Deuteronomy 15 and Isaiah 58 make clear.
I know that differs from what many have been taught, but I think it's pretty hard to reach any other conclusion when you approach the texts reverently and without preconceived conclusions in mind.
Q & R: Jihad?
Here's the Q:
What, in your understanding, is jihad?
Here's the R:
My Muslim friends tell me that in Arabic, the word means "struggle." It can mean a private internal struggle - or it can mean an external social, physical, or military struggle. In that way, the word is a lot like "crusade" in English. You can have a crusade against violence - or a violent crusade against an enemy. When Billy Graham used the word, he had something very different in mind from Pope Urban II.
I think conservative Christians who use the term "spiritual warfare" will have a sense of what many Muslims mean by "jihad." In both religions, sadly, warfare language that is metaphorical can easily be "literalized" and "weaponized" by violent leaders.
That's why in all my most recent books, I've written a lot about violence in religion. I think it's time for us to firmly and decisively repudiate religious violence. The differences between this religion and that are important and meaningful, but the differences between violent and peaceable varieties within each religion demand focused attention by us all.
Thanks to all who responded yesterday ...
... to my request for help.If you can't help at this time, you might know someone who can ... it would be great if you could forward the request to them. Over the weekend I'll be responding to all who reply. Again, thanks. Response has been truly gratifying.
A great piece from Southern Baptist Ed Stetzer. May more and more people share the generous spirit he articulates here. Quotable:
Don't be so lazy to assume that the worst of a group represents the entire group. They hardly ever do. Perhaps a better idea is to meet them, learn about them and treat them as your neighbor.
A few months ago, I spoke in Memphis and met the good people of Church Health Center. If you're looking for a fascinating embodiment of the oft-used but seldom-defined term missional, I'd say these folks are a great place to start. On staff there is Stacy Smith - a gifted leader and the co-author of a book I really enjoyed, suitable for clergy of any gender: Bless Her Heart: Life as a Young Clergy Woman.
My friend Shane Claiborne wrote a powerful piece about the death penalty recently. It makes an obvious connection between that issue and a well-known Bible story - one I had never recognized. Read it here. Shane introduced me to Heather Beaudoin and the work of EJUSA, a group drawing attention to one of the most under-acknowledged justice issues in America. You can learn more and sign a related petition here.
Sheldon Good contributes to a thoughtful and challenging article on terrorism and US foreign policy, here. Quotable:
This nation has always struggled to align its ideals with its historical reality, climaxing in movements to abolish slavery and uphold citizenship and voting rights for women and minorities. That struggle continues as the nation deals with its new position as a global empire, the clear aggressor in its conflicts abroad. But it will come down to our collective efforts if we are to reverse the momentum that brings that war home, with all of its violence and evil. It is not just our liberty or our security that is at stake, but our humanity.
Readers of my books and blog know that I am a movement person.
On this blog, in my speaking, and in my books I get behind a wide array of organizations, causes, and projects that I sense are moving in the same general direction. My great sense of calling has been, and continues to be, to contribute to a broad-based movement that embodies a Christ-like ethos and leads to Christ-like action for the good of the world.
Grace and I recently decided to make a significant financial investment in building some behind-the-scenes support structures for this movement to take its next steps.
I think the time is ripe.
I’m looking for some people to join in this initiative.
Let me be clear: I’m not asking for money for myself. Grace and I both work hard and we cover our own expenses. Our desire is to give and seek others to join us in giving.
What I’m looking for is a team of partners to join me in a generous and strategic impulse.
If you believe in the kinds of things I write, say, and do, and would like to join me in making a significant financial investment over the next three years - to help a broad-based, diverse, and deep Christian movement rise to the next level, I am hoping we can come together in a joint project.
You might be able to give in the four, five, six, or seven figures. Or you might know a person, foundation, or other donor who can. Or you might be willing to start giving a smaller amount on a regular basis for the long term.
At a later date, I’ll be asking for people who can help with skills ... but first, we need some people who can put together some funds.
If you are open to explore this further (no pressure or obligation, of course), I hope you’ll contact me at this email address: happytohelp@brianmclaren.net
I’ll be back in touch with more information within a few days. (Of course, I’ll keep your contact information confidential and it won’t be sold or given to anybody else.)
Thanks for considering this request for help and passing/forwarding/tweeting it on to others who you believe might be able and happy to help.
Warmly and gratefully,
Brian
Q & R: Christ and His Death
Here's the Q:
Hi Brian. Great work you doing, Bro. Hang in there.
A question about your Christology. Have read several of your books but can't really get a handle on your idea of the need for Christ and His death. If you don't believe in original sin, what do you think was the purpose of the cross then?
Thanks and will keep following yr blog.
Here's the R: This is an important question. The places I deal with this most pointedly in my writings are A New Kind of Christianity: You're very perceptive to realize that Christ is valuable and essential in what I call the "six lined narrative" because his death solves the problem of "original sin." If you're working in that narrative, if you take away original sin, the whole thing collapses. What never made sense to me, though, is that Christ was truly important to the early Christians before the doctrine of original sin had ever been articulated (which happened in part through Irenaeus in the 2nd century and mostly through Augustine in the 5th century). I propose a different narrative or "framing story" - one more based on the Hebrew narratives of creation, liberation, and reconciliation - and in that story, all dimensions of Christ - his birth, life, teaching, deeds, death, resurrection, ascension, sending of the Spirit, etc. - are truly important, meaningful, and needed.
Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? You're right that I question the popular conception of original sin, but it's not true that I don't believe in original sin. In my most recent book, I follow the work of James Alison and others in reading the key biblical texts behind the doctrine - exposing "the desire to acquire," the tendency to rivalry (including rivalry with God), and our proclivity to achieve peace through violence as our original sin. In that light, Jesus' death is more important than ever before ... but in a radically different way. I deal with this throughout the "Doctrinal Challenge" section, but it comes to a climax in my "Liturgical Challenge" chapter on Eucharist as table of fellowship and reconciliation, not altar of sacrifice.
Naked Spirituality
More and more churches are using Naked Spirituality as a basis for sermon series and small groups. Pastor DavidlTinney of Vancouver First United Methodist Church prepared a set of daily devotions based on the book and graciously agreed to share them.
You'll find the first ten weeks of devotions below, covering the words Here, Thanks, O, and Sorry. Again, thanks to David!
The Beginning of our Journey
Theme for the week: Our response to God’s call
Day 1
Scripture: Genesis 17: 1-17
Reflection: It is good to know that the Bible is real and not written to hide emotions. I cannot imagine a document with such brutal honesty being written in today’s world of spin doctors and PR departments. We have all decided to take a journey together for the next year. We will also write and sign a covenant about how we treat each other and hold to the promises we agreed we wanted to share. Today’s reading is about a covenant and also about Abraham’s frank response to God’s promise. As you read this story today, put yourself in Abraham’s sandals and imagine that you are the one talking with God. Read it through completely and then go back again and find one word or phrase that captures your attention and spend a few moments repeating it slowly and heart-fully.
Questions to ponder:
What promise would you like to receive from God as you embark on this year-long journey?
If God spoke to your heart right now and said, “I am going to make you a mighty disciple and you will do great things,” would you fall down and laugh?
Prayer for the day: Lord this is all new to so many of us. This is the first time for many of us to take our spiritual journeys seriously. So we ask for your guidance and help.
As we enter into this journey we pause right now to pray for what we need for a covenant between us to be strong enough to bind and grow us.
It was an honor and pleasure once again to be at Festival of Homiletics. What a warm and positive spirit ... My slides (including the Lord's Prayer Chant) are available, as always, here: http://www.slideshare.net/brianmclaren
Q & R: Old album of music ...
Here's the Q:
HI! I met you years ago (around1984?) at a summer camp I went to with my friend. Anyway, at that camp I bought a cassette of your music and I love it and played it so much it s kind of worn out and doesn't play well anymore. The title escapes me at the moment but it had "Martha Martha slow down" on it. I would like to buy another one if you have anymore. Please let me know.
My UK editor, Katherine Venn, recently shared these reflections on Dallas Willard, who died last week from cancer:
I hope you’re well. I really loved your tribute to Dallas Willard on your blog; wasn’t he such an amazing man? I can honestly say that, of people who aren’t directly ‘in my life’ as it were, he has had the most profound impact on me spiritually. The Divine Conspiracy was an absolute game-changer for me. When I picked it up I didn’t know if I was a Christian, or even wanted to be; by the time I put it down I was overwhelmed by the beautiful vision of the kingdom he’d given me – and more than that, he shared the tools to put being a disciple into practice. I only met him a couple of times, but as a person, wasn’t he even more beautiful than his words? You can’t fake that kind of love, or humility, or graciousness. I consider him a spiritual grandfather and have wept more than a few tears since his death on Wednesday (I’m welling up as I write this…). We’ve lost a treasure, though I know that his influence will continue to shape the kingdom and the world it’s invading…
Editors of religious books meet a lot of people, and few of them elicit this kind of response. Thanks for allowing me to share your reflections, Katherine. I know they will resonate with many.
I'll be in Nashville at Festival of Homiletics tomorrow (Friday)
Q & R: St. Teresa, a song, and a theological issue
Here's the Q:
At Cedar Ridge, our Sunday morning book group has been reading The Fire of the Word by Chris Webb (written when he was President of Renovaré). I don't know if you've read it. What prompts me to write is a section in Chapter 14, From Reading to Contemplation (pp. 177-181).
Webb references here the words attributed to Teresa of Ávila which start with "Christ has no body now but yours." Since you set these words to music (which we still sing from time to time at Cedar Ridge), this made me think of you. Webb insists that "Teresa never wrote anything of the sort and would almost certainly have found the sentiment shocking. The poem appears nowhere in her collected works or letters."
Webb believes the sentiments in this piece attributed to Teresa reflect a basic misunderstanding of the contemporary Western church that God needs us to achieve His purposes. Webb maintains "that the exact opposite is true," and this (opposite) understanding is the very basis of the contemplative life, and that contemplation would make no sense if the contemporary Western activist assumptions were correct.
My first question is a factual one. Do you have a source for the quote which would indicate it really was written by Teresa of Ávila?
In the second place, I would like to hear your comments on Webb's thesis that the activist approach, as exemplified in the poem, is a corruption of the true message of Christianity, and is at basic odds with the contemplative approach. I know that you and others (I think especially of Richard Rohr) see activism and contemplation as complementary rather than conflicting. I have tended to take that approach, which is why I found what Webb had to say somewhat startling. I would love to hear your comments on this.
We are doing well at Cedar Ridge, but we do miss you. Wish you could visit us more often.
And here's a follow-up:
I was interested in Chris Webb's contention (Fire of the Word, p. 178) that the poem "Christ has no body" usually attributed to Teresa of Ávila (and so attributed on the screen at Cedar Ridge when we sing the version set to music by Brian McLaren) was in fact not written by her, so I did a little exploration.
I found that several people who have studied Teresa in some depth agree that it is not her work. I found an interesting piece which suggests it is a combination of the work of Methodist minister Mark Guy Pearse and Quaker medical missionary Sarah Elizabeth Rowntree. That is a blog entry at http://mimuspolyglottos.blogspot.com/2011/11/whose-hands-another-possible-case-of.html
I found further support in another blog through a quote from a British Quaker periodical:
Sarah Eliza Rowntree gave an interesting account of the recent establishment of the “Home” in Pearl Street, and the progress of the Mission there. She appealed for more workers to assist its further usefulness, concluding with some words of Mark Guy Pearse, “Remember Christ has no human body now upon the earth but yours; no hands but yours; no feet but yours. Yours, my brothers and sisters, are the eyes through which Christ’s compassion has to look upon the world, and yours are the lips with which His love has to speak. Yours are the hands with which He is to bless men now, and yours the feet with which He is to go about doing good through His Church which is His body.” –The British Friend, volume 1, number 1, 1892, p. 15
(See http://livinginthemonasterywithoutwallsdotcom.wordpress.com/2013/02/04/christ-has-no-body-but-yours-teresa-of-avila/ ) This entry suggests that Rowntree added the first half of the poem to what Pearse had earlier written.
Here's the R:
First, thanks for doing all this research. It sounds like all the evidence is against these words being St. Teresa's. As you probably know, the same seems to be the case with a famous prayer "attributed to St. Francis." It reminds me that many things that we "know" based on "common knowledge" turn out to be questionable or false in the long run. The technical term for keeping this in mind is "epistemological humility." Thanks for adding to mine!
Thanks also for bringing up the polarity between a certain kind of contemplation and a certain kind of activism. Either extreme can be defended by quoting certain Bible verses - God does everything, so we can rest in God's sovereignty, and God does nothing except through us, so we must be busy and engaged.
After several decades of learning to follow Christ, I am firmly with Richard Rohr on this. He talks about how in the name of the organization he founded - Center for Action and Contemplation - the most important word is "and." As I contemplate God's character - for example, being deeply mindful of God's creativity and compassion - how can I not be inspired to let my own creativity and compassion grow? (I think of Paul's words about beholding as in a mirror God's glory, and being transformed into that glory.) And if I am compassionate and creative, I will find creative ways to move in compassion toward others.
Similarly, if I am active in working for worthy goals, I will continually face roadblocks - inner roadblocks in my own strength and know-how, outer roadblocks in intransigent systems of injustice, etc. At those times, I will be tempted to give up unless I retreat a little, engage in contemplation, and recenter on a God whose power and patience and commitment to good are equally unlimited.
So I don't pit the two against each other. Action without contemplation easily becomes a shrill moralism, and contemplation without action can easily become a smug indulgence in luxurious piety. But put the two together and you have a kind of "spiritual fusion" that can empower a spiritual movement.
I set the poem to music and recorded it with my gifted friend Tracy Howe Wispelwey.
Canadian treasure Steve Bell also has recorded it beautifully.
Whatever the source of the poem, I think it beautifully captures the daring image so precious to Paul - that we are the body, or embodiment, of Christ. What an honor to contemplate, and what a summons to action!
Friends in the UK
My creative non-fiction/instructive fiction "New Kind of Christian" trilogy is available via a UK publisher - SPCK - now:
Jonathan Merritt asks if Mark Driscoll is this generation's Pat Robertson. When I heard what he said at a recent Catalyst conference in TX, I thought he must have been joking. But apparently not. Young Evangelicals certainly have a choice in what they will make of Evangelicalism in the future, and Mark Driscoll represents one option.
The links on my recent post about Joe Boyd's new film project didn't come through. Hopefully they will this time!
Hi Brian. I feel like I don't even know God anymore. Please help!
I'm a thirteen year old girl from [a state in the south] and I go to a Christian school. About two years ago, my family and I left our church. We still haven't found a new church yet. Being under the influence of other teenagers all the time may be the cause of this. I have been thinking about my Christian faith for quite a while...it has shaken. I still love God, I just don't spend enough time in His word.
My questions are:
-Even though I have lost touch with Him, can I gain that "friendship" back? And how?
-I read the Bible sometimes and I don't feel anything. Why don't I feel Him anymore?
-How can I break old sinful habits and make new righteous ones?
I would really like to find my Christian identity that I seemed to have lost. It would mean so much to me to have a response!
Here's the R:
(I sent a private email to this sincere young Christian with some additional suggestions including this one: "... do you have a friend whose faith and life you really respect? Maybe you could ask them if you could start attending church or a youth group with them.")
First, I want to encourage you by telling you something you may not realize: you care! You care about whether you're in touch with God. You care whether you're living a good life. You care whether you get caught up in unhealthy habits. You want to experience closeness with God. These are amazing things! I know you're feeling kind of down right now - but I didn't want to say anything without saying, first, what a remarkable thing it is that you care. A lot of your peers, I think, wouldn't give any of this a second thought, you know?
I would rather have one young adult like yourself who cares but is frustrated than a thousand who don't care and are satisfied! What's essential (as I explained in my private email) is that you find some mentors - some folks a few steps farther down the road who will listen to you, encourage you, let you be 100% honest, and share with you what has helped them keep pressing forward in the Christian faith. (You could even show them this blog to give them an idea what you need.)
Of things I've written that might be helpful, at the top of the list would be my book "Naked Spirituality." And a close second would be "The Secret Message of Jesus."
I hope we'll get to meet someday in person. You're in my prayers today - and I know a lot of readers will join me.
A Jewish reader writes: Dickinson
Thank you for your book A New Kind of Christianity. As a Jewish man, and physician, it has insights that all faiths and professions can learn from. I found great wisdom in the Dickinson poem "Tell All the Truth" referenced in it as the poem eloquently explains why change is so difficult.
Truth must be told and available to everyone, but told as a line moving up (or down) or "slant", as a continuum with a beginning and an end. Successful myth or false truth happens when told over and over as if the circular repetition ("circuit") proves fact. "Success in circuit lies" or "Success in circuit, lies." Our "sick" or infirm spirit ("delight") cannot often see the the wonder ("superb surprise") of bright, powerful or blinding truth, like looking directly at the sun. As the power and shock of truth (lightning) settles ("eases") on our human, but limited (child-like) minds, with "kind," loving, constructive community reflection, truth is revealed, slowly and magically to "dazzle gradually." Taken too fast great truth is hidden in the plain sight of a dazzling sun ("or every man be blind").
You're so right: Emily Dickinson is a wonder. Thanks for your note.
A Prayer of Indigenous Peoples, Refugees, Immigrants, and Pilgrims
Triune God
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
We come before you as many parts of a single body.
You have called us together.
From different cultures, languages, customs, and histories. . .
Some of us indigenous - peoples of the land.
Some of us refugees, immigrants, pilgrims - people on the move.
Some of us hosts, some of us guests, some of us both hosts and guests
All of us searching for an eternal place where we can belong.
Creator, forgive us.
The earth is yours and everything that is in it.
But we forget...
In our arrogance we think we own it.
In our greed we think we can steal it.
In our ignorance we worship it.
In our thoughtlessness we destroy it.
We forget that you created it to bring praise and joy to you,
and you gave it as a gift,
for us to steward,
for us to enjoy,
for us to see more clearly your beauty and your majesty.
Jesus, save us.
We wait for your kingdom.
We long for your throne.
We hunger for your reconciliation,
for that day where people, from every tribe and every tongue
will gather around you and sing your praises.
Holy Spirit, teach us.
Help us to remember
that the body is made up of many parts.
Each one unique and every one necessary..
Teach us to embrace the discomfort that comes from our diversity
and to celebrate the fact that we are unified, not through our sameness,
but through the blood of our LORD and savior, Jesus Christ.
Triune God. We love you.
Your creation is beautiful.
Your salvation is merciful.
And your wisdom is beyond compare.
We pray this all in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
(This prayer is found on page 270 of the hymnal "Lift Up Your Hearts"; published and copyright by Faith Alive, 2013)
In praise of The Office and Delta Airlines
I guess I'm a pretty serious guy, writing and speaking about matters of ultimate concern. But I also try not to miss any opportunity for merriment and frivolity. Not sure I could do the former without the latter.
So I'm among the many who will feel a bit emotional about the end of The Office next week. Few shows have made me laugh out loud as often. The mediocre episodes - of which their have been a few - have been pretty good, and only serve to make the excellent episodes all the more stellar. I think they've done a good job of bringing the show to a satisfying conclusion.
Also, I have to hand it to Delta Airlines. They have taken the airline safety spiel to new levels lately.
It went from this ...
To this:
and this ...
Every little bit helps!
Gone from mystery into mystery ...
I've been humming Bruce Cockburn's song today, after learning yesterday about the passing of Dallas Willard, who was diagnosed with stage-4 cancer late last year. His life was devoted to living and loving into four questions:
What is reality? What is the good life? Who is a good person? And how do you became a good person?
Dallas and I got to know each other more deeply when he and I were invited to meet with a group of young leaders several times over a period of a couple years. He was very kind to me on every occasion our paths crossed, as he was, I'm sure, to everyone. He agreed to meet with me for early breakfasts before the day's sessions got started, and sometimes again after the last session ended, so I could ply him with questions - philosophical, Biblical, theological, and practical. Whatever my questions, though, our conversations would drift back to what is reality, what is the good life, who is a good person, and how does one become a good person?
He once agreed to come preach at Cedar Ridge, where I served as a pastor for many years. "Is there a particular topic you would like me to address?" he asked. "I would like you to speak about God - just God," I said. That brought a big smile, being his favorite subject.
One of the many formative things he said to me happened on that visit. I picked him up at the hotel and on the drive to the church, he said, "You know, Brian, in a pluralistic world, a religion is judged by the benefits it brings to its non-adherents." That insight gestated in me for a long time, and eventually was seminal to my most recent book.
It's quite a year for losses: Richard Twiss, Gordon Cosby, now Dallas Willard ... and many others too. With each passing, those of us who remain have the responsibility to let their light glow on in our lives. And we have the opportunity to give thanks for the gift they have been to us all.
Thanks, Dallas. I doubt you were a fan of Bruce Cockburn, but this morning, this beautiful song of his is helping me savor your friendship, mentorship, and example on this day after you passed from mystery into mystery, closer to the light:
This weekend I get to present Part 2 of my Bible overview, Reading the Bible Afresh ... this weekend we focus on the Gospels and Jesus. As you can imagine, I'm enthusiastic about the chance to talk about my favorite subject. Learn more here. Space is limited - but I think there are a few seats left.
Then in July, I'll be part of a great lineup aiming to refresh Christian leaders - especially pastors, and especially young pastors. Learn more here.
I'm a blessed guy ...
My birthday weekend began with my first chance to meet and hold our third granddaughter, Mia. She was born two months ago at 28 weeks, just over two pounds, and has been making steady progress. She now weighs just over 5 pounds and is still in NICU. As you can imagine, I was pretty choked up and unspeakably grateful.
(sorry the picture is sideways ...)
Then today I got to take a hike at one of my favorite places with Mia's older sister Averie, plus her dad and uncle, my two amazing sons.
How could life be any better than this?
Q & R: How Would You Define You, Part 1
Here's the Q:
Brian - there's been a discussion about you going on regarding a book by Geoff Holsclaw and David Fitch. Tony Jones quoted this:
“But their answers have often lacked the substance on which we can live, and what goes by the name of ‘emerging church’ now appears to have settled into another version of mainline Christianity.”
Then Tony adds:
But none of this is really the point. The point is this: If you want to have credibility in the world of evangelical publishing and seminary education these days, one of the ways to do it is to distance yourself from Brian McLaren. Get it? Brian has gone from a board member on several evangelical seminaries and mission agencies to persona non grata.
I was wondering if you want to weigh in on what Fitch and Holsclaw said, and what Jones said as well? How would you define you?
Here's the R:
I'm sorry to say I haven't had a chance to read Prodigal Christianity yet. I am working on my own book with a September deadline, and am super-focused on reading that relates directly to that. I am confused and a little surprised to see this quote about me and some friends of mine because I have a lot of admiration and affection for Geoff and David. Perhaps in context their intent isn't as dismissive as this sounds. I have always considered myself their friend and ally. I hope they won't mind if I continue to do so.
The term "emerging church" has become, I suppose, as problematic as the term "missional." As (I've heard) Jacques Derrida said about "deconstruction," I can't be held responsible for everything that is said and done in association with this term.
I agree with Tony that there's a common rhetorical strategy among Evangelicals that I myself have indulged in, as has Tony by his own admission: trying to seize the middle ground as morally high ground. If you have critics to your right, the only way to gain some space to differ "to the left" is by throwing somebody farther to the left under the bus, so to speak. (I'm sure groups with critics to the left would do something similar, but I don't have much experience in groups like that.) (And apologies for using the conventional left-right labels.)
One example: years ago, I spoke with disdain about a "mainline liberal" writer - my attempt to bolster my Evangelical credentials and seize middle-moral high ground by throwing "a liberal" under the bus. I had actually never read anything he had written, but people I respected thought he was dangerous. So I echoed them, needing to bolster my reputation to my right, a sign of my immaturity and insecurity on my part. Again, things I'm not proud of.
Some time later, I was asked to speak at the same event as this person. He was easy-going and gracious. I suppose he knew what I had said about him, but he didn't throw it in my face. Anyway, at the end of the event, there were long lines of people waiting to talk to us and get books signed. His line was much longer than mine.
So when my line dwindled away, I had the chance to eavesdrop on what people said to him. Person after person said, sometimes tearfully, "Thank you. If it weren't for your books, I wouldn't be a Christian," or "Through reading your book, I became a Christian," or "I left the church 30 years ago, but when I read book X, I came back." That's pretty moving for an Evangelical to hear, you know? I realized that this fellow was actually an evangelist, reaching people for Christ who never would be reached by my more conservative friends, or by me!
Anyway, I agree with Tony on the problem of seizing the middle. One of the challenges of getting older is that you have to keep leaving behind rhetorical "tricks" that you considered acceptable (or were completely unconscious of) when you were younger.
I don't fully understand why Tony is as critical of mainline Protestantism as he is:
Yes, you’re [...] right I have something against mainline Protestantism! Have you not been paying attention?!? My entire PhD dissertation is an attack on mainline polity. My christology is an offense to many mainliners. And I could go on.
I agree that there are problems with Mainline polity, but every bishop, district superintendent, and denominational official I meet agrees, and they're trying to change things for the better. I think that Mainliners have gotten the memo about fifty years of decline, and they're realizing that the future will be different from the past and present, for better or worse. I'm continually impressed by the vitality and devotion and love I experience in what I was told were "dead" churches. (I'm sure there are some of those churches out there, but I guess I don't get invited to them.)
If the Evangelical "brand" continues to constrict and contract (I hope that won't be the case - thanks to people like David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw and others), and if the new pope does not signal a long term "aggiornamento" in Catholicism but rather a blip after which retreat from Vatican II continues (I hope that won't be the case either), then Mainline Protestantism is the world's only large-scale expression of Christian faith that maintains significant space for free inquiry and progressive thinking. So I want to encourage, help, nurture, and contribute to Mainline Protestantism, not attack it. I actually think Tony agrees: I think his "attacks" on Mainline Protestantism are a lover's quarrel. His own background is Congregational, which (I think?) is considered Mainline, right? [Note to Tony - would love your comments on this.]
Anyway, any quarrel I have with my own Evangelical heritage is also a lover's quarrel. If Evangelicals continue to hold the line - or regress - on key issues, a whole lot of people will suffer, including the children and grandchildren of Evangelicals. If more Evangelicals can break free from being invaded and occupied by a regressive, reactive fundamentalist ethos, a lot of people will be way better off.
Which is why - again - I am grateful for people like David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw, because I think they're taking Evangelicals many steps in the right direction. And even if I'm saddened by their assessment of me and my colleagues, I think I understand why that assessment would be made.
That's enough for today. I may return to this next week, because what interests me more than the comment on "mainline" is the comment on "substance." Thanks for drawing this to my attention.
More great links ...
Yesterday I shared some worthwhile links. But there's more!
And here's my friend Gabriel Salguero talking about immigration reform:
Oracion y accion!
When is the last time you celebrated your one and only life? My friend Connie Freeman is a wonderful mentor and resource for people in the DFW area ... check out the next Barnabas Workshop in May: http://barnabasjourney.org/sign-up/retreat/
2. Two Orthodox Christian Archbishops, Archbishop Paul Yazigi and Archbishop Youhanna Ibrahim, were abducted by armed rebels on April 23, 2013 in the suburbs of Aleppo, Syria. Their driver was murdered and the Archbishops were forced by the rebels to go to an unknown location in Syria or Turkey. The petition below urgently asks the Obama administration to use all its influence for the release of these two Archbishops and to bring a peaceful settlement to the Syrian conflict through a negotiated settlement.
Please sign the petition and forward this information to friends and family and ask them to sign the petition.
3. If you're interested in the subject of faith and evolution, don't miss Looking for the Missing Link. You'll also find lots of good cartoons and quotes on their website.
5. James Cone meets Rene Girard: here. Other similarly valuable resources here.
6. Churches of Christ folks are speaking up for gender equality. Learn more here: http://1voice4change.com. Will the Plymouth Brethren be next?
7. Haven't taken a walk in the woods lately? Why not? (Thanks GS)
For my next book, Catechesis ...
I compiled this list of "one-anothers" in the New Testament, a primer on a basic social practices.
Not a bad curriculum!
[UPDATE: The title will be A Table, a Bible, Some Food, Some Friends: 52 Experiments in Spiritual (Re)Formation. It should release June 2014. Stay tuned for more information.]
“...be at peace with each other.” (Mk. 9:50, 1 Thes. 5:13, 1 Pet. 3:8)
“wash one another’s feet.... serve one another in love.” (Jn. 13:14, Gal. 5:13)
“Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” (John 13:34; 15:12; 15:17; Romans 13:8, 1 Thes. 4:9, Heb. 13:1, 1 Pet. 1:22, 1 Pet. 3:8, 1 Pet. 4:8, 1 Jn. 3:11, 23; 1Jn. 4:7, 11; 2 Jn. 1:5)
“Be devoted to one another with mutual affection.” (Romans 12:10)
“Honor one another above yourselves.” (Romans 12:10)
“Live in harmony with one another.” (Romans 12:16)
“Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another....” (Rom. 14:13)
“Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you.” (Rom. 15:7)
“Greet one another with a holy kiss” (Rom. 16:16, 1 Cor. 16:20, 2 Cor. 13:12, 1 Pet. 5:14)
“...agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.” (1 Cor. 1:10)
“When you come together to eat, wait for each other.” (1 Cor. 11:33)
“....But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.” (1 Cor. 12:24-25)
“Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.” (Gal. 5:26)
“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” (Gal. 6:2)
“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” (Eph. 4:2, Col. 3:13)
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Eph.4:32, Col. 3:13, 1 Thes. 5:15)
“Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (Eph. 5:21)
“Do not lie to each other.” (Col. 3:9)
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” (Col. 3:16, Eph. 5:19)
“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” (1 Thes. 5:11, Heb. 3:13)
“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Heb. 10:24-25)
“Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another.” (Jam. 4:11)
“Don’t grumble against each other.” (Jam. 5:9)
“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” (Jam. 5:16)
“Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.” (1 Pet. 4:9)
“Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another.” (1 Pet. 5:5)
As you can imagine, I am deeply moved, humbled, and grateful when I receive messages like this one:
Good day Mr Mclaren,
I hope this email finds you in good health. I am a young woman in her late twenties who is embarking on a spiritual journey of sorts due to the myriad of questions and different perspectives that bombard today's society. I have increasingly had questions about God, the purpose of religion and how the church has represented itself. I am someone who is trying to decipher between theistic versus agnostic versus atheistic perspectives.
I came across one of your “Finding Faith” books on the Logos Hope book ship that docked in Jamaica in 2010 but due to my personal resistance with dealing with spiritual issues, it wasn’t until about a year later that I made an effort to read it. It was the first book I had come across which dealt with my concerns in such an easy-to-read manner and with such breadth and clarity. Your gentle, humble yet witty and direct writing style caused me to shed many a tear and seriously re-consider if this journey was worth taking. I greatly appreciate the numerous perspectives, resources and inclusion of your own personal spiritual journey in this book. It was as though you had read my diary! Of course, I had to get the sequel in the “Finding Faith” series and was equally impressed. I continue to read other texts and am seeking to collect some of those you referenced. I regularly reflect on the invaluable lessons I’ve learnt from your books. To date, I have not found any other book which deals with these issues so profoundly.
I do not have all the answers to the questions but I am more settled as I realise that I am not the only person who has ever embarked on such a journey and that there are small steps I can take to move forward. My journey is indebted to you.
There are not enough words to thank you.
I remember so clearly the experience of writing these books, over a decade ago, in a little corner of my basement late at night. To think that people today are still discovering them and finding them helpful is truly encouraging. In fact, it encourages me to keep writing. Thanks. I hope you'll be able to find some people of "good faith" to support you in your search.
I'll be in Colorado Springs tonight, tomorrow, and Sunday
I arrived in Oklahoma City for a weekend with a group of Methodist social justice activists. It happened to be the anniversary of the bombing there, and was also a day of drama in Boston as the marathon bombers were being apprehended. My host, Mark, showed me the memorial site of the tragic bombing that occurred there in 1995. (The first and third images below are architectural models, not photographs.)
It was a moving experience to walk between the 9:01 and 9:03 walls, experiencing the space of 9:02 (the minute when the bombing happened), seeing the chairs representing the children who were lost to the senseless violence.
A tree survived the bombing, and it was showing new spring growth. Saplings grown from its seeds have been spread through the state of Oklahoma, each a sign of resilience and hope.
I am most of the way through "Why did....cross the road" and loving it. My question is after reading chapter 21, where can i find a good bible story resource for doing with my 7 year old?
Here's the R:
First, I'm so glad you're asking this question. If we're going to reduce hostility between religions, we need to stop pumping hostility into new generations - whether intentionally or unintentionally. Shifting from hostility to benevolence won't happen by accident; as I explain in the book, it requires a historic theological, liturgical, historical, and missional shift (not to mention a spiritual one - which I explored in Naked Spirituality).
I have some good news regarding resources for introducing emerging generations to Christian faith ... Some good friends and colleagues of mine are putting together a network especially dedicated to this challenge. Originally called "Children, Youth, and a New Kind of Christianity," the group just unveiled its new name: Faith Forward.
You can follow them on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/FaithForwardNet
Expect great things from this group - beginning with a conference in 2014.
Must Strong Religious Commitment Mean Hostility to Other Religions?
This report is an important update on the situation in Sudan.
http://www.satsentinel.org/report/architects-atrocity-sudanese-government’s-war-crimes-crimes-against-humanity-and-torture-south-kordo
Well worth reading ... on the gospel, land, and peace
Years ago I met Dann Pantoja at a conference in Canada. (Thanks to Karen Neudorf, another hero of mine, for organizing truly exceptional conferences!) He made a big impression on me. Then I lost touch with him, and was thrilled to get reconnected recently. (Thanks to Facebook.)
A perfect example of a strong-benevolent response to "the missional challenge" in my most recent book. God bless you, Dann!
From a Young Evangelical: Holy Cow!
A reader writes:
Holy cow!! I just bought "The word of the Lord to Evangelicals" last night and read through it at 4 o'clock this morning – I couldn't put it down! It's absolutely fantastic- its "the cry of my heart" exactly! (Oh, and I love the reference to Pastor Laura and LaSalle Street church... Haha) Just wanted to say thank you.
I loved writing the four short-fiction ebooks that came out last year, and am thrilled that people are enjoying them now.
A few months ago Brian tweeted that he is writting a new book for study by small groups with a focus on small groups I think. Is there any news on when that is likely to be published sounded really interesting.
Here's the R:
Here's the latest on my next project.
1. It's due to be published June 2014.
2. The tentative title is Catechesis. Catechesis means a thoughtful, intentional orientation to the faith. (We're still working on the subtitle.)
[UPDATE: The title will be A Table, a Bible, Some Food, Some Friends: 52 Experiments in Spiritual (Re)Formation.]
3. My goal in the book is to help people learn to live as followers of Christ - and to do so from a fresh perspective (post-conservative, post-liberal perspective, emphasizing the relevance of the gospel to contemporary life - especially a world facing the crises of the planet, poverty, and peace).
4. The book is written for three groups of people: a) Christians whose inherited understandings of the faith have stopped making sense or working, b) spiritual seekers who are interested in a fresh approach to the way of Christ, and c) parents, grandparents, teachers, pastors, youth workers, campus workers, and others who want to get a coherent, comprehensive understanding of "a new kind of Christianity" so they can pass it on to others.
5. It will consist of 52+ short chapters which can be read in typical book fashion, but also can be read aloud in 12-15 minutes in a variety of settings: as sermons for churches, small groups, and experimental faith communities, as a curriculum for classes, online groups, and retreats, etc.
6. The book will include a lectionary (comprehensive Bible reading program) and a simple liturgy to facilitate use for worshiping communities, along with response questions.
7. It's organized according to a simplified church year (along the lines I explored in the liturgy section of Cross the Road...).
8. In the fall season, we go through an overview of the Hebrew Scriptures. In the winter season, Advent transitions to Jesus, and Christmas and Epiphany focus on the birth and life of Jesus. For the Spring season, Lent is devoted to the Sermon on the Mount, followed by Holy Week, and the Easter season explores life in the community of faith. Summer (beginning with Pentecost) focuses on life in the Spirit in the world today.
9. I am writing the book with a global audience in mind, so the tone is simple, direct, and pastoral. I'm avoiding local cultural references, etc., and hope the book will have a long shelf-life. Really, it's a book to be read aloud - I hope with a storyteller's and poet's feel.
10. This may be the most important book I've written, and I'm grateful for prayers that I follow the Spirit's lead on every page.
Then I'll be back in Dallas May 10-11 for Part 2 of a four-part series on the Bible hosted by my wonderful friends and colleagues at Life in the Trinity Ministry. (You can attend any one session or all four ...) The May weekend will be a delight - focusing on Jesus, his life, miracles, teaching, death, resurrection ... What could be better? More information here: http://lifeinthetrinityministry.com/brianmclaren_1/about
Bible Study: Does Hebrews support blood atonement?
I became convinced that Hebrews actually argues against blood atonement theory, although its argument doesn't work in the same way modern arguments do (which, I find, is often the case in the New Testament!).*** First a quotes from early in that chapter of my book:
Will the Bible be the sword by which we cut off and threaten “the other”? Or will the Bible point beyond itself, directing us to Jesus who offers to his disciples the authority to bind and loose (Matthew 16:19)—or, we might say, to pick and choose? For those who choose the latter approach, the Bible is transformed from the sword of combat to the scalpel of surgery—for self-examination and self-critique, exposing our own hostility so that we can join God in compassion for all people and solidarity with the other (Hebrews 4:12–16).
It's interesting to see the sword metaphor not used aggressively in Hebrews, but for the purpose of self-examination, echoing Jesus' teaching about dealing with one's own planks before others' splinters.
Next is a single long footnote from the eucharist/atonement chapter (slightly edited for this setting). It offers a brief overview of atonement in Hebrews:
This is the message of the Epistle to the Hebrews, as I understand it. Hebrews is not seeking to explain Jesus inside the framework of blood sacrifice, thus validating that framework (as the epistle is commonly read). Instead, Hebrews argues that in Jesus, the whole idea of sacrifice is put behind us “once and for all” (9:28), because blood sacrifice was never what God really wanted or needed (10:8). God has always wanted far more for us than forgiveness alone (10:18): God wants to change our hearts (10:16) so that we do God’s will (13:21)—which is a life of love and good works (10:24) in service to all people. In this, we follow Jesus’ example (12:2), who endured hostility—without responding in kind (12:3). In so doing, we “pursue peace with everyone” (12:14) so that “filial love” will continue and we will show “hospitality to strangers” (13:1), always empathizing with those who are imprisoned and tortured (13:3). The old altar mind-set is the mind-set of insiders (13:10), but Jesus has identified himself with outsiders (13:12). So the old sacrificial system is left behind forever, and now, sacrifice (in the sense of a holy gift) remains in two senses only: first, “the sacrifice of praise … the fruit of lips that confess his name” (recalling Psalm 50, which is itself a fascinating reflection on sacrifice), and second, doing good and sharing with others, “for such sacrifices are pleasing to God” (13:15–16).
I know that verses from Hebrews are often extracted as proof texts for traditional atonement theory, but as Tony wisely said in his post, that kind of prooftexting is singularly unhelpful. (I think my use of references above is more like footnoting than prooftexting. I'm not trying to shut down conversation by quoting a verse, but rather "showing my work" by making clear where in the text I'm rooting my proposals.)
But even if we play the proof-texting game, it's worth noting:
Hebrews 9:22 is frequently quoted to validate traditional atonement theory.
But what happens if we hold it up to Hebrews 10:8?
It turns out that there is a major argument in the Hebrew Scriptures between the priestly voices that say blood sacrifice is required and the poets and prophets that say the opposite. Most striking, of course, is Hosea 6:6, which Jesus references (Matthew 9:13) and adds the words, "Now go and learn what this means." Jesus, I believe, was siding with the prophets and poets who said that blood atonement was never the point ... I believe Paul does the same, and so does the writer of Hebrews. (Again, mimetic theory has so much to offer in helping explain how first human sacrifice and then animal sacrifice played a role in human evolution.)
That's why the Melchizedek reference is so intriguing. By holding up Jesus as an alternative kind of priest ("in the order of Melchizedek"), the writer in a sense "trumps" the Levitical priesthood by going back to a pre-Mosaic era, something more original. (Paul, I think, does the same thing in Romans - going back before Moses to Abraham in Romans 4, and then to Adam in Romans 5. Can't get much more original than that!) This instinct is, I think, akin to many of us referencing Celtic or pre-Constantinian Christian figures today to marginalize Constantinian assumptions in our tradition. Anyway, Hebrews moves in this way to marginalize/de-absolutize the Levitical/Mosaic priesthood - and with it, sacrifice, the Temple, circumcision, and the idea of clean-unclean, "once and for all."
This subject is so important, and I was thrilled to learn that Tony is going to be writing a lot more about it in the future. I frequently recommend his "Better Atonement" - and am glad to know that won't be his last word on the subject.
***For example, rabbinic rhetoric didn't seem to have a problem using a widely-accepted premise to make a point, without necessarily endorsing that premise as absolutely and universally true. The point was (often) simply to root an argument in the tradition. We might similarly today make a point with a reference to "Icarus flying too close to the sun" without in so doing endorsing all of Greek mythology. Ancient writers loved the Scriptures, but that doesn't mean they read them with all the philosophical assumptions of Cartesian foundationalism!
An Update on Your Planet: "Right now, we're losing"
Thank God for Bill McKibben. He may be more important in the big scheme of things than any president in recent memory ... if, that is, enough of us link arms with him. Read more here: http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/04/12
Quotable:
We've watched great cultural shifts and organizing successes in recent years, like the marriage-equality and immigration-reform movements. But breaking the power of oil companies may be even harder because the sums of the money on the other side are so fantastic – there are trillions of dollars worth of oil in Canada's tar sands and the North Dakota shale. The men who own the coal mines and the gas wells will spend what they need to assure their victories. Last month, Rex Tillerson, Exxon's $100,000-a-day CEO, said that environmentalists were "obtuse" for opposing new pipelines. He announced the company planned to more than double the acreage on which it was exploring for new hydrocarbons and said he expected that renewables would account for just one percent of our energy in 2040, essentially declaring that the war to save the climate was over before it started. He added, "My philosophy is to make money."
That same day, scientists announced that Earth was now warming 50 times faster than it ever has in human civilization, and that carbon-dioxide levels had set a perilous new record at Mauna Loa's measuring station. Right now, we're losing. But as the planet runs its spiking fever, the antibodies are starting to kick in. We know what the future holds unless we resist. And so resist we will.
For folks interested in interfaith relationships ...
Friends, if you engage interfaith issues, we have generous scholarships for a first-ever seminar on Christianity and Islam co-taught by Ellen Davis and Abdullah Antepli at our upcoming Duke Summer Institute (May 27-June 1). Provided by grant funding, scholarships range from a $350 discount to $950 (full registration). Depending on financial need, travel and lodging assistance may also be available for this seminar. See information below, and apply at the web site.
Listening Together: Muslims and Christians Reading Scripture
With Dr. Ellen Davis and Imam Abdullah Antepli
The aim of this seminar is to help participants begin to map out their own journey through the still largely uncharted territory of Muslim-Christian religious conversation. Through the method of cross-tradition study, focusing on topics central to both traditions and using texts from Bible, Qur’an and Hadith, students will begin to learn the basic elements of another scriptural tradition, as well as gaining new insight into their own. The course will help students begin to acquire intellectual, spiritual, theological, exegetical and hermeneutical tools to engage in ministry in a pluralistic culture and in pluralistic settings (e.g., hospitals, prisons, campuses, larger communities), and to consider the theological significance of interfaith work in the twenty-first century.
Dr. Ellen F. Davis is Amos Ragan Kearns Distinguished Professor of Bible and Practical Theology at Duke University Divinity School. Her research interests focus on how biblical interpretation bears on the life of faith communities and their response to urgent public issues, including interfaith relations.
Imam Abdullah Antepli is the Muslim Chaplain and Adjunct Faculty of Islamic Studies at Duke University, and is the founder and executive board member of the Muslim Chaplains Association and a member of the National Association of College and University Chaplains.
Movements and Institutions
Two Huffington Post articles recently caught my attention ...
This article on the world social forum is a reminder of how financial elites typically run institutions (even in so-called democracies), and how they must be challenged by vibrant social movements. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alnoor-ladha/plutocrats-versus-the-peo_b_3016647.html
As someone who was invited to the World Economic Forum at Davos a few years ago, I differ from the author in thinking that the Davos gathering is nothing more than a gathering of the powerful to accumulate more power. The people I met struck me as sincere and committed to working on "our biggest problems." That disagreement aside, I think it's fascinating to observe and reflect on these two "World Forums."
A reader writes: sneaking around behind their backs to truly experience God
Here's the comment:
Mr. McLaren,
I have been trying to write this for an hour now, having every interference stand in the way, from feelings of insignificance to children interrupting to having to install a new email service in order to proceed. But I have found that sometimes the abundance of obstacles in our way is precisely what leads us in the right direction. I have certainly stumbled through enough walls recently to have realized that many of them are only holograms intended to divert us.
I just started reading “Everything Must Change” and was struck by the comment that “we can’t find a short way of describing it yet”. I had not thought of the question yet, although I certainly wasn’t comfortable with any label I have heard or had applied to my views. (I just read one of your blog entries stating exactly how I feel: I’m not picking a label for myself from that catalog, that whole system is insufficient!) My grandfather was a Southern Baptist Preacher when I came into this world and I have been the up close witness and ‘rebellious’ (though hesitantly committed) participant in my “family tree of religion” as it has changed through the decades and stretched out its arms beyond a naked trunk. (Now they are Non-Denominational, the newest non-label-turned-label) I have enjoyed the evolution of their views but have yet to feel like even I could fit into the box, let alone the God I have finally come to know for myself. I have felt as if I had to sneak around their backs to truly experience my Savior and Creator with abandonment. They have ‘known’ Him much longer than I have, yet I feel the yearning to witness to them! I think what I have found is Love. Not the performance of it, but the realization of it and its ability to animate everything. I believe that’s the heart of it. Maybe we are simply Agape Love-ists, practicing Love-ism?
I don’t have a friend or mentor, other than my mother (who is very supportive but isn’t available often), who is willing to listen or ask questions or get involved in the conversation. When I bring up my questions and the paths they have led me down, I am met with sympathy, concern or stern correction. But it doesn’t make me recoil. I am understanding the unfathomable depths of “Perfect Love casts out fear”.
I haven’t read what you have to say about the “Suicide Machine”, but immediately I thought, “I have seen that”. I ‘think in pictures’ quite often and then (desperately and laboriously) attempt to capture it in written word. Unfortunately, there is much which can’t be described easily, and my writings tend to be too lengthy and detailed for most people I know. Anyway, I have described the machine, since I feel my artistic abilities are not capable of capturing it in sketch- although I am passionate about having people to begin to “see” through these foundationless principles of performance that have the masses deceived.
I found it slightly amusing when you said you are just a regular person like the implied ‘us’, and then went on to tell of all that you have accomplished. Maybe to you that’s just a ‘regular’ person, but to me it is something to be admired- not because I admire status, but because I admire the passion you must have to pursue such a path. I haven’t achieved any of the accomplishments that would give me any position to be heard, and I have always been timid. God has led me down this path for a reason and I have already seen many of the chains that hold me in my seat, and seal my mouth, crumbling to ash. But they have to know. Thank you for helping to open the doors for some of us. You are like an echo in pitch back emptiness- letting me know that I’m not alone. I am so grateful that you have the ability to share these things with a large audience and not stand down in the moments of resistance. I just read Martin Luther King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” yesterday and I would bet that you wouldn’t be on the list of the people he was disappointed in. I believe he would be proud.
Thanks for your note and your kind words. Wouldn't it be great to be known as people who are part of a movement of love for all, no exceptions?
The MCC gets it right on not supporting violence against Palestinians
Robertson's comments embody so much that is wrong with outdated, unwise ways of engaging faith and politics. Perhaps Robertson and CBN should be seen as religious counterparts of Raytheon and Caterpillar.
Q & R: More than one theology?
Here's the Q:
I just finished reading your book 'Why did Jesus, Moses.......?'. I loved the book and would gladly recommend it to all who have a thirst for spiritual inspiration.
I agree totally that christian doctrine and theology needs serious work to deal with a multi-faith society. You provided some great examples and you suggested that loads more work is needed.
My thought for you is as follows: If theology is viewed as guiding principles rather than doctrines, creeds or beliefs, then christians wouldn't need to have barriers that become catalysts for division.
This thought is consistent with Paul's comments in: 1Corinthians14:31,'All of you may proclaim God's message, one by one, so that everyone will learn and be encouraged'.
Also, 1John4:2, 'This is how you will be able to know whether it is God's Spirit: anyone who acknowledges that Jesus Christ came as a human being has the spirit who comes from God'.
So does that mean that there can be more than one theology approved by our Lord himself?
I would say that if a community feels that there is only one true theology (i.e. their own theology or doctrine), then it is probably a heretical community, because it is not in keeping with the above comments from Paul and John.
I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Here's the R:
Thanks for your question. I think you're on a productive line of thinking. Of course, deciding what is a "guiding principle" and what is a "doctrine, creed or belief" is itself a matter of interpretation ... It brings to mind the old (and, I think, good) dictum: in essentials, unity; in nonessentials, diversity; in all things, charity." The problem comes when some people see nearly everything as an essential because to them, the Bible is crystal clear on an issue, and to question what it clear to them is to question the Bible itself.
The 1 John 4:2 passage is a really interesting one to bring to bear on this subject. I'm pretty sure that the writer intended his words to address a specific context rather than be used as a blanket litmus test (although a broad one). So, for example, someone who taught that Jesus came in the flesh AND that aliens in space ships are invading the earth, AND that vaccinations are a plot to sterilize enemies, AND that Texans have a right to rule the world, etc, etc, etc, wouldn't, necessarily, be speaking from God's Spirit.
But I agree with your instinct to see that truth is wide and deep, not narrow and flat. A wonderful book on this subject was written by my friend John Franke: Manifold Witness. I highly recommend it.
Do you live in or near Colorado Springs?
I hope you'll bring along some friends and join us. Thanks for helping spread the word ...
NEWS RELEASE
First Congregational Church
20 E. St. Vrain St.
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
(719) 635-3549 http://www.fcucc.org
Brian McLaren, author and a leader in the so-called emerging church movement, is calling for a truce in the culture wars that so often divide Christians and others in our society.
He will speak on “Toward A New Christian Identity: What Conservatives and Progressives Can Learn from Each Other” at 7 p.m. Friday, April 26, in Armstrong Hall at Colorado College.
His presentation, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by First Congregational Church in Colorado Springs. It is part of this year’s James W. White Lectureship, named for a former lead minister at the church.
It’s probably impossible to put McLaren in a theological box. In one of his books he asserts: I am a missional, evangelical, post/protestant, liberal/conservative, mystical/poetic, biblical, charismatic/contemplative, fundamentalist/Calvinist, Anabaptist/Anglican, Methodist, Catholic, green, incarnational, depressed/yet hopeful, emergent, unfinished Christian.
One may ask how can he or anyone be all of the above. He provides an answer in his book, A Generous Orthodoxy, discussing these seeming paradoxes and calling for a radical, Christ-centered orthodoxy of faith and practice in a missional, generous spirit.
His other books include Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha and Mohammed Cross the Road, A New Kind of Christianity, Naked Spirituality, Everything Must Change and Finding Our Way Again.
McLaren seems to be moving toward what he calls a new Christian identity. Through it, he says, conservatives and progressives have much to learn from one another to “transcend the paralyzing polarization of the culture wars.”
McLaren describes “learnings” that can help both conservatives and progressives transcend their differences as beauty, tradition, intellect, justice and inclusion as well as mission, spiritual experience, storytelling, heroes and youth.
Q & R: Law is love?
Here's the Q:
Brian, I couldn’t agree with you more on the idea that God doesn’t torture 90% of His creation for eternity. You mention the “liberating truth” of Christ. What truth exactly is that, though? To what degree do you affirm the Divine Law, which David said many times is perfect? The Law of Love, expounded upon at length in Psalm 119. Is not God’s Divine Law of Love ultimately the “good news” – since we know Christ = the Word = the law and prophets = love. After all, God’s kingdom requires a Law, as all kingdoms do. The key is to interpret the Law according to the Mind of Christ.
If you have written on this subject, please point me to the material, or maybe a short blog entry? Thanks!
Here's the R:
I'm not sure if by your question you want to equate Divine Law = Law of Love = Gospel = Bible? I'm suspicious of equations like this - especially the last element. The Bible is a lot of things ... and it has a history and never "works" without interpretation. I'd be nervous about extending the notion that a book wields authority without acknowledging that people interpret the book, and as such, are often the force and will whose authority actually prevails (in the short run, anyway - and long enough to cause a lot of damage). As you say - they key is interpreting the text according to the Mind of Christ.
Back to your original question ... It really is striking that Jesus dares to say that the Law and Prophets are summed up in love God/love neighbor (plus stranger, enemy, etc). It's equally striking that Paul reduces this further (in Romans 13:8-10), saying that "love of neighbor" fulfills the law. And equally amazing - in Galatians 5:6, he says, "Circumcision doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is faith expressing itself in love." Wow. There a lot of Bible verses that say circumcision matters a lot, but like Jesus, Paul says, "You have heard it said ... but I say to you ..."
So there it is ... the "righteousness" that must "surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees" if we are to live in the commonwealth of God: going beyond a law written on stone (or paper), to a law written on the heart: the law of love. Something to ponder (and practice) for a long, long time!
Preaching Peace: what a concept!
A great resource: Many of my friends know that I believe the work of Rene Girard is going to be deeply significant in shifting how we read the Bible. You can get a great 10-minute introduction to Girard's work here: http://vimeo.com/ondemand/925
You can download the video for just $2.00 - and proceeds help the work of preachingpeace.org.
"I'm your pastor, and I don't care what you believe."
What? Why would Lillian Daniel say such a thing? Find out here ...
A reader writes: up all night with twins and still reading
Since reading "A New Kind of Christianity" I have deconstructed a lot of my beliefs about the 'salvation story'. And I like the way you view Scripture - 'an inspired community library'. Yet, in some of the Christian circles I travel in those explanations don't fly. This book feels so exciting to me, because I feel like I could pass it along to people who still see the Bible as a 'constitution'. Maybe there is something in me that still sees it that way which is why this is giving me some more ground to stand on - even though I've already changed my theology on the doctrine of hell. I think I've also been in perplexity for so long because of some of the deconstruction I've gone through, I've had a hard time knowing if any sort of eternity is a real thing, and something about this book is pushing me up into harmony and into hope again. I think that God is growing the people of this world to understand the love God has for us all and I feel so excited about that too. Let's just say I'm up all night with baby twins and once they are back to sleep, I still can't shut the kindle off :)
Also - we've had the wonderful privilege of getting to know xxx, as he has spoken at our church a few times and become a friend of our family. We had the chance to talk to him about hell etc. and were surprised to find out how conservative he still is in this regard. I'm the kind of person who has a hard time keeping out of debates and knowing when to talk and when not to. :) He said he's stayed up late with you a few times talking through all of these things. And I thought to myself, Okay, if eloquent, intelligent and kind Brian McLaren can't shift his theology on this, loud mouthed, fiery me won't be able to either. :) But I have thought of passing this book along to him as I think it might speak to him. Anyways - thanks, I'm feeling so excited about this.
Thanks for writing. I do hope you'll pass on the book to our mutual friend. I'm not sure he has actually read any of my books yet, as he's been pretty busy writing his own. But maybe if you recommend it ...
John Morehead gets it right on Jedis, Evangelicals, and ...
You are a false teacher and a heretic. Perhaps you are on the path to the Lake of Fire. I suggest you to REPENT and get right with God. So much of your teachings are from the pit. Get the book The Truth War by John MacArthur
I can only hope he/she actually read one of my books to reach this conclusion, rather than relying on "The Truth War" for a fair representation. Warriors seldom give a fair or accurate assessment of their opponents. To put it more philosophically, an epistemology of conquest (know your enemies to defeat them) is far less trustworthy than an epistemology of love (understand your neighbors to love them).
Q & R: Introduction to Other Faiths
Here's the Q:
Brian your books have lately been part of a transformation in my thinking as an evangelical christian.
I get that your 'Why did...?' book is largely about removing the hostility from our faith and as part of this we engage lovingly as equals with those of other faiths. What would you recommend as good material for understanding the basic tenets of other faiths which would be realistic about their insights and shortcomings too?
Here's the R:
The top three I'd recommend would be:
John Esposito's World Religions Today.
Huston Smith's introductions - several versions are available, all helpful. I especially like his Illustrated Guide.
If you wanted a distinctly Christian examination of world religions with both appraisal and critique from a Protestant Christian perspective, there are many that I would not recommend. But one that stands out is Adam Hamilton's video series (with a printed leader's guide) Christianity and World Religions.
I’m a big fan from across the pond in the UK. I’ve enjoyed several of your books as well as articles and blog posts. In the past year or so I feel like I’ve been going through a major gear shift in my journey with Jesus and your ideas have been one of the key influences on me during this time.
I have a question about hard line Atheism and what your approach is towards it, apologies if you’ve already answered this question to another emailer.
You see I reckon my non-believer friends (and when I say non-believer, I don’t just mean “non-christian” but rather, non-adherent-to-any-major-faith) can, broadly speaking, be divided into two camps:
There are those who are spiritually openminded, they may have even had spiritual experiences in the past and therefore whilst they might not understand why I align myself with “ organised religion”, they nevertheless understand and find completely natural, my belief in a spiritual realm and my desire to follow and emulate Jesus. With this kind of “non-believer” friend, talking about my faith feels entirely natural and I have even had the amazing opportunity and privilege to pray with such friends.
Then there are those who simply don’t understand how anyone could believe in anything spiritual. They recognize that I’m an intelligent person and therefore they put my faith down to some kind of cognitive dissonance in me, like I simply haven’t joined up the dots yet because if I had I’d have realized that this Christianity stuff is just a fairy story. Any talk of the spiritual or transcendent, Christian or otherwise, is like white noise to them.
They seem, by and large, to be committed to a post-enlightenment, reductionist view of the universe (whether or not they’d express it in those terms.) They can get especially angered by talk of post-modernism and post-enlightenment etc as they see this as pseudo-intellectual guff contrived to sneak myths and fairly tails past otherwise discerning people’s bullshit radars.
Anyway, I struggle with how to relate to this worldview and it doesn’t help that the Bible is largely mute on this. The Bible, it seems to me, is not concerned at all with answering the question of whether there is a God. Rather it take’s God’s existence as a given and is far more concerned with questions like “who is God?”, “what is God doing?”, “what is God saying?” etc, etc. and simply dismisses anyone who disbelieves as a fool. (Psalm 14:1 etc.)
This is not at all surprising, we would not expect scriptures written thousands of years ago to speak directly to a cultural phenomenon which only really emerged in the 18th century.
I’m not saying I wish the Bible was different. I love the Bible, Old and New Testament and I find most arguments about God’s existence (whether for or against) tedious and circular. So in terms of my enjoyment of scripture, I’m not sorry at all that it’s more concerned with who God is and what God’s doing, those are the things I’m concerned about!
But as for my friends for whom it seems obvious and self-evident that God doesn’t exist, except in the imaginations of naive religious people, I’m not sure what the Bible or indeed I have to say to them. And I was just curious to know what you'd say to them.
Here's the R:
First, I'd say that your atheist friends are fortunate to have a friend like you who obviously respects them and seeks to understand them on their own terms. Like you, I have many thoughtful atheist friends and here are the kinds of things we've talked about together.
- While they might reject the idea of a personal God, some can talk about a direction or trajectory of evolution. (Some will not - seeing everything as random and accidental and in that sense ultimately nihilistic, period.) They might be able to use terms like Dr. King's - speaking of an arc in the universe that bends toward justice. That direction or trajectory or arc provides us common ground, I think, between God and non-God.
- If they don't want to speak of any moral grain to the universe, they may still want to work for justice, joy, and peace, as best as they understand them. Justice, joy, peace, and other values are for them a kind of beckoning vision - not written into past and present actuality - but calling from future possibility. Again, this might be some common ground where what I call God intersects with a reality they do not call God.
- If they don't want to speak about anything like that, we can at least enjoy the gifts of life together - whether it's a baseball game, a comedian, a great piece of music, or a good cup of coffee. Even savoring "goodness" points us in the direction of the Giver from whom all good gifts flow ... and I suspect that God doesn't mind being anonymous in many circumstances. In fact, anonymity may be a relief after all the ways God's name gets dragged into craziness by human beings! I must admit, on many occasions, I find letting God's presence be anonymous, unspoken, or understated enhances my joy in God, just as situations where God's presence is over-hyped and exaggerated makes me feel less and less aware of God's "still small" whisper.
In situations where believer and atheist encounter one another as friends, extending grace toward one another that transcends fundamental disagreement, it is pure friendship itself - extended and enjoyed without the static of religious or atheistic rhetoric - that makes God most real. At least, that's how I see it!
Q & R: Proud with a megaphone?
Here's the Q:
I want to join the many who are thanking you for your books and leadership as God draws us into His future. I became a Christian after I had made shambles of my life. The love and grace given by Jesus still overwhelms me to this day. Before I became a follower of Jesus I could never understand how Christians could on the one hand say, “God is love” and then say that this “God” was going to torture and burn billions of people because they had the unfortunate luck of being born in the wrong place or like me came from a highly dysfunctional environment that affected them emotionally.
After I became a follower I then reconcile this dilemma by getting involved in the “missional church” and feeling that it was our “duty” to “convert” these poor souls so they would be “saved” and not burn in hell. But I found these people to be people. I struggled with the hate and prejudice that was being spewed by my own people. More and more I began to feel like a very big square peg being forced into a very small round hole. Then one day I read Rob Bell’s book “Love Wins.” It was like a wave of cool water flowing over the burning coals of my anxiety. Now I have discovered your books, “A New Kind of Christianity,” “Why did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha and Mohammed Cross the Road,” and “The Girl with the Dove Tattoo.”
The reason I am writing is now what do I do? How do I keep from falling into my own trap? I have this urge to pick up my megaphone, to rush up on the stage, to dominate my small group. But these individuals for the most part are not to a point in their journey there they are open to these ideas. I feel like I’m in the “being proud of how humble I am” trap. I want to get involved, I want be a contributor to the “Emergence Christianity” movement but I don’t know what to do. I would appreciate any advice or help you can give.
Here's the R:
Thanks for your question, and the energetic yet self-aware spirit you convey. You're wise to avoid picking up the megaphone. Here's what I'd recommend. Very gently, softly, when necessary, simply say, "I see that a little differently," or "I see that quite differently." People will generally ask, "What do you mean?" At that point, you'll be tempted to pick up the megaphone and convince them of your "better" way of seeing things. But then you say, "I don't need to go into it. I just wanted to let you know that I see it differently."
In so doing, you will be giving a wonderful gift to your group. You'll be saying, "I love you. I'm glad to be with you. My views don't have to predominate. I don't have to convince you to agree with me in order to accept you and enjoy you." There's really no other way to give this gift than to differ courageously yet graciously ... without demanding equal time for your view.
If people are sincerely interested in hearing your alternative view, you need to be very careful to share it without judgment, showing utmost respect for their views. Again, in so doing, you're modeling something tremendously important. It's often best to simply say, "If you want, I can explain it to anyone who is interested after the meeting. I don't want to take us on a tangent now."
Even with all this care to avoid throwing down gauntlets, differing in this way may get you into trouble. Some groups can't tolerate difference very well. If you need to leave a group, thank them for the blessing they've been. Affirm your love. Depart graciously. That will speak more poignantly than anything else. If this happens, find some trusted friends with whom you can process the pain of exclusion, because that pain is real and needs to be processed in prayer and friendship.
I hope that helps. BTW - in my next book, I hope to present some ways people can make a major contribution to "emergence Christianity." Thanks again for writing.
Wild Goose Line-Up 2013
I'll miss the first couple days, but will be there for the last couple - Hope to see you at the Goose! (Why not register right now?)
Jim's new book, On God's Side, joins Call to Conversion and God's Politics as one of his classics. The sagely tone of this book reflects Jim's maturity and seasoned insight. Highly recommended ...
The panel below is worth watching ...
Notable: Southern Baptist Richard Land said ... "There's a difference between the authority of Scripture and our understanding of Scripture." A good step!
The week after Easter is often a time pastors could use a good rest. (No joke!)
I'll be part of a work-week clergy retreat coming up this summer, July 15-19, in Fort Worth, TX ...
I'll be part of a teaching team with Robyn Michalove, Joe and Suzanne Stabile, and Tony Jones. The whole week will be designed with rest and renewal in mind - for new and "used" clergy. You can learn more here: http://lifeinthetrinityministry.com/clergyretreat/about
"It's hard to believe I wrote 276 pages when the whole matter could have been settled in a matter of five words," McLaren said at an impromptu press conference conducted early Monday while he was still in his pajamas.
Visibly shaken, McLaren broke down when pondering the way he spent the last few years of his life: "When I think of all those wasted trees, all that ink, all that time writing and editing, all the travel ..."
In reply to repeated queries as to what the five-word sentence would be, McLaren became even more emotional. "It's not even a complete sentence with subject and verb. It's just a sentence fragment consisting of an infinitive phrase followed by a prepositional phrase."
As of press time, the emotionally overwrought author had not composed himself sufficiently to answer the question in question.
###
Thinking differently about profit-nonprofit compensation
(thanks bc)
Quotable:
Morality does not equal frugality.
Who cares if the bake sale has low overhead if it's tiny?
Only 2% of US GDP goes to charitable giving, but 80% of that goes to religion, higher ed, and hospitals - leaving a tiny fraction for health and human service causes. (60 billion total)
Our generation does not want its epitaph to read, "We kept charity overhead low." (Wouldn't we rather have it read, "We significantly increased the percentage of GDP given to charity?")
Ask about the scale of a charitable organization's dreams!
A prayer for pastors on Easter
Dear Lord, I pray for all the pastors today
Who will feel enormous pressure to have their sermon
Match the greatness of the subject
and will surely feel they have failed.
(I pray even more for those who think they have succeeded.)
Help them to know that it is enough
Simply and faithfully to tell the story
Of women in dawn hush ...
Of men running half-believing ...
Of rolled stones and folded grave-clothes ...
Of a supposed gardener saying the name of a crying woman ...
Of sad walkers encountering a stranger on the road home ...
Of an empty tomb and overflowing hearts.
Give them the wisdom to know that sincere humility and awe
Surpass all homiletic flourish
On this day of mysterious hope beyond all words.
Make them less conscious of their responsibility to preach,
And more confident of the Risen Christ
Who presence trumps all efforts to proclaim it.
Considering all the Easter choirs who will sing beautifully, and those who won't,
And all the Easter prayers that will soar in faith, and those that will stumble and flounder,
And all the Easter attendance numbers and offering numbers that will exceed expectations
And those that will disappoint ...
I pray they all will be surpassed by the simple joy
Of women and men standing in the presence of women and men,
Daring to proclaim and echo the good news:
Risen indeed! Alleluia!
For death is not the last word.
Violence is not the last word.
Hate is not the last word.
Money is not the last word.
Intimidation is not the last word.
Political power is not the last word.
Condemnation is not the last word.
Betrayal and failure are not the last word.
No: each of them are left like rags in a tomb,
And from that tomb,
Arises Christ,
Alive.
Help the preachers feel it,
And if they don't feel it, help them
Preach it anyway, allowing themselves
To be the receivers as well as the bearers of the Easter
News.
Alleluia!
I just finished reading Ewert Cousins' "Christ of the 21st Century." Reading the book during Holy Week has me thinking about one of the crucial questions about Christ's passion and resurrection: do we think that Christ's passion primarily changes God - or humanity? I was taught the former in the first part of my life ... but in recent years, I've been thinking more and more about the latter. So this weekend, I'm pondering how Christ's death speaks of the death of a certain kind of human identity, and then how his resurrection speaks of the (re)birth of another kind of human identity.
Paul said it powerfully in 2 Corinthians 5. If one died for all (as the representative of all, or to bring benefit to all), then all humanity died. And if all humanity died, then we who are alive should live no longer for ourselves, but for the one who died for our benefit and was raised. Thus in Christ, we die to our old, selfish, walled-off, curved-in identity. And in Christ, we rise to a new identity - in joyful union with God, one another, and all creation. Here's how Cousins talks about it:
"Teilhard's world contains an attractive force that draws the particles into genuine unions, not merely aggregates like grains of sand in a heap. Thus the particles do not remain forever in splendid isolation, nor do they eternally repel each other, nor enter into superficial unions. Rather they are drawn into ever more intimate and creative unions: from the atom to the molecule, to the cell, to the living organism, to the human person, to the human community, to the completion of union ... In the various stages of union, the individual elements do not melt into the whole like drops of water in the sea. At each stage of the way the union of elements is a Trinitarian union... at the end of the process is a union in which the particles retain their identity; in fact their uniqueness is intensified in the union at the same time they are brought together in a most intimate and creative way." (179)
Drones.
One of my Good Friday disciplines is to remember Jesus' words, "Don't weep for me, daughters of Jerusalem." I then ask for whom I should weep today.
So, tomorrow, as I remember Jesus and his suffering, I will think of people suffering today, people with whom Jesus was and is in complete solidarity ... in Pakistan and Afghanistan, in Congo, in Israel-Palestine, in my own state and neighborhood ... mothers, children, dads, grandparents. Lord, have mercy.
If anyone at the White House is listening, you should know that more and more people are becoming aware and speaking out on the issue of drones. We're ashamed ... and we want America to take a higher road than this. Lord, have mercy.
Q & R: divine violence thrown like a grenade at me?
Here's the Q:
Just discovered Brian through Red Letter Christian site. Need someone to help me understand the God of the Old Testament (violence, genocide, etc.), how to reconcile Him in my mind and, especially, how do to explain this to nonbelievers who throw that like a grenade at me? I understand them being put off by that God but I have no answer to their questions because, to be honest, they are my own questions.
I'm glad you discovered this site ... and I'm even more glad to be associated with the good people at Red Letter Christians.
The bad news - I can't give your question a lengthy answer here (although if you put "violence" in the search box, you'll find a lot).
The good news - I've written extensively on this subject, especially in four books, listed roughly in order of relevance to your question.
I think you'll find a lot of help in any or all of those books.
I also think you'd enjoy my short-fiction e-book The Girl with the Dove Tattoo, which also grapples with this important issue.
One comment: it's not just the Old Testament. There is a lot of material in the New Testament that also can and has been used to promote a violent view of God. So it's not simply a question of which parts of the Bible we're talking about - but how we interpret all of the Bible. Be assured - you're not alone. Many of us are grappling with this question, and the results are (in my opinion) really exciting and liberating. Among many other benefits - they help us appreciate Jesus more than ever.
President Obama gets it right on how change happens
He shared these words with young Palestinians and Israelis on his recent visit:
“And let me say this as a politician. I can promise you this. Political leaders will never take risks if the people won’t press them to take some risks. You must create the change you want to see. Ordinary people can accomplish some extraordinary things.”
It takes movements to create the pressure for institutional change ... so let's get the choir singing stronger!
Blessed with and beyond words
In my travels, I often hear good music. In the last two weeks, I've heard some great music. Three experiences stand out.
A few weeks ago, I spoke at Chapman University in SoCal. In the morning session, I heard a gifted student (Cheon Soyun) play the marimba. The whole room became an instrument and we were all enveloped in beauty and wonder. (Here's a sample) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fgxbWT0W_M
Then that afternoon, the University Choir sang. It was beautiful, but then a moment came in their "signature song," Amazing Grace ... that was unforgettable. Oddly, it was a moment of breath-taking silence. You'll know what I mean if you go hear them sing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKsEGFEPh9s
Then Monday night, here in Richmond (where I'm speaking at St. Paul's Lenten Series), Rector Wallace Adams-Riley read poetry and music minister David Sinden improvised on the organ. I can't begin to convey the beauty of the evening.
Just a comment, no response required. Just finished reading your book Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Budda, and Mohammed Cross the Road? and was both relieved and challenged. Relieved to have some of my inner thoughts and concerns expressed and challenged to further explore. Thank you for the extensive footnotes that included material for me to further chase. I want to reread some of my favorite Thomas Merton books as well. I grew up in a loving family, father was a fundamentalist Baptist preacher/pastor. I'm grateful for the exposure to scripture and continually find myself drawn back to the basics. My husband and I live upstate NY where we have really not connected with a church body. We have conflictual thoughts and feelings about our limited choices but continue to desire fellowship with other believers. Our faith in Jesus remains strong but churches are scary.
In my work I ... teach social work at a local university... In my work and interests, I love the exposure to diversity and the opportunities to learn. I love the "stuff" of being human and being around real people. Your book has reinforced how establishing my faith firmly in Jesus should naturally equip and draw me to others. I'm not such a freak after all! Thank you.
After reading "Why did Jesus, et al, cross the road," I wanted to ask your thoughts on universal salvation, since you seemed to "dance around" this idea throughout the book. Is Christianity the "have" and other religions the "have-nots?" I would love it if you were to write a book on the subject ...
Here's the R:
As you can imagine, I get asked this question a lot. And it's a legitimate one that I love to talk about because it opens into one of the most important subjects Christians need to grapple with: what is Christianity for?
Whenever the question comes up, it feels like I'm being asked whether I'm a Whig. The Whigs (in US politics) were a powerful political party in the US in the early 1800s. They arose in large part in reaction to President Andrew Jackson, and they differed with the Democratic Party of the day over many issues - including banking, treatment of Native Americans, presidential war powers, and the Supreme Court. After a few decades of relevance, they had no coherent and unified response to the issue of slavery. When they couldn't deal constructively with that emergent issue, they faded into nonexistence.
Universalism is one of three "theo-political parties" that arose in an era that shared a dominant assumption: the Christian faith is primarily a solution to the problem of original sin, which is a condition that dooms all humans to eternal conscious torment in hell. "What is Christianity for?" All three parties agreed: to get as many souls as possible out of hell and into heaven after death. Jesus mattered because belief in him was the ticket to heaven. Based on this shared assumption, the three parties differed on the scope of Jesus' saving-from-hell work.
The "Exclusivist Party" said that exemption from hell and entry into heaven was granted only to Christians. The "Inclusivist Party" said that hell exemption was granted to Christians and others of good faith. The Universalist Party said that all would be granted exemption from hell and entry into heaven through the universal saving work of Jesus.
Meanwhile, many of us are coming to a similar conclusion: all three parties define themselves based on assumptions that we no longer share. We don't believe
A) that the Christian faith should be defined in terms of the doctrine of original sin (as articulated in the fifth through seventh centuries, and defended today most enthusiastically by neo-Calvinism and Fundamentalism), or
B) that "salvation" in the Bible is primarily about exemption from eternal conscious torment in hell, or
C) that Christianity's primary purpose is to determine one's after-death destination.
For us,
A) The Christian faith is about the good news of God proclaimed and embodied by Jesus Christ and affirmed, explored, and applied by the apostles, rooted in the Scriptures, and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
B) Salvation derives its meaning in the Bible from God's liberation (salvation) of Hebrew slaves in Egypt. It is about God's ongoing work in creation to liberate from slavery, oppression, exploitation, lust, greed, pride, and all other forms of sin and evil.
C) Christianity is a movement of people joining God in the healing of the world, beginning with ourselves, following the way of Jesus.
In that sense, salvation is universal in intent - of course! In that sense, I am a universalist because I believe God loves all that has been created (Psalm 145:8-9). God "is not willing for any to perish," but desires all to discover the liberating truth. So when people like me hear exclusivists act as if God elected some to privilege and others to damnation, we can't stop asking questions.... What kind of God would create a universe planning to consign much of it to destruction and even worse - to eternal conscious torment? And if people end up in hell "by mistake" - not by God's pre-planned intention - why would God have decided that was a risk worth taking? What kind of God would find it "self-glorifying" to enjoy bliss in heaven with the redeemed while the unredeemed suffer eternally down in the basement? What kind of people would, upon sober reflection, consider that end to be blissful? Is that the best "good news" that Christianity can muster - eternal salvation of a few, eternal damnation of the rest?
When we say things like that, Exclusivists say, "Aha! So you're universalists after all! You believe everything is going to end up fine so there is no need for Christian evangelism and mission."
But that's equally far from the truth. We look around us and see creation subject to oppression and injustice on every hand. Vulnerable people are exploited by powerful and predatory people. Ecosystems are destroyed by foolish and careless economies (in which nearly all of us are partakers). Systems of oppression rape, pillage, steal, kill, and destroy. Is the whole universe enjoying "salvation" in that sense of liberation to God's "shalom?" Is the "missio dei" complete? Of course not! What kind of God, or believers, would say, "It's OK! Everyone's going to heaven in the end! So don't worry too much about all these problems here on earth! Everything is fine! Sing another worship song and have another glass of wine!"
That kind of complacency is appalling. That's why, even though we believe God's love is universal, no exceptions, we don't feel the old term "universalism" - as popularly understood - fits.
If the gospel is the good news of God's gracious love for all creation ... if the gospel is a call to universal reconciliation with God, ourselves, one another, even our enemies, and all creation ... if discipleship is a call to "seek first God's kingdom and restorative justice" ... then asking us to define ourselves in relation to the old three-party system is like asking us our opinion of Andrew Jackson when the Civil War is looming.
Just as the issue of slavery rearranged American politics in the mid-1800's, emerging issues are rearranging our theological landscape today, including:
- environmental destruction that is an inevitable consequence of an unsustainable economy
- unaccountable corptocracy and increasing corporate control over government and media
- the growing gap between a rich elite and the poor masses, between those who monopolize wealth and opportunity and those who work harder and harder for a smaller and smaller share
- an out-of-control military-industrial complex and the proliferation of weapons, from guns to nuclear weapons
- the rise of fearful, militant, and hateful religion
- the breakdown of communities, families, and human thriving in the fallout of the previous issues
Contrary to our critics, our rethinking of the three-party theo-political system hasn't involved ignoring the Bible, cherry-picking happy passages and employing the "select-delete" keys over the others. No - we've gone back to the Scriptures and studied them passionately. We've become convinced that the old theological systems that interpreted every verse in the Bible in light of what I call "the six-lined narrative" are in fact houses of cards, or perhaps better put, houses built on sand.
We've realized that centuries of tradition have taught good Christians to make unwarranted assumptions - for example, that "salvation" means "exemption from hell," or that "judgment" means "sending to hell," or that "Jesus died for our sins" means "Jesus died as a penal substitutionary sacrifice to solve the problem of original sin." Instead, we're reading the Bible with different hypotheses - that "salvation" means "liberation, healing, correction, and restoration," that "judgment" goes beyond punishment to restoration and so means "confronting evil and setting things right," that "Jesus died for our sins" can mean "Jesus died because of our sins," or "Jesus died to turn and heal us from our sins."
That's why I think the old three-party system that divides people into exclusivists, inclusivists, and universalists offers people - like the Whigs of the early 1800's - three ways of being increasingly irrelevant and unhelpful.
My critics love to say that I'm evading (dancing around) the issue. I wish they could come to understand that it's much worse than that. I'm rejecting the whole paradigm that defines the issue as it does.
I'm sorry - that's probably way more than you were asking for! But I hope it helps explain why I love to respond to this question, even though I can't offer a short, one-word, yes-no answer to it. You'd think I'd at least have a clever one-sentence answer by now. (The one in italics above is probably as close as I've come in that regard ...) Am I dancing around the question? No ... it's just not the question I want to dance with. Another question has captured my heart, namely, "How can I participate in God's dreams coming true here on planet earth?" There's a dance that I can enter into with both feet and a full heart.
... by my friend Wes Granberg-Michaelson, here: http://sojo.net/blogs/2013/03/24/gordon-cosby-my-mentor
Quotable - a powerful description of a kind of spiritual direction we need more and more people to offer one another:
As daily practices of prayer, biblical reflection, and journal writing began slowly making inroads into my hectic and workaholic lifestyle, Gordon would meet me regularly for dinner, becoming my spiritual director. I’d race from my office on Capital Hill to meet for our appointment, and he’d simply ask me to read to him what I’d like to share from my journal.
Gordon crafted the sacred space for my inward journey to take root and begin to grow. He’d ask probing, discerning questions, and then listen, periodically making creative suggestions. Sensing that the emotional feelings of grace and love needed to be nurtured within me, he once suggested that I modify the traditional “Jesus Prayer” and instead repeat, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, I love you.” I’ve never forgotten.
Q & R: Subversive Liturgy?
Here's the Q:
The Woman’s Book group that I help facilitate is currently reading Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? We are loving it and the many challenges it presents to us. We are discovering that the other that we seem to struggle with the most, is often our fellow Christians! Wow!
Anyway, we just finished reading Chapter 19, “How the Christian Year Can Become More Christian” – the enthusiasm in the room to embrace this sort of liturgy was very, very high (especially getting rid of the “banality of geese a-laying, etc…). So, when is your book coming out on Subversive Liturgy? We can’t wait to start our own “creative disturbance” within our congregation! Hoping to hear from you!
Here's the R:
That's the project I'm working on right now. I'll be writing until September, and then the book will go into editing and production phases for release (I think) in June 2014. We're targeting June because we think a lot of folks will want to begin using it in September 2014, December 2014, or January 2015 - for either the school, church, or calendar year. The book will be 52+ short sermons, one for each week, with a simple liturgy, lectionary, and set of queries for group engagement. It's coming together and I'm getting more enthusiastic about it each week that passes. I'm about to get a few hours of writing in today ...
PS - I'm not 100% sure of the title yet. It may be simply, "Catechesis," or it may be "To Be Alive." Or ...
A reader writes: Less Loneley
I wanted to email you to say thank you.
Thank you for your many books, of which I have several!
I've also heard you speak at Greenbelt.
You, and others associated with the emerging church have been able to articulate what I was thinking and feeling. Reading your books has helped me to find some answers to questions I was asking, as well as make me ask a lot more! It is indeed a journey of discovery, but one which I feel would be very lonely if not for your books.
This is always encouraging to hear, especially because I am grateful for this experience myself ... reading someone else's books and thinking, "What a relief ... I'm not the only person who has wondered about that."
Palm Sunday
Today I imagine Jesus looking over our world.
"Oh, human civilization, civilization - massive organization that stones the prophets and silences those sent to you with God's truth and wisdom. How often I have wanted to gather you together as a hen gathers her chicks. But you would not come. If only you knew the things that made for peace ..."
Or maybe it would be this:
"Oh, Christendom, Christendom ... If only you knew...."
And what makes for peace? These words from Dr. King come to mind:
The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral,
begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy.
Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it.
Through violence you may murder the liar,
but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth.
Through violence you may murder the hater,
but you do not murder hate.
In fact, violence merely increases hate.
So it goes.
Returning violence for violence multiplies violence,
adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars.
Darkness cannot drive out darkness:
only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.
In our world of drones, secret prisons, terrorism, counter-terrorism, occupations, nuclear threats, and more ... let us join Jesus today, looking over Jerusalem, looking over our world, weeping and praying for peace.
A reader writes: Lonely Stage 3
A reader writes:
It was a pleasure getting the chance to meet you yesterday. I had to slip out early to make the 2.5 hour trek back [home]
I knew your lecture would be well worth the drive. The four phases of belief certainly resonated with me. I have been stuck in a lonely Stage 3 for about ten years now. It can be difficult to show grace to well-intentioned family members who have chosen to remain in Stage 1 (especially when they send me John McArthur books in the mail), but your perspective helped me to see that all stages of belief – even simplistic belief – have a purpose. I would have loved to have asked you a million questions.... I’m sure you are bombarded with questions every time you speak. You have an extraordinary gift for taking big ideas from many different disciplines and organizing them into a framework that makes them accessible to the masses.
Thank you for your willingness to travel to reach out to groups and congregations.
Thanks for this encouraging note. Responding to questions is one of the most enjoyable things I get to do, so next time I'm in town I hope you'll ask a bunch.
For those interested in the stages this reader refers to - you'll find more in Naked Spirituality.
Q & R: How do I know?
Here's the Q:
Hi Brian,
I don’t know if you will actually read this email…but I wanted to say that when I read your biography, it resonated with me. I too grew up in a deeply conservative Christian home; I teach English literature to high school students. I work at a Christian school and know the “right” answers to faith and theology. However, I wrestle with traditional conceptions of Christianity. I am scared to fully embrace what I now think to be true, because if I am wrong…the implications are disastrous (ie. Will people I know go to hell because I don't think its about reciting a little prayer?)
I want to know truth--but it is so elusive. How do I find it?
Here's the R:
Thanks for your question. I keep coming back to these three things:
1. You keep coming back to test claims against Scripture. You've already discovered, for example, that "the sinners prayer" isn't there, nor are many of the assumptions behind it.
2. You grapple with issues with trusted friends and mentors. If you don't have friends or mentors who are asking or have asked similar questions, this means finding some.
3. You keep praying - for guidance, for wisdom, for the right motives.
These three habits will not guarantee you'll "know with absolute certainty the absolute truth." But they will help you keep moving toward God's light. And as you move in that direction, you set an example for others to follow ... which is the best way to help others.
Chicago, Dallas, Richmond ...
Hope to see many of you over the next few days: Chicago - Thursday 21 March, an evening with author Lillian Daniel
One of the joys of journeying with fellow believers who do not share our own views is being challenged by them. Many of my friends would not consider you very highly as a Christian leader, but without your books, thoughtfulness, and (when you were a pastor) sermons I would unlikely be a Christian anymore.
Something I've constantly run into has been the challenge to answer others when they speak of salvation, eternal life, or the Kingdom of God as an eternal state. I'm starting to really see how the gospels and the New Testament really focuses on eternal life as having life to the full here and now, in the present, a this-worldly sort of experience. On the other hand, there is no denying that the afterlife has its place in Christianity. After all, we do all die. Whether we see heaven as coming down to earth or us going up to heaven, the afterlife is there, staring us in the face. And here's the clincher for many of my friends: it's much longer than our time on earth.
So when I bring up the Kingdom of God was (in part) about reconciliation between violent enemies, restoring justice and peace in the world, or even doing good by feeding the hungry, the response has been, "Yeah, but that's only good for the next 40 or so years."
My only response to that you will find very few (if any!) examples of evangelism in Scripture that demonstrate the afterlife as the reason we spread the good news. Luke does not record in Acts the apostles preaching the gospel as an afterlife-focused endeavor. The book of Romans doesn't even address "hell" (in the traditional sense), and it's all about salvation!
Yet… somehow, the whole "eternity is much longer than this life" seems to be a stronghold, even for me at times.
If you have the chance to respond, I'm sure others would appreciate your thoughts. Keep up the good work and keep preaching Jesus Christ!
Here's the R:
As I've made clear in all my writings, I don't think we're dealing with an either/or between this life and the afterlife. But I believe we've turned things backwards ... making this life count little because the afterlife counts so much. We commonly see religious people reducing, reducing, reducing ... Jesus' life didn't matter; only his death mattered. Saving the whales doesn't matter; only saving souls matters. How you live doesn't matter; only what you believe matters. How you treat the poor doesn't matter; only how you treat Jesus matters, etc. etc.
But I think a proper understanding of this life and the after life - as one integrated "life of the ages" or "life to the full" - works in the opposite way: Everything matters. No, it doesn't all matter equally, but it all matters - because it all contributes to the "who" that we become. The way we treat the planet demonstrates whether we're careless or careful, considerate or presumptuous, selfish or prudent, wasteful or wise. Similarly, the way we treat the poor demonstrates whether we're stingy or generous, and the way we treat our enemies demonstrates whether we follow Caesar or Christ. If we practice one side of that equation, that's the kind of person we become - and that's the "us" that we bring into the afterlife. So ... if anything, belief in the afterlife makes all these choices more significant.
I suspect that the problem isn't whether or not we believe in the afterlife; I suspect the underlying problem is the narrative or framing story in which we place this life and afterlife. I've written about "the six-line narrative" in A New Kind of Christianity. That's the narrative that I think has marginalized this life in view of the afterlife. And I've tried to describe an alternative narrative in my book The Story We Find Ourselves In. That will be the subject of my upcoming book as well.
To believe in an afterlife wisely can make us fear no sacrifice - including martyrdom - in pursuit of God's kingdom and justice. It can make us willing to give and suffer, not just for our families and friends and nations, but even for our enemies ... and even for the birds of the air and fish of the sea, because we believe that beyond this life, we are welcomed into the love of the Creator who loves all creation. It empowers us to see through the shallow and unsustainable economies that currently rule our world - to live by another economy through which we "lay up treasures in heaven" through goodness, kindness, generosity, mercy, and love. It's part of the good news that changes everything.
Francis said that he intends to follow “on the path of ecumenical dialogue” set for the Roman Catholic Church by the Second Vatican Council (1962-65).
But he also reached out to those who don’t belong “to any religious tradition” but feel the “need to search for the truth, the goodness and the beauty of God.”
Francis echoed his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, saying that the “attempt to eliminate God and the divine from the horizon of humanity” has often led to catastrophic violence.
But Francis, who has set a humbler tone to the papacy since his election on March 13, added that atheists and believers can be “precious allies” in their efforts “to defend the dignity of man, in the building of a peaceful coexistence between peoples and in the careful protection of creation.”
Richard Rohr's reflections on the new pontifex here ...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/fr-richard-rohr/reflections-on-a-new-face_b_2885215.html?utm_source=Francis+March+19+2013&utm_campaign=Update+March+19+2013&utm_medium=email
It is with great joy, as well as sadness, that we convey to you the word that at 4:15 this morning--on the first day of spring--our beloved brother in Christ, Gordon Cosby, quietly slipped into the fullness of God's Realm. Mary was sleeping beside him and continues to be a pillar of spiritual strength.
Our hearts are full.
This evening those of us who are able and wish to do so are welcome to drop by the Potter's House--just to share love with each other and to thank God for giving us such a one as Gordon. An informal time of sharing will begin at 6:30 p.m.
The actual memorial service will be held sometime after Easter...
Gordon's influence on my life was indirect, but strong. I only met him a handful of times, the most meaningful being an afternoon spent chatting with him at the Potter's House ten or so years ago. But Gordon and Church of the Savior had a profound influence on my friend Bill Duncan, who with his wife Shobha were the cofounders of Cedar Ridge Community Church, where I was privileged to serve as a pastor and grow as a member for many years. Bill and Shobha, through their friendship and partnership, have been so formative in my life and work.
It has often been said that Church of the Savior was the original "Emerging Church." In fact, COS has modeled ongoing, continual emergence. The last time I was with Gordon, he shared something to this effect (all who knew him will recognize this kind of reflection from Gordon): "We've been at this for decades now, but I still feel that we've just begun to re-imagine what the church can be. We have so much more to learn. We have made so many mistakes. We have only taken the first few stops on this journey."
When many were bragging over a life of accomplishments, Gordon was still humble, still unsatisfied, still peering forward, still curious, still feeling like a beginner. When many were obsessed with size, he was obsessed with essence. Of his many great gifts to us was his lifelong desire to integrate inward and outward journeys ... discipleship and mission ... contemplation and action ... spirituality and social justice. He lived it in one neighborhood - but modeled it for people around the world. His life is a small stone of Christ-like vision, thrown quietly into the twentieth century, whose ripples will spread for generations to come.
Where can I find?
Here's the Q:
I recently found a great set of short videos on youtube introducing the 10 questions covered in New Kind of Christianity. Unfortunately one is missing, No. 3. The God Question.
I would like to use these videos for a study group, so wondered if you could tell me how to get the missing videos. Many thanks.
First of all, thank you for your book, Why Did Jesus, Moses, Mohammed and the Buddha and Cross the Road. You have named and given a well-articulated theological basis for the Christianity, that I have tried to live and teach both throughout my nineteen years of parish ministry and now as a writer.
Although trained as one of those weakened liberal tolerant Christians, I personally believed that a strong faith would enable my acceptance of others’ faith to grow. Therefore my years of ministry focused on teaching personal spiritual growth without the hostile element you describe so brilliantly.
...You have given me confidence in my message. Your book is a true gift.
We're almost full but ...
we can squeeze a few more in for my workshop this weekend in Dallas. We'll be doing an overview of the Hebrew Scriptures Friday night and Saturday, helping people grapple with the Bible in a fresh way. Learn more about Storyline: Reading the Bible Afresh ...
(Part 2 on the gospels will be in May, with Part 3 on Acts in July and Part 4 on the Epistles and Revelation in December)
Extraction and assimilation go together. Colonialism and capitalism are based on extracting and assimilating. My land is seen as a resource. My relatives in the plant and animal worlds are seen as resources. My culture and knowledge is a resource. My body is a resource and my children are a resource because they are the potential to grow, maintain, and uphold the extraction-assimilation system. The act of extraction removes all of the relationships that give whatever is being extracted meaning. Extracting is taking. Actually, extracting is stealing—it is taking without consent, without thought, care or even knowledge of the impacts that extraction has on the other living things in that environment. That’s always been a part of colonialism and conquest. Colonialism has always extracted the indigenous—extraction of indigenous knowledge, indigenous women, indigenous peoples.
...I first started to think about that probably 20 years ago, and it was through some of Winona LaDuke’s work and through working with elders out on the land that I started to really think about this. Winona took a concept that’s very fundamental to Anishinaabeg society, called mino bimaadiziwin. It often gets translated as “the good life,” but the deeper kind of cultural, conceptual meaning is something that she really brought into my mind, and she translated it as “continuous rebirth.” So, the purpose of life then is this continuous rebirth, it’s to promote more life. In Anishinaabeg society, our economic systems, our education systems, our systems of governance, and our political systems were designed with that basic tenet at their core.
I suspect that bimaadiziwin points in the same direction as Jesus' term "the kingdom of God," or "life to the full." May we all turn from seeking money first, economic growth first, security first, wealth or leisure first ... to seeking bimaadiziwin first: God's reign and God's justice, continuous rebirth.
Angels in Lakeland, FL
Lakeland will have some important visitors this weekend. The whole city - and especially the executives of Lakeland’s (and Florida’s) number one corporation - need to choose how they’ll be welcomed.
Who are these visitors? They are ambassadors of a sort.
They don’t represent a nation like China or Brazil or Greece. Nor do they represent a religion - Buddhism or Islam or Roman Catholicism. These guests to Lakeland, traveling 200 miles on foot as an expression of their desire to make meaningful contact, represent a group of people whom our nation - and our state - and key citizens of the city of Lakeland - have not, until now, treated with human dignity and respect.
I understand that the 1,342nd wealthiest member of the human race lives in Lakeland, but these guests are from the opposite end of the socio-economic spectrum, the bottom of the pyramid instead of the top.
On Saturday, March 16, these ambassadors will march down South Florida Avenue. They’ll be welcomed at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church by Bishop John Noonan.
From there, they will march by Subway, McDonald’s, Chipotle Mexican Grill, and Taco Bell - among 51 businesses in Lakeland whose top executives have shown respect to these honored guests. When you do business with these establishments, you can take pride in the fact that they have not turned away these guests in disgrace, but rather, have welcomed them with open arms.
On Sunday March 17, these guests will march to the headquarters of Publix. Publix is an important and beloved company in Florida, highly respected in many ways, but in this one way, Publix is an embarrassment to Lakeland and to Florida. On each of their previous visits, Publix has refused to meet with the guests who will come again in hopes of being welcomed on March 17.
Publix is widely praised for its charitable donations, as it should be. But Publix is widely questioned for its refusal to meet with the farmworkers by whose labor Publix, Lakeland, and the State of Florida realize sizable profits. It’s good to show generosity with a portion of your profits, but it’s even better to be sure that those profits are gained in an ethical and exemplary way, and that’s what the farmworkers - Lakeland’s guests on March 16-17 - will be asking.
Publix officials have repeatedly given three reasons for their refusal to meet with the farmworkers - all of which are either misinformed or misleading. If they meet with the guests this weekend, they will discover that the Fair Food Program advocated by these ambassadors perfectly addresses each of their concerns.
They would learn that the Fair Food Program is already working with many of retailers like theirs. In fact, over $8 million has already been distributed to workers, paid by retailers to the farms, who then in turn pass it on to workers as a bonus in each check. They would learn that far from being a “labor dispute,” the Fair Food Program is a kind of covenantal partnership between 90% of Florida’s tomato growers, 11 multi-billion-dollar retailers, and 30,000 of the state’s hardest working people. Through this partnership, without government intrusion, business leaders and workers are working together to reduce poverty and abuse - including recent cases of modern-day slavery. Why would a respected company like Publix want to miss out on that any longer?
Last year around this time, these guests came to Lakeland - I was with them too - to participate in a fast in front of Publix headquarters. Bishop Noonan shared these words of blessing and welcome with the guests: "The challenge for all of God's people is to work to create the reality of the kingdom right here, right now.... We pray for Publix corporate leaders that God will inspire them to work in collaboration with the Immokalee Workers to advance the rights of agricultural workers. We pray for all who labor that during this season of Lent, justice will be achieved through just wages and that the dignity and rights of those who work to bring food to our tables be respected. May we continue to build the Kingdom of God by satisfying the hunger and thirst of the many who depend on our compassion and action."
The Bible is full of stories of people not appreciating or properly welcoming visitors. In their welcome of visitors, the New Testament says, people have sometimes “entertained angels unawares.” Let’s hope that Publix, and all of Lakeland, will give these guests - who will arrive this weekend on sore feet and weary legs, but with full hearts and open hands - the warm and respectful welcome they deserve.
The best material on the Parable of the Prodigal Son I've ever seen ...
I'm honored to be quoted by Paul here, especially in the company of my Catholic friend James Alison and my Protestant friend Rob Bell, along with Bonhoeffer, Hardin, and many others.
The Latest from Immokalee Workers
This is a big week for my friends at Coalition for Immokalee Workers. A group of workers and supporters are walking 200 miles to demonstrate to the leadership of Publix (a major grocer in the South) their good faith in wanting them to join the Fair Food Campaign.
I've been meaning to write you to say a BIG THANKS for your excellent book, Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammad Cross the Road? My wife and I are active worshippers and partners in [a church] where you spoke a couple of months ago. We were absent that Sunday but some good friends of ours were present and bought and brought me a copy of your book later that week saying, "Brian sounds a lot like you! We think you'll enjoy his new book!"
Indeed I find your book not only elegantly written but astonishingly important for contemporary Christians, as well as for those of other faith traditions. It is the very best book I've read on Christian Identity in a Multi-Faith World, and I've been giving gift-copies to family, to friends, and to faculty among whom I now serve in the context of secular higher education. Thank you for many precious insights about creating a "strong-benevolent" Christian identity, doctrine as "healing instruments" rather than instruments of coercion or violence, subversive friendships, reforming liturgy, witness and evangelism as going together to a new place neither of us has been before, and the vision of a new world where people of peace and good faith are honoring our differences and yet joining together to work and pray for the common good. Thank you for boldly writing about Rene Girard's insights about religious violence and scapegoating, and for naming "hermeneutics" as crucial ("all interpretation is ethical")--though I can't find the chapter/page reference at the moment, you are the first author writing to a potentially wide audience that addresses basic issues in hermeneutics. Thank you for giving voice to the issues and concerns so many of us share as followers of Jesus, and for your voice of honesty about so much that troubles us, and yet your voice of hope and new possibility. Through your writing, you are for me a rare kindred spirit, and this is a precious gift indeed.
Thanks for these encouraging words. Encouragement about Cross the Road is helping me as I'm deep into work on my next project. Glad for a kindred spirit - especially one who understands how important interpretation is.
Q & R: Trinity - a stumbling block for unity?
Here's the Q:
In the book are you saying this Doctrine should stay around but in the reformulated state of "Social Trinitarianism" because you believe it or because we can not move forward without bringing it along with us? It seems to us (the study group I am in) that this Doctrine in particular will continue to be a stumbling block for unity among the believers of the One True God. Thanks very much for a response.
Here's the R:
Your question points up a critical issue that I think many of us involved in "Emergence Christianity" (or whatever it's called) are grappling with. When you say "because you believe it" - the question for me isn't "if I believe it" (I do) but "how do I believe it?"
There's a way of holding a belief that says, "This belief perfectly contains God, and if you don't have this belief and use these words, you don't have God." There's another way of holding a belief that says, "No words can contain God. But they can point in God's direction ... and by looking in the direction pointed by these words, my vision of God is improved."
Or there's a way of holding a belief that says, "I'm right/You're wrong if you don't agree." There's another way of holding it that implies, "I've discovered life here, and truth, and beauty, and hope, and meaning. I'm not saying I'm right and you're wrong, but I am happy to share with you what I've found here ... and happy to learn from you what you've found."
In that spirit, I think the doctrine can be a gift, not a stumbling block (for reasons I describe in Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road). By the way, to speak of "One True God" can equally be a stumbling block, say when you're speaking to a Hindu or Buddhist or atheist. So the "how, not if" question can be worthwhile even for that belief.
This is a big part of what Rob Bell is grappling with in his new book, which releases today.
Friends in LA, Chicago, Dallas, Richmond ...
I'd love to see you when I'm in your neighborhood over the next two weeks. LA - This Friday and Saturday
Chicago - Thursday 21 March, an evening with author Lillian Daniel
People who know me well know that I'm an avid birder. Not quite a "The Big Year" type (yet), but I love identifying birds (especially by song). It was great to learn from my friend David B that there are more birders than hunters out there (not to insult hunters) ... which makes me wonder if Isaiah today might speak of recycling our weapons as binoculars?
If you don't get why some of us love birding, invest 2 minutes in this:
Does it ever take your breath away to think we get to be alive on the same planet with such amazing creatures? (And these are ... starlings!)
TGIM: I didn't have the luxury of being a moral creature
Thank God It's Monday! I hope to blog more frequently on the spirituality of work under this heading. This comment came in a few weeks ago:
Brian, in this Sunday’s edition of the New York Times Magazine the lead article is about how hard food companies work to make us want to eat more of their products, regardless of the consequences to our health.
The author interviewed Howard Moskowitz, a noted food scientist who specializes in “optimizing” food so people will want to eat more of it. The bold italics are mine.
“I first met Moskowitz on a crisp day in the spring of 2010 at the Harvard Club in Midtown Manhattan. As we talked, he made clear that while he has worked on numerous projects aimed at creating more healthful foods and insists the industry could be doing far more to curb obesity, he had no qualms about his own pioneering work on discovering what industry insiders now regularly refer to as “the bliss point” or any of the other systems that helped food companies create the greatest amount of crave.‘There’s no moral issue for me,’ he said. ‘I did the best science I could. I was struggling to survive and didn’t have the luxury of being a moral creature. As a researcher, I was ahead of my time.’ ”
To me, this is the quintessential human dilemma in one sentence – I would love to hear your comments.
Well said. One of the most important features of the Christian church's mission (and the same could be said for other religious communities) is to help people realize that "being a moral creature" is not a luxury. It's a reality, a necessity, and human responsibility.
So I hope today all who read this will ponder their "Monday through Friday" work and open their hearts to receive it as a holy mission. Every person you meet, every decision you make, every word you speak ... you are living out your faith, your purpose, and your vision as a moral human being. It all counts. It is all meaningful. It all matters. So thank God it's Monday!
Q & R: a gay mom
Here's the Q:
A friend of mine just forwarded me one of your responses to an individual "breaking ties" with you. My mother recently came out after 39 years of what I thought to be happy marriage to my father. Although my family scenario is a bit different because it involved a marriage, children, and grandchildren, it is obvious to me that Jesus still loves my mom deeply. What resources do you recommend I read to learn more about what the Bible truly has to teach on this topic? Although I can go back and study the Bible on my own, I find it difficult to do without letting the ignorant bias of previous teachings guide my thoughts. Any help is greatly appreciated, and will hopefully help in this new truth my family is trying to live.
Here's the R:
Your mom is blessed to have you in the family ... as is your family. If you go to the top right of the homepage for this site, you'll the search box. If you type in "homosexuality" you'll find a lot of resources that I've recommended over the last few years, and hopefully, some additional information that will be helpful. Millions of families are learning to understand "this new truth" in their family system - and having compassionate and open-hearted people like you makes a big difference.
A reader writes: All the religious garbage I've acquired
A reader writes:
I have so enjoyed reading your books, right now I'm reading the secret message of Jesus. I will try to make a long story short. I grew up Lutheran, left the church when I was in my early twenties. Have some fog on an abuse issue I suffered under a lutheran pastor when I was six, but anyways, I moved on to churches that taught born again,and adult baptism,etc. In that setting, it was discovered that I had a gift of music, so I began to write songs and was on a worship team for several years. Short story, I got in the middle of a dog fight and was kicked off the team because of my friendship with others. Anyhow, I've been to a few churches and eventually came to a small group, where we were listening to Dr. Greg Boyd, in which I was ministered to greatly. However some in the group thought he is a heratic, and so here I am, not going anywhere at the moment. My uncle, who is a retired United pastor who married his lesbian daughter, told me about your books. OFcourse I was skeptical because of all the religious garbage I've acquired over the years. But, I absolutely enjoy everything I've come across. I guess I want to say a huge thankyou! I am praying that I will find a group or church or whatever that are willing to think outside the box like yourself. I don't suppose you will be coming to Ontario, Canada, anytime soon?
Thanks for this note. Greg is a friend, and it's sad (but completely predictable) to see good people like him labelled heretics. (Recently he's been grappling with the subject of violence in the Bible, which will garner him even more criticism - but all for a good cause!) You're right - it's often hard to find a church where you can both a) be honest about your questions and rethinking processes and b) find inspiration, challenge, spiritual depth, and engagement in meaningful mission. But more and more churches are moving into this space - some from the "Mainline" side and some from the "Evangelical" side. Then there are also retreat centers (often catholic), emergent cohorts, pub theology groups, and other EFC's (experimental faith communities) springing up.
I checked my schedule, and the next time I'll be in Ontario (Toronto) will be 14-15 November. People can always check when I'll be in there area on the "Schedule" section of my site.
Sami is an important voice - an Evangelical Christian Palestinian - that more Christians, especially Evangelicals, and especially in the United States, need to hear from. Please spread the word. Q & A will be an important part of the call.
Shocked. Disgusted. We have not come as far as we thought.
Wil Gafney's post is especially important in light of disturbing statements made by a Supreme Court Justice about voting rights in America last week. Helpful reflections here:
Talk about judicial activism ...
Be sure to take note of the stats on legalizing ... interracial marriage!
I'll be in Chicago, March 21, with Lillian Daniel
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
JKSCommunications
Kelli Murray
630-277-0347
kelli@jkscommunications.com
LOCAL PASTOR AND THEOLOGIAN PROVIDE A REASONABLE CASE FOR THE CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY
March 21 discussion to be held at Winnetka Congregational Church
MARCH 6, 2013 – Winnetka, Ill. – Author and senior pastor Lillian Daniel of the First Congregational Church in Glen Ellyn along with author and theologian Brian McLaren team up to discuss Christianity at 7 p.m. March 21 at the Winnetka Congregational Church, 725 Pine St.
Somewhere between the Christian doctrine viewpoints of “Burn in Hell” and “Whatever floats your boat,” Daniel and McLaren will vocalize a reasonable case for the Christian community. Joseph A. Shank, senior pastor at Winnetka Congregational Church, will moderate the lively discussion.
The speakers are celebrated authors of the 2012-launched publishing house Jericho Books led by Wendy Grisham, which provides a space for non-traditional voices to express fresh perspectives on faith as it relates to religious, social and political issues. Both will be signing copies of their new books, Daniel’s “When Spiritual but Not Religious is Not Enough – Seeing God in Surprising Places, Even the Church,” and McLaren’s “Why did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road?.”
Daniel is editor at large for Christian Century Magazine, contributing editor at Leadership Journal and author of “Tell It Like It Is: Reclaiming the Practice of Testimony.” She has taught at Yale Divinity School, Chicago Theological Seminary and the University of Chicago Divinity School. In 2010 she received the distinguished alumni award from Yale Divinity School for Distinction in Congregational Ministry.
McLaren is an author, speaker, activist and public theologian. His previous books include “Naked Spirituality” and “A New Kind of Spirituality.” A former college English teacher and pastor, he is a presenter in the Living the Questions “Saving Jesus” series.
For more information about the authors, visit jerichobooks.com/books.
God was so enthralled with a life of loving connectedness that God loved into existence a world with the same potential. Like a painter setting out with an end in mind, God imagines and engineers a world continually unfolding as an expression of God’s own original love. It’s almost as if God were standing at the future, lovingly drawing creation forward.
Each time God’s Spirit shows up, she is hovering over the unexplored potential. God does not rush the process. From the very beginning of time as scripture depicts it, we see the Spirit of God, as a patient artist, okay with the “unfinished” potential in the story. God is at home with things as they unfold.
As God’s creative project unfolds, each session’s work seems to speak to God as well about the next day’s work. The kind of listening we are talking about is not the same as acknowledging noise or words. This is at the core of what it means to be an artist: perceiving. The potter, the poet, and the person who prays each have to read between such lines. They have to listen through to what is felt at the core. Jesus used a quote about this from Isaiah in defense of his use of parables. Some, he said “ seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand” (Mat 13:13 NRSV).
Art is like life in this way: the raw ingredients, the various materials and mediums that you intentionally engage with affect the art you make... Focusing on process alone would be like describing a painter without talking about the choices in pigment and canvas, without asking about the use of perspective, color, or tone, and with no attention to the place or day and age in which she painted. Its like an actor reading a script cold, no background story, no research, no setting, posture, accent or pathos. Attention to process it enriched when we pay as much attention to the ingredients.
If you don't have time to watch the whole video now, at least check out Imam Fazlun Kahlid sharing on the ecological message of the Quran at about 12:00.
Gay Marriage and the End of Civilization as we know it: 2 views
We are poor, but we, too, are human beings.
Those are the words of our neighbors who work in the fields, planting and harvesting the food we eat.
On Sunday, a group of my friends from Coalition of Immokalee Workers began a 200 mile march from Ft. Myers, FL, to Lakeland, FL, the headquarters of Publix Grocers. Publix is a good company that has been resisting doing good in relation to the farm workers for the last several years. By failing to stand in solidarity with the workers whose labor contributes to their bottom line, they are hurting their neighbors, disappointing all of us who care about fair food and ethical buying, and ultimately tarnishing their own public image.
For reasons that make no sense to us who know the situation of the workers and the ideals expressed by the company's founder, they have refused to participate in the Campaign for Fair Food.
They have refused even to have a substantive face-to-face meeting to discuss the matter.
As a result, they are cooperating with an old and broken system that has exploited farmworkers for far too long. The workers are asking them to join a new system that will treat the farmworkers with dignity as human beings.
Republicans, Democrats, and Independents have been speaking a great deal lately about their concern about "generational theft" - the way that our current spending and debt policies are unsustainable and place burdens on the young for the benefit of the old. Sustainability - economic and ecological - is a valid concern that deserves real attention.
But almost nobody has been talking about "demographic theft" - the way our current economic policies are aiding and abetting in a huge transfer of wealth from the poor and middle class to the rich. (More on that here.)
Listen to the voices of some of our nation's hardest-working people - people to whom we are connected by what we eat, and you will hear a moral summons to all of us - to corporate executives at Publix, and to buyers like you and me. "We are poor," they say, "but we, too, are human beings."
Q & R: 3 Questions on A New Kind of Christianity
Here are the Q', with R's inserted:
I just finished reading your book, A New Kind of Christianity. First, I wanted to thank you for taking the time to write the book. I agreed with many of the things you said in it. Also, I feel that asking questions and having discussions is a great way to grow. In your conclusion you encouraged readers of your book to “come to the table, join the conversation, and make your own contribution.” Therefore, I had a few questions for you in an attempt to join and contribute to the conversation (I hope that you will truly welcome me to the table).
Question 1:
It appears that you are saying that everyone will be reconciled to a perfect, eternal relationship with God in heaven, and everyone will be exempt from the eternal torment that is commonly defined as hell (if this is not the case, I apologize for the miscommunication and would be interested to know what you actually meant). How does that point of view fit into scriptures such as Matthew 13:36-52, Matthew 24:36-51, and Luke 13:22-30?
One of my problems in answering a question like this is that it assumes the framework in which Jesus was speaking was more or less the same as the framework in which people ask a question like this today, namely a set of assumptions about an ontological fall, original sin, total depravity, eternal conscious torment, etc. But I don't think that was the case. I think Jesus and his hearers shared a very different framework - more Jewish and less Christian, more Middle Eastern and less Greek, more oriented toward this life/history and less oriented toward afterlife/eternity. As well, I think we assume that Jesus was teaching when he often was un-teaching, meaning that he was taking common assumptions of his day - including the assumptions of the Pharisees about heaven, hell, and who populates each - and overturning them.
So, in many passages like these, I think Jesus is giving an urgent and timely warning, something like this: "I'm here teaching you a different way to cope with our current crisis - the crisis of Jewish identity under occupation by the Romans. Some of us are accommodating to the Romans, fitting in, making a buck, while others of us are plotting violent revolution. Both of these paths will lead to destruction. There's another path - a path of creative non-violent response. It's a narrow gate. It's a challenging road. But the other roads will lead to destruction."
In the wheat-weeds parable, the unspoken question seems to be why we have good and evil people living side by side. Why doesn't God remove the evil people now - presumably so that we will then be righteous enough to be delivered from Roman occupation? Jesus' answer seems to be that the time of separation will come soon enough. The "end of the age" he refers to is not, in my opinion, the same thing as people think of today when they say "end of the world" or "eschaton," etc. It was the end of the age centered in priesthood, sacrifice, circumcision, temple, holy city, etc. And it came when Jesus' countrymen staged a violent revolution against Rome in AD 67 and then the Romans came and crushed it in AD 70. As our Jewish brothers and sisters have made clear for centuries, the end of that age wasn't the end of the world, the end of Judaism, the end of faith in God, or the end of vibrant Jewish identity.
Matthew 24 describes the same scenario, in my opinion. It's interesting to note that in both cases, the ones "taken away" aren't the righteous (as in the dispensationalist doctrine of the Rapture). It's the reverse. The point isn't "Join our new religion or go to hell," but rather, "Be alert! Don't get sucked into the coming disaster!"
In the Luke 13 passage, again, we have to ask what Jesus and his hearers understood the word "saved" to mean. For many Christians today, it means "absolved of original sin so the soul can be justified through penal substitutionary atonement theory and received into heaven after death." I think that's a highly unlikely understanding for Jesus and his disciples. More likely, "saved" meant "saved from the coming explosion of violence and destruction that will bring an end to the world we know, the world centered in priesthood, sacrifice, circumcision, temple, holy city, etc."
I certainly may be wrong in these understandings - but even if I'm wrong, the traditional understandings are almost certainly wrong too. For example, in the Luke 13 passage, the "owner of the house" doesn't say, "Go away from me, all you who don't believe in the message of my religion." Those who are sent away aren't "the justified" or "the born again" or "the members of the one true church." The same in the Matthew 13 passage.
Question 2:
It appears that you believe that homosexuality is not a sin (once again, if this is not the case, I apologize for the miscommunication and would be interested to know what you actually meant). In light of this, how would you read scriptures such as 1 Timothy 1:3-11 and Romans 1:18-32?
So much has been written on the "clobber passages" - I'd encourage you to check out my friend Justin Lee's new book on the subject, Torn. But let me offer this: I don't think the Bible says anything explicit about diabetes, bipolar disorder, autism, or high blood pressure. Those were categories unknown to people in Bible times. Similarly, I don't think the Bible says anything explicit about the Democratic Party, the Republican Party, the Libertarian Party, etc., because again, those categories are alien to people in Bible times. And I don't believe a category like "sexual orientation" would ever have entered the mind of people in biblical times. It's simply an anachronism. So - to try to extract a verse from the Bible and apply it to sexual orientation would be like saying there's no such thing as bipolar disorder; we have to treat it as exorcism, since that's the closest biblical category ... or there's no such thing as capitalism, so we need to impose Jubilee and cancel all debts from the Old Testament, or impose "all things in common" from the Book of Acts, etc. I just think that's an unwise way of using the Bible ... for reasons I (try to) make clear again and again in the book.
Question 3:
In Matthew 18, Jesus discusses dealing with sin in the church in verses 15-20. I would be interested to hear your commentary on that passage.
Jesus is applying his social ethic to interpersonal conflicts among his followers - seeking reconciliation, not condemnation and exclusion by hearsay, etc. He is reminding his followers not to hold grudges and not to assume guilt and not to seek revenge, but to "move toward the other" as peacemakers.
A question for you: why were these three questions important for you personally?
A reader writes: some sense of not-aloneness
A reader writes:
yes, I'm one of the "marginalized" and the points you address in Secret Message are points I have dealt with for decades. I had never studied the life of Jesus in its political and social context, so your book was a real eye-opener.
have not attended church since my daughter's wedding. her son starts college this year. church was and is, for me, a total turn-off.
I have always - except for a brief interval when I considered myself agnostic - believed, but not in the rant and cant I heard. I can't tell what I believe, because it is bigger than whatever words I can wrap around the tiny little concept. but I believe.
your book has enhanced my understanding and provided some sense of not-aloneness.
Thanks ... it's good to know the book was helpful. I know a lot of people feel as you do ... surrounded by "rant and can't" but hungry for something more.
Please take five minutes and let your heart be touched by these Afghan human beings, beloved by God, who want us to identify with them and share their pain and hope. Please post, tweet, and retweet.
"What makes you feel closer to God?" When Christine Sine asked this question, the answers she received surprised her. It wasn't pipe organs and pulpits that most often opened people to God's presence, but simple things in daily life. In Return to Our Senses, Christine shows you how simple experiences - breathing, drinking a glass of water, walking amongst trees, shooting a photo, picking up a stone - can become "thin places" and pregnant moments in your daily life - helping you awaken to God's presence, savor God's nearness, and translate your experience of God into prayerful, compassionate action.
Christine and Tom Sine have been an inspiration to me for years. Many years ago, they played a key role in helping me read the Scriptures in a fresh way. Christine's new book really touched my heart, and I know it will do the same for you. Here's a beautiful song from Carrie Newcomer that resonates with "Return to Our Senses" -
Q & R: Benediction
Here's the Q:
I attended the wonderful service you lead today at the Broad Street Presbyterian Church in Columbus, OH. I was deeply moved by the benediction you offered at the end and have been thinking about it all day. I was wondering if this is something you have written out and if so, would you mind sharing it with me. I would love to have it printed to read through it often and remind myself of the importance of being Christ's hands, feet, and mouth to the world around me. The benediction began something like "Christ has no hands but ours..."
Thank you for reminding me of the importance of this Christian life
Here's the R: I'm glad you found those words - drawn from Teresa of Avila - inspiring, as have I. You'll find the words here:
(1) How do you distinguish between those moral issues that ought to be confronted in the Church alone, and those moral issues that ought to be confronted by the Church in the culture at large?
-- I believe the call to morality is an upward call. The Spirit of God meets us where we are and calls us to take the next step. So God calls us to cease from human sacrifice before leading us beyond animal sacrifice. God confronts us with the immorality of slavery, and then the immorality of segregation and apartheid, and then the immorality of discrimination and prejudice, and so on. So I would wish that our churches would always be in the forefront, grappling with the next-step moral issues that the culture at large is not ready to confront. Sadly, in recent centuries at least, it seems that the Holy Spirit often finds more of a receptive audience outside than inside our religious structures - but I suppose that is a reflection of how things were for Jesus: Galilee was more receptive than Jerusalem.
I think three moral issues will be critical for the century ahead. First, care for the planet means confronting the immorality of greed. Second, care for the poor means confronting the concentration of wealth and opportunity in the hands of a few, and requires the promotion of wiser and more compassionate economic policies for the ninety-nine percent, which the Bible calls "the multitudes." And third,constructive work for peace will mean transferring our sense of security from "horses and chariots" - or in our day, guns and bombs - to active peacemaking, in the words of Jesus as he wept over Jerusalem, "what makes for peace." Although many churches remain oblivious to these issues, and in some cases, line up on the wrong side of them, more and more Christians are being drawn to them as central to the biblical vision.
(2) Jesus choose not to answer some questions relating to moral behavior. How do we know when to remain silent?
-- Sometimes I don't think we "know," in the sense of having so much certainty that we don't even have to think or pray or talk about it. I think we need to do the same thing Jesus did ... which is to grow in wisdom, and to seek God's guidance in prayer, and to stay deeply open to the Spirit. I think we can learn a lot from studying history, and we can learn a lot by listening ... especially listening to people we normally don't listen to. When Jesus told us, for example, to love our enemies and to love the "least of these," I think he meant for starters that we should listen to them, to see them as human beings. Often, it is only through listening to "the other" that we discover our own immorality.
(3) How do we distinguish the Spirit's prompting us to speak over against our own sense of moral outrage?
First, I think we need to clarify what we mean by moral outrage. I think there is a kind of pure moral outrage that is part of any good heart. A mother, for example, feels it when a bully picks on her child - and she feels it maybe even more strongly when her kid bullies another child. But there's another kind of moral outrage that is tinged with superiority, a desire for revenge, and other dark things.
I think Dr. King learned something about this that we all need to learn. Echoing Jesus' words about living and dying by the sword, and also Jesus' words about taking the splinter out of our own eyes, he said we can't defeat violence with violence, hate with hate, dishonesty with dishonesty. I find that if I feel moral outrage, I need to then turn it into moral self-scrutiny and work on the issues that arise in me first. Then, when I turn toward the issue, I will be operating from more of a place of humility that makes me more guidable by the Spirit.
(4) Jesus was labeled as one who "has a demon" and a "drunkard," but never "hateful", "self-righteous," or "ignorant"? Are such terms a red flag that one has misstepped or are they signs one is on the right track (being "persecuted for the sake of righteousness")?
That's a fascinating observation, one I hadn't noticed before. As a follower of Jesus, I would rather be criticized for being a friend of sinners, as Jesus was, then a persecutor and accuser of sinners, as Jesus never was.
(5) It seems many Christians do not have relationships with those they call out in the public square. Should we seek to influence those we refuse to associate with?
Ironically, if we refuse to have a relationship with our opponents, we almost guarantee we will not influence them. We might coerce them. We might undermine them. We might defeat them. But we won't influence them. And since Jesus teaches us to love our opponents and do for them what we would want done for us, and since I would think we would much rather be influenced than be undermined, defeated, or coerced, it makes sense that trying to build relationships would be a good start.
I know from experience that this is hard work, and often meets with rejection, even insult. But even the act of seeking civil interaction - which usually must be pursued in private so as to avoid grandstanding, and so on - we are changed, softened, and humbled, which changes the spirit in which we seek change.
(6) What virtues are most important when choosing what we say about moral issues in the public square?
-- For me, we couldn't do much better than to saturate ourselves in the Sermon on the Mount. The beatitudes, for example, set our moral compass to a different north than the typical gamesmanship of political discourse. Jesus' warnings against insult, judging, and even anger are game-changing. And underneath it all is the reminder that we are bound to our neighbor and enemy, so we must love them as ourselves, seeking not the binary of defeat/victory - but reconciliation and the common good.
Something else we learn from Jesus in general is something I'm not very good at: being pithy and brief and unforgettable. What is true of prayer is true of public discourse: we will not be heard for our "much speaking."
I met you briefly 4 years ago, but would like to repeat that the work you have done has been very important to me personally. Many thanks for your faithfulness and courage!
That's encouraging to know. Thanks for your insightful questions.
Publix grocers - why not join the Campaign for Fair Food?
I'm an enthusiastic supporter of the Coalition for Immokalee Workers ... and if you eat tomatoes, you should know about their important work. You can learn more here about the campaign for fair food - and the upcoming march that starts tomorrow in Ft. Myers, Florida. I'm planning to be there for the beginning of the march, and I know that several of my friends - including Shane Claiborne - will be joining in later, culminating in a major protest event on March 17. We are connected by the food we eat to those who plant the seeds, work the land, harvest the crops, transport the produce, and sell the groceries ... so we have a duty to seek justice for our neighbors who work at each stage of the process.
Q & R: What about Bahai?
Here's the Q:
In anticipation of your presentation [later this year], I've read "A New Kind of Christianity". I really liked it a lot! However, I came to this topic from an unusual perspective, i.e., I'm a member of the Baha'i Faith (The newest member, we think, of the Abrahamic family.) In particular, the lovely eschatology you describe in The Future Question can be deduced from our Sacred Writings (of The Bab, Baha'u'llah and Abdul'-Baha). So, while we are vanishingly small in global membership (about 6M) at this time, we are confident that God's flow of grace will transform all humankind and our planetary home into a place of peace, prosperity, beauty, and Global Unity.
I look forward to your presentation. I hope you enjoy your visit to [our area]. Since you will probably have your hands full talking to the 250+ professional clergy, I doubt that I'll be able to tell you more about the Faith. (We have a significant presence on the WEB: www.bahai.us)
Here's the R:
Thanks for your note. I've been distantly acquainted with the Baha'i Faith since I was in high school and college and had some Baha'i friends. More recently, I've been inspired by the courage of Bahai leaders in Iran who have courageously stood up to religious persecution (and I've been broken-hearted to see how that persecution continues). Since my new book came out - Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? - I've heard from quite a few Bahai folks with encouraging words. So it's great to hear from you.
My understanding is that Baha'i arose in 19th Century Persia to address constructively the problem of hostile religious identity. That problem was largely unacknowledged in the rest of the world, which was still in the grip of colonial-era cultural and religious supremacy. Baha'ullah was, in that sense, profoundly "ahead of his time" - and now the rest of the world is finally catching up. In that sense, the relatively small size of the Bahai movement is not an indicator of lack of relevance or importance at all.
Today, I think people are responding to the problem of hostile religious identity in one of four ways:
1. By becoming secular or nonreligious as a way of avoiding hostile religious identity.
2. By joining religious communities - like Bahai - that have from the start highlighted the formation of benevolent religious identity.
3. By seeking to reform and renew their existing religious traditions in the direction of strength and benevolence.
4. By doubling down on religious hostility, often in rivalry with others like them, thus becoming mirrors of one another.
I'm pursuing option 3 as a Christian and you're pursuing option 2. Growing numbers in younger generations are choosing option 1. Our common future depends on all of us providing alternatives that are more attractive and wise than option 4.
I've been reading Ewert H. Cousins' "Christ of the 21st Century" (Continuum, 1998) lately, and it strikes me that the "Second Axial Age" he describes has many similarities to the planetary vision of the Bahai faith - and to my own understanding of Jesus' message of the Kingdom/Commonwealth/Reign/Ecosystem of God. Let me include a lengthy quote from Cousins that I think expresses a perspective that growing numbers of us - Bahai, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Jew, atheist, agnostic - would share:
Since prehistoric times, religion has played a formative role in human society. It shaped the burial customs of primitive tribes and inspired their art on the walls of caves. As nations and empires emerged, religion provided a cosmic vision for social and political institutions. Throughout history, religion has been a wellspring of cultural creativity. Much of the great art of the world ... has been religious in inspiration and function. Religion has preached justice, brotherhood, and universal peace. It has defused hatred, deflected aggression, and humanized society, disciplining conduct and evoking noble actions through lofty ideals. Yet religion has a dark side. It has launched wars and persecutions, has justified slavery, discrimination, and oppression, and has blocked the advance of knowledge. It has been used, both consciously and unconsciously, as a tool for social, political, and economic exploitation. Throughout its long history, religion has revealed its paradoxical nature. At its best, it is a most creative force in a culture; at its worst, it can be distorted to destroy the very ideals it espouses. (p. 1)
Thanks again for writing. I look forward to meeting you later this year.
Q & R: I want to be a pastor. Am I crazy?
Here's the Q:
We’ve connected a few times in mmm at ccc College and fff Seminary, and we’ve had a few brief email conversations over the past number of years.... At the Wild Goose festival in 2012 I met vvv and had a good conversation with him. He asked me about myself and I said a few things and he immediately said “you want to be a pastor.” It kind of shocked me--both because few others (if any) were telling me that, and because I knew it was true. He told me I needed a spiritual director. I told him I didn’t have anyone in my area who I really trusted, but I told him I trusted you. He told me I should contact you. I said that was crazy. He said you might say no but that I should contact you anyway. That was a year and a half ago.
I’m finally contacting you because I do trust you, and I need some advice. I have been passionate about church, and in particular the future of the church, for 15 years now. The problem is I’ve been in conservative circles where I have received little encouragement to really pursue these passions (I also got married, started a family, got a career, etc). ...The fellow I met at Wild Goose was right--I want to be a pastor. I want to be thinking, and more importantly, I want to be doing these things on a daily basis. Do you have any advice? I have a Master of Theological Studies degree from xyz. I’ve been working at a Christian college ... I'm in my early thirties. I want to work in the church. Am I crazy? Do you have any advice?
I certainly understand if you can’t respond, but I hope you do. Thanks for all that you’ve already given to me.
Here's the R:
Of course you're crazy! But this could be a good kind of crazy ... and since I spent 24 years as a church planter and pastor, I'm obviously similarly afflicted.
The truth is that we need thousands of crazy people willing to invest their faith, hope, and love in the formation of new faith communities and the revitalization and strengthening of existing ones, people like you.
This is a huge subject and I can't do it justice here. But I would like to suggest some of the key questions I think you need to answer.
1. New or Existing? If you want to work in an existing church, you need to be realistic about the costs and benefits. The same goes for starting something new.
Assuming you want to start something new ...
2. Denominational or Non? I started a nondenominational church, but if I were doing it again today, I would seriously consider linking up with a progressive denomination. There are, of course, costs and benefits on both sides here as well.
3. What are your motivations and strengths? And what are your concerns and weaknesses? It's way better to be aware of both categories as you begin. Among other things, you'll have a better idea what kind of team you need to bring around you to help you.
4. What's the financial plan? Full-time or Bi-vocational? I think that most sustainable churches will need full-time staff at some point (although in some ways I wish that weren't true). But many of the new churches we need will themselves need some time to develop without the financial pressure of a salary to pay. Can you envision a sustainable (for a few years at least) way of life - balancing time, intelligence, money, and energy resources - that would allow you to start something without needing a lot of money? Money too often becomes the tail that wags the dog.
5. What four or five churches would you like to use as models? We need new church developers who will innovate, but nobody innovates blind.
6. Where can you find a circle of friends to link up with? That might come in a denomination, or in a network like Transform.
7. Where can you find coaching and spiritual direction? That is, as you already know, one of the most important questions of all.
I am deep in a commitment to finish my next book by September. But after that, I plan to get some breathing room and one of the things I want to find a way to do is provide some time and availability to emerging leaders like you. Let's stay in touch on this. In the mean time, nurture your dream and gift ... and know you're in my prayers.
Q & R: What about half a billion Spanish-speaking people?
Here's the Q:
Hello. My name is xyz, currently living in Spain and going on a missional work to Mexico city next month. I´ve read about 7 Brian Mclaren´s books, which completely changed my life, the way I see things, in diferent types of paradigms. So I can understand English very well, but please, PLEASE, is there any possible way Brian could translate all of his books to Spanish? I´ve seen there already about three translations, but, PLEASE, tell Brian to have mercy on the like half billion spanish speaking people who would like to engage in conversation with their fellow post-modern christian from English speaking countries.
Is it so hard to do?
I could thanslate them all for him IF I only knew where to go.
But it does not have to be so hard, doesn´t Brian have any contacts with like Rene Padilla and many other spanish speaking and well respected authors who speak English and had even attended college in the USA, UK, etc.
PLEASE BRIAN, put some pressure on some people to help translate all your work. Latin America needs to engage a lot more in the emerging church movemente around the world.
Here's the R:
Thanks for writing. I wish all my books were available in Spanish, and I hope they will be. Here's how the process normally works. Someone writes a book in one language, which is released by Publisher A. Publisher B in another language decides that the book would be a good investment so approaches Publisher A. They make a deal, and Publisher B hires a translator for the project. The author is (sometimes) notified that the book now has been released in another language.
If you know of some publishers who you think would be interested in my work, I hope you'll approach them - and maybe offer your services as a potential translator too. I would be grateful. The truth is that my own thinking has been deeply influenced by Spanish and Portuguese writers - like Rene Padilla, Leonardo Boff, Jon Sobrino, and many others. I would be honored to contribute to the Latino conversation in any ways I can.
Two of my books are currently available in Spanish (that I know of) ...
Mas Preparado de Lo Que Piensas
El Mensaje Secreto de Jesus
Please let me know over on my facebook page if there are more. Thanks!
Need some help ...
I recently heard that John Hagee's magazine The Torch included a lengthy article about me. Would anyone have a copy of the article they could scan and send me? Thanks!
We’re #1! In locking our citizens up; in obesity; in energy use per person; in small arms exports; in per capita health expenditures; in student loan debt.
We’re #1! In oil consumption; in gun ownership; in breast augmentation; in death by violence; in anxiety disorders.
We’re #1! In military spending, spending more than the next twenty largest military spenders combined.
Q & R: Panhandlers?
Here's the Q:
This is from yyy. Many years ago I attended Cedar Ridge while you were pastor.
I host occasional "salons" where people have the floor for a spell to talk about a subject.
I would like to have one on the topic of responses to homelessness.
I have always had jobs that related to economic and social justice. And outside of my paid employment I have frequently volunteered with organizations that address homelessness in one form or another. For several years I was president of an awesome clinic that provided free legal services to people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. I support homeless organizations with my money.
But, I am afraid that I don't have a consistent or humane response when confronted with homelessness--and specifically, panhandling--when it is right in front of me (and because I work in a city, it is often right in front of me).
As I started to explore this, I wondered if you had written on this. And if so, what that writing was.
I think I have hesitated to explore this further because I'll have to face the inadequacy of my response. But I still have time to change.
I hope that you and your family are doing well. I enjoy seeing your blog posts via facebook and reading of your travels. What an interesting path for the English teacher turned pastor, eh?
Here's the R:
Great to hear from you! It turns out this question comes up here on the site from time to time. I wrote a bit about it a while back ...
I especially struggle with this when I'm in certain parts of the world where most of the people asking for money are children. I remember once being with a group of westerners in Africa, and one of us gave a child a half-finished bottle of water. Soon, the child was mobbed with other kids trying to take the bottle away. We realized by giving this child something, we made her life a lot harder in relation to her peers, without much return. So in the long run, dealing with the systemic issues -as you have been doing for your whole career - is especially important.
But that doesn't make the decision "on the sidewalk" any easier.
Q & R: Who is Jesus Christ to Brian McClaren (sic)
Here's the Q:
i highlighted three quotes from A Generous Orthodoxy on my blog today, hoping to generate some discussion surrounding rejecting the notion we've 'got it' but rather continuing to seek and search for a new and better way of living, loving and thinking.
first comment from a reader was ::
'I have some thoughts, however I've never read much, if any McLaren. So, you can help me frame things correctly here by answering some questions. Here goes . . .
Who is Jesus Christ to Brian McClaren? What does Brian see as being the nature of our relationship to Him?'
would you mind responding to this, either via email or on your blog?
Here's the R:
First, thanks for using the quotes from A Generous Orthodoxy. I remember working on that book in my basement late at night nearly ten years ago, and it's encouraging to see how it still is having an effect.
The best places to get an answer to these questions would be: Secret Message of Jesus
or, if they don't want to read a whole book, the first few chapters of A Generous Orthodoxy.
Sheesh.
I've been dealing with one or more persistent fake-me's recently, setting up Facebook accounts with my name, photographs, etc., and then soliciting friends, offering prayer, and then requesting "love gifts." On top of that (not sure if these are related), I recently received this:
(Letter to the President or Brand Owner, thanks)
Dear President,
We are the department of Asian Domain Registration Service in China. I have something to confirm with you. We formally received an application on January 30, 2013 that a company which self-styled "??? Global Limited" were applying to register "brianmclaren" as their Brand Name and some domain names through our firm.
Now we are handling this registration, and after our initial checking, we found the name were similar to your company's, so we need to check with you whether your company has authorized that company to register these names. If you authorized this, we will finish the registration at once. If you did not authorize, please let us know within 7 workdays, so that we will handle this issue better. Out of the time limit we will unconditionally finish the registration for "??? Global Limited".Looking forward to your prompt reply.
Best Regards,
Suspecting this was another scam intended to make some fast cash, I then asked them how much it would cost for me to have them register these names for me rather than "Global Limited" - and here's their reply:
Dear Brian McLaren,
Thanks for your reply. Following is the procedure, you can do as follows,
1. We will send the dispute application form to you.
2. Please fill out the form and return it via email or fax.
3. We will dispute these domains for your company, In the meantime, we will send the Invoice signed & stamped to you.
4. Please remit the payment to us according to the bank information on the Invoice and send the payment proof to us.
5. We will register the domain names for you within 2 workdays after receiving the remittance.
6. You will be awarded the certificates of Brand Name after 5 workdays.
Following is price list, for your reference：
brianmclaren.asia 35USD/Per Year
brianmclaren.cn 65USD/Per Year
brianmclaren.hk 65USD/Per Year
brianmclaren.in 35USD/Per Year
brianmclaren.tw 65USD/Per Year
brianmclaren.co.in 35USD/Per Year
brianmclaren.com.cn 65USD/Per Year
brianmclaren.net.cn 65USD/Per Year
brianmclaren.org.cn 65USD/Per Year
brianmclaren.com.hk 65USD/Per Year
brianmclaren.com.tw 65USD/Per Year
Brand Name:
brianmclaren 200USD/Per Year
Time is limited! If you decide to register those domain names, please let us know in order to transfer the Application Form to you. Any question, please contact us in time. Thanks for your cooperation.
Best Regards,
Who knows how many of these sites will emerge in the coming months pretending to be mine? For the record, I have one website, one Facebook page, and one Twitter account, and I'll let you know if that changes - here at www.brianmclaren.net/
I don't often get to Oklahoma ...
... nor do I often get to work with master-song-writer/singer Carrie Newcomer. But I'll get to do both April 19-20. Info here.
Links Roundup
I recently mentioned several friends who have entered the important conversation on the doctrine of hell. Another good contribution - Heath Bradley's Flames of Love.
My friend Jarrod McKenna is videoblogging about Lent. Good reflections, here: http://vimeo.com/59468548
http://vimeo.com/59468548
Speaking of Lent (and Passion Week upcoming), thousands of preachers will be planning sermons on the crucifixion in the coming weeks. Many will focus on penal substitutionary atonement theory, because it's the only way they've been taught, as they interpret the crucifixion. Scot McKnight does a wonderful job of showing that there is not only one way to interpret the crucifixion in this carefully argued article: http://cms.fuller.edu/TNN/Issues/Fall_2012/Center_of_Atonement/
Here's a helpful and relevant resource from Mark Baker and others (I contributed too): http://www.amazon.com/Proclaiming-Scandal-Cross-Contemporary-Atonement/dp/080102742X
I am a pastor who has been blessed by your writings and by hearing you speak on several occasions. Thank you so much for your ministry and for challenging the Church in this rapidly changing world we find ourselves in!
I pastor a [young] church plant that has been mobile since its early days. We are currently in our third location for worship gatherings - which is a gym that we only rent for 4 hours on Sunday mornings. Small groups, meetings and missional engagements are done in homes or other locations in the community. I am struggling with a growing number of congregants who believe we need to move towards obtaining a building "to have a place we can call our own." From a purely rational and financial standpoint, this wouldn't seem like a good move. In our 50/60 member congregation, a small handful of families are essentially helping the church "break even" with our finances. Aside from our worship gathering, we have only 2 or 3 active small groups (currently meeting in homes twice a month) and 1 board meeting a month. With that in mind, it would seem like a waste to pay for a building with our current schedule and meeting times.
From a purely missiological perspective, looking towards a church building appears completely unnecessary in this day and age, even though I submit that a building could be used as an outreach to the community.
Knowing that you pastored a church that was mobile for 15 years, I was wondering if you could offer any encouragement, advice or resources that might help us move away from a "building mentality."
Here's the R:
I think our congregation went a total of 17 years without a facility, and early on, we said that we never would own one. About 12 years into the process, though, I remember feeling that we had reached a tipping point: the energy needed to set up and take down every Sunday in a rented school was becoming a real problem. We either needed to change the way we were doing church or we needed to get more permanent facilities through purchase or lease.
Early on, one of my mentors taught me a little acronym about getting work done: TIME = time, intelligence, money, and energy. If you want to save energy, it will take more time, intelligence, and money. If you want to save money, it will take more time, intelligence, and energy, and so on. In those terms, to save the time and energy of setting up and taking down, we were willing to spend more money (and hopefully, engage more intelligence) in acquiring our own facility.
I think that was a good decision for us at the time. Human beings have bodies, and bodies need facilities, and facilities cost money, and money is often available if we will put in the time, intelligence, and energy to procure it. The purpose of making and forming disciples of Jesus Christ is no less important than selling pizza, caring for the sick, providing exercise equipment, or showing movies - purposes for which buildings are often constructed and maintained.
If I were planting a church today, I would consider all available options, just as we did back then:
1. Is there another church in the area that would be willing to explore renting, leasing, selling, or co-owning a facility with us? With so many churches being under-utilized, this option deserves more attention than it normally gets. Of course there are problems associated with it, but that's true of every option.
2. Could we find an arrangement where we could store our gear on site instead of having to store it in a truck and transport it every week? (I think we actually had utilized this option at a college for a while - we built a storage shed on the college's property, which became theirs after we left.)
3. Should we find another way of "doing church?" For us, the combination of "big worship" space and kids' programs was unsustainable in rented facilities after 17 years. Could/should we consider finding another way to do worship other than as a big and complex gathering? Could/should we find another way of doing kids' ministry other than in traditional classrooms? Could we combine frequent interactions online, in homes, in restaurants, and in other public places with less frequent gatherings in rented facilities?
I sometimes say that if I were planting a church today, I might focus on quarterly weekend retreats and annual weeks of mission or pilgrimage over weekly meetings. I think there is a balance in spiritual formation between intense experiences (like retreats, mission trips, and pilgrimages) and regular experiences (like weekly meetings), and that we often prioritize the latter, when the former has more power. But that decision - to build the congregation around something other than weekly, in-person gatherings - might mean the congregation wouldn't be able to afford, not just a building, but a full-time pastor ... which raises a whole new set of issues.
All this highlights the deeper issue: what really is our goal in planting a church?
The truth is that many of us plant churches not primarily because we are interested in forming missional communities of missional disciples, but rather because we feel obligated to do something on Sundays, and we can't survive with the available options. There's nothing wrong with that, I suppose, but it should at least be acknowledged.
In the end, we decided on a fourth option:
4. Can we build a facility that, over the long haul, is worth the money and energy invested in it? Can we make it beautiful, functional, energy-efficient, and flexible enough to serve our faith community and the surrounding community over a long period of time under changing circumstances?
That decision was a good one for us in the mid-90's, I think. Of course, I've been gone from that beautiful congregation seven years now and I imagine the facilities question has been raised again since then (as it should be).
I should add that church planters and their teams probably need to think more about sustainability than they often do. That's another place where the TIME formula comes into play. Sometimes church planters want to save money (or to avoid having to raise money), so they put in so much time and energy that they fall apart in other areas - emotional exhaustion, family breakdown, etc. Those are excessive costs. It's often very expensive (in terms of time, intelligence, and energy) to be cheap (in terms of money).
All that's to say that I couldn't predict which option would be right for you, but I would encourage you not to be in a rush and not to be either conventional or unconventional as an ideological conviction. Instead, I'd encourage you to make the facilities question one for patient and sincere spiritual discernment. (If you need input on spiritual discernment, here's a good resource: http://listeninghearts.org)
One final thing: I thank God for you, and all church planters like you. We need thousands of new churches that will innovate and experiment and serve as the R & D department for Christian faith. Thanks for serving us all in this way. I'm thanking God for you and praying for you today, and I hope many others will join me.
More memories of Richard Twiss
(thanks Sunjay Smith!)
Q & R: Bible workshops
Here's the Q:
I am interested in the four weekend workshops that you are leading on the Bible. However I live in Melbourne, Australia and I am unable to travel to Dallas, Texas, USA, to attend any of the workshops. Would you be able to make your teaching and/or the workshop proceedings available on-line or in print form?
Here's the R:
The sessions will be recorded, but we're also working on the possibility of live-streaming them for remote participation. Stay tuned! BTW - I'm in Adelaide at the moment, enjoying your beautiful summer weather and awesome Aussie people. Got to visit Cleland Wildlife Park today ... enjoyed hanging out with 'roos, kookaburras, koalas, and perentis too.
Wisdom from Richard Twiss
(Thanks for this, Sunjay Smith!)
Q & R: Wiped off the face of the earth?
Here's the Q:
After learning what the radical Islamists were doing in Northern Mali, is it wrong for me to want them to be wiped off the face of the earth?
Here's the R: Thanks for your question. Your moral outrage is certainly justified. The question is what you do with moral outrage, and once your moral outrage is aroused, where it will lead you. Moral outrage can become quite intoxicating, leading to immoral action - what we might call "crimes of moral passion."
I can imagine a Native American, an African American, and an Australian Aboriginal asking, "After learning what Christian colonizers did in North America, Africa, Australia, and around the world, is it wrong for me to want them to be wiped off the face of the earth?"
I can imagine a Palestinian asking, "After learning what Israelis have done to my people, supported by Europeans and Americans, is it wrong for me to want them to be wiped off the face of the earth?" I can imagine an Israeli asking, "After learning what the Palestinians have done to my people, is it wrong for me to want them to be wiped off the face of the earth?" And I can imagine Jewish people asking, "After learning what Christians did to Jews for over a thousand years, is it wrong for me to want them to be wiped off the face of the earth?"
These feelings of outrage are certainly understandable. Even the desire for revenge, although illogical and ultimately self-destructive, is understandable. But there's a problem: the desire ("is it wrong for me to want"), once aroused, will lead one to a line of behavior that is dangerous and wrong. Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, teaches his disciples to deal with evil on the level of desire (don't murder ----> don't speak derisively ----> don't hate; don't commit adultery ----> don't cultivate lustful thoughts, etc.)
So here's my suggestion. Instead of wishing for revenge or destruction, turn the offenses and atrocities of others into a stimulus for prayer, along these lines:
God, who loves all humanity as beloved children, may your holy name be revered and honored.
May your kingdom of peace and restorative justice come, and may your will be done on this troubled and conflicted earth as it is in heaven.
Give us all enough to eat today, and help us be caught up - not in the endless vicious cycles of offense-revenge-counter-revenge, but in the healing cycle of forgiveness and reconciliation.
Lead us away from the catastrophes of violence; liberate us from all this evil.
I'd recommend trading the question "Is it wrong..." for the question "Is it Christlike?" The way of Jesus takes us beyond the dualism of right and wrong, and introduces us to a new way of thinking, centered in love, healing, justice, peace, and reconciliation. This is how "the kingdom of God" surpasses "the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees." I hope that helps!
An amazing new technological breakthrough -
It is an honor to be associated with this amazing form of information transfer, imagination inspiration, and global consciousness-raising!
friends in dc ...
i'm in australia this week, but if i were in dc, or anywhere close by, i'd be with the good people of sojourners (and thousands more) here:
Join Sojourners at the "Forward on Climate Rally" in Washington, D.C. to tell President Obama we oppose the Keystone XL pipeline!
On Sunday, February 17, we will gather at 11:30 a.m. on the gravel path outside the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden. After prayer and reflection, we will join the main rally–with thousands of people from across the country–on the National Mall.
If the pipeline is approved, it would clear the way for a devastating amount of new carbon pollution to be released into the atmosphere. As people of faith, we need to stand against this corruption of our environment–God’s creation–that impacts the “least of these” first. Together, we will form a united religious voice for justice at the largest climate rally in history.
Be sure to bring your own signs and banners making it clear that you and your worshiping community understand the call to protect creation.
For updates, stay tuned to Sojourners' Facebook and Twitter. For more information on the Forward on Climate Rally, click here.
Let’s show fellow rally-goers, President Obama, and our political leaders that people of faith support climate policy and want to stop the Keystone XL pipeline!
Feb. 17, 2013 | Washington, D.C. | 11:30 a.m.
Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden between 7th and 9th St. SW
(Look for the orange Sojourners banner)
A ten-minute interview on "the sweet spot" of calling ...
I'm sure you receive lots of messages. I guess for me...this is therapy! To be able to articulate the best I can what is happening to me for the last few years I honestly don't know who I am or what has been/and is happening to me! Don't get me wrong...I love Jesus...but after studying theology and growing up in Northern Ireland Protestantism I knew stepping into ministry as a woman would mean hits here in NI...but that was nothing until my 'Christian capsule' began to crack...in fact, it smashed to pieces! In ministry I started to ask all the questions you faced and shared in your books (they have been a life saver to me)...I felt I 'didnt fit' in church. To cut a long story short...a couple of years ago I stepped out of my ministry post and planted a church...a church for folks who feel they 'don't fit'...a place for people like me. I even hate calling it a church....what the heck does that even mean anyway? I dont think anything could of prepared me for what was to lie ahead...a journey of unlearning...from all the teachings etc of the Christianity in Northern Ireland that if I'm honest sickens me to the stomach. Brian, even when I go into churches I feel ill in the pit of my stomach. A few of us have planted ... a community of people who want to truly seek what it means to follow Jesus and to simply be Jesus in our community. Can I just say...it is a very lonely place! I feel very alone...Christians don't get me/us! So either we have got this all wrong or we are gonna burn in hell! Northern Ireland is about 20years behind re thinking than the UK/USA..and we feel we have arrived early...if that makes sense! Heaven forbid that we should say that we think we have the answers...God have mercy on our arrogance..the thing is we are still unlearning...and yet have no idea now...what does it look like now to follow Jesus?? If I was to voice that here in NI..we would be crucified, accused of all sorts of things...we already are! .Brian, I guess the reason I write this email to you is to first of all thank you for your writings...they keep me sane! You have mentored this Irish chick without having even met me! So thank you. Also, thank you for reading my email...as I said at the beginning...should you never reply...I understand..but for me...this has been therapy! If you're ever in Ireland maybe someday we can grab a coffee! Lol. ...The thing is...there are now about 20 of us...who feel this way...so God is certainly up to something!
Thanks for this note. So many people around the world are feeling this way, and thank God for the ones like you who decide to do something constructive and positive by simply trying to live it, in community, seeking the common good with your neighbors. (BTW - I hope my next book will be helpful for you!)
If you knew Richard, or feel a generous impulse, now would be a great time to send some support to Richard's family, here: http://www.wiconi.com/?cid=1229
A good man has walked among us ...
More information here.
We will miss you, Richard Twiss, Taoyate Obnajin. We will not forget you. We will carry on your work. We will be there for your family. We will tell stories of our times with you ... times full of laughter, learning, and real life. We will not be the same because of the blessing of your friendship, and we will carry a scar in our deepest hearts for the loss of your presence and good cheer. Thank you for all you have meant to us ... and all the ways your good life will continue to bear fruit in us. We thank God for you, Richard. We will rejoice with you again - dancing, drumming, singing, feasting, and laughing at the great reunion in the spacious tent of our Creator.
I asked for recommendations for a good novel to read in my upcoming trans-Pacific flight, and I received over 150 suggestions. Thanks everyone. If you want to know what fiction your blog-companions recommended, check it out here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Brian-D-McLaren/65814657989
A reader writes: resonance
Last fall I was introduced to your writings by an Episcopalian priest friend of mine. I am a Roman Catholic lay woman, a spiritual director with eighteen years in retreat ministry. I have been writing a book about an endeavor I'm attempting to establish ... and my friend thought a lot of what I'm writing about is reflected in much of your work.
Since September I have read eight of your books, and she is absolutely right! Thank you for being another Christian voice calling us back to what Jesus was actually saying in the Gospels, as well as for so many of your insights concerning economics, relationships with "the other," and - of course - the institutional Church, which by the way, I call Church, Inc.
Lent's not even here yet, but I'm already counting the days until the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of Holy Week and your presentations at St. Paul Church in Richmond.
Thanks for your kind words. I look forward to meeting you in Richmond, and I'm glad to know we're discovering similar insights.
A reader writes: Sexual Sanity
A reader writes ...
Just want to follow up on your blogger's comment who asked about book/s that regard a theology of sexuality. I agree, think it is timely and needs to be addressed, too. As I am a regular blog reader and follower of your writing/thinking; I have increasingly wondered as the dialogue about LGBT issues continue to occupy blog spots, people's time & imagination, and rile the evangelical ranks- what about our collective sexual obsessions? It is kind of a "mote" in the straight eye, isn't it?
You have written a little about this too. I suppose this is all very "touchy" thing, but it seems to me that both our promiscuous culture at large and our repressed religious culture need to be called out for responsibility for sexual illness.
{I do not have issues with the LGBT community (at all) but} I do not want a culture focused on gay lifestyles... but wait ... I do not want a culture focused on heteroSEXUAL lifestyles.
The portrayal of (insert type here) sex in our world seems SO out of balance. That is why the topic is timely in my mind.
Sex is treated as a commodity in monogamous, "hetero", non-premarital, Christian marriages just as the culture at large because we do not have a theology of proper attitudes about sex; not laws, dos and don'ts ; but loving, God-centered sexual balance.
I married later, at 40. As an attractive, single woman I experienced all kinds of ill effects (to my mind & soul) from my generation (late 1970's) to the morays of my evangelical upbringing. Our culture was wrong and the church was wrong.
My relationship with my husband has been better than I could have guessed. Monogamy is awesome but deep love and acceptance (and self acceptance) is the real deal. Sex is a by-product of that heart, but just a small part of it. Quantity of sex is overrated.We are sexual beings whether we have one partner, many, or never have sex- whether we have sex once or 100's of times; we still express sexuality just by being.
So the bottom line of my comment is to whomever is writing and thinking about a theology of sexuality- culture needs this as well as the church: practicality; form over function; quality over quantity. Please educate the next generations in discretion and sacredness. I'm weary of hearing about people's sex lives. I'd like to know that you experienced joy, I do not need the details. There is a place for educating about the erroneous ideas of our past (religion, patriarchy, sexism) and our present (sex obsessed culture); but there is more. My son's generation needs to know the concept of sexual balance, instead of sexual currency.
Well said. Thanks.
Just one open-to-the-public event
while I'm in Adelaide, Australia, next week ... Here.
Should Civil Disobedience be considered a spiritual practice, part of Christian formation?
I bet you get tons of emails, and I've never written one like this before to someone I don't know at all, but here goes... I'm a Christian and an intellectual/kind-of philosopher from Texas. About 7 years ago I had a really intense experience and was fully convinced I was losing my faith, that my brain simply was not capable of believing in the God of Christianity. I was at a fundamentalist five-point calvinist church, which has now become one of the most influential missional churches in the US. I have always been a thinker and at times a questioner and critic and after about a year or so of serving at that church and being revered as a "prophet", I guess for my biblical passion and knowledge, I started asking some tough questions. This did not go over well... Long story. I'm sure you've heard many similar ones.
Anyway I've recovered and maintained faith in Jesus and involvement in ministry though it has become quite messy! I spent about a year just reading the Gospels and nothing else. I just couldn't stomach the Old Testament violence or much of the New Testament epistles. I'm thankful for this shift in my faith and relationship with God, and I am thankful for the beauty of the mystery of God. Still, 7 years later, there is so much I just can't reconcile that I find in the Biblical Narrative. I appreciate your writing so much, but was wondering if you could direct me to some of the theologians and scholars that have been helpful to you on your journey. I am familiar of course with NT Wright, his book Surprised by Hope has been great. I am also familiar with Stanley Grenz and "Beyond Foundationalism." Currently I am really struggling with the Old Testament Violence more than anything else. Any books or thinkers you could recommend would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Here's the R:
That's a huge question and one that deserves a lot of thought on my part. I read constantly and it's hard to stop a list once I start it. But here are some thoughts.
Second, I'd urge you to explore the work of Rene Girard. It's like going through Lewis' wardrobe - you'll enter a new world, a new way of seeing. You can start with this website: http://girardianlectionary.net
Then explore the work of James Alison, Michael Hardin, Anthony Bartlett, and keep your eyes open for a new book by James Warren - Compassion or Apocalypse, that is a great introduction. More here: http://www.christian-alternative.com/books/compassion-apocalypse
Also, explore the work of Suzanne Ross, Adam Erickson, and the Raven Foundation.
And as for a general approach to reading the Scriptures, I'd recommend Walter Brueggemann. He opens up the text as a conversation, argument, and exploration ... which helps us "disarm the nuclear bombs" present there.
Here's the Q:
What are you reading right now?
Here's the R:
I'm constantly reading unpublished manuscripts of new and emerging authors. (BTW - I'm sorry to say that I can't accept any more manuscripts this year due to all my other commitments.) Rather than comment on any of them now, I'll wait until they're published.
I just finished Occupy Religion: Theology of the Multitude by Joerg Rieger and Kwok Pui-lan. This is a truly worthwhile and important read, especially for those of us who have been involved with - or interested in - the Occupy movement. (It's the third book by Joerg Rieger I've read in the last year or so, along with Christ & Empire and No Rising Tide.)
And just before that, I finished re-reading Anthony Bartlett's Virtually Christian, which explores the intersection of the work of Rene Girard with the Christian message. It's a rewarding read and especially valuable for the growing number of people who are discovering Girard's work.
I've just started Peter Block's Community: The Structure of Belonging.
I've got a long plane flight coming up (Australia) and hope to choose a good novel for the trip. I'm open to suggestions over on my facebook page ... (the real one, not one of the fake ones).
I'll be in Santa Fe this weekend ...
then home for a few days, and then off to Australia. In every spare minute, I'm working on my next book ... for release summer 2014. Stay tuned for details.
I remember when I first began to feel that I would have to do some writing on the subject of hell. "Please, Lord, let someone else do this," I prayed. Eventually, though, it was clear that I should venture out and grapple with the subject in my book The Last Word and the Word After That.
Since then, several of my good friends have also jumped from the frying pan into the fire (so to speak) and dared to propose alternatives to the exclusivist doctrine of hell that many of us inherited - Sharon Baker with Razing Hell and Rob Bell with Love Wins, for example.
Last summer at Wild Goose West, I met Julie Ferwerda, who comes from the same conservative (non)denominational background as me. She shared with me how she felt she too had to grapple with this "hot topic" - and she kindly shared a copy of her new book with me. Julie's book will help people my book might not help - especially those who hold to a more traditional method of biblical interpretation. Where I tend to explore other ways of interpreting the Bible, Julie shows how even with traditional interpretive methods, the traditional view is highly contestable. If you're ready to venture out into some new territory, Bible in hand, you'll find a wise, patient, and intrepid guide in Julie Ferwerda in Raising Hell.
An Australian reader writes: turning our church inside out
A reader writes ...
I just wanted to thank you for your book "Everything Must Change". I pastor a small church in Melbourne that has struggled with our identity and therefore have been tempted to concentrate on ourselves and our survival. While we've done well in recent years to turn ourselves inside out and focus more on our neighbourhood than ourselves, I sense God calling us to think bigger - and "Everything Must Change" has really helped me crystalise these ideas.
I have searched your website for writings or references about sexuality which are not about the sin/ not sin or hetero / homo issues, but I have not found what I am hoping for.
Perhaps I have missed something? In Naked Spirituality you talk in passing about 'coming out' as sexual creatures, and parenthesised (and passed over) this comment : "it's interesting how intellectual and spiritual capacities seem to develop along with sexual ones". Your introduction to spirituality talks about an 'inner sensitivity to aliveness, meaning and sacredness in the universe', and integration (re-ligion?) of all our human experience. These suggest to me that you may have further thoughts about all the good things about sexuality and sex, not only all the difficult bits! Have you written more on sexuality or can you recommend the writings of someone who has?
...Recently my experiences in Psychotherapy, Alexander Technique lessons, and the possibilities that thinking and talking around the faith issues in your books have opened up, have enabled me to let down some mental, emotional and physical tensions/ barriers with the consequence that I have glimpsed beauty and depth and freedom in my human existence that I never knew were there. Perhaps this is the further (middle age) developing of 'intellectual and spiritual capacities ....along with sexual ones'? (Hooray!) I would like intelligent, wise help along this path - can you offer any direction? Thank you. When are you coming to the UK?
Here's the R:
Thanks for your note. On your last question - I was in the UK in December for a Greenbelt-organized book tour - I probably won't be back until 2014. On your larger question - I would very much like to read the book you're asking for. I agree with you - we need a good "theology of sexuality" that isn't preoccupied with controversial issues and that explores the goodness of human sexuality as part of creation. I don't know of that book - but maybe it exists and some folks will post ideas over on my Facebook page. (Be sure to find the real one - there have been some fake pages put up lately.)
There's a book called Unprotected Texts by Judith Kunst that you would find interesting - it traces the theme of sexuality through the Bible. But I think what you're looking for is more of a "systematic theology of human sexuality," and that book deserves to be written if it hasn't been already.
Facebook Trouble
I have a facebook account (which I encourage you to "like") - but someone else has set up a false account using my photograph, etc. He/she invites people to be "friends," then sends this ...
The Word of God says, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.
God want me to pray for some people through the internet and you are among this people. Send to me your prayer request. me and my church will pray for you and you will receive healing God Bless You . i want you to know that the lord is waiting to hear your prayer request. think of what is not working good in your life or your family and send it to me now and i will pray with you and you will see the hand work of God in your life and the life of your family.
If you respond, you'll then be "treated" to requests for money. So - I'd love you to "like" my actual page - which you'll find here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Brian-D-McLaren/65814657989?ref=ts
And I'd appreciate it if you report to the appropriate gatekeepers fake versions of me that pop up on Facebook or elsewhere. Thanks - ain't technology grand?
A reader writes: Catholic, 71, emerging
A reader writes:
Thank you. I just finished reading your Book A Generous Orthodoxy. I enjoyed it very much. I highlighted a number of quotes from your book, which is always a sign that I am learning something new or someone has captured better than I have what I am thinking about concerning a topic.
I first heard about you when I read Phyllis Tickle’s book, Emergence Christianity: What it Is, Where it is Going, and Why it Matters. After reading both of your books, I guess I have been an emergent Christian without knowing there is a title for what I am.
... As I mentioned above, I highlighted a number of sentences and paragraphs in your book. I would just like to comment on a few of them.
page 45. You mention Romano Guardini and Gabriel Marcel. I have not seen references made to them for many years. I read several of both of their works 50 years ago. They helped shape some of my ideas about human beings, God, religion, and other aspects of reality. It was nice to be reminded of them.
page 114 “By poetry, I do not mean rhyme, rhythm, or meter, but language that moves like Bob Gibson’s fast ball, that jumps at the right moment…” First of all, that is a great sentence. It is poetic in itself. Second, I am a long time baseball fan. I saw Bob Gibson pitch. I have told my children as well as many other baseball fans who are friends that if I had to pick one pitcher to win a ball game for my team in the 7th game of the World Series, I would pick Bob Gibson.
page 225 “…the practices of humility, compassion, spirituality, and love – which develop only in community – are more essential to a good healthy theology, more primal and important than scholarship, logic, intellect. Without love the latter are nothing.” Intellect and rationality are great. They are a big help in many things. But love is the most important. Ms. Tickle wrote in her book that we are moving into the age of the Spirit. I certainly hope so. But I told her I hoped we were moving into the Age of Love. But maybe that will come in another 500 years or so.
I could go on commenting on a lot of other quotes in your book. But you know what you said and I learned quite a bit from what you said.
By the way, I have purchased Orthodoxy by Chesterton. Only $0.99 in Nook form. I read some of his work 50 years ago. I thought it would be interesting to reread this book in light of your book.
Again, thank you for writing such a thoughtful and thought-provoking book. Keep up your good work. I will be 71 in a few months.. People of all ages are hungry for a more positive and generous approach to religion and politics/public service which has been my area of work during my career.
Peace and Joy to you and your family.
Thanks for these encouraging words. I'm interested in hearing from Roman Catholics who feel as you do ... I believe that "emerging Catholics" have an important role to play in Emergence Christianity. I'm looking forward to learning more about you and your good work.
Q & R: Christian? Muslim? Other?
Here's the Q:
I have been following your works for several years now. I find that my understanding of Christianity and what it means to become a Christian has been thoroughly changed. In many ways it has been a liberating experience. But, I do have several questions that I'd like to ask of you.
First of all, let me tell a bit of my background so you would know where I'm coming from. I've been a Muslim for 21 years. And after that I became a Christian 15 years ago through an evangelical friend who shared with me. So my formative years as a Christian was influenced very much by conservative evangelicalism.
I live in [a country] where converts to Christianity from Islam face severe difficulties, to put it mildly. I have been discreetly trying to live out my faith as best as I could. I mean I don't practise the Islamic rituals any more ever since I converted since I cannot do it in good conscience. Besides, I don't believe in it anymore But I wasn't able to go to church publicly too due to the dangers it could cause to the congregation. So I'm very much an underground person here.
I still do interact with some Muslim friends, but I would never tell them about my conversion because it'll lead to violence. My parents knew about my conversion for years and they are accepting of it. Unfortunately all of my siblings have not accepted it. In fact it almost led to altercations since one of them stated as an 'apostate' I have no right to live and has made threats against me. As for my non-Muslims friends here, I would simply say this vague statement when asked about what I believe: I believe in God but not in religion.
I've read your writings on the importance of dialogues with Muslims. In many ways, I do agree with you. The thing is, I do wonder what is the role I can play in that, since most Muslims will consider me as a 'traitor' to my former beliefs. And I do tend sometimes take a hardline stance against Islam. However, looking at the big picture, I do agree with what you said about reaching out to the 'others', not just in the sense of trying to convert people. The thing is I don't know any more where I fit in the bigger picture. In the sense that having to remain discreet and yet hoping to play my part. So, what's your thoughts on that? I hope that I'm making sense with all my lengthy exposition.
Here's the R:
You're asking a difficult and important question. It really is a question about religious identity - and that was the subject of my most recent book, Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? I would be very interested in how you respond to that book - which builds on 'A New Kind of Christianity'. Your complex religious identity means that you are in a position to have great empathy for others who don't feel they fit in normal categories. Your comment - I believe in God but not religion - describes the feeling of growing numbers of people around the world for reasons I explore in the book. On a pastoral level, I would encourage you to keep your eyes and heart open for people who extend to you the kind of unconditional love that makes you feel safe and accepted as a human being, regardless of religious label. They might be Muslim, they might be Christian, they might be "secular" or "spiritual but not religious" - but they know something, and I think they are good people to get to know and share your experiences together. And I would urge you to make it your goal to extend that kind of love and acceptance to everyone - so they recognize you as a safe person who values them as God's children, Jew or Gentile, bond or free, male or female (in the words of the apostle Paul).
A beautiful worship experience
I meant to post this yesterday - but it's great for a Monday too!
Do yourself a favor. Slow down. Watch it full screen.
Learn more about Aaron Niequist's creative liturgical work here and here.
Gruesome find
This news of an archeological find relating to ancient human sacrifice resonates with several themes from my most recent book, where I summarize some key insights from anthropologist Rene Girard and relate them to the problem of religious scapegoating and violence.
Q & R: Jesus, Harsh Words, and Violence
Here's the Q:
I have read several of your books and heard you speak in Greensboro NC last spring. I convinced my 23 year old son to go listen to you speak in Chicago last month, even though it required a 90 minute traversing of the city on a friday evening. Needless to say, I'm a fan. I love what you have to say in your books because it truly speaks to my heart, but I still come away with some question/concerns. I guess I always feel the need to be able to defend what I believe through scripture even though my heart seems to speak the loudest when it comes to my beliefs. In your recent book you write about Paul's quote and say that "the language of divine mercy and promise is retained." You also write about Jesus' "dehostilization" of Isaiah 61:1-2. I know that Jesus'overall message is one of love but he also uses some harsh words. It's hard for me to ignore (or make sense of) his words in The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant (18:34-35) or his warning in Luke 12:5 and 12:46. Not only do verses like these (and there are many more)make me question what I've come to believe~that our God loves all of his creation and will save us all~but it also makes me question the validity of scripture. I need your help. Any thoughts? Can you speak directly to those verses?
32Then his lord summoned him and said to him, “You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33Should you not have had mercy on your fellow-slave, as I had mercy on you?” 34And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he should pay his entire debt. 35So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister* from your heart.’
45But if that slave says to himself, “My master is delayed in coming”, and if he begins to beat the other slaves, men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk, 46the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour that he does not know, and will cut him in pieces,* and put him with the unfaithful. 47That slave who knew what his master wanted, but did not prepare himself or do what was wanted, will receive a severe beating.
4 ‘I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more. 5But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority* to cast into hell.* Yes, I tell you, fear him! 6Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God’s sight. 7But even the hairs of your head are all counted. Do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows
One or more people have created false Facebook pages with my name and photograph. I've been told that several other authors, pastors, etc., have experienced something similar. The pattern goes like this: people receive a "friend" request, ostensibly from me, and then they receive invitations to send "prayer requests," after which they receive a plea for funds. Sheesh. I only have one facebook page which is located here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Brian-D-McLaren/65814657989?ref=ts
Sorry for any confusion! If you get such a request from a false page, please report it. Thanks!
Q & R: amazed at your reluctance
Here's the Q:
Brian, I am a big fan of yours, and like you supported Obama in 2008. I reluctantly voted for him in 2012. I have followed your comments on President Obama over the years and am continually amazed at your seeming reluctance to criticize the President on his astounding commitment to the myth of American redemptive violence. In 08 Obama gave the clear impression he was going to move the country off of a war footing. After he was elected he wrestled with the continued use of force in Afghanistan, eventually deciding to double down on violence. Since then he has directed assassinations without due process. I think his record on this most important of issues is deplorable. Where is your voice on this?
But you're right: I haven't yet made it a primary focus and more needs to be said on the subject. I've been considering what to say first since receiving your email, and this essay from Jennifer Butler of Faith in Public Life came in. Quotable (emphasis mine):
Faith leaders, inspired by the uncompromising commands of the Almighty, will always call for more justice than will political leaders who navigate the cross-currents of special interest pressure, fundraising, compromise, expediency, and the reelection campaign that is always right around the corner. If we’re not asking for more than politicians are offering, we aren’t doing our jobs.
I'll include Jennifer's piece below in its entirety because it says what I was thinking better than I could have said it. This is a great time to link up with groups like FPL, Sojourners, NSP, and others that are mobilizing public opinion to "ask for more than politicians are offering."
Some people read the Bible to justify violence - even to present God as violent. Others read it to justify peace - and to present God as the voice calling us to reconciliation.
Some read the Bible as an anti-science tract - rejecting evidence for evolution and climate change, for example, based on Bible quotations. Others read the Bible in ways that enrich rather than undermine their engagement with science, and vice versa. They see deep compatibility rather than conflict.
Some read the Bible to blame the poor for their poverty, to oppose GLBT equality, and to reinforce hostility among "us" toward "them." Others find in the Bible the very opposite guidance.
No wonder that many people have become disillusioned with the Bible and turned their attention elsewhere. Yet it is precisely at this moment that we must rediscover the Bible - in a fresh and liberating way.
In 2013, I will lead four weekend workshops that, taken together, will provide a comprehensive engagement with the Bible. Each Friday-night/Saturday workshop will combine big-picture overviews with close textual readings. With additional guidance from my friend Joe Stabile, participants will gain practice in devotional and contemplative readings and they will gain familiarity with traditional and contemporary biblical scholarship. We hope you'll join us in Dallas, Texas, for these four workshops presented by Life in the Trinity Ministry:
March 22-23: The Hebrew Scriptures
May 10-11: The Four Gospels
July 19-20: The Book of Acts
December 6-7: The Epistles and Revelation
Each workshop will enrich the others, but each is also a stand-alone, so you can attend one, two, three, or all four.
I'll be with Broad Street Presbyterian in Columbus Sunday, and then with the Ohio Council of Churches Convocation Monday and Tuesday in Columbus and Toledo. More info here.
I'm a big fan and supporter of the Wild Goose Festival. News was just released about this year's dates and location: August 8-11, in Hot Springs, NC
Quotable:
While we know that Wild Goose events are fun, moving, and transformative for the individuals who attend, these spaces are aimed at cumulatively building a movement for change, in the U.S. and globally. We are called to renew ourselves in love of God, neighbor, and self; but we are also discerning a call to imagine what we must demand of political, cultural, and church authorities. Not only this, but a movement for change requires its members to ask what we will demand of ourselves.Wild Goose aims to nurture a community of people who are willing to commit to the teachings of Jesus and the way of love, even when it costs us. We are compelled by the idea that it’s the only thing that works. War, poverty, marginalization and exclusion, racism, and other forms of fear and dehumanization dominate our public life and media: Wild Goose is committed to leading an alternative way of joy, hope, courage, and radical inclusion.
There's room for only 2000 people this year, and early-bird tickets will be available tomorrow. So be sure to register here: http://wildgoosefestival.org/tickets
Q & R: best book on homosexuality?
Here's the Q:
It has been several years since your visit with us at xxx Seminary in 2009. You may or may not remember, but at the retreat I was part of a side discussion with you and perhaps 6 or so other students in which you mentioned that you would likely be coming out with an inclusive Christian perspective on homosexuality. Today I read a blogpost on your website entitled "A farewell, Brian McLaren moment or not" in which you lay out your perspective more clearly than even our discussion at the retreat. You allude in that post to the theological journey that was a part of your process of coming to your current understanding of homosexuality and "what the Bible says." What have you read that was the most helpful to you as you thought this through from a theological perspective? Is there anyone who has written a succinct take on Scripture that makes the case for the full acceptance of homosexuality in the church that you would recommend? I find myself in many of the same situations that you mention in your post and share many of the same concerns as I serve the church that I am leading. Any help would be very appreciated.
Here's the R:
Thankfully, there are many excellent books out - now more than ever. I would especially recommend three categories of books.
First, we need books that deal with the Bible and how we interpret it. A new state-of-the-art book from a Reformed Christian perspective (in line with your seminary training) is James V. Brownson's The Bible, Gender, and Sexuality. Another favorite is Stacy Johnson's A Time to Embrace.
Second, we need books that tell people's stories. A wonderful new addition in that category is my friend Justin Lee's Torn.
Third, we need books that help leaders help churches navigate the often-messy process of rethinking, like Alicia Olivetto's Talking About Homosexuality and Beth Anne Gaede's Congregations Talking About Homosexuality.
On a more theoretical level, I found Jennifer Knust's Unprotected Texts and Dale Martin's Sex and the Single Savior very helpful too.
I only get to say one thing [to pastors]? Well, one thing I would advise is: stability. Stay—stay long enough. We have all sorts of evidence that clergy turnover is detrimental to churches. So, to pastors I would say: “Stay for the long haul. Stay for 10 years.”
Then, if I could say another thing: Pastors should reflect on their own ministry, think about how many parishes they have served. The average is about three to five parishes over a whole lifetime of commitment to ministry. So, the question for the pastor is: What decade of my ministry am I in right now? What parish is this in my lifetime of service? They need to reflect on this because they are not the same person they were in their first decade or their first church. What impresses me most about pastors is their resiliency and their ability to grow throughout their lives. Pastors in their first decade or their first church are struggling with different issues than those in their later decades. For pastors, that’s something very important to know about yourself.
I cannot even begin to tell you how much your writings have impacted my life. I started, then my parents (who are wounded, pastoral veterans), and now my girlfriend has read through your writings. Thank you. I am [20-something] and I recently quit my job as a worship leader at an evangelical "MEGA-Church." I decided that I want to live my life to fill in the gaps where the Church has failed to fully live the out Gospel and love others. However, I am not giving up on the Church, I just need to find the way to go about it (also, I live in in [the deep south], the heart of conservatism). Thus, my question is, how do we go about church reform and a shift in our thinking/living in our society without causing more division? How do we bring turn a huge ship without causing it to capsize? How do we maintain peace in our relationships?
I don't know if this will reach you, but please know my life is forever changed by your writings and the things God has taught you!
Here's the R:
Thanks for these encouraging words. The work that some people of my generation have been at for a long time now will surely be picked up by people of your generation, and I'm honored to be of help in any way I can.
It's a huge question, but I think you already know the heart of the answer. Your desire to "fill in the gaps" at the margins is the key, I believe. We need people like you to create missional faith communities that experiment and model "a new kind of Christianity." We need to do this in an ecumenical spirit - not "they've got it wrong, we've got it right," but "we're all in this together." When "institutional" people at the center learn from "movement" people at the margins, that's when widespread change can happen.
Of course, doing creative work at the margins guarantees you will be criticized. But that's part of the process. You just keep smiling, pressing on, doing what's in your heart to do, and speaking a blessing on the critics. (It's occasionally wise to respond to their criticism, but usually wiser to think about it, learn from it, pray through it, and avoid defending yourself.) I hope that helps, and I hope we'll get to meet some day. Please keep me informed about what you're up to!
A good day for the USA
The music, the poetry, the wisdom, the humility ... it feels like the soul of our nation that has been unwell for so long may be turning back toward health. That's good for America, and good for the world too. Thanks be to God.
Peter Heltzel gets it right on critical issues for the next four years
Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the National Rifle Association, said this as his response to the massacre of children at Sandy Hook elementary in Newtown, Conn.: “the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.”
That statement is at the heart of the problem of gun violence in America today — not just because it is factually flawed, which of course it is, but also because it is morally mistaken, theologically dangerous, and religiously repugnant.
The world is not full of good and bad people; that is not what our scriptures teach us. We are, as human beings, both good and bad. This is not only true of humanity as a whole, but we as individuals have both good and bad in us. When we are bad or isolated or angry or furious or vengeful or politically agitated or confused or lost or deranged or unhinged — and we have the ability to get and use weapons only designed to kill large numbers of people — our society is in great danger.
As the debate about guns intensifies in coming weeks, I keep thinking of these words from Psalm 20: "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God." Horses and chariots represented the drones and nuclear weapons of the ancient world. King David - known for his military prowess - realized the idolatrous seduction of weapons, and expressed in this Psalm his desire not to fall prey to that temptation, not only for spiritual reasons, but for practical ones. In words that anticipated Jesus' words about living and dying by the sword, David continued, "[Those who trust in weapons] will collapse and fall, but we [who trust in a just and reconciling God] shall rise and stand upright.' A stark choice for us to ponder today.
When good people trust violence to stop violence, they simultaneously weaken their identity as good people and reduce their capacity to realize that weakening.
Thoughts on the Obama Presidency
As long-time readers of this blog know, I was actively involved in the 2008 presidential campaign - for the first time in my life. I was less involved in the 2012 campaign, but was still a vocal public supporter for Obama/Biden. Like everyone (including, I'm sure, President Obama himself), I've had my share of disappointments about the last four years. But I remain respectful of President Obama's leadership and cautiously hopeful about the next four years.
Three things, I think, need to be said about the last four years.
First, I don't think many of us - perhaps any of us - realize just how bad and precarious things were at the end of the Bush years. I like President Bush and think he was a good man with a good heart (and a good wife). But I think the Neo-con agenda that presided with him was disastrous. Elective and so-called pre-emptive wars justified on false grounds were bad enough. On top of that there was irresponsible de-regulation nearly across the board, based on the risky assumption that we can trust "big business" more than "big government." (I'd say we should be suspicious of both, and hold both accountable.)
Even though Pres. Obama is frequently criticized for referring back to the previous administration - as if to make excuses, I think the Obama administration has been highly restrained in this regard, by necessity if not by virtue. If they had told us how precarious things actually were, they would have undermined confidence, thus making things worse. (Sadly, this is still the case in many areas - global warming, too-big-to-fail banks, the Israeli occupation, Syria, etc. - where we are arguably worse off than we were four years ago.)
Second, I'm sure many factors that have nothing to do with Pres. Obama have converged to create the ugly polarization that exists in Congress and in society today. 24/7 Cable "news" is surely one factor - spreading fear, misinformation, and ignorance in unprecedented amounts, pandering to the personal and ideological prejudices of large demographic sectors. The role of the 1% in controlling elections is another - aided and abetted by the Citizens United (an ironic name indeed) ruling. The power of mega-corporations and their advocates (especially those representing the fossil fuel and weapons industries) is a third ... having in their pocket, as they do, so much of the media and government. For a president to have accomplished anything in this environment is amazing.
Third, I have a suspicion or hunch about our current political angst. I think that America's "original sin," as Jim Wallis aptly puts it, still has not been adequately dealt with. The racism and White privilege that fueled the colonization/land theft/marginalization of Native Americans and the slavery/segregation/systematic oppression of African Americans still is deeply embedded in many hearts - often unconsciously, even counter-consciously. President Obama's election and re-election have touched that reservoir or racism and its related -isms. As is often the case in individual souls, unresolved issues in the national soul must be expressed before they can be acknowledged and resolved ... and I think that President Obama's steady and non-reactive hand over these four years have allowed that process to run more of its course.
All that's to say that I expect history will look kindly on the first Obama term, and less kindly on its ardent and uncompromising opponents. I hope that the next four years will pleasantly surprise us all with even greater progress on the issues that are most important, even if they are not most publicized: care for the planet rather than its careless pillaging, a turn toward peacemaking and away from the military industrial complex, and a reversal of the growing gap between global and national economic elites and the rest of us. That important work is not simply the job of elected officials, although we elect and pay them to focus on it. We all must participate - advocating, explaining, respectfully differing, and making a case for a better way forward.
Many of you have probably seen or heard about the movie Zero Dark Thirty. That fictional movie falsely depicts torture as having provided important intelligence. The facts say otherwise.
Late last year, with the support and encouragement of National Religious Campaign Against Torture supporters, the Senate Intelligence Committee voted to adopt a report on CIA torture. This report was the culmination of a more than three-year investigation. It is over 6,000 pages long, and we are told that it lays out facts showing that torture harmed our national security.
The Intelligence Committee is currently preparing for its work in the new Congress. Very shortly, however, members of the Committee will begin to consider whether or not to release the report to the public. Because the Committee makeup changes at the beginning of each Congress, some of the senators who will be making this decision are only now learning about what is in the report. It is very important that key members of the Committee hear from us right away – so that their opinions can be informed by their constituents.
My book Naked Spirituality (NS) did quite well in the UK, and just OK here in the US. But I've had lots of people writing me lately and telling me they've just discovered it and are finding it extremely helpful in small groups, classes, etc. That's great to hear.
There’s a personal cost to callousness.
After people were instructed to restrain feelings of compassion in the face of heart-wrenching images, those people later reported feeling less committed to moral principles.
In March, researchers at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, published a study in Psychological Science that should make anyone think twice before ignoring a homeless person or declining an appeal from a charity.
Daryl Cameron and Keith Payne found that after people were instructed to restrain feelings of compassion in the face of heart-wrenching images, those people later reported feeling less committed to moral principles. It was as if, by regulating compassion, the study participants sensed an inner conflict between valuing morality and living by their moral rules; to resolve that conflict, they seemed to tell themselves that those moral principles must not have been so important. Making that choice, argue Cameron and Payne, may encourage immoral behavior and even undermine our moral identity, inducing personal distress.
“Regulating compassion is often seen as motivated by self-interest, as when people keep money for themselves rather than donate it,” write the researchers. “Yet our research suggests that regulating compassion might actually work against self-interest by forcing trade-offs within the individual’s moral self-concept.”
The quote made me thing of one of the 12 simple words in NS - "Please," which I relate to the practice of compassion. It's encouraging to see some scientific research backing up the claim I made in the book - that to withhold compassion stunts well-being for everyone. The whole article is worth checking out ... as is NS.
Good news for Christian churches ... especially Baptists
Suzii Paynter will (pending official approval) be the next Executive Director for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. I am a friend and fan of CBF, and of Suzii, and I couldn't be more pleased at this wise and exciting decision. I believe this is an excellent choice for CBF - one that will benefit all churches in the US, not just Cooperative Baptist ones.
I have had the privilege of meeting most of our heads of American communions and I can say that we are blessed with excellent leaders. Yes, our churches are passing through some challenging times on many levels, but with wise, forward-leaning, Spirit-guided leadership - as evidenced both by Suzii and the panel who selected her - we can be hopeful and confident about the future. Congratulations, Suzii, and congratulations, CBF!
“For people, generally, their story of the universe and the human role in the universe is their primary source of intelligibility and value,” Thomas Berry wrote in The Dream of the Earth. “The deepest crises experienced by any society are those moments of change when the story becomes inadequate for meeting the survival demands of a present situation.”
We live at such a moment. Humanity’s current behavior threatens Earth’s capacity to support life and relegates more than a billion people to lives of destitution. This self-destructive behavior and our seeming inability to change have deep roots in the stories by which we understand the nature and meaning of our existence. The challenge before us is to create a new civilization based on a cosmology—a story of the origin, nature, and purpose of creation—that reflects the fullness of our current human knowledge; a story to guide us to mature relationships with one another and a living Earth.
See also his stellar article on a living economy here.
1. A maturing and gracious spirit - this process of emergence has produced a lot of "angst-y-ness" in the past, but there was a positive, warm, and healthy vibe in the group that was encouraging to experience.
2. Amazing creativity - Phyllis gave sparkling hour-long lectures, and then friends of Phyllis responded in panels, and then participants gave Pecha Kucha presentations, which I heard were amazing.
3. Humility - there was a sense that those of us who are considered leaders in emergence are part of something bigger than we understand. We aren't creating it. We aren't even leading it. At best, we are leading within it, contributing to it, participating in it, and collaborating with each other. That struck me as a good - and true - attitude.
In the public gatherings and in lots of smaller and informal venues, a stellar group of people shared in meaningful conversations, which build and strengthen networks of friendship, which, many of us hope, are becoming the seed-bed of a movement with a lot of potential. You can read the twitter feed at #EC13.
Inauguration benediction ...
I was invited to compose a 100-word benediction suitable for the US presidential inauguration, along with 25 others, all of which are available here. Here's mine:
Living God, whose glory surpasses every name and creed by which we seek to honor you, May our leaders become less concerned about the splinters in the eyes of their opponents and more concerned about the planks in their own. May our people reject the allure of dishonest and arrogant voices and be drawn instead to leaders who are humble, kind, and wise. May we stop measuring wealth by money alone and strength by weapons alone. May we return to our deepest American values of honesty, industry, frugality, conviviality, and peace. May we become one nation under you indeed. Amen.
Q & R: What about Unitarians?
Here's the Q:
You proposed in your "Thoughts on the Nones" video (posted November 12, 2012) that the rising number of "Nones" reported in the new Pew Research Centre (released October 9, 2012) may be accounted for by the fact that "they don't want to be part of a religious community that requires them to hold hostility toward the Other" and may be a real result of the Holy Spirit convicting these people as to the transgression of this hostility.
If this is true, then why hasn't the Unitarian Universalist Church or those roughly affiliated seen a sharp rise in either the recent survey or any other performed in the last few years? I don't think I need to remind your readers that the Unitarian denomination has had a long history in the United States (going back to abolitionism) of acceptance of individuals of many lifestyles, as well as a strong identity tied to charitable and political action. If the "nones" have left mainline evangelical churches because of their hostility toward the Other, why have so few of them joined the Unitarian Church? Yet the results of the survey (available on their website http://bit.ly/QPvJii; Appendix 2 Question 71) conducted to poll Americans of all beliefs found that the number of Unitarian members was not a statistically viable number among survey respondents (comparable with those exclusively Buddhist or Hindu in the United States).
And in particular to your thoughts on the data: of the other responses, the one posed to those who specifically said "Religion was Important to Them" but said they did "Not Attend Services" (Question 51 in the same results; Appendix 2 http://bit.ly/QPvJii), 45% said they did not do so for strictly personal reasons (like work or time, none of which having to do with what the Church was like), and of the 40% who did not do so for reasons pertaining to the Church, only 3% chose the response "Religion/churches/leaders too pushy/demanding; too dogmatic; too intolerant."
If nothing else, I find the responses in the survey given to be very unfair to the Unitarians who have been working for a very long time at an almost entirely un-hostile Christianity, while most in the media can do nothing but place blame on the once-mainstream evangelical Churches. Your thoughts?
Here's the R:
Thanks for your excellent question. It's complicated, and I know I can't give a full answer that does justice to the question. I'll offer a few thoughts, though, that are "R's" (responses) without being full "A's" (full and complete answers).
First, Unitarians have played an important role in American history (and beyond), and they have made historical contributions on many levels that go beyond what their numbers would suggest.
Second, (and this is related to something I posted about yesterday), the degree to which a religious community deconstructs without reconstructing will put it at a disadvantage. It not only must remove negatives that other communities have: it must have positives that other communities lack. My friend Tony Jones wrote about this recently, here, summarizing some thoughts from Christian Smith's 1998 book on Evangelicals:
Mainline and liberal Christians (Protestant and Catholic alike) are accomodationist, and there is simply not enough difference between them and culture to make a difference to much of anyone. In other words, why join something that looks exactly like what you’re already a part of? All three — fundamentalists, liberals, and mainliners — scored significantly lower that evangelicals in all six characteristics of strength.
Third, Unitarians have distanced themselves from several common characteristics of traditional Christianity that were indeed problematic. One of those - the way many Christians used Jesus as a threat ("you'd better believe what we say about him or God will send you to hell!") - caused many Unitarians to feel a bit embarrassed about Jesus. Believing, as I do, that Jesus is the best thing about being a person of faith (albeit for different reasons than many), I think Unitarians would gain a great deal by rediscovering Jesus - if not in traditional terms, in terms that would be highly accessible to them and meaningful to others. (I addressed many of these - including the doctrine of the Trinity - in my most recent book.)
Finally, I think you're right. People are unfair! Many of the best, most humane churches have the fewest members, and many of the worst and most hostile are full and overflowing. Unitarians have set an admirable example in promoting an un-hostile faith. I notice that I have increasing numbers of Unitarians introducing themselves to me at my speaking events. Perhaps, as John Cobb says in his recent (excellent) book, Religions in the Making, the best contributions of Unitarians are in their future, and what they can be has not yet been fully manifested.
Also, you might be interested in something peripherally about me written by a Unitarian. A few details of the post are a little off (I wasn't raised on the West Coast, my upbringing was not extreme but rather typical for American Evangelical/Fundamentalists, etc.) But it shows that there can be a healthy and needed (by both sides) rapprochement among people who have walked separate paths. As my friend Phyllis Tickle might say, a Great Emergence can catch up unlikely people into something unexpected, unprecedented, and hopeful.
I heard you speak recently on your UK tour and I greatly enjoyed it. However, the question I came away with was: if the whole church embraced McLarenism (for want of a better phrase) what would it look like in 100 years time, ie once it has passed through 3 or 4 generations? My concern is that a lot of post-modernist thinking has no internal structure. As such, it is great for those of us who are rebelling against modernism or conservatism. We have a traditional Christian structure, which, for good or ill, forms part of our fundamental core. Our post-modernism is inevitably built upon that. But what does your theology offer once the rebellion is over? Put another way, what happens once you have deconstructed Christianity? You cannot continue to deconstruct it. At some point, you have to build something again. These thoughts were provoked because you shared the stage with a Mohammed Ansar and it was clear what his vision was for the next 100 (or indeed 1000) years. He had no desire to deconstruct Islam, because he was happy with the way it was constructed. Indeed, his challenge was that Christians needed to be "more Christian". Your response was that our identity was to bless others and to seek the common good. This is all great, but I simply could not envisage how your interpretation of Christianity would look once it had lost its initial impetus as a reaction against what was there before. What is your vision of a reconstructed Christianity? Perhaps I should buy and read your book!
Here's the R:
Thanks for your question. First, let's put aside a ridiculous term like "mclarenism." I have no interest in that, and my original contributions to Christian emergence are quite few and minuscule, other than listening to many other voices and trying to synergize, integrate, synthesize, etc. Many, many voices are working together - some consciously and intentionally, some not - to deconstruct and reconstruct.
Second, I don't want to speak for my new friend Mohammed Ansar, but when you say that "he had no desire to deconstruct Islam," I imagine he might say, "It depends on what you mean by Islam." I'm quite certain Mohammed would agree that all religions are "in the making," in the sense that at every moment, they grow more or less faithful to God's will. On the simplest and most obvious level, Shiites wouldn't be completely happy with how Sunni or Sufi versions are constructed, and vice versa. I'm sure some Muslims are highly critical of Mohammed (Ansar, that is) since he is a leader, and leaders always attract criticism because they dare to point a way forward. I think you're right that Mohammed is "happy" with the true essence of Islam ... just as I am with the true essence of the Gospel. The problem comes when we naively think that one humanly-constructed version or embodiment of a religion perfectly and eternally captures that true essence. Deconstruction isn't an attempt to destroy, but rather to disassemble that human construction so the true essence can reveal itself.
Jacques Derrida, the 20th century French philosopher, said it this way: sometimes we must deconstruct (unjust) laws so that justice may appear. You don't deconstruct laws because you want injustice, but because you want a justice even more essential than this or that law promotes. (I think this is what Jesus meant when he said, "Do not think I have come to destroy the Law or the Prophets, but to fulfill.")
Third, I'm a little disappointed that you perceived the evening as nothing more than deconstruction. In the US tour, I varied my presentations from night to night, one night focusing on "the historical challenge," another on "the doctrinal challenge," another on "the missional challenge," and another on "the liturgical challenge." The only one that could be seen as primarily deconstructive is the historical challenge. But in the UK, I hardly talked about the historical challenge at all ... so I'm a little surprised that you would have experienced the night as deconstructive.
Like you, I think that deconstruction is not enough. I do think it is necessary, just not sufficient: we can't make way for the new until we've cleared some space ... but I would much rather be known primarily as a constructive rather than deconstructive theologian, and anyone who has read my books would, I think, agree that's the case.
When you summarize my whole presentation in contrast to Mohammed's, saying that I want nothing more in Christian identity than to bless others and seek the common good (which wouldn't be a bad start, but is hardly the sum total of my presentation!) ... it's clear to me that, yes, I do hope you read my book! In the doctrinal, liturgical, and missional sections of the book, deconstruction prepares the way for constructive work of thoughtfully re-examining Scripture, tradition, and experience to articulate a meaningful, faithful, and generative Christian identity that could help us moving into the future.
Finally, I should add that your question warms my heart because my next writing project - in which I am deeply engaged at the moment - is all about that constructive articulation. I hope you'll read it in July 2014. But for now, how about reading Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed? And I hope you'll notice the subtitle too ... and see how it is a book about constructive Christian identity. The project of articulating and embodying a more faithful and authentic Christian identity is huge. No one person can do it alone. That's why your participation and help is needed. Again, thanks for the question.
Idle No More
Why should North American Christians care - and support - Native Americans/First Nations/Indigenous Peoples' efforts for justice? Learn more here: http://www.christianweek.org/stories.php?id=2242
Quotable:
Clearly the problems faced by First Peoples in Canada are not unique. Indigenous peoples in the Philippines, North East India, New Zealand, and Australia, to name a few, face the same social consequences of colonization—high suicide rates, addiction problems, violence, community implosion, poverty, and more. This should alert any thinking person to the fact that equivalent problems across such wide geographic and ethnic diversity are rooted in and result from similar circumstances.... When the dignity of a people is subjected to relentless pressure to conform to foreign values; when agreements are pushed aside time and again with contempt; when division among First Nations is introduced to ensure economic prosperity for others, it is like the abusive spouse who, having apologized, repeats the abuse yet again.
Do you want to represent your nation in a unique action for peace?
Happy Birthday, Dr. King!
Inspiring words for us all.
If you're interested in Christian-Muslim relations ... or the issue of violence in the Bible ...
As I've written a lot about Jesus, the Bible, and nonviolence - especially in A New Kind of Christianity and Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha (etc) - I'm interested in how Aaron gets the issue on the table, especially in relation to the way Christians use a violent interpretation of Jesus' "second coming" to nullify the nonviolent message and example of his actual coming. That's why I am an advocate for alternate understandings of eschatology, as I've discussed in the two books I just mentioned, along with Secret Message of Jesus and Everything Must Change.
Expect more on this important subject in the coming days ...
Strong and benevolent religious identity in Egypt ...
The same day Kentucky sage Wendell Berry went public with a strongly worded statement about gay people and the Christian faith, my friend Steve Chalke went public with a similar statement in the UK. It was carried in Christianity Magazine (like Christianity Today in the US, an Evangelical publication). You can read the abridged version here: http://www.oasisuk.org/inclusionresources/Articles/MOIabridged
and the unabridged version here: http://www.oasisuk.org/inclusionresources/Articles/MOI
Quotable:
For all of these reasons, I face a hard choice; a choice between the current dominant view of what Scripture tells us about this issue and the one I honestly think it points us to. This is why I seek to speak and write openly and, I hope, graciously, to encourage a compassionate, respectful and honest conversation that might lead to our churches becoming beacons of inclusion.
None of this is to point the finger at others. I have remained silent, for fear of damaging important relationships. Even in this I realise my self-centredness, for no rejection I might suffer is anything compared to what so many homosexual people endure all their lives.
I understand that there are many who will take other views to me. I respect their right to differ with me graciously, just as I try to do the same with them. However, I believe that as the leader of a local church, a charity and many thousands of young people in schools and staff around the country and the world, I am called to offer support, protection, and blessing in the name of Christ, the definition of justice, reconciliation, and inclusion, who beckons each one of us out of isolation into the joy of faithful relationship.
Many people refer to Steve as "the Billy Graham of the UK." I would compare his statement in support of gay inclusion to Billy Graham's 1953 support of racial inclusion when he made the then-bold decision to take down the ropes that were being used to segregate seating areas in his Chattanooga, TN, crusade.
Stunning words from Wendell Berry
Here: http://www.abpnews.com/culture/social-issues/item/8130-wendell-berry-expounds-on-gay-marriage#.UPSBUKXmsXc
Quotable:
“If I were one of a homosexual couple -- the same as I am one of a heterosexual couple -- I would place my faith and hope in the mercy of Christ, not in the judgment of Christians,” Berry said. “When I consider the hostility of political churches to homosexuality and homosexual marriage, I do so remembering the history of Christian war, torture, terror, slavery and annihilation against Jews, Muslims, black Africans, American Indians and others. And more of the same by Catholics against Protestants, Protestants against Catholics, Catholics against Catholics, Protestants against Protestants, as if by law requiring the love of God to be balanced by hatred of some neighbor for the sin of being unlike some divinely preferred us. If we are a Christian nation -- as some say we are, using the adjective with conventional looseness -- then this Christian blood thirst continues wherever we find an officially identifiable evil, and to the immense enrichment of our Christian industries of war.”
“Condemnation by category is the lowest form of hatred, for it is cold-hearted and abstract, lacking even the courage of a personal hatred,” Berry said. “Categorical condemnation is the hatred of the mob. It makes cowards brave. And there is nothing more fearful than a religious mob, a mob overflowing with righteousness – as at the crucifixion and before and since. This can happen only after we have made a categorical refusal to kindness: to heretics, foreigners, enemies or any other group different from ourselves.”
“Perhaps the most dangerous temptation to Christianity is to get itself officialized in some version by a government, following pretty exactly the pattern the chief priest and his crowd at the trial of Jesus,” Berry said. “For want of a Pilate of their own, some Christians would accept a Constantine or whomever might be the current incarnation of Caesar.”
A tough choice ...
I thought Louie Giglio handled his invitation to pray (and subsequent withdrawal) at the inauguration with a lot of class. I've met Louie, and although I don't know what his precise views on homosexuality are today (how many of us would like to be defined by sermons or statements from twenty years ago?), I do know that he's a nice guy with a good heart. Now there's a lot of discussion about who will be chosen in his place. People have been putting forward suggestions - I even made one list. No call yet! http://www.salon.com/2013/01/10/who_obama_should_pick_to_replace_gilgio/
Despite all my talk of commonality, I suspect you are still wondering what my view is on that toughest of all issues for Jewish-Christian dialogue - the status of that first century, itinerant, radical preacher from Galilee and the cross on which he was crucified.
How can one person's symbol of forgiveness, redemption and salvation be another's constant reminder of two thousand years of violence and oppression on European and Middle Eastern soil? There has been a high cost to the Church's past imperial might and its teaching of significant aspects of Christian doctrine. None of this can be glossed over or forgotten about just because in our post-modern Western European environment the Church has now fallen on hard times.
At the level of Christian leadership and amongst post-war Christian theologians there has been much acknowledgement and atonement for Christianity's other 'original sin' - the blood libel against the Jewish people. The progress that has been made in the last seventy years is an amazing achievement in such a relatively short space of time. However, I'm not sure how much of this historical understanding and theological adjustment has filtered down to pew level. For the average church goer in the UK, I suspect Christianity is seen as an almost entirely innocent force throughout its history and a religion that has been more often the victim than the victimiser.
Meanwhile, Jews are acutely and painfully aware of their historic relationship with Christianity. In fact, our self-perception of eternal victimhood has been pretty much perfected. The mis-match of self-perception leads to a great deal of misunderstanding and explains the underlying suspicion, even hostility, that many Jews feel towards Christianity.
Christianity, of course, does not own the patent when it comes to concocting dangerous cocktails that mix faith with power. In the same period during which Christian-Jewish relations have seen such improvement, there has been a parallel story developing that has taken Jews from the very nadir of their suffering to a new and disastrous destination that has seen the oppressed become the oppressor.
There isn't the time here to talk about the the relationship between the Holocaust and the State of Israel. It's complicated and involves a great deal of history, politics, theology, and the on-going collective trauma of both Jews and Palestinians. It is utterly tragic that the Palestinians have paid the price for crimes committed on Christian European soil. On a rather more modest scale, we Jews are now busy making all the same mistakes as imperial Christianity did and using theology and history to justify our actions.
But back to the carpenter from Nazareth who I do not believe should be held personally responsible for all that has gone on in his name.
Over the last few days, I've been busy morning until night at the Emergence Christianity event in Memphis. You can follow it at #EC13 on Twitter. I had to leave Memphis early (festivities continue there today) and will spend today with Lutheran friends in Virginia. Much to post about next week, after I catch my breath.
A review in Christian Century: thoughtful and open
Q & R: Talks from Peace, Love, and Misunderstanding Tour
Here's the Q:
Will your talks in this tour you're about to do be available to listen to via the Greenbelt website or in any other way? I was hoping to come, but can't make it. Others I know would love to hear you speaking too.
You and some others have been instrumental in giving fresh hope and understanding to me in a faith that often just didn't add up. You've given me and some of my friends permission to search, wrestle, doubt and continue to search, and permission to allow the mystery to BE, waiting for new inspiration and understanding. Thank you for your willingness to open yourself up to criticism for the sake of truly Good News.
Here's the R:
I don't think those talks were recorded, although you can hear my talks from past Greenbelt Festivals at their website. However, the talks from my US tour (which were similar) should be available soon ... stay tuned. I'll announce them here as soon as they're available.
Q & R: Direct, grassroots action
Here's the Q:
Hi Brian: Can't find a way to direct message so I'll post. Really loved your last book "Why Did Jesus, Moses, The Buddha and Mohammed..." ...a very important book for the current time, thank you. As a reasonably accomplished businessperson, entrepreneur and engineer starting to look for a way to make more of a difference during the remainder of my career, I'm curious- do you have any recommendations regarding concrete, effective actions (via existing organizations or starting a new one to fill unmet needs) that would pursue, beyond my personal circle, the general objectives of the book? My interests would lie more in direct/grassroot action rather than education or advocacy. Thanks.
Here's the R:
I'm so glad you enjoyed the book, and even more glad you're inspired to get involved.
These organizations would give you good opportunities for grass-roots action. But the line between action and education/advocacy isn't very thick - and really, one of the most important kinds of grass-roots action is education and advocacy. A short-term option in that regard - try starting a group to discuss the book. You'll find a leader/reader group study guide here: http://brianmclaren.net/archives/books/brians-books/why-did-jesus-moses-the-buddha-a.html
A British reader writes:
Having read ANKoC when it first appeared in the UK, I was very
excited to be able to hear you speak when you came to Birmingham late
last November. I bought your most recent book, which it's taken me just
over a month to read (it was a busy time with Christmas!) and I want to
thank you for your insight, energy and humility which is so
refreshing.
I come from a Methodist background and for the last 20 years I've been
part of an evangelical Anglican church in a relatively affluent market
town in shire England. For the last 10 years I've got increasingly
frustrated by the incompetence, arrogance and hostility of our
leadership at both national and local level (even though as a church
warden for four years I was once part of it). The debacle over women
bishops was the final straw, prompting me to 'resign' my membership of
the church, although I continue to worship with my family at the same
church.
The worst thing is that the only form of true evangelism recognised by
most of my evangelical friends is that of full-time church ministry
preaching the Word. I've spent 16 years working in the commercial world
bearing witness to the Other, followed by 10 years working in the not-
for-profit sector helping people build peace and poverty both
internationally and domestically. None of this seems of any value to my
evangelical friends in building the Kingdom - perhaps it's also my
involvement with unfashionable local community groups, Liberal Democrat
politics and the music and poetry of Leonard Cohen!
I can't pretend to understand all that you wrote about in your most
recent book, but I do want you to know it's been a huge inspiration.
Thank you so much.
with best wishes for 2013.
As always, I'm grateful for these encouraging words - and for insight into people's experience in seeking to follow Christ in today's context.
Want to help a buddy of mine?
I first heard Phil Madeira playing back-up for Phil Keaggy like thirty-five years ago. I loved Phil K, but I also thought, "That guy on the keyboards is a force to be reckoned with." Then I heard Mercyland in 2012. We all give God the Blues seemed like it was written as a soundtrack for my 2012 release. Anyway - Phil's got another project in the works, and I think we'll all love it.
A reader writes: a new story that gives meaning to the world
I ran across this on Alternet (http://www.alternet.org/visions/everything-we-tell-ourselves-about-america-and-world-wrong?akid=9884.280025.9UBg01&rd=1&src=newsletter769265&t=3&paging=off / The subtitle of the story is “Why we need a new story that gives meaning to the world.”
When I saw this, I immediately thought about you.
“When a story nears its end it goes through death throes, an exaggerated semblance of life”.
This certainly explains a lot of what is going on in the church and Western culture.
Q & R: Real or Pretend?
Here's the Q:
I always thought I'd have some sagely advice to give my kids about Old Testament literalism, but when my 3 year old daughter asked me if the story about Elijah going to heaven was real or pretend, I froze up and had no idea what to say. It's so hard to get the complexity across. I want to communicate the idea that scripture is real in the sense that it really points us to the mystery of God but pretend in the sense that odds are, nobody ever got into a flaming chariot and actually flew away. I don't want to crush her spirit or make her think religion is pointless by just saying its pretend, but I don't want to be dishonest. Any pointers?
Here's the R:
I'm deep into the writing of my next book (which will be a kind of re-catechesis), and was just grappling with this question yesterday when I read your question. It's easier to answer for 30 year-olds than 3 year-olds in some ways. Here's what I wrote yesterday (incorporating your question into my next book, for which I thank you, as I do all my responsive readers whose questions help me greatly as a writer) ...
Because the rules and standards of ancient storytelling don’t conform to modern standards of reporting and recording history, it’s tricky to try to correlate the most ancient Bible stories with modern timelines. We frequently find ourselves in the position of a mother whose little girl asked her if the story of Elijah flying to heaven on a chariot of fire was “real or pretend.”
The question, of course, can’t be answered in a way that is simultaneously full, rich, and nuanced on the one hand and simple, clear, and satisfying for a three-year old (or some thirty-year-olds) on the other. A full and nuanced answer would require us first to explain that even so-called "real" stories are told from a point of view, with a rhetorical purpose that causes some background and details to be included and other information to be omitted. In other words, no "real" event can be reported without being interpreted - and interpreting events often involves moves that look a lot like pretending. (note - pretend that we don't need to know what happened 3 hundred years before, etc.)
Second, we would need to explain that both real and pretend stories can be told for a wide variety of purposes. On one extreme, they can be told to deceive, oppress, pacify, manipulate, and hurt people, and on the other, they can be told to challenge people to think, to liberate and encourage them, to heal, comfort, and otherwise help them. Sometimes a "pretend" story can do a lot more good than a "real" story - as Jesus' parables exemplify so powerfully. And sometimes a "real" story can do a lot more harm than a pretend story - as gossip exemplifies so powerfully. So the binary option between real and pretend quickly becomes complexified into four options (with all the gradations in between) - real-healing or real-harming, pretend-harming or pretend-healing.
We would also need to acknowledge that stories that begin as real often are embellished with pretend elements (and vice versa), as any salesman - or preacher - knows!
For a three-year-old, I think a good answer would be, "That's a great question! Some stories are real, and some are pretend, and some of the very best ones are a mix of both. I think that story is a mix of both. What do you think?" Such an answer would invite the child to join the interpretive community rather than remain a passive consumer of interpretive products churned out by grown-up interpreters - who often could learn a lot from three-year-olds about interpretation!
So we might say that the stories of Genesis and Exodus are a mixture of fact and fiction, re-told and re-interpreted generation to generation. We might call them formational ancestral fiction - imaginative tales about a community’s ancestors that were created or adapted with a serious purpose in mind: to form character, faith, identity, solidarity, and shared values in a community.
Growing up in a fundamentalist home in 1950s I knew something was not right. You state well many insights I had then, and have developed since. And you lead a generation of thinkers on a path that is much more faithful to the vision of Jesus. Keep up the good work
I could say much more: It could fill the pages. It is just good to know a fellow traveler.
It's important for the rest of us to remember that many of the most ardent fundamentalists around us today are harboring secret second thoughts. They've been taught that the only alternative to fundamentalism is infidelity. It is our opportunity to show them a wonderful creative alternative - a new kind of Christianity, a strong-benevolent identity.
if you weren't paying attention ...
2012 in 4 minutes
Q & R: What's ahead for 2013?
Here's the Q:
I've been wondering what your next book will be. Also if you have other goals for 2013. And if you ever plan to do any mentoring of emerging leaders.
Here's the R:
First, happy new year! Here's what I'm looking forward to in 2013.
On a personal level, Grace and are are thrilled that our family is expecting to add to our little flock of grandchildren this year. Not only are we thrilled with grandkids, but we're also so proud of our four adult kids, their spouses, and their good work in the world. A highlight of 2013 will be being with them - and in between, face-timing frequently.
Between now and September, I'll be completely focused on my next book. The working title is "Catechesis," but I'm leaning toward this as an actual title - "To Be Alive: a (re)introduction to the way of Jesus." (Feedback is welcome on my facebook page!)
The book will have 52-plus short chapters, each written to be read aloud in about twelve minutes. Together, they'll give an introduction to Christian faith from a fresh/emergent perspective by giving an overview of the biblical narrative. They'll be arranged to line up with a modified church year. There will be Scripture readings, dialogue questions, and follow-up activities for each chapter, and maybe (later) a daily devotional to accompany the book.
My goal is to make the book accessible to people with no religious background ... and to make it substantive for people whose inherited faith has stopped working for them and need a fresh approach. I can imagine a lot of ways the book could be used (from a diocese or conference using it for a year of sermons, to a family using it around the table, to an emerging or new monastic faith community using it for a weekly meal, to ...) and I hope it will help catalyze some reconstruction in conjunction with all the necessary and important deconstruction that's been going on.
Some of us have lots of practice reading the Bible in fundamentalist, pre-critical ways - and others have ample practice reading the Bible in critical or skeptical ways. What we need today is a new, fresh approach to the Bible - reading it in post-critical ways, literary rather than literalist, sensitive to history, and focused on an over-arching narrative that focuses on Jesus and his good news. In this 2013, in four stand-alone but integrated sessions, we'll get an overview of the whole Bible from this fresh perspective.
Mar 22-23: Reading the Hebrew Bible Afresh: We'll dig in to the Pentateuch, the historical books, the poetry and wisdom literature, and the prophets ... in their historical context and with an eye to their meaning today.
May 10-11: Reading the Gospels Afresh: We'll explore Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John's portraits of Jesus and his good news of the kingdom of God.
July 15-21: Reading Acts Afresh: We'll get a fresh vision of the earliest disciples and their messianic movement in the Book of Acts.
Dec 6-7: Reading the New Testament Afresh: We'll engage with Paul's letters, plus the writings of James, John, and Peter, plus the Book of Revelation.
I'm often asked about mentoring, and my hope is that folks interested in mentoring will register for these four weekends. In each workshop we'll be grappling deeply with the Bible and its relevance to our lives and world today and tomorrow.
I'm also involved with a group of emerging leaders from around the world who are talking a lot about the vital relationships between institutions, communities, and movements. More on this later in the year.
A reader writes (and links) ... somewhere all along
I know this is random but as someone who loves all your books, I saw this and thought of you.
Blessings on your new year, you might have a lot who disagree but know there are a great wealth more of us who are forever grateful that you were willing to ask questions no-one else was.
Thank you for articulating the Christ I knew must have been there somewhere all along.
Q & R: what about trying to convert people?
Here's the Q:
[I heard you speak when you were in the UK recently.] I consider myself to be "post-evangelical" meaning that I have been part of churches in the past that place the emphasis on the Great Commission, to go into the world and make disciples etc, but now I'm not sure how to hold this in tension with the advice about "not trying to convert people".
I have come to the conclusion that God is bigger than any of my
attempts to explain or represent his love, but struggle with the
concept of whether or not belief in Jesus is key for humanity...
Here's the R:
You're in great company when you're asking the same question as a bright 13-year-old!
I believe in and am committed to the Great Commission, but I wouldn't define it as "converting people to the Christian religion." I would define it as making disciples of Jesus (or learners of the way of Jesus) by proclaiming his good news of the commonwealth of God.
Sadly, sometimes "converting people to the Christian religion" can make them (as I discuss in my new book) even more hostile than they were before (recalling Mt. 23:15), now with God "on their side," intensifying their pre-existing fears and hostilities. But there are other ways - in my mind, more faithful, more Spirit-empowered ways - to be Christian, just as there are more faithful, more Spirit-empowered ways to be Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, atheist, Buddhist, etc.
Thankfully, I know there are more and more Christians like you who are expressing their discomfort with ways of living their faith characterized by hostility, and are seeking better ways instead. And there are more and more Muslims, Hindus, Jews, and atheists feeling the same way!
That's why I can simultaneously believe that Jesus is key for humanity ... as I fervently do believe - without believing that the Christian religion is intended to have any sort of supremacy.
I believe the way of Jesus - the way of love, faith, hope, reconciliation, radical rethinking, service, self-giving, respect for creation, full surrender to the Spirit - truly is the way, the truth, and the life. Nobody comes to God based on following a religious agenda of hate, fear, despair, division, conventional thinking, domination, greed, disrespect for creation, or full conformity to this or that 'ism, no matter how much god-talk and text-quoting we dress it all up in. (How's that for a paraphrase of Jn. 14:6?) Obviously, this is what I was grappling with in my new book, the last few chapters of which deal especially with your question.
That's why I write. It's what keeps me going through way too many airports and too much traffic. At heart, I am and have always been an evangelist ... not promoting the good news of Evangelicalism, Catholicism, Pentecostalism, etc., etc., but seeking to live and spread the good news of God (Mark 1:14), proclaimed by Jesus, which is a call to love God with our all and to love our neighbor as ourselves, extending that love of neighbor (as Jesus taught and modeled) to stranger, outsider, outcast, enemy, and others (whatever their religion) - including our nonhuman neighbors in God's creation.
Can more and more Muslims, agnostics, Hindus, Buddhists, atheists, Christians, Jews, and others learn to live in this way of saving, reconciling, regenerating love? That's not just a question of doctrine or religion. It's a question of survival.
Q & R: A 13-year-old suffering from CRIS*
*conflicted religious identity syndrome
Here's the Q:
My name is nnnn and I am 13 years old. We met if you recall, [on your book tour] several months ago. I just finished "Why did Jesus, Moses, the Buddah, and Mohhamed Cross the road". I thought it was fantastic, and I found it super relatable. In fact I didn't do anything productive at school for 2 days because my nose was stuck in your book. Wow, It's probably my favorite book of yours and my second favorite overall...
I myself am suffering Christian Identity Crisis. I belong to a group of Christians called FCA (fellowship of Christian Athletes) it is a strong evangelical organization, however I feel so good to be a part of a community of faith outside of church. I have found in recent weeks that the topic seems to drift on how I it is the duty of members to "spread the message". I feel that these kids have a hostile view on our Islamic and Jewish brothers and sisters. When in conversation I simply say, I don't see it that way, and move on.
But is that being weak and benign? I am losing my Identity as a Christian, I feel. I am not strong and hostile at all. Does belonging to an organization make me strong and hostile? I also don't want to not saying something, or just say that " As long as we have God in our hearts" because then I lose what I believe in. I believe in peace, love, friendship.I have a very close Muslim friend and I truly enjoy sharing multi faith conversations with her, In fact I feel more comfortable talking to someone of a different faith, than evangelical Christians. My point is that I really appreciate having a book that deals with some of these issues. While I support the core values of FCA I think that I will ultimately leave it. I struggle with this I have made many friends. However I believe in the message of Jesus. The message of Jesus is not hate it is love. When you mentioned your friendship with the mosque leader shortly after the 9/11 attacks I cried. That is what true Christianity is like. I hope in 20 years it will ultimately be the reality of all.
Thank you so very much for the gift of this book. I understand if you can not reply, however know that your book changed my life. I truly mean it. Words cannot express my gratitude for the literature that you write. Thank You,
Here's the R:
Thanks so much for your note. I think it's my favorite question of 2012. If you're asking important questions like this at 13, I can imagine you'll be changing the world at 23!
Bottom line: I hope you can stay in FCA - both for your sake (because it is important and good to have fellowship) and for the benefit of the group - because you obviously have a lot of leadership gifts and a lot to offer the group.
The key will be how much freedom you will have to define concepts of "spread the message" and "evangelism."
I checked FCA's website and doctrinal statement. It's pretty typical for a conservative Evangelical organization. It includes this:
We believe in the deity of Christ (John 1:1), in His virgin birth (Matthew 1:18, 25), in His sinless life (Hebrews 4:15), in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood (Hebrews 9:15-22), in His bodily resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-8), in His ascension to the right hand of the Father (Acts 1:9-11) and in His personal return in power and glory (Hebrews 9:27-28).
We believe that for the salvation of lost and sinful men (women), regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential. (John 3:16; John 5:24; Titus 3:3-7)
...We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost, they that are saved unto the resurrection of life and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation. (Matthew 25:31-46; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)
Since you've read the book, you know that I wouldn't summarize my key beliefs like this, but I would do all I could to be a productive member of the group if they allowed me to, differing graciously when necessary. In other words, I would want to be strong and benevolent toward FCA too!
If asked, I would understand explain that I agree with the verses they quote in parentheses, but don't necessarily agree with what they use those verses to say. I would explain that words like "vicarious and atoning sacrifice," salvation, condemnation, regeneration, saved, and lost all have a history and are based on assumptions that deserve to be scrutinized. If the leaders were to say that those questions can't be asked in their group and they'd rather I leave if I need to raise those questions, then I'd move on but seek to maintain my friendships with members. I would hope, though, that FCA would be glad to have a bright young Christian like you on their team who takes your faith seriously and wants to think, grapple, and engage.
I actually think you could be one of the most effective members of FCA at "spreading the message" without hostility and without all the questionable assumptions of their doctrinal statement. Of course - when I say "spreading the message," I don't mean "convert to Christianity or you're going to hell!" I mean what you said:
...I believe in the message of Jesus. The message of Jesus is not hate it is love. When you mentioned your friendship with the mosque leader shortly after the 9/11 attacks I cried. That is what true Christianity is like. I hope in 20 years it will ultimately be the reality of all.
If that understanding of the message of Jesus does become a reality for more people, it will be because people like you and me spread the message. Spreading good news is the truest kind of evangelism. So ... you can try, by your example and by your words, to spread that message to everyone. You can model being a strong-benevolent Christian whose faith is even more deeply rooted in the biblical message than the FCA doctrinal statement. As Paul said to Timothy, in your "speech, behavior, love, faith and purity," you can be an example to the believers in FCA, and an example of what a new kind of Christian is to people outside FCA.
You're in my prayers today - and I hope we'll get to meet again in person before too long. Thanks again for writing!
2012: A Musical Retrospective
It has been a full and fruitful year, full of so many great moments with wonderful people. Here's a musical retrospective:
Q & R: A Scottish reader asks ...
Here's the Q:
I hope you enjoyed a hospitable visit to the UK and trust next time you can make it to Scotland... Currently, I am enjoying reading your new book and very much appreciate your several allusions to the Christological hermeneutic and particularly in relation to the Canaanite woman in Matthew and Mark, which I feel has been a significantly misused or misunderstood portion of scripture. You specify on a few occasions (correctly) throughout the book that it was neither the setting, nor was there the time to go into the Christological view on a number of issues or verses in scripture (perhaps with the exception of Chapter 16 of course), but I would have been greatly interested in your perspective on this. The story of the Canaanite woman has been something of a revelation to me, something I've essayed on, recently preached on and had the joy of discussing with others. I'd love to hear what wisdom you have gained from this passage.
Here's the R:
Yes, my trip to the UK was delightful. I hope I can visit Scotland again before too long. It won't be in 2013, though ... my travel schedule is already full for the whole year. Maybe 2014?
The story of the Canaanite woman is so fascinating and important, as you say. I wrote about it at some length in my book Everything Must Change (chapter 19). I draw from a brilliant reading of the text by Grant LeMarquand which I first heard about through Brian Walsh. Here's a brief quote:
Matthew's use of Canaanite is surprising, first, because the term appears nowhere else in the New Testament, and second, because Canaanites were, strictly speaking, nonexistent at the time. To call someone in Jesus' day a Canaanite would be ... like calling a contemporary Norwegian a Viking....
The term ... evoked Israel's conquest of Canaan.... In this story, Jesus deconstructs the violent conquest narrative (of Exodus and Deuteronomy)and suggests that the kingdom of God takes a radically different approach to "the other." Matthew has already included non-Jews in his story in striking ways - the naming of Gentiles (and Canaanites) Tamar and Rahab in the birth narratives (1:3,5), the visit of the Gentile Magi (2:1-12), and the healing of a Roman centurion's servant (8:5-13). And Matthew will include Gentiles in an even more striking way at his story's end (28:18-20), affirming that Gentiles must be freely included in the circle of disciples....
Jesus here takes the old "destroy the Canaanites" narrative and dramatically turns it around. The reversals are striking. Jesus does not follow Deuteronomy's "no mercy to Canaanites" policy, but rather shows mercy to this Canaanite woman and her daughter. Seven nations are to be destroyed "totally": seven [baskets of food fragments] remain, a testimony to the fact that now Canaanites are not to be destroyed, but fed.... Jesus, an Israelite son, sees a Canaanite daughter not as a danger, but as a person in need, and heals her.
... Jesus seizes the old narrative shakes it, turns it inside out, and offers a new story that reframes a future radically different from the past.
Of course, his cross is an even more dramatic narrative reversal....
To be a follower of Jesus in this light is a far different affair than many of us were taught: it means to join Jesus' peace insurgency, to see through every regie that promises peace through violence, peace through domination, peace through genocide, peace through exclusion and intimidation. Following Jesus instead means forming communities that seek peace through justice, generosity, and mutual concern, and a willingness to suffer persecution but a refusal to inflict it upon others. To follow Jesus is to become an atheist in regard to all bloodthirsty, tribal warrior gods, and to become a believer in the living God of grace and peace who, in Christ, sheds God's own blood in a manifestation of amnesty and reconciliation.
To repent, to believe, to follow ... together, these mean nothing less than defecting from Caesar's campaign of violence to join Jesus' divine peace insurgency.
The word "atheist" above reminds me of this song:
An Australian Reader Writes ...
I have just finished and enjoyed your latest book (Jesus, Moses etc). It made me quite excited as I thought about the kind of church that could have a clear, benevolent identity. I kept thinking (hoping), "The Uniting Church could be like that!"
Anyway after finishing the book I felt like going back to read the "New Kind of Christian" series again, and in reading about Christian judgementalism of those who explore theologically, I felt moved to make sure that you knew how much I have appreciated your work. Your books have regularly put into clear and structured ways the thoughts with which I've been wrestling, and have been a useful way to share with friends and colleagues a sense of "where I'm at".
One further thought. As I was re-reading ANKOC I found myself thinking that although I was enjoying it, I wasn't being struck by anything I had forgotten, or any new insights. But it struck me that I have been, and continue to be formed by reading stories like these - fictional, or accounts of people's theological journeys and thoughts. And to re-read the story wasn't just about making sure I had an analytical grasp on all the ideas in it, but was continuing to immerse me in, and form me in, stories of the kind of Christianity I want to be a part of. And it struck me that that way of thinking about what I was doing, was, in itself, a very postmodern Christian approach.
So "Cheers"; well done, thou good and faithful servant; a sincere 'thank you'.
Thanks for these kind words! I look forward to being in Australia (Adelaide) in February.
Darkwood Brew - great things happening!
If you don't know about Darkwood Brew ... here's an intro:
They're launching a major 6-week series on Dec 30th called "For the Love of God: Civil Conversation on the Bible and Homosexuality." Confirmed guests include Dr. James Forbes, Bishop Gene Robinson, Dr. Jacq Lapsely (OT Prof, Princeton Theological Seminary), and Dr. Jack Levison (NT Prof, Seattle Pacific U), Rev. Bruce Van Blair (UCC minister/author, Invitation to Reformation, etc).
Just wanted to say thank you for your presentation ... at Manchester Cathedral.
... I mentioned that we were a small group seemingly stuck in ‘perplexity’ as you described in your last book ‘Naked Spirituality’. One of the big stumbling blocks I have been chewing over in recent years actually was part of what you hit upon last night in the content matter of your new book. Having been fortunate to have travelled a little and witnessed people in their different cultures and habitats, I came to the conclusion that if I had been born to parents in Bangkok for example I would be steeped in the Buddhist tradition and perhaps may have had a slight glimpse or understanding of Christianity. Those folk I came across of that tradition were striving as they might to be best example of that faith just as much as I strive to be the best example I can as a Christian. I can’t help but think that if this God whom I serve is a God of overwhelming love, which I’ve experienced would look down on these other faiths and just shake his head. (Your response to the question put to you with regards, ‘no one comes to the father except through me’ was a huge source of encouragement to me in my understanding of this ‘itch’ I’ve been dealing with).
Am I being blasphemous to consider that other faith group individuals are simply doing what they have been taught in their cultural and religious upbringing like I have been in Christianity. And although our cultural and religious characters differ i.e. Jesus, Buddha, Mohamed etc., their motives and aspirations are being directed, like mine, towards this same God? . Hope my rumblings make some sort of sense.
Thanks for your note. I think you'll find a lot in the book that scratches that itch. Keep that group going - you're obviously a community of learners (disciples) together!
Twelve days of Christmas ...
... imagine the twelve days unfolding in days of feasting and fasting, with short daily readings and prayers to be shared around a meal; or, instead of a meal:
1. Feast of Christ the King (Christmas Day)—celebrating God’s kingdom as a new way of life characterized by good will (benevolence) toward all people.
2. Feast of the Shepherds—celebrating in some creative, communal way God’s special solidarity with the poor.
3. Fast of the Holy Innocents—acknowledging the evil of abusive human power that causes children to suffer, and celebrating God’s love for children in need around the world.
4. Feast of the Geneologies—celebrating God’s work through history, and in each of our own families, bringing us from violence to peace.
5. Feast of the Magi—celebrating God’s revelation of messianic compassion in all cultures and among all religions.
6. Feast of John the Baptist—celebrating John’s identity as Jesus’ forerunner, working on the margins of society, calling all to radical repentance.
7. Feast of the New Year—celebrating all things made new in Christ: New Testament, New Commandment, New Identity.
8. Feast of the Circumcision—celebrating Jesus’ identity within the Jewish people, together with his love for all people, reflected in the words of Simeon and Anna (Luke 2:25ff).
9. Fast of the Flight to Egypt—recalling the holy family’s experience as refugees by fasting for one meal, and then celebrating God’s concern for refugees by eating a simple meal of similar caloric intake as the world’s poorest share.
10. Feast of Jesus’ Childhood—celebrating Jesus’ experience in his Father’s House as a boy, and his later proclamation that God’s House will outlast the Temple and is meant as a place of welcome for all people.
11. Feast of Jesus’ Baptism—celebrating the Spirit descending as a dove upon Jesus, and baptism as turning from old identities of hostility to a new identity as God’s agents of peace.
12. Feast of the Epiphany—celebrating God’s manifestation in Jesus, in his proclamation of Good News for the poor and outsiders in Luke 4:14–30.
On Christmas Day, we celebrate the birth of the man who repudiated the violent path of obsessive taking (which René Girard called acquisitive mimesis) and blazed the new path of generous self-giving. Our mutual gift-giving then echoes the self-giving of God in Christ. And the celebration of Christ’s birth becomes a birthday party, not just for Jesus but also for the new humanity that transcends and includes all previous identities. Imagine, beginning on Christmas Day, the expansive possibilities of the twelve days of Christmas—rescued from the banality of geese a-laying and lords a-leaping: each day devoted to celebrating a different aspect of the love of God for all humanity, starting with the poor, the vulnerable, the last, the least, and the lost.
(turn up the sound)
A joyful Christmas, full of mystery and wonder and humble worship, to all.
Mary and Christmas Eve
Perhaps in this context, we rediscover Mary as the living icon of receptivity to and participation in the new gospel way of life. Perhaps we also rediscover the social, political, economic, and theological foment of Mary’s Magnificat. And perhaps we re-tradition the idea of virgin birth as a decisive repudiation of the standard patriarchal systems of violent male dominance, evermore associating the saving power of God with the tender care of a mother’s love. Such a celebration would give new meaning to the title Savior as applied to Jesus—a fitting focal point for Christmas Eve: Jesus, the firstborn of a new generation of humanity characterized by love, nonviolence, and solidarity with all, comes to save humanity from what it has become.
In advent, we celebrate the coming of Christ as the prince of peace. We cultivate a longing for peace. We highlight the bright promise of his coming—good news of great joy for all peoples everywhere—against the dark realities of our world: competitive religious supremacy, strident neighbor-less nationalism, and the misguided sense of privilege, all flowing from a misguided sense of calling. As we look back to the original advent, we also see Christ as still coming to us from the future in perpetual advent. In that spirit of welcome, we urge every heart to prepare him room so earth may indeed receive her needed king and the kingdom he proclaimed.
My name is [abc] and I currently attend [an Evangelical college] as a christian ministries major. I just finished a new kind of christian, and it blew my mind. This whole idea of community, spirituality, and missional is something I am all about and I feel like the church is completely missing this! We're too interested in ourselves, and I think the church is too focused on that. We should be so in love with Jesus that we can't help but reach out to others! Anyways, I'm trying to figure this whole thing out because I feel like the status quo just isn't working, but that is what I'm learning how to do. We are so good at church we forget about God completely. Is there a book/resource that explains and gives more details about being a spiritual/community/missional church like this?
I'm so glad you enjoyed A New Kind of Christian. It's the first of a trilogy - I think you'd enjoy the sequels too. Among my books, I'd also recommend Everything Must Change and Secret Message of Jesus, which you can learn more about here.
The Egyptian Revolution, first provoked by tech-savvy young activists, has now been hijacked as a coup for the Muslim Brotherhood, a conservative religious party....
This fascinating piece from Yes Magazine traces the relationship between movements for social change and religious communities, for worse and for better. My close friends know that this intersection between movements, communities, institutions and theology has been a key interest of mine in recent years. More to come soon.
I was very happy to have a chance to chat with you (too briefly) [on your recent California trip]. Actually, I enjoyed your talk very much and could agree with everything you had to say. I had difficulty understanding why other Christians would have objections, actually. I was not aware that there was a perspective such as yours within the Evangelical Church, and I am quite delighted to learn about it. I bought a couple of your books, and I am looking forward to reading them.
I have been a Baha'i all my life... I often have Baha'i meetings in my home, and the next time you are in Los Angeles, I hope that I can invite you to speak to the Baha'i community.
As I was listening to your talk, I was struck by the story of the fellow who objected to his pastor preaching from the Sermon on the Mount "while our nation is at war." And he said that the idea of loving your enemies was Jesus's weakest teaching! My thought was: Well, the first thing is we need to do is convert this guy to Christianity. Then we can have a conversation.
As I thought about it later, it dawned on my how important and sacred your own ministry is. Essentially, you are striving to convert Christians to Christianity--whole churches, even. It is an overwhelming task, I should think. But it is one that should be enormously exciting, and not a burden, I hope. Anyway, I wish you all kinds of success and offer any help I can. Hope to meet you again soon on some occasion when we can talk and exchange ideas.
One of my mentors said his ministry was "reaching Christians for Christ," and your letter suggests that this is part of my calling too. Thanks for your kind words, and I look forward to meeting again.
To start with, we titled the Advent series "Prince of Shalom" - because I think to our modern ears, peace just means "not war," and we miss the grand scale of "the redemption of all things." So, in setting up the series I used the passage from Joel where God promises, "I will put back the years that the locusts have taken," as a metaphor for God's redemptive act in ALL of creation - that God wants to put EVERYTHING back to rights - that's SHALOM.
So far, here's what it's looked like:
Week One: Christ: Galatians 3:23-29 - talked about Jewish Messianic expectations/hopes. talked about how it seems that Paul is waking up, and discovering all the ways in which Jesus really is Messiah - and how rabbi Paul sees in Jesus the fulfillment of the Abrahamic blessing - this is NOT plan B!
Week Two: Lord: Philippians 2:5-11: We looked at a Roman gospel about Caesar Augusts - then we considered how Paul co-opted the gospel format and applied it to Jesus - so in the kenosis passage - the crescendo of that early church hymn is that JESUS CHRIST IS LORD! (subtext: NOT Caesar)
Week Three: Lamb of God: this in some ways is the tough one, because it's not used as frequently as the others. I think I'm going to use John's account of John the Baptist when he sees Jesus. I don't have a lot of teaching time this week (children's musical!) - but I think I'm going to try to go after our ideas about "cute, cuddly lambs" and try to get to a more Jewish idea of what the lamb was all about... I think then, this will get me to some Christus Victor ideas.
Week Four: Word of God - I want to address our misconceptions of God - and how Jesus forces us to rethink - where we thought God was violent, petty, jealous, ethnocentric, etc. - Jesus reveals the peaceful nature of the all-inclusive God. I haven't worked on this one much yet... next week!
Thanks, Charles!
How art happens ...
On fresh readings of violent parables ... especially for preachers
I am an exile from my extremely religious family. Have been all of my life. I just now saw your video theorizing why the unchurched are leaving the pews, and wanted to reach out to you and say that you so eloquently described my feeling on religious superiority. I absolutely don't want to be a part of any group that teaches that they are better or superior for being a part of their organization. In fact I have been deeply hurt by these teachings, and always hope the message will soften. I'm still waiting 30 years later. Well said, sir.
Thanks for this encouraging comment. I hope that you'll get a chance to read my new book, and that it will give you hope that a tide is slowly turning.
A reader writes: remaining with quiet, respectful, disbelief
A reader writes ...
"A New Kind of Christianity" is an outstanding contribution to a significant silent spiritual segment of our population. Some of us continue in our Churches for many reasons with a quiet, repectful, disbelief of the dogma espoused.
On Naked and New
A reader writes ...
I am almost finished with your book, Naked Spirituality, and I wanted to write and say thank you. I think we are about the same age and many of your stages of faith have paralleled mine. I was heading from discouragement to despair when I happened upon your book. I am now seeing my faith as a journey in stages and it is helping me so very much and giving me a positive outlook for the future. Keep writing!
Another reader writes:
With a small groupe of our church ( in the Netherlands) we are reading your book ‘a new kind of christianity’. And I just watched a short video with you being interviewed about the authority question.
After reading and hearing you about it, it really makes me think of the jewish way to study the Tora/Tenach. You are speaking about the bible as a library; again I’m thinking Talmut Did you ever think about that comparison (never mind my english…)
I am really enjoying your book and feel inspired by it. Also glad that our minister points to you and others. A very good thing to keep on learning, talking, discussing……
Thanks for that,
Q & R: Unstable Position
Here's the Q:
I saw you at St Paul's Cathedral and could have submitted my question there...but I chickened out! So, I thought I would see if you might answer it here instead.
Recently on your blog you said that believing that homosexual behaviour is a sin, but still wanting to be an activist for the person is a step in the right direction, however it is "an inherently unstable position over time". I would love you to elaborate on this.
P.S- I really enjoyed your talk at St Paul's and so did my boss! We made a last minute dash to see you, and he now wants to read your books!
Here's the R:
First, thanks for coming to St. Paul's when I was there. I'm glad you enjoyed the evening. I know I did.
Second, I should say that I am glad whenever anybody wants to be more compassionate to anybody. So I sincerely applaud my conservative Catholic and Evangelical sisters and brothers who oppose the scapegoating of gay people that is still too common in their tribes, and who, although they interpret the Bible in the traditional way that ultimately condemns gayness, argue for better treatment of gay people. This is as good as it will get for some people in the short term, and I can applaud for better over worse behavior, even if "better" isn't "ideal."
By "unstable position" I meant that this position (accepting but not affirming) will tend to resolve itself in one of two ways. It will either revert to a more intolerant position, or it will resolve into a more accepting position. The latter is more likely, I think, because a person who holds the "accepting but not affirming" position will be more likely than a "neither accepting nor affirming" position to meet and get to know more gay people. If that's the case, over time positive data will accumulate that causes him to doubt that position - leading to an "accepting and affirming" position. I hope that helps!
In this week of Advent, we feel the heart-rending loss of precious lives in Connecticut. We share the grief of families, neighbors, our whole nation and world. We breath ... please - comfort. Please - support. Please - healing words. Please - healing touch. Please - friendship. Please - empathetic tears. Please - feeling upheld by the Holy Spirit.
Today we can't help but recall that the Christmas story is about God coming into the world in vulnerability, living from birth to death as a vulnerable innocent, surrounded by senseless human violence. As Mary and Elizabeth swaddle their newborn sons, each wonders what awaits their sons Jesus and John, with their special callings from God. Prophets don't often have a happy end, they know. As magi come to honor the infant Christ, Herod wrings his hands in the background, plotting regime continuation at any cost. Swords and spears are the assault weapons of his day, and he has a good supply.
Perhaps in our heartbreak, our hearts will be enlarged for greater compassion for all who suffer from the vicious cycles of human violence, wherever they are ... because the tears of a parent or child in Connecticut are not so different from the tears of a parent or child in Afghanistan, Gaza, Israel, Congo, Darfur, or the mean streets of our own cities. Where bullets fly, parents cry, and God is found suffering among the victims, bringing comfort through Presence and through shared tears.
At Neighborhood Church (Palos Verdes Estates, 7 pm Saturday), at All Saints Episcopal (Pasadena, 10:15 am Forum, Sunday), at Christ Our Redeemer AME (3:30 pm Sunday, Irvine), and at Claremont School of Theology (registration for this one is closed). Hope to see many of you there!
Q & R: Brother, Can You Dumb it Down a Little?
Here's the Q:
Brother, the slings and arrows. Some, even many, would say it's a mistake to call you brother. Ouch. Brian, I am glad to call you brother and teacher, even healer. Like you I grew up in the shadow of John Nelson D. I still struggle with the wound I received from those brethren. My greatest struggle is the Bible. I recently discovered a short piece that you wrote called A New Kind of Bible Reading. That bit of writing not only outlined my struggle but also the remedy. Thank you.
Last Sunday maybe at the height of my struggle I sat down and wrote what I do believe. Actually my theology is a little broader than this, but this is the only part I have confidence in, that God is Light and Love. The rest of my theology is wounded and confused. Thankfully I am finding the nerve to be honest about it and some new friends and pastors to talk about it with.
One of my concerns after spending a decade as a street pastor, is that the process is too scholarly. It's too scholarly for me, with my ADD and visual learning (dis)ability, never mind my street friends with their many challenges. I love that you are gifted that way and do my best to read your books. I think you are right on, daring to challenge empires that oppress, especially religious empires. However, y'all haft throw a dog a bone. I dunno, dumb it down a little, so a kid can understand it, a 50 something kid. Too much of your stuff is aimed at academia, if you make it make sense to those who live on the streets, my guess is that the smart guys will be able to follow along.
Here's the R:
Thanks for the kind words, and the encouragement to keep things simple. Your words come at an opportune time - as I'm beginning my next book, for which they are especially relevant. More on this after the new year ...
I also can't help but think that we're all translators ... trying to help various audiences see whatever it is we've been able to see. So ... we're in this together!
A reader writes: if we don't learn ...
A reader writes ...
I thought you would interested to see this interview with the gay Anglican Dean of St Albans, Jeffrey John, in the December 2012 edition of the leading evangelical UK magazine, "Christianity". It's a very bold thing for them to do.
Even more interesting to you may be the editorial by Ruth Dickinson, Editor. I quote:
"Running the piece convinced me of two things. One, Justin Brierley's - the interviewer - brilliant description of Jeffrey John as a person to be conversed with, rather than an issue to be analysed, is something we so often forget about when we're dealing with this subject. Secondly, I imagine most readers will disagree with Jeffrey - whether it's with his 'lifestyle choice', his stance on gay marriage, or both. But if we don't learn to engage constructively with the 'other', we will retreat further into our ghettoes, become more fearful of what we do not know, and unity will sink further out of reach. This is not what Jesus had in mind for His church."
I think she may have been reading a certain book recently published!
Six years ago, when grandson Henry was born, I was engaged in sub-Saharan Africa, advocating on behalf of widows, orphans, and people suffering from AIDS. As I anticipated Henry’s birth, I feared that my love for him would consume me, would pull my heart away from the children I had seen in Africa. I needn’t have worried. I discovered that when your heart expands to love one child deeply, it enhances your capacity to love all children.
So it is now. As my heart expands to embrace the increasing medical needs of my parents, I feel more deeply than ever the pain of Israeli and Palestinian women who are, even today, caring for family members wounded by weapons of war. I feel more deeply than ever the horror of Congolese women, raped and ravaged by rebels, with limited or no access to the medical care they need.
I have visited your beautiful country and come to love it deeply. From the reedy shores of Lake Victoria to the hilly game parks near Lake Edward, I have enjoyed your green land and your amazing wildlife. And even more, from small rural villages to the teeming city of Kampala, I have come to love the Ugandan people. Hospitable, resilient, heroic, caring, creative, and resourceful, Ugandan people are among of the kindest and best people I have met anywhere.
That's why it is hard for me to believe what is happening in your country, under your leadership.
It is widely reported here that you as a the Speaker of the Ugandan Parliament have supported a bill that further stigmatizes and threatens gay people. According to reports, you said, "Ugandans want that law as a Christmas gift. They have asked for it and we'll give them that gift."
No doubt some Ugandans want a law like this - whether in its stronger (death penalty) or weaker (life imprisonment) forms. But I find it hard to believe that the majority of Ugandans - especially the good people I have met - would support such a law.
I have visited Uganda as a Christian leader and met with a wide variety of Christian leaders. They have impressed me as people of compassion, not violence ... of grace, not intolerance. They know that Jesus was once put in a situation similar to the one you face in Uganda today. A group of strict religious leaders pressured him to assent to the killing of a woman widely regarded as a damnable, detestable sinner. They quoted the Bible to make their case. But he resisted that pressure and overcame it. He courageously sided with the woman, and he challenged those preparing to throw stones at her to face their own hypocrisy. Rather than handing them a stone "as a Christmas gift," he risked his reputation, even his life, in an effort to protect her. He handed them another gift: a model of compassion, a new way of being religious, a new way of being human.
Your use of the phrase "Christmas gift" is especially painful for people like me who love Jesus and devote our lives to living and teaching his way. The original Christmas gift was a baby born in complete vulnerability within a violent world. Jesus' vulnerability was a message to us all - that the way of God is not the way of Caesar and Herod, political leaders who scapegoat the vulnerable and use violence against them to gain and retain power. No, God is revealed to the world in a vulnerable baby whose love is for everyone, no exceptions.
Every Christmas, we who love Jesus must ask ourselves this question: will our hearts joyfully "prepare him room," or will we turn him away because there is "no room in the inn?" Every Christmas, we must remember that as we do unto the most vulnerable among us, so we do unto Christ. So, ironically, to hand a stone to the Ugandan people or to its parliament in order to harm gay people would blaspheme Christ and Christmas, not honor them.
The Christmas gift that would honor Christ would be this: to drop your stones. To see Christ in the most vulnerable people of Uganda ... rich or poor, powerful or powerless, straight or gay. To banish the darkness of prejudice and scapegoating and let in the light of compassion, respectful listening, and mutual understanding.
So my prayer this Christmas is that you and the people of Uganda set an example to the world - by turning away from what has been planned, by turning toward compassion and understanding, and by making your country not more dangerous and hateful, but even more welcoming and loving.
I am especially touched by the threat of this law because in my own family and among my closest circle of friends, there are many gay people. Like you, I was raised in a cultural and religious tradition that condemned them. But I have come to see that our tradition was wrong - just as it was wrong about slavery, segregation/apartheid, colonialism, and chauvinism.
I would hate to think that in the future, if I again have the pleasure of visiting Uganda, I might be thrown into jail for seeking to follow Jesus by speaking against a misguided tradition and standing with the vulnerable.
So, Speaker Kadaga, I am among thousands who are praying that you will drop this legislation. Instead of following the misguided example of some religious leaders in the West, I pray you will follow the wiser example of one of Africa's moral leaders, Desmond Tutu. He has learned to see in gay people - like my friends and family members - the face of Christ. He was right when he said,
"My brothers and sisters, you stood with people who were oppressed because of their skin color. If you are going to be true to the Lord you worship, you are also going to be there for the people who are being oppressed for something they can do nothing about: their sexual orientation."
Merry Christmas to you, Ms. Kadaga.
With respect and love,
Brian D. McLaren
United Methodist Reporter review of my new book
McLaren cannot simply be defined as “liberal” or “conservative”; he believes, instead, that “our core doctrines are even more wonderful and challenging than we previously imagined,” and that a deeper Christology, a more precise understanding of the Trinity, and a more robust theology of the Holy Spirit, will lead us to a more “generous orthodoxy.”
Likewise, a renewed practice of traditional liturgical elements can help us strengthen our Christian identity, while identifying the “null curriculum,” or those unwritten things taught and passed on without being noticed or identified. Mr. McLaren makes a compelling case for new ways to understand baptism, Communion and the Christian year.
But perhaps the most challenging part of Mr. McLaren’s vision is the call to make friends, just as he did with Aatif and as I have done with Mohammed. He calls this the practice of “subversive friendship,” for it involves breaking down walls and crossing boundaries that aren’t usually crossed.
This powerful message from Naim Ateek, Director of Sabeel, deserves wide readership this Advent season.
A Child in a Manger: Liberation through Nonviolence
Sabeel Christmas Message 2012
“This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” Luke 2:12
“For to this end we toil and struggle, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior [liberator] of all people, especially of those who believe.” 1Tim. 4:10
This is not the first time that Christmas comes and our area of the Middle East is entangled in severe political and military turmoil. Sabeel’s Christmas letter, therefore, starts with our prayers and thoughts focused on the plight of our brothers and sisters in Palestine-Israel, especially the Gaza Strip, as well as in Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan and throughout our region.
Recently in Palestine-Israel, we have been trapped yet again in a war where the brunt of the violence is borne by the common people, especially the women and children. Indeed, since the creation of the state of Israel almost 65 years ago, peace has eluded us and our area has enjoyed only a modicum of stability and security. By and large, political leaders seem to believe that war is the great resolver of conflicts, yet our many wars have only exacerbated the conflict and brought us greater misery.
In reflecting on the Christmas story, what stands out to me this year are the words of the angel to the shepherds, “This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” The people of first century Palestine were looking for salvation and liberation from the oppressive yoke of the Roman Empire. They were looking for a military leader to overthrow their oppressors and lead them to victory. The angel, however, declared that their savior had come in the form of a helpless child. Today’s Palestinians are looking for salvation and liberation from the oppressive yoke of Israel. Tragically, and too often, it is through the clamor of the instruments of war and violence that we seek our liberation. Yet true and lasting liberation can only come through the power of nonviolence.
Ironically, Israel prefers to keep entrenching its occupation, expanding its illegal settlements, and devouring Palestinian land, rather than pursue a genuine peace with the Palestinians on the basis of UN Resolutions and International Law. Those of us who live in the present hopeless morass know that the government of Israel is not ready for such a peace. In fact, for those who have eyes to see, the recent UN bid clarifies the situation well. The overwhelming number of countries that voted yes for Palestine as an observer non-member state could no longer tolerate the intransigence of the government of Israel (138 voted for; 41 abstained; 9 voted against). This is unprecedented in the history of the Palestinian struggle. This may be a sign of the advent of peace for all the people of our region – peace that is not based on the arrogance of military power but on the power of justice through nonviolence.
Sadly, Israel is intoxicated by its military prowess, causing it to live in a state of denial concerning the movement of history. It is important to read the signs of the times. Martin Luther King once said, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” The light of truth is beginning to shine, and it will dispel the darkness that has spread regarding Palestine.
In light of this, Sabeel will not lose hope but will renew its commitment to champion the achievement of a just peace through nonviolence. With the writer of the letter to Timothy, Sabeel says, “For to this end we toil and struggle, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior [liberator] of all people, especially of those who believe.”
At this crucial time, let us – Palestinians, Israelis, and friends around the globe who believe in the power of justice and nonviolence – work together to end all violence and acts of war. Let us call for an empowered UN that can assume its historic responsibility, address the root causes of the conflict over Palestine, end the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land, and implement UN resolutions, thus guaranteeing the human and political rights of the Palestinians. Only then will all the peoples of the land enjoy a shared life of peace and security in Palestine and Israel. The world must remember that the Palestinians, at this juncture in their history, yearn to fulfill their most fundamental human needs of justice, dignity, and liberty. This is a pursuit so basic that the hope and struggle for it will never die.
The angel said, “This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” Through nonviolence and solidarity among Palestinians, Israeli Jews, and friends around the world, and with the help of God, peace and security based on justice will be achieved.
May the hope and peace of Christmas remain with us throughout the coming New Year!
Naim Ateek
Director
Q & R: A Confusing Parable
Here's the Q:
I read Matthew 22:1-14 this AM and the last part of the parable is confusing (verses 12-14) - What are your thoughts? Or have you addressed this before and can direct me to your personal interpretation? Thanks!
Here's the R:
First, let me thank you for this question. It challenged me to go back and do a close reading of the text. I'll paste in the passage you're asking about below:
Special thanks to Phil Smith, Paul Northrop, Katherine Venn, and Claire Casagrande - excellent travel companions, and to Anke Links for unsurpassed logistics. Greenbelt knows how to plan and present great events - and not just in the summer! Ian Metcalfe and all the Hodder team provided great support as well. Thanks.
Thanks to the hosts - at Methodist House, St. Paul's Cathedral, and Oasis.co.uk in London, at Manchester Cathedral, at Birmingham Cathedral (including Sanctuary), in Newcastle, Bristol, and Southampton. Each event was memorable and all the guests felt warmly welcomed because of you.
Enthusiastic thanks to my conversation partners - Malia Bouattia in Birmingham, Robert Cohen in Manchester, Mona Siddiqui in Newcastle, Mohammed Ansar in Bristol and Southampton, and Rabbi Shoshana Boyd Gelfand in London. In each city, I felt I made a new friend. I thank God for each of you, and I say salaam, shalom, shukran, and toda to each of you.
And finally, thanks to all who came. It was so gratifying to meet people who were long-time readers of my books, along with those who were new and potential readers. May we be, as St. Francis said, instruments of God's peace.
For all who love books ...
Back in the USA
I arrived in the US yesterday afternoon after a full and enjoyable time in the UK, which deserves a more thorough write-up, hopefully next week. Now I'm in Dallas for the What is Church? event in Dallas, where I'll be speaking with Suzanne Stabile, Enuma Okoro, Ian Cron, and others. If you're in the area, I hope you'll come - more info here: http://lifeinthetrinityministry.com/whatischurch/annualconference
Help in Understanding the Bible ...
Night after night on my current book tour here in the UK - as it was in the US - people need help in understanding passages of the Bible - like John 14:6 - that are so often used to justify a dismissive attitude towards other religions. I think the verse, properly understood, leads in the opposite direction. (I've written a lot on the subject already - as a search of this site for "14:6" would make clear - especially in Secret Message of Jesus and New Kind of Christianity - but will doubtless write more in the future.) I know that my friends Adam Hamilton, Derek Webb, Peter Enns, and others have written and are writing on the subject as well - for which I'm grateful. Here's another useful, useable resource - in the form of a short e-book: http://www.understandingthebible.us
These questions, which often take the form of "What about John 1:1 ..." or "What about Matthew 28:18-20...," remind me of how important it is for those of us engaging with "a new kind of christianity" to demonstrate fresh ways of reading the Bible. In all my recent books I've tried to model this ...
In London tonight ... please come!
My UK tour is almost over. It has been a real pleasure. If you're in the London area tonight, I hope you'll come. I don't think I'll be in England again until 2014 ... Details here: http://www.greenbelt.org.uk/events/brian-mclaren-tour/
Once again, in addition to excellent meetings with a variety of people (more on this maybe next week), I've enjoyed some beautiful drives across England. [If you map out our itinerary, you'll see (in the words of Johnny Cash) I've been everywhere, man.] Yesterday, we drove past Stonehenge.
It was a good reminder that we humans share a lot of history before there was any such thing as Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, etc. ... and that, if we believe in God at all, we must believe that God could be in meaningful relation with human beings without the requirement of denominations, dogma, crusades, cathedrals, temples, sacrifices, budgets, or blogs like this one! Those massive stones raise interesting questions about the past that have meaning for us today ... something I'll be thinking about for quite some time, I'm sure.
Q & R: Another Roman Catholic (priest) asks ...
Here's the Q:
My name is xxx I am a Catholic priest and I love your writings. Your latest book is deeply moving. I have not finished it yet but the chapters on Election and the Trinity have been particularly important to me. I am wondering if you know of any type of (intentional) communities being formed that put these principles into practice. I know each church, each denomination can bring these practices to bear in their way of life but I'm wondering if any people have come together to live an intentional kind of life--community living, prayer life, outreach/mission--based on the principles and vision you have been expressing. I look forward to hearing from you if your time permits.
Here's the R:
Thanks so much for your encouraging words. I'm deeply hopeful that in the years ahead, Catholics and Protestants will be much more engaged in important, grass-roots dialogue, and even more, in new joint experiments in Christian thought, life, and ministry. So your question warms my heart!
There are many of these experiments emerging. Here are a few you should know about for starters: Faithhouse Manhattan New Monasticism Claremont School of Theology Project Interfaith Interfaith Youth Core Camden House
Q & R: Catholics on Gun Violence?
Here's the Q:
I recently was involved in this exchange on the National Catholic Reporter website concerning a Johns-Hopkins University study of gun violence. I wrote in about the failure of redemptive violence and what our response as followers of Jesus should be.
I don’t think it's bad theology (as he states in his comments) to compare Jesus’ work with the work we are to do. My question is: Am I off the wall or am I missing something here?
#####
I Wrote:
The fact that redemptive violence does not work is pretty evident in the world. Violent acts cascade upon violent acts. The body count just keeps climbing, both for the "good" guys and the "bad" guys.
What we, as followers of Jesus must keep in mind, is that if Jesus is the image of the unseen God, then the image is of an innocent, naked man being executed on a cross. He refused to call on his Father's 12 legions of angels to rescue him. He trusted his Father, not power.
If we consider this as happening in order to offer us an escape plan from this world at the end of our mortal lives, then you are right - we simply must duke it out by whatever means are necessary, and the winners are the ones with the most firepower.
On the other hand, if we consider it as establishing the pattern of redemption of all creation through the path of redemptive suffering that not only Jesus, but his followers throughout the ages are called to walk, then the conversation takes a far different turn.
The other person’s response was:
1) The path that was laid out for Jesus is very different than the path laid out for his followers. HE was the redemptive lamb for whom it was necessary to die on the cross (without calling his legion of angels for rescue). It's bad theology to compare his work with the work we are to do.
2) The fact that redemptive violence does work is evident. Would you explain to the slaves in the Antebellum South that the violence of the war that was coming was to be in vain? Would you let the Jews in the concentration camps know that the coming violence against the German army was not really "working."Your problem is that you equate all violence as "bad" with no consideration that it may be used for good. The return of Jesus in the book of Revelations is filled with imagery of great violence.
3) You simply have no workable and realistic answer for the "here and now." I too would like the world to be perfect, but when facing down the barrel of a gun in the hand of a thug it is not the time to be considering solutions that will take decades of work to make a difference.
4) I would consider you much more consistent if you acknowledge that when you hear a noise of breaking glass in your home at 3:00 in the morning while you are on the 911 call you insist that the policemen leave their firearms at the station house before they respond to your call.
To which I replied:
Well, Jack, we will simply have to agree to disagree in the knowledge that God indeed loves us all.
I do know there is a very serious discussion going on about how Jesus' followers, as his body, fit into his redemptive work in the world.
Here's the R:
It's so interesting to see how similar conservative Roman Catholics and conservative Evangelicals can be. The reduction of Jesus from Lord and Teacher to atoning lamb/sacrifice - so that we must believe certain doctrines about him, but neither do what he said nor follow his example - is as stunning as it is commonplace. As well, the use of absolutistic, all-or-nothing thinking is quite typical - and unproductive. I've written quite a bit about this in my books - especially Story We Find Ourselves In and New Kind of Christianity, and also on this blog (here for example).
The willingness to use Revelation as "a license to kill" goes beyond stunning and unproductive to frightening and dangerous. I addressed this in some detail in my book Everything Must Change.
The best response to absolutistic and reductionistic thinking on the side of "just war theory," I think, should not be met with its mirror image on the side of something called "pacifism." That's why I'm such a big fan of the approaches taken by Walter Wink, Rene Girard, and others. I tried to outline these alternative approaches to "preemptive peacemaking" in my book The Secret Message of Jesus ... and it is central to my newest book, Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road (Christian Identity in a Multi-Faith World). I'm sorry to mention so many titles, but obviously, your question has been an important one to me for quite a few years and has drawn a lot of my attention. I hope it will similarly engage others.
I don't think you're at all off the wall, and I'm glad you're helping to get this important subject in front of people ... even if your conversation partner is completely satisfied with the "old wine and wineskins" of redemptive violence, more and more of us believe such solutions are no longer good enough.
sogo media - worth checking out! (and subscribing)
I had a free hour last night here in the UK to catch up on some web browsing and got to see what's up at Sogo Media ... here's a press release on the project from a few weeks ago. Worth subscribing!
SOGO MEDIA TV: A NEW KIND OF ONLINE CHRISTIAN TELEVISION NETWORK
CHARLOTTE, NC (November 12, 2012) -- Billy Graham’s former top “Internet evangelist” and an “Outlaw Theologian” are the unlikely partners in Sogo Media, a new Internet startup that is sure to shake things up in the religious media world. Sogo is the brainchild of Steve Knight, former manager of the Internet division for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, and Phil Shepherd, pastor of The Eucatastrophe in Fort Worth, Texas, and YouTube personality a.k.a. The Whiskey Preacher.
“Sogo is a new kind of Christian television network -- on YouTube,” explains Shepherd. “We’re creating a channel for some of the biggest and most forward-thinking voices in Christianity -- as well as others who are on the fringes but still talking about the future of religion and spirituality.”
Launching today on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/SogoMediaTV), Sogo includes a
collective of video contributors that includes Darkwood Brew (a groundbreaking Internet-based spiritual gathering), Tripp Hudgins (American Baptist minister and blogger), Homebrewed Christianity (popular progressive Christian podcast), Rachelle Mee-Chapman (spiritual director for creative souls), Anthony Smith (pentecostal pastor and blogger/writer), ChurchNext (an interview show hosted by Episcopal priest Chris Yaw), and OnReligion (a weekly recap of the best religion and spirituality videos on YouTube), among others.
Sogo contributor Brian McLaren, dubbed by TIME magazine as one of the “25 Most Influential Evangelicals,” says, “Sogo has a bold vision: in some cases to provide an alternative to, in some cases to enhance, and in some cases to reverse some of the damage done by traditional religious broadcasting. That’s a bold, needed, and worthwhile vision!”
Sogo’s creators point to the exponential growth of YouTube -- increasing by 50% in the last year alone -- and the continued viral popularity of religion and spirituality videos as the winning formula for what will make this new venture a success. “YouTube is a big wave,” says Knight, who also formerly served as Social Media Manager for Charlotte-based Halogen TV. “We’re naming and claiming a very popular niche that just hasn’t been tapped yet. Some of the biggest viral videos of all time have been religion and spirituality themed or based, but until now no one has been curating this space. In addition to providing great original video content, Sogo will be the place to go to find the best, most interesting, most compelling, funniest, weirdest religion and spirituality videos on YouTube.”
About Sogo Media TV Sogo (http://www.sogomedia.tv) is a new kind of Christian television network that uses the exploding platform of YouTube to distribute exclusive videos from an impressive collective of progressive Christian voices, as well as curates the religion and spirituality niche on YouTube. Founded in 2012, Sogo is short for “social Gospel,” a play on words that also refers to “social media + Gospel message,” the Gospel (or “good news”) of the kingdom of God that Jesus proclaimed.
I was wondering if you had any thoughts about the benefits/detriments of a closed, state-sponsored Scriptural canon. By that I mean that certainly some good things have come about as a result of the Roman empire telling scholars to sit down and determine which writings were inspired by God (or perhaps inspired enough by God) such that those writings could "make the cut" into the Book that everyone should or must read (I think that's how the history goes). But it seems like, consequently, there would be some things lost, too. I'm having a hard time putting into words what some of those lost things would be (which is part of the reason that I'm asking you), but I picture an early "Christian" community passing around copies of Romans (which seems to talk a lot about grace) and then, perhaps years later, receiving copies of James (which seems to talk a lot about works) and, as a result, really grappling with those two books instead of simply being told, "You have to believe both of these; deal with it." Any of your insights would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Here's the R:
You're raising a really important question. As I make clear in several of my books (especially Everything Must Change and Cross the Road), I think the degree to which the way of Jesus has become synonymous for many with Roman Catholicism and Roman Protestantism is highly problematic. As I explain in Cross the Road, there is little question that doctrines can become loyalty tests that are very useful to dictators - for curbing free speech and monitoring allegiance and compliance, for example. But doctrines can also be "healing teachings" that defiantly subvert the authority of those dictators ... So much depends on how we hold them.
The story of canonization does indeed involve the Roman emperor, but it's considerably more complex and interesting than the emperor mandating a list. In the first through third centuries, there are many documents being circulated ... including Romans, James, the Shepherd of Hermas, the Didache, and some of the so-called gnostic gospels, etc. There was a long and gradual process of some gaining credibility and others not ... But as you suggest, I think we need to see the early Christian movement as having a wide range of viewpoints and nothing close to a bolted-down, rigidly-enforced, clarity-and-certainty-on-every-point, coherent theological system buttressed by proof-texting from an authoritative canon.
I've been re-reading Chapter 23 today and I'm again enjoying your thoughts on the Eucharist. I thought I'd share this story with you that came to mind as I read.
Here in China I attend an old Catholic Church when I'm able. The elderly priest is Chinese, but the service is in English. His English though is often indecipherable. No problem - the entire mass is up on PowerPoint as well. The congregation looks like a miniature version of the United Nations; the majority are Filipino, with some Chinese, a smattering of Africans, Indians, and even a few white folks too. I love it for the sense of connectedness it gives me.
The table is closed, but that doesn't stop me from faking it. When it comes time for the Eucharist they always flash a slide up that says something like this:
"Please do not take the Lord's Supper unless you are baptized. Also, do not take the Lord's Supper if you are still carrying an unconfessed Mortal Sin, such as not going to church for a long time without a HUGE reason."
I love that they put the word "huge" in capitals... It makes me smile every time.
A reader writes: a glimmer of light that had almost gone out
Thank-you for the opportunity to listen to you yesterday.
I have not been active in a church or within the Christian community for many years because of questions I could not find answers to and a sense that the teaching I was hearing just was not right. I saw a flyer for your Lakeland presentation Sat. afternoon and mentioned to my wife that I would like to hear you. I did a brief Google search and listened to a little of the YouTube info prior to visiting the church yesterday.
I had not heard anything of an emerging church and very little of the ideas you are talking about. I find the comments you opened with to warrant further study, and while I understand your desire to use your influence for educating us about things such as farmers rights, this is not what I was expecting yesterday... I need to walk again before trying to run against the many injustices I see. Thank-you though for allowing me a brief opportunity to experience you and to further learn more with the resources now available. You have created a glimmer of light that had almost gone out. Thank-you again for the work you are doing.
A reader writes: I had no idea that life could feel this good
thought I would send along an email as I am beginning to work through Naked Spirituality again. Apparently, there were more lessons I needed to learn to get me to the places that God wants me to be...although, as my trusted pastor has pointed out "And sometimes, [stuff] happens." I could have never predicted this path or the trauma and pain that comes with it. I have always set out to make the best choices, to do the best for everyone...I see now that that took me out of the equation. I never realized how deeply I believed that I was unlovable and worthless...or how much the ridiculing and control took me to a place that wasn't me. PTSD trauma work and intensive therapy is allowing me not just to 'reclaim' parts of me, it's allowing me to find them...this is the first time I have ever been able to live freely. I am safe now. I am safe for the first time in my 35 years...and I had no idea that life and living could feel this good. I am humbled by the grace of God.
The good news truly is about "aliveness" or life to the full. Thanks be to God!
From Shane Hipps new book
Today we have more religions than at any other time in human history, and more variations on those religions than ever before. Each variation offers a new razor-thin distinction, driven by the need to correct the failings of a previous iteration.
Friends in England: Peace, Love, and Misunderstanding
I'll be criss-crossing England for the next ten days or so with the Peace, Love, and Misunderstanding Tour. I hope to see many old and new friends in the coming days!
Birmingham
Thursday 29th November 19.30– St Martin’s in the Bullring
With conversation with Malia Bouattia and music from Jasmine Kennedy.
Manchester
Friday 30th November 19.30 – Regimental Chapel in Manchester Cathedral
With conversation with Robert Cohen and music from Jasmine Kennedy.
Newcastle
Saturday 1st December 19.30 – The Simpson Room, CastleGate –
With conversation with Professor Mona Siddiqui and music from Gareth Davies-Jones.
Bristol
Monday 3rd December 19.30 – Woodlands Church –
With conversation with Mohammed Ansar and music from Miriam Jones.
Southampton
Tuesday 4th December 19.30 – The Small Hall in the Central Hall –
With conversation with Mohammed Ansar and music from Miriam Jones.
London
Wednesday 5th December 19.30 – Oasis, Waterloo –
With conversation with Rabbi Shoshana Boyd Gelfand and music from Miriam Jones.
You don't know me (although I very briefly introduced myself to you in Middlesborough a few years ago - but I recognise I am one of thousands of people you meet each year), but I wanted to write to you to thank you for your truly inspiring and liberating work. I am an academic in finance and not a churchworker, but for many years I have struggled with the traditional view of Christianity.
I attend an evangelical anglican church in Durham, England which has as part of its "What we believe" statement "we want to affirm an orthodoxy that is both generous and nourishing and which will create a space in which 'thinking is allowed' ". I have been happy to find a home in this church for the past decade, but have continued to struggle due to many traditional views being embedded since I was young.
I have been an avid reader of a number of your earlier books (the New Kind of Christian Trilogy, Finding Faith, The Secret Message, etc) and have found them very helpful. I downloaded your talks from Greenbelt last year (on the recommendation of a friend who attended) and found them so insightful and valuable (indeed it led to me and my family going to Greenbelt for the first time this year). As a result I have recently read A New Kind of Christianity and listened to an audio copy of A Generous Orthodoxy. Again, I have found both books extremely helpful and the former truly liberating. It is a simply wonderful book.
I also read Richard Rohr's Falling Upward earlier this year and listened to the talks from the Emerging Church conference at CAC. I found the words of Richard, Phyllis and you wonderful.
I know that you continue to be vilified by some, but I simply wanted to let you know that there are many of us who find your work so immensely important and I pray for your continued efforts on behalf of all who are looking for a better way forward.
I will be receiving your "Why did Jesus, Moses..." book for Christmas this year (having listened to your talk last year from Greenbelt I am greatly looking forward to this) and am coming to a talk you will give in Newcastle in December.
Thanks for the encouraging words. I leave in a few hours for my book tour in your fine country, with Greenbelt and Hodder ... I hope you'll come say hello!
The Book of Jonah ... in less than 10 minutes
Thanks, Tim!
This would have been a great passage for me to engage with more deeply in Cross the Road ... Jonah is one of the most subversive texts in the Bible ... all about humanizing the other (people, and animals!).
Mainline Protestants: Especially for you ...
What Jim Banks has written for Episcopalians in North Carolina is sage guidance for all Mainline Protestants (and others too). Download here: Download file
Readers write: I have been unchurched for several years now, after a lifetime of service to a number of evangelical and charismatic churches as a musician and worship leader (and more)
A reader writes:
You probably don’t have time to read all your emails, but just in case, I wanted to write and thank you for your unceasing efforts in the evolution of Christianity.
I have been unchurched for several years now, after a lifetime of service to a number of evangelical and charismatic churches as a musician and worship leader. I took myself off the ministry team, because I knew I could no longer promise that everything that came out of my mouth while leading worship would conform to the party line. Since then I have experience a freedom of thought and inquiry that has almost made up for the loss of community (hey, there’s always Facebook) - lol.
I have led a local Meetup group for several years now [in the Pacific Northwest].... In spite of our reputation for openminded liberal hotbed thinkers, we have no churches (that I can find) that really qualify in this new paradigm. Anyway my group meets in a local tavern and discusses questions that are not usually welcomed within the walls of the church, because they are too controversial, or because the answers have already been decided and there is no room for discussion. Other than that, I keep my head down and wait for change, trying to nudge it along where I can.
Your books have given me hope that I am not alone in this effort, and that the change will inevitably come in time. But it has taken a lot of courage for you to bring up the questions you have, and take the heat. So I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for speaking for those of us who can no longer reconcile the Christ we are taught in church with the loving reality of Who we are in relationship with.
Bless you over and over
Another reader writes ...
We met briefly at the CYNKC Conference in DC but I wanted to send you a word of encouragement... I went through a long desert period of doubting and being angry and it was there that I found your writing and felt renewed and inspired to press on.
What I'm most thankful for is your courage. The personal price you pay grieves me. Like other folks, I hope the encouragement you receive emboldens you and takes away some of the sting. I'm also thankful for your cogent writing and thinking. I like the way you think! And for your graciousness toward those who disagree.
You have done nothing but help me lean in to love others more fully and see God in new and refreshing ways. You brought back the inimitable mystery of God and with that has come joy and wonder. I'm most thankful.
Thanks for these notes. It is indeed tough to break out of old boxes and paradigms ... but when we encounter "the inimitable mystery of God" in fresh and deeper ways ... along with the accompanying "joy and wonder" ... it's all worth it, indeed.
A reader writes: Baby Steps in the Right Direction
A reader writes:
I would wholeheartedly agree with your reader, "A reader writes: I bumped into some critics of yours" and your assessment that things are in deed changing. I feel the same tears and sadness when "Christians" so harshly criticize you and others who have something different to say other than the "party line".
9 years ago in our church, no one would have quoted you, my friend, even though our minister was one of the most progressive in our town. But our current minister, now, has quoted you several times. These are baby steps for the ones that are not ready but steps in the right direction.
...Thank you for all the gifts you willingly share with us who will listen.
God Bless you and your family.
Yes, although many dig in their heels, circle the wagons, and otherwise idiomatically resist growth and change, the center of gravity is shifting. As Dr. King says, the grain of the universe tends towards justice. We're all in this together!
President Obama is a former community organizer himself. What happens when the community organizer in chief becomes the commander in chief? Who does the community organizing then? Interestingly, he offered a suggestion when speaking at a small New Jersey campaign event when he was first running for president. Someone asked him what he would do about the Middle East. He answered with a story about the legendary 20th-century organizer A. Philip Randolph meeting with President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Randolph described to FDR the condition of black people in America, the condition of working people. Reportedly, FDR listened intently, then replied: “I agree with everything you have said. Now, make me do it.” That was the message Obama repeated.
In Dallas, December 7 - 8, 9-11 ... What is Church? and More ...
I'm really looking forward to speaking with Suzanne Stabile, Ian Morgan Cron, and Enuma Okoro in Dallas on December 7 - 8. Our topic: What is Church?
In addition ...
December 7, 2012
Friday: 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
Pre-Conference Workshop-Worship Leaders and Songwriters Workshop: We will bring together gifted practitioners to assess the status of worship music, the areas where creative input is needed, and ways to develop and disseminate new worship resources. We'll experiment with some collaborative songwriting as well, culminating in a shared worship experience. (Suggested Prereading: Finding Our Way Again, Naked Spirituality, A New Kind of Christianity, Everything Must Change).
December 9-11, 2012
Sunday: 2:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m., Monday and Tuesday: 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Public Worship as Spiritual Formation: We'll look at ways that the form and content of gathered worship contributes to- and detracts from-formation for Christ-like character and mission. We'll wrestle with fidelity to tradition and fidelity to current and future generations, devoting special attention to the problems of religious language-including the word "God." And we'll use action-reflection to engage in liturgical practices and seek to understand them through experience. (Suggested Prereading: Finding Our Way Again, Naked Spirituality, A New Kind of Christianity, Everything Must Change).
Lillian Daniels comments on Justin Lee's excellent new book, Torn ...
Here: http://jerichobooks.com/blog/
While you're there, check out the hangout with Shane Hipps about his sparkling new book - Selling Water by the River, or watch it here:
I've read dozens of great books this year, but here are three that stand out as my Christmas recommendations - the kind of books I think my readers would enjoy receiving and giving:
A Devotional: Yours is the Day, Lord, Yours is the Night (Jeanie and David Gushee) - This is a treasure of daily prayers gleaned from church history.
A Novel: Lying Awake (Mark Salzman) - A haunting short novel that must be savored slowly - even meditatively, it delivers a powerful impact on many levels.
Nonfiction: The Seven Basic Plots (Christopher Booker) - A fascinating survey of literature, grand in scope and a pleasure in style.
Church:
Christianity After Religion (Diana Butler Bass) - A state of the art book on the state of the church.
Every time you eat, drink, or draw a breath, you are demonstrating that you are not a self-contained unit. Your skin might give you a sense of boundaries, but in reality you are interconnected not only with others, but with all creation. You are an organism in an environment, vitally connected and utterly dependent on resources outside yourself - elements and minerals; chemical, biological, geological, and even astrophysical processes; friends, family, mentors, public servants; ecological, social, political, and economic systems. Your story flows from and into a million other stories; it's hard to know where your story ends and others begin.... Ingratitude makes us foolishly forget the fragility of our skin and proudly deny our interdependency and interconnectedness.... You can see how essential the practice of gratitude must be. (Naked Spirituality (57-58)
Thanks to all who check in on this blog each day or week ... We all have much to be grateful for!
Often, experiences we dream of fail to match expectations. Sometimes they match, but just barely. On rare occasions, such as this day in the olive orchard, they far exceed our dreams.
Sunset comes early in the West Bank in November. Our afternoon tea break is barely finished before we have to gather the tarps and call it a day. As the women of the village walk us to the van that will take us back to Ramallah, and the children skip alongside, we wonder if we should have spent less time smiling and laughing and singing and dancing and eating and drinking, and more time picking. Would our time have been better spent? Would the olive harvest have been better honored?
If the measure of success is the number of olives that travel from branch to tarp, perhaps we could have been more effective. But what if the measure of success is the number of languages spoken between new friends? What if the measure of success is the level of camaraderie felt at the end of a day?
I walk arm in arm with one of my favorite companions from the day, an older woman who laughs lustily and shakes and shimmies when she dances. A friend snaps our photo. “I’ll be back tomorrow,” I tell her, not knowing if she understands.
So much that I wrote in my new book is captured in Lynne's beautiful reflection. With the violence going on there this week, Lynne's words are all the more important to ponder.
If You're a Sincere Conservative on the Gay Issue ...
I'm sure you agree we need a better, more sane and charitable debate. You couldn't ask for a more sane and charitable participant in that debate than Justin Lee. That's why I'm such a big fan of his blog and his new book.
I hope that Evangelicals will not just be content to rethink the discredited Religious-Right tactics of recent decades - tactics which have brought them some questionable political gains but at the cost of huge losses in influence, mission, integrity, and identity.
I hope that Evangelicals will seize this moment to go deeper, to seek new, deeper, and differing understandings ... in regards to science, in regards to immigration, in regards to Israel and Palestine, in regards to the environment, in regards to American exceptionalism, in regards to the treatment of LGBT people among and around them, in regards to nuclear weapons, in regards to torture, etc.
If the hegemony of the hard right is broken among Evangelicals, who will arise to articulate a better vision and identity among them? The moderates would be a natural choice. But they have been shockingly silent over recent years and thus have, by their silence, been complicit in the "Evangelical disaster." That's why I believe this is the time for courageous new voices to speak out among Evangelicals - demonstrating the courage to differ graciously and propose a different way into the future. I hope that more and more Evangelicals will turn in new directions, as Merritt suggests. Now is the time for Evangelicals listen to alternative voices - a good start would be the New Evangelical Partnership for the Common Good.
People who give to charity and work for justice ...
As a committed supporter of the Kairos Palestine and Kairos USA documents, as someone who has been deeply concerned about Israel/Palestine for many years, as someone who has spent time in the West Bank among Palestinian Christians and Muslims, I hope and pray that the current conflict will lead Hamas and Israel to realize that, as Tel Aviv resident Jessica Apple suggests below (from a NYT op-ed), there is no violent way to peace, for peace itself is the way.
Now Mr. Netanyahu has chosen to enter into a conflict that ensures that the vote in the upcoming elections will be about security — something he says he can provide. There is no great surprise in that. The surprise is that there is no opposition to Mr. Netanyahu’s policies — a signal that Israelis are resigned to living indefinitely with the threat of war.
Israel’s Labor Party — Yitzhak Rabin’s party — which has traditionally stood for peace, has, instead, been quiet on the Israeli-Palestinian issue. Under the leadership of a journalist turned politician, Shelly Yachimovich, Labor has reshaped itself into a social democratic party focused on social justice, the cost of living and the middle class. Last year, demonstrations touched off by the rising cost of cottage cheese drew half a million Israelis to the streets to protest the high cost of living. Ms. Yachimovich seized social justice as an issue and became its political face.
But she skirted the Palestinian issue. She has not promised to stop settlement building and has never acknowledged the hypocrisy of calling for social justice within the Green Line, which marks the limits of Israel proper, while ignoring the lack of it in the Palestinian territories beyond. If you were to define today’s Labor, you might say it’s the party that represents Israelis’ right to fairly priced cheese. Some Labor figures still press for peace negotiations, of course, but their voices don’t get through.
And as Israel pummels the Gaza Strip, there is no Israeli political leader saying, as Rabin did, “Enough of blood and tears.” Ms. Yachimovich has, in fact, supported the government’s actions as just, without questioning whether they are wise.
How the situation in Gaza plays out is likely to determine the outcome of Israel’s election. I feel safe in saying that this January, Israelis will be casting a vote for peace or war. Will Israel bury the two-state solution once and for all, or can it somehow retain a hope of being a Jewish democratic state living in peace with its neighbors? Last night as I said good night to my older sons, I set their flip-flops in front of their beds. “If you hear a siren,” I said, “slide your feet into your shoes and run downstairs.” I would grab our 3-year-old, I said, and be right behind them. “Don’t wait for me. Just go.”
There aren’t too many years before today’s flip-flops become tomorrow’s army boots, and I do not want my sons to grow up to a never-ending conflict that Israel accepts as immutable. I do agree that Israel has the right to protect its citizens. But I condemn Israel’s current leaders for failing to recognize that the best defense is peace.
Mohler: “No party can win if it is seen as heartless. No party can win if it appeals only to white and older Americans. No party can win if it looks more like the way to the past than the way to the future” (Albert Mohler.com).
De La Torre: Si hermano Alberto, but I would add, neither can a church or a denomination.
Wisely said, Miguel!
Tonight in Nashville
Here's info on the Tokens Show tonight in Nashville: http://www.tokensshow.com/last-call-tokens-at-the-ryman-2012/
Here’s one last reminder about our upcoming Tokens Show at the Ryman, where we’ll be joined by special guests Dailey & Vincent, Vince Gill, The McCrary Sisters, JohnnySwim, best selling author Brian McLaren, The Nashville Choir, and our friends Buddy Greene, Brother Preacher, Charlie Strobel, Our Most Outstanding Horeb Mountain Boys, and the Tokens Radio Players. And of course you never can tell who else might wander out on stage…
Tickets for the November 18 Tokens at the Ryman, “The Welcome Table,” on sale now. For tickets, call 1-800-745-3000, or visit RYMAN.COM. You may also purchase tickets at all Ticketmaster outlets (such as Kroger), or through TICKETMASTER ONLINE. Tickets are $24.50 and $34.50; student tickets are buy one at $24.50 and get a second one free; and groups of 15 or more are $20 each (with no additional fees); groups of 50 or more are $18 each. For groups, call the Ryman box office at 615-871-5043, or contact the Tokens Show group representative Laura Troup at: Laura {at} TokensShow.com. For Student Ticket offer, contact the Ryman Box Office. We are delighted that proceeds from this show will again be contributed to Room in the Inn.
We are delighted to announce that this show will be filmed for national public television distribution, in partnership with Nashville Public Television, our friend Nic Dugger at TNDV, and Phil Barnett at Stonebrook Media.
Click the following links for our most outstanding Ryman Poster—available for download in both PDF and JPG versions. Post it on your website or social media page and help us spread the word.
We hope to see you at the Ryman for a truly special start to Thanksgiving week.
Hey Everybody ...
I'll be on the Tokens Show in Nashville at the Ryman this Sunday. If you're in the neighborhood, you should come on out! And if you're not in the neighborhood, tune in! What? You don't know about Tokens yet? It's about time to learn more here:
http://www.tokensshow.com/brian-mclaren-at-the-ryman/
Friends in the UK ... I'll be in your neighbourhood from November 27-December 6, touring with Greenbelt. I hope you'll connect with me at one of the events. Details here: http://www.greenbelt.org.uk/events/brian-mclaren-tour/
Q & R: Getting saved
Here's the Q:
Thanks so much for the courageous, compassionate way you challenge us to keep growing! Over the past decade, thanks to your work and others, I have really undergone a lot of change. I am definitely unfinished, but hopefully on the path to becoming more and more generous in my thinking and acting. My question centers on how I, as a pastor, can respond when someone says they want to "be saved." My view of this term is not the same as it was. The goal isn't being saved from something [hell] but for something [participation in the Kingdom--now!]. So, I feel like simply praying the "Sinner's prayer" somehow cheapens what people are experiencing. Can you share your thoughts on this? By the way, you have a standing invitation for a free meal in Kentucky anytime!
Here's the R:
Thanks for your note. In Kentucky, if someone asks this, they've likely been given some context that makes "saved" have a certain meaning that you and I think is a bit askew. But I think we can find lots of good in their understanding of "saved" to work from.
For a lot of people, it means, "I know I've lost my way. I know I've gotten far away from the kind of life God wants for me. I know I need forgiveness and a new start." So I'd work with that. I'd assure them of God's love and grace. I'd ask them if they trust that love and grace of God ... rather than trusting in their own efforts and ability to pull themselves up by their bootstraps. I'd invite them to pray and ask for God's power ... the power of God's Spirit ... to enter them, fill them, and begin a lifelong process of transforming them. I'd invite them to prepare for baptism and I'd use the time of preparation for some "catechesis" - teaching them the ways of discipleship. I'd help them understand how important it is to be part of a community that will help them continue in a lifelong pursuit of Christ-likeness, so they can join in God's mission ... which is, just as you say, what God is saving them for.
If they want or need to talk about hell, I'd talk about hell as waste - since Gehenna was a garbage dump. I'd encourage them to think about how they could waste their life - and think about how they could, with God's help, make their life full, fruitful, and significant for good instead. I'd help them understand saved as meaning "being saved from wasting my life." Lots of folks would be better off if they "got saved" in this way!
“Atheists are my brothers and sisters of a different faith, and every word they speak, speaks of faith. Like me, they go as far as the legs of reason will carry them – and then they leap” (35).
“It is not atheists who get stuck in my craw, but agnostics. Doubt is useful for a while. We must all pass through the garden of Gethsemane. If Christ played with doubt, so must we. If Christ spent an anguished night in prayer, if He burst out from the Cross, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ then surely we are also permitted doubt. But we must move on. To choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation” (36).
The election is over. Abigael is happy again ... and so am I.
Hi Brian. I read your newest book and loved it.
My question is, "How do we stand up for women's rights and still respect the religion of Islam?"
Also, "What do you think of Ayaan Hirsi Ali?"
Here's the R:
Glad you loved the book! I loved writing it too ... learned a lot!
I think your question is important, and the best way to answer it is to ask, "How do we stand up for women's rights and still respect the religion of Christianity?"
True, in some quarters, Christianity has made great strides in affirming the full equality of women. But in many quarters still today, that's far from the case. The Christian religion is about 600 years older than Islam, and my suspicion - and hope - is that Islam will get farther by its 2000th birthday in recognizing the equality of women than Christianity has. (That will happen, in part, because of the good example set by Christians who have broken from traditions of subordination, patriarchy, etc.)
On Ayaan Hirsi Ali, I've seen her interviewed several times and read a bit about her, but I'm not an expert in any way. She reminds me, in many ways, of the new atheists: she is angry about many things truly worth being angry about. But anger and pain that aren't well-enough processed will create unintended consequences.
Some of us aren't angry enough - we are complacent about injustice. Some of us on the other extreme are filled with lots of unprocessed anger. All of us live in this tension that we see in Ayaan Hirsi Ali. At least that's how I see it. Thanks for your questions!
I became interested in your work when I saw your name listed as a speaker at All Saints Church, Pasadena... Anyway, I bought 4 of your books and have read A New Kind of Christian and The Secret Message of Jesus, and I'm currently reading a New Kind of Christianity.
I have not been able to say the Lord's Prayer with integrity for several years, and that bother's me, as everyone else around me recites it every week. Your comments about it in The Secret Messaged of Jesus have helped me a lot, but I still have one hang up. Maybe you can help me with it. I can't ask to be forgiven my debts as I forgive others because sometimes I'm not very forgiving--sometimes downright angry or judgmental, and I don't want God to treat me that way. I believe that God forgives me, and I know I can't expect to be forgiven without making that concession myself, but I still find it hard to forgive sometimes, and so I can't genuinely ask God to treat me in the unChristian attitude that is mine too often. Got any words of advice?
Here's the R:
First, God bless you for taking those lines of the Lord's prayer seriously! I imagine that if more people really pondered what they say, they wouldn't be able to (or want to!) pray them either. Most people either say them without thinking or twist them to say what they wish they said: "Give me unconditional forgiveness and then I'll see about forgiving others, maybe, someday."
But try this. If this prayer is revealing God's heart ... then the point of those lines is that God's will is reconciliation. Existing human conflicts will not be resolved by revenge, by holding grudges, by hate, by genocide, by violent reprisals or threats. They will only be healed when we all seek God's forgiveness for our part in conflict and then extend that forgiveness to others for their part in conflict. So praying this prayer says, "God, I agree. This is the only way to peace. I want to be part of it."
And try this: the Lord's prayer isn't obsessed, as we in Western Roman Christianity typically are, with avoiding hell. The prayer isn't focused on "If you don't forgive others, you'll go to hell." People in Jesus day were more obsessed with missing the messianic moment - falling out of their potential role in God's faithful work in the world. So they point of the prayer isn't, "Get this right or you're damned." It's, "Don't keep praying for forgiveness in an us versus them way. Remember that God cares about them as well as us, and calls us all to reconciliation with God and one another." That's something you clearly believe.
And try this: the prayer isn't individualistic - as we Americans seem to assume about almost everything. Maybe Jesus intends this as a prayer for Jews who are occupied by Romans. So the prayer would be, "Forgive us Jews for our sins, as we forgive the Romans for their sins against us." That understanding would challenge us to think about ourselves as Christians, or as Americans, or as men or women or whatever ... and to say, "I'm part of a group that has lots of faults. We need God's mercy ... just as our enemies do."
The point of this prayer, I think, is to break down the dualism between "them" and "us" - putting us in the position Paul brings us to in Romans (and elsewhere): we are all sinners, all in need of grace. Nobody is superior. As one of my mentors said, "The ground is level at the foot of the cross."
Thanks for this important question that may help people who participate in this prayer today in churches around the world.
i have some theological questions that i am reflecting upon:
1. If Muslims and Jews embrace loving God supremely and loving their neighbor as themselves are they following Christ. The scriptures say we are new creations. we in principle have the resurrection of Christ within us. if they affirm the two greatest commandments and are attempting to live them out to they have the resurrected life of Jesus within them?
I think there are three dangers in answering this question. First, we don't want to water down the specific gifts Jesus offers - in his teaching and life - so as to say everything he offers is available elsewhere. I think he makes a unique and real contribution and that shouldn't be watered down or minimized in any way. Second, we don't want to create a kind of Christian colonialism that says, "Everything you have that is good is actually Christ, just in different language." That sounds open-minded and accepting in comparison with what is often said, and in a sense it is a step in the right direction, but I think it feels paternalistic and colonizing to "the other." And third, we don't want to limit the realities that Jesus taught and lived to those who use our particular language to describe them. Somewhere in the space created by avoiding those three dangers, in that dynamic tension I think the answer lies. Here's one way to say it.
The Holy Spirit (in Christian theology, and in the Jewish Scriptures starting in Genesis 1) pre-exists all religions as we know them. If the Spirit of God is the Spirit of Jesus - and if that Spirit is the creative Spirit at work in all creation, and if that Spirit is the liberating Spirit ("Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty," Paul said) at work in all human society ... and if love is truly of God and if everyone who loves is born of God and knows God, for God is love (as John said in 1 John 4) ... then I think we might be able to speak of being "in Christ" as being "in the Spirit" ...
So for some, their entre into God's messianic (i.e. liberating and restoring) work in the world has been consciously through Jesus and his name and teachings, while for others - for any number of reasons (often because of the horrible witness of our religion), it has not. In my experience, everyone who follows the Spirit is led to acknowledge the goodness and wisdom and truth and life in Jesus - even if they may not choose to affiliate with the Christian religion or affirm the Christian religion's articulations. As such, I believe they are living in the "new humanity" (which, I think, is the resurrection life) ... In that way, I want to honor them as my equals and partners (often, in practice, my superiors in the sense of being much farther down the road than I am), or better said, I want to join them in the larger work to which God has called us. To do that, I don't need to say they are "anonymous Christians," etc., etc., which implies that if I don't stick the label Christian on them, they're deficient in some way - still "unclean," etc.
In other words, I don't need to say they're on "our team" - but rather, that we and they are seeking to be "on God's team." Are "they" performing perfectly on God's team? Of course not. Are we? Of course not. Do they have something to learn from and with us? Of course. Do we have something to learn from and with them? Of course.
That will not be acceptable to many of our fellow Christians who are thinking dualistically: insider-outsider, us-them, good-guys - bad-guys, clean-unclean, etc. Rather than trying to convince our fellow Christians of something they either aren't ready for or find repulsive, I just try to live my life with this awareness - and seek to suffer the consequences as graciously as I can. As Paul said, in Christ it's a new creation for me, so I no longer "recognize anyone according to the flesh" - I don't categorize "them" in the ways I once did. I see us all caught up on one struggle, and I see us all surrounded by one grace.
2. Can we be truly good without Jesus in the truest sense that God wants us to be?
Again, I would ask if you mean the word "Jesus" or if you mean the reality of Jesus. I think of John 1 where it says that Jesus is the true light that enlightens every person. In that sense, nobody is without Jesus - We Christians would say that in the incarnation, Jesus has joined with all humanity (not just Christian humanity) ... in solidarity and in abiding presence through the Spirit. That might change your question into ... can we be truly good without God, without the Holy Spirit? But that would imply, once again, that people can exist apart from God ... But really, isn't every breath a gift from God? Isn't everyone upheld at every second by the grace of God? Isn't existence itself dependent on God? Can anyone flee God's presence (I'm thinking of Psalm 139)? And can God be present to anyone anywhere without Jesus being present too? Isn't even the person who doesn't believe in God upheld by the grace of God? Isn't the ability to not believe an expression of God's grace? Don't we all live and move and have our being in God?
If your question is "Can we truly be good without the Christian religion?" I think the answer is obvious. The Christian religion in its many forms in some cases helps and in other cases (sadly) harms people in their quest for being "good in the truest sense that God wants us to be good."
Now, if we can put the distractions interposed by our religious misbehavior and misunderstanding aside, I think Jesus has precious, unique, priceless gifts to offer everyone who seeks to be good - and to everyone who doesn't (yet). That's why I share Jesus and his good news with everyone I can.
3. Is creation good but incomplete? What would completeness look like?
Here I think you're bumping up against what I've written about in a few places - the difference between a more Hebraic "goodness" and and a more Greek "perfection." One of the beauties of Hebraic goodness is that good is good without needing to be "perfect." Your question raises the deeper question - is there such a thing as "completeness" or "perfection" beyond which nothing could ever become even "more good?" Or is God's goodness of such a nature that it is always fertile - yielding new creative possibilities that yield even more diverse and wonderful goodness? I side with Gregory of Nyssa on this (I talk about him in the last section of A New Kind of Christianity, p. 238) ... He says that sin is essentially a refusal to grow. Can we imagine God as a goodness that never ceases to create more goodness? So any kind of completeness that implies stasis - that's good enough, no more - would be inconceivable in God? Maybe that's why the Book of Revelation must end with a new beginning ... "Behold, I create all things new"?
4. If Christians claim to follow Christ then they must memorize and follow his interpretation of scripture which is based upon the first and second commandment. We know that Jesus either reinterpreted the OT passages on violence in light of God's love or he omitted the violence from his teaching. Does this mean the violent passages are not legitimate revelation in light of Jesus hermeneutic of God's love?
-- Here is where the word "complete" from your previous question comes in. OT (and NT) passages that promote violence should never be seen as complete. If violence has any purpose in our past, it is only to prepare the way for nonviolence.
5. What do you think of Teilhard De Chardin's view of optimism?
-- As you know, Teilhard's thought is notoriously hard to "boil down" - but in general, I think he was saying what Rob Bell says, that in God's universe, love wins ... In Paul's words, where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more. In Dr. King's words, the arc of the universe bends towards justice. In Julian of Norwich's words, "All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well."
If you're experiencing PEWS (post election withdrawal syndrome) ...
THE UNITED STATES has the highest documented incarceration rate in the world. Nearly 2.3 million Americans are currently in prison or jail in the U.S.—a 500 percent increase over the past 30 years, according to data from the Sentencing Project. As the incarcerated population grows, so does the private prison industry. CCA owns or operates 66 detention centers in the U.S., making it the country’s leading private prison corporation. In 2011, CCA recorded $1.7 billion in total revenue. According to an article by Suevon Lee at ProPublica, CCA has also spent $17.4 million on lobbying over the past 10 years and made $1.9 million in political contributions from 2003 to 2012.
Though U.S. prisons have long outsourced certain aspects of their operations—such as dining or laundry services or medical care—to private contractors, until the 1980s local, state, or federal governments were the sole owners and operators. President Nixon was the first to link the Drug Enforcement Administration with federal law enforcement agencies, significantly shifting the country’s view of illegal drugs from social ills to criminal acts, which increased incarceration rates. But it was the Reagan administration that ushered in the “private prison gold rush.” Reagan’s highly publicized draconian response to crack cocaine in the 1980s had a disproportionate impact on African-American communities. In the decades since, the prison population skyrocketed, with most of the conviction increase involving drug violations.
My dad is 88 today. The whole McLaren clan is blessed by his presence!
Here's a short biography.
Dr. Ian D. McLaren was born in 1924 while his missionary parents were on furlough in the United States. He returned with them to Angola and went to missionary boarding school in Zambia when he was a young boy. He later lived with relatives in Scotland and then moved to Ontario, Canada, where he finished high school and went to university and medical school. He married Virginia (Ginnie) Smith in 1950. He served in the US Army in the Korean War, after which he returned to the US for additional medical training. Ian and Ginnie had two boys, Brian and Peter, in 1956 and 1957. The family lived in New York, Illinois, and Maryland. Deeply dedicated to the medical profession, he was beloved by his patients and colleagues. He worked in public health and hospital-based home care, specializing in internal medicine and chronic disease. Before and since retirement, he has always been actively involved in church life, loves to read the Bible, and is a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. In 2012, he moved to Marco Island, FL, where he enjoys swimming and studying the stock market (not at the same time). He is in good health and, having recently planted a mango tree, looks forward to enjoying its fruit for many years to come.
This weekend I'll be speaking in North Georgia, but I understand the event is full. Next week, I'll be speaking with my ministry partners at Life in the Trinity Ministry in Dallas, giving two two-day seminars in a relaxed, conversational setting. I've been looking forward to this time to go deep with a smaller group of thoughtful Christians (and perhaps others, too) from a variety of backgrounds. I think there's still a little space - you can learn more here:
http://lifeinthetrinityministry.com/BrianMcLaren/about
Maybe you should participate?
November 12-13, 2012
Monday and Tuesday: 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Four Stages of Faith Development: Drawing from his book Naked Spirituality, Brian McLaren presents how the four-stage framework (simplicity, complexity, perplexity, harmony) can help in personal spiritual formation, pastoral ministry, preaching, outreach, and conflict resolution. We'll use role play, experiential learning, and interactive Bible study as well as lecture and discussion to become fluent in understanding and applying this framework. (Suggested Prereading: Naked Spirituality, A New Kind of Christian).
November 14-15, 2012
Wednesday and Thursday: 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Spiritual Formation-Becoming Christ Like-Christ in You: We will explore the biblical theme of the image of God in us, integrating insights from Scripture, church history, and the monastic tradition, exploring how the church in its liturgy preaching, and program can become a dojo, school, or studio of Christ-like feeling, thinking, virtue, integrity, and action. We'll consider the imitation/embodiment of Christ as the heart and soul of Christian living. (Suggested Prereading: Naked Spirituality, Finding Our way Again, A New Kind of Christianity).
I'll be back in Dallas in December:
December 7, 2012
Friday: 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
Pre-Conference Workshop-Worship Leaders and Songwriters Workshop: We will bring together gifted practitioners to assess the status of worship music, the areas where creative input is needed, and ways to develop and disseminate new worship resources. We'll experiment with some collaborative songwriting as well, culminating in a shared worship experience. (Suggested Prereading: Finding Our Way Again, Naked Spirituality, A New Kind of Christianity, Everything Must Change).
December 9-11, 2012
Sunday: 2:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m., Monday and Tuesday: 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Public Worship as Spiritual Formation: We'll look at ways that the form and content of gathered worship contributes to- and detracts from-formation for Christ-like character and mission. We'll wrestle with fidelity to tradition and fidelity to current and future generations, devoting special attention to the problems of religious language-including the word "God." And we'll use action-reflection to engage in liturgical practices and seek to understand them through experience. (Suggested Prereading: Finding Our Way Again, Naked Spirituality, A New Kind of Christianity, Everything Must Change).
Even you. And every ragamuffin, ne’er-do-well, teamster, prankster, gangster, poseur, pollster, reality-upholsterer and gun-holsterer that walks this planet. Even all of you…saints and scoundrels…broken apart like so much bread, in the fragments of your violence toward one another and Me; forgiven and re-gathered, reconstituted and re-mattered, as My Body is consumed and digested, I am consumed with love for you. You are bodies…broken and re-born. You matter to Me.
It is in this consummation that I am consumed; it is in divine digestion that I rest. The election was called a few hours ago – in the world of manifestation, ideological divisions still exist between us. As a nation, planet, and ecosystem, we have a lot of healing left to do. I pray that we can “taste and see” God’s sustaining goodness together. And with each other imagine a common future. Another world is possible – and in the scandalously-inclusive table of God, is already here.
Book Tour Conversations
I gave folks some homework at the end of each lecture on the book tour. First, when they hear a fellow Christian say something prejudiced, ignorant, hostile, or otherwise unhospitable about people of another religion to say, "Wow! I see that differently." Second, when they have the chance to "cross the road" to make contact with a person of another religion, to do so and engage in conversation ... a good question being, "What are some of the things you love most about your faith?"
If you have had some experiences with these two conversations, maybe you could share them over on my facebook page. Thanks!
What I Appreciate About Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, Greens, and Independents
All parties have their weaknesses, to be sure, some quite glaring. But all have virtues too. Here are three for each.
1. Republicans, at their best,
A. Emphasize individual responsibility
B. Are sensitive to the dangers of unaccountable government
C. Are concerned about the long-term consequences of growing debt
2. Democrats, at their best,
A. Emphasize social responsibility
B. Are sensitive to the dangers of unaccountable corporations
C. Are concerned about the long-term consequences of growing inequality
3. Libertarians, at their best,
A. Emphasize personal liberty
B. Are sensitive to the dangers of government intrusion
C. Are concerned about the long-term consequences of growing government bureaucracy
4. Independents, at their best,
A. Emphasize critical thinking
B. Are sensitive to the dangers of unaccountable political parties
C. Are concerned about the long-term consequences of growing ideological polarization
5. Greens, at their best,
A. Emphasize global and environmental responsibility
B. Are sensitive to the dangers of ungoverned, greed-based economies
C. Are concerned about the long-term consequences of unexamined value systems
Are you thinking what I'm thinking?
(If you can improve this short list, please leave comments over at my facebook page. Thanks!)
For the past 16 years at the Panzi Hospital in the Democratic Republic of Congo, my staff and I have been treating women who have been victimized by sexual violence, which has been systematically used as a weapon of war in the armed conflict that has ravaged our country. Rape is one of the most deadly weapons of war, destroying families and communities and future generations, as well as the women brutally targeted. Last year I had some hope that the situation was improving, but since the beginning of this year the security situation has again deteriorated and victims of sexual violence have started coming to the hospital again in greater numbers.
In our hospital near Bukavu, we have been helping women not only with medical treatment but also with psychological counseling, legal representation and financial support. We work to address all the consequences of the sexual violence they have suffered, but none of the causes of this violence which bring the women back to the hospital again and again. So now I am trying to use my voice, domestically and internationally, to address the causes of this violence and to call for peace and justice. I have attended many conferences in Europe and the United States on sexual violence in armed conflict and specifically on the situation in Eastern Congo.
A few weeks ago, I was attacked and almost killed in my home, which is in one of the most guarded and secure areas of Bukavu. I had gone to accompany a patient who had come to see me for medical advice, and when I returned I was met by heavily armed men who forced me out of my car. They had been in my house and forced my children onto the sofa at gunpoint, which is how I saw them when I arrived. I found myself with a gun to my head, and just as the gun was loaded and ready to shoot, a member of my staff heroically intervened to save me. He shouted and came running to jump on this armed intruder, who turned and shot him. He fell down, I fell down, and I can’t really remember what happened after that. I realized he was shot, and I saw him give his life for me. The attackers then got in the car and left.
Neither I nor anyone in my family have been questioned about this incident in an effort to find out who is responsible. The lack of investigation is symptomatic of the indifference that prevails in my country. After this attack many people have demanded the assurance of my security – this has been very helpful to me, but my security is not the real issue. It is not enough to assure my security, if even that can be done, when women are being violated with impunity on a daily basis.
When any of us are tempted to complain about small inconveniences in doing good, let's remember Dr. Mukwege ... and the women of Eastern Congo.
Election Eve: Not another political ad? Noooo! Two?
One "official" - one less so.
It's almost over!
Q & R: violent Bible passages
Here are two versions of the same Q:
Dear Brian,
Our congregation is using a narrative lectionary... The idea is to go from beginning (September with Genesis) to (December with Luke stories) to (spring with stories of the early church)
Anyway, the main text this week is Exodus 32:1-14 And paired with a short verse, Luke 23:34.
I just sent this note to Michael Hardin and another friend. Any thoughts on how to handle this "loaded gun"?
Help!
Insights from you not expected, but would be appreciated!
Here's the second Q;
Help me out with this one, the Golden Calf story.
Moses and God on mountain retreat.
Aaron and people below, panicking.
Israel makes a Golden Calf.
God is ticked, complains to Moses about "your people," plans to wipe them out.
Moses stands up to God, asks God to forgive, and reminds God that they are "your people."
So God forgives. Hooray!
But then Moses gets ticked off.
Moses divides the people into sides.
Then the "good guys" slaughter the "bad guys" Boo!
How do you handle this story? This story plays right into the theology of many/most in congregation: God is gonna getcha!
For me, the getcha means God's radical love and embrace. For others, getcha means God is going to violently punish. And they will use this text and say, "See!"
So what's my move?
Here's the R:
I deal with this question quite extensively in my new book. There I suggest that within the Biblical library we find later nonviolent stories (usually in the gospels) that correct or reverse early violent stories. So, Jesus' words in Luke 23:34 (a disputed text, by the way), "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do," intentionally offers an alternative to the Golden Calf story. Instead of violent retribution and elimination for idolatry, Jesus models forgiveness and compassion (this is a matter of ignorance).
Correspondingly, we find that the human conception of God evolves over time in the Bible, first from a deity who quickly employs violence, then to a God who is longsuffering and "slow to anger," and finally to a God who is utterly nonviolent - depicted in Jesus, forgiving while rejected and killed. This understanding will, of course, be utterly unacceptable to people who hold to a dictation view of inspiration, or its close cousin, a doctrine of plenary verbal inerrancy. But one can still believe (as I do) that the Bible is "inspired and profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in all right living" and see in its pages an unfolding revelation of God who, as John says, "is Light, in whom there is no darkness at all," or alternatively put, is love, in whom there is no malice at all.
A reader writes: I bumped into some critics of yours...
Kind words:
I accidently bumped into some critics of yours this week and thought it would be appropriate to send you a word of encouragement.
I greatly appreciate your wisdom, generosity, and thoughtfulness that I have experienced through your writing, speaking, and a few brief conversations/correspondences. At times, you have both challenged and affirmed my thinking in ways that not too many have. I am also deeply grateful for the courage you display thought the stands you have taken over the years, none more than with your son’s wedding.
I can’t imagine the public indignities you must face in the midst of the varying criticisms, nor can I imagine carrying the wounds and scars that you must carry. Makes me feel ‘heavy’ and tearful just thinking about it.... I hope as many kind words are coming your way as the negative ones, or at least with more volume.
Thanks for these kind words. I take them to heart. And yes, thanks to people like you, many kind words do come my way, humbling and encouraging me at the same time. I try to share a little of both on this blog so that others who speak out and feel the blowback know they are not alone. A movement is building, I believe.
Note from a leader in the military ...
A reader writes ...
As I was doing research today for an approaching assignment, I stumbled across your imaginary transcript of President George W. Bush's speech that could have been given on October 1, 2001. As I misread the beginning introduction, and continued through the transcript, I could only question as to why this speech was never given and how ever did you come across it. After realizing that it was an imaginative speech, I could still only ponder as to how things may be different today, not only in America, but in the world. If the President would have given such a speech... wow! I am not one to judge others, as God tells us that we do not have the ability to judge because we do not know a man's heart. Therefore, I do not know what role faith played in the President's decision to send America to war. Sometimes I believe it was the right answer, and at other times I am not so sure.
Thankfully, I know that when I pass, and my family is but dust on this earth, we will all be with God the Father in Heaven. I know that is not enough, to think only of myself and loved ones, but in a time when there is so much chaos in the world, I commend you and am often inspired by men like you for your courage and bravery in addressing such important issues and integrating the notion of Christ and his boundless love into peoples' thoughts. Furthermore, I know as a husband, a father, and a leader in the military, I have been given a great responsibility in life, yet I still manage on a daily basis to misuse the potential that God has given me. So in general, I guess that I am writing just to say thank you for your passion with what you do, and for your commitment to God. Thank you for being a reminder of what a great man has a responsibility of being.
Thanks for this note and your encouraging words. I'm sure many will join me in praying for you and your colleagues today - for wisdom, for foresight, for insight.
Why I'm Voting for President Obama - Top 3 Reasons
1. President Obama has done a good job of turning the economy around.
President Obama inherited the worst financial situation since the Great Depression. The failed economic policies of previous administrations had put our economy into a tailspin, so that when President Obama took office, we were losing 800,000 jobs a month. The president's critics act as if President Obama - and not a Republican administration - led us into this crisis. And then they seem to forget that over the last four years, Republican Congressional leaders set as their top goal for President Obama to fail.
In spite of their opposition, the president's administration stopped our economic free-fall and for at least 29 months in a row we've had growth in private-sector jobs. We are much better off now than when the president took office.
Yes, progress has been slow. But anyone who thinks the problem could have been solved easily in two or three years "misunderestimates" the scale of the crisis. There is much more to be done, and I trust President Obama's basic direction.
The president's critics complain that the deficit has increased under his leadership, and of course that's true. The increase in the deficit was one of the costs of the crisis which was created by policies that the president opposes. His proposals for deficit reduction make much more sense than those of his opponent, and for this reason as well, I support him.
The disastrous double-whammy of recession and growing deficit was created in part by both Democrats and Republicans - but the Republican mantra of lower taxes on the rich and removal of regulations on corporations created the lion's share of the crisis. It seems absurd to prescribe those tried-and-failed remedies once again. I agree with Robert Reich's analysis: the President has a better plan going forward. So I'm supporting him in 2012 just as I did in 2008.
We are better off - far better off - than we were when President Obama took office. We were in a free fall then, a consequence of bad policies and poor governance. We are stabilizing now and on a long, slow road to recovery. I want to stay on that basic course and not revert to the course that took us to the brink of collapse.
2. Governor Romney impresses me as less than trustworthy.
Early in the campaign, he presented himself as an extreme, right-wing, "severe" conservative - toe to toe with Rick Perry, Herman Cain, Michelle Bachman, Newt Gingrich, and company. Later he shook the etch-a-sketch and tried to present himself as someone different. If the early Romney is real, I would never want to vote for him. If the early Romney was pretending/prevaricating just to get elected, same result.
I'm sure that to his family, friends, and colleagues, he is a fine man. But as a politician for the most powerful office on the planet, he has presented no new or bold ideas. He seems to have little more to offer than going back to Ronald Reagan's trickle-down economics with different packaging. I consider trickle-down economics to be a tool for an unjust transfer of wealth - from the poor and middle-class to the wealthy. I don't want to support a candidate who wants to continue that transfer of wealth. Again, as Robert Reich explains:
The rich are far richer than they used to be, while most of the rest of us are poorer. The latest data show the top 1 percent garnering 93 percent of all the gains from the recovery so far. But median family income is 8 percent lower than it was in 2000, adjusted for inflation.
The gap has been widening for three decades. Since 1980 the top 1 percent has doubled its share of the nation’s total income — from 10 percent to 20 percent. The share of the top one-tenth of 1 percent has tripled. The share of the top-most one-one hundredth of 1 percent — 16,000 families — has quadrupled. The richest 400 Americans now have more wealth than the bottom 150 million of us put together.
To vote for Mr. Romney would be to support the failed policies of the past, including the ongoing transfer of wealth from the poor and middle class to the richest among us, and it would reward the far-right extremism which Mr. Romney either actually believes in or has pandered to.
3. I think President Obama will do more good in relation to the issues I care most deeply about over the next four years than Mr. Romney would: the well-being of the poor, the health of the planet, and the pursuit of peace.
Regarding the poor, the Romney/Ryan ticket seems more attuned to "Atlas Shrugged" than the Sermon on the Mount. Regarding the planet, for Mr. Romney to flip-flop away from a more responsible position on climate change strikes me as childish and irresponsible at best, and pandering to his extreme right wing at worst. His continual dismissal of the value of regulating corporations suggests that he considers government inherently evil and business inherently innocent - a dangerous belief to me. And regarding peace, I don't trust Mr. Romney's affinity with the same Neo-Conservative advisors who led us into Iraq. The likelihood of war - especially with Iran - increases if Romney is elected. In each case, the Obama/Biden ticket has far superior policies.
Regarding peace, I have also been deeply disturbed by the rhetoric of Mr. Romney's party regarding Muslims, Palestinians, and others who quickly become "the other." As I've written about in my most recent book, I believe that in a multi-faith world, we must move from hostility to hospitality, from suspicion to solidarity, and from conflict to collaboration.
Many of my friends believe that only two issues matter - opposing abortion and gay marriage. Based on those issues, they prefer the Romney-Ryan ticket. I understand that, even though I think they have been misled. On abortion, I believe that President Obama's policies to improve health care can reduce abortion rates more than overturning Roe v. Wade would (as I explained four years ago, here). And I think that opposing gay marriage in the name of "protecting" traditional marriage is a sad case of scapegoating. The causes for the breakdown of traditional marriage are many and complex: whatever they may be, it seems silly to blame gay people, who haven't been able to marry, for damaging a social institution that straight people have been damaging just fine without outside help.
I haven't agreed with all of President Obama's decisions. But that's to be expected. When I compare what Obama/Biden have done* with what we've seen of Romney/Ryan, I will be glad to cast my vote for Obama/Biden in 2012, as I did in 2008.
Whoever wins, I will respect them, pray for them, speak up when I think they mislead, and do what I can to "change the wind," as Jim Wallis says - to build a social and spiritual movement for peace, for the poor, and for the planet, rooted in my faith, values, and vision of the common good.
*After the jump, a list of Obama/Biden's accomplishments - from the Obama/Biden campaign.
I'll be posting my election thoughts soon - maybe tomorrow.
A Walking Theologian
Here's how theologian Thomas Jay Oord spent his summer:
How do you think it would affect a theologian to spend a summer walking 1000 miles in the wild?
Scary posts: Even worse than being the antichrist - being an English major!
Being called the antichrist is bad enough, but on top of that, according to this recent note, I'm in English major! Aaargh!
1 John said the spirit of Antichrist was at work in the Church in the 1st Century. I see the poster McLaren is the poster child of this.
English Major , too stupid to pass the Calculus required for a real degree?
Another person writes - clearly without having actually read my most recent book (or maybe any of my books?):
Dear Brian,
The Bible is 100% true. We must assemble ourselves together, the Lord commands it. You are not allowed to use only parts of the Bible to suit your heresy. Jesus is King and the only way to heaven. Not budda, mohammad, or the Hindu critter Gods.
Jeremiah 23:28
King James Version (KJV)
28 The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the Lord.
The Bible is the inspired Word of God. Please go invent your own religion and leave Jesus alone.
On a more positive note:
I know you guys are screening this and I understand Mr. Mclaren likely won't get to see it but I just wanted to take a minute to say what a valuable service he is providing to this country and, by extension, the world. This country has long been without true religious thinkers and I think the results quite clearly show that it has hurt us gravely. In this regard, Mr. Mclaren is an asset to society and America a better place for it. No doubt, the waters between Scylla and Charybdis make for a dangerous and lonely voyage but I cannot stress enough how appreciative I am that folks like Mr. Mclaren and his staff (you guys) are making waves.
Keep your heads above water and regards,
And also on a more positive note:
Greetings. I wrote you some months ago saying that your books and thoughts gave me hope in a world that seems more and more divisive—a tension to which it seems to me the Church often contributes. As a priest I find this so frustrating.
Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for your comments about the “nones” on the Huffington Post blog yesterday, October 16. I can’t tell you how much I agree with the young man who told you, “I’m only hanging on by my fingernails.” I wonder if I’m supposed to stay in the Catholic tradition and fight and struggle, or be somewhere else more in line with what I believe. Not expecting an answer, of course. Just asking for prayers.
Thanks again for your hopeful Christian message.
Be assured, dear brother, you are in my prayers, and I'm sure many readers will join in those prayers too. There's a lot of pain out there - what I call in the new book "CRIS" - Conflicted Religious Identity Syndrome. One of the first steps of therapy is learning you're not alone!
Global Warming Didn't "Cause" this Storm, but ...
Human beings are creating the conditions for devastating storms like this to become more and more common. If you want to better understand why, check out this interview with Bill McKibben (after the jump)
Q & R: 5 Questions on hostility towards homosexuals
Here are the Questions, with Responses inserted:
I'm a heterosexual man who is writing a paper on the effects/reasons for hatred toward homosexuals and I was wondering if I could get a few more answers to the major questions that I've been having.
1. Why do heterosexuals not understand that being homosexual is about as much as a choice as being heterosexual?
Two quick thoughts. First, many heterosexual Christians have been taught everything they know about homosexuality by other heterosexual Christians. This is how all prejudices spread. People only listen to a small range of voices, often who have limited data to offer ... and they disqualify the voices who would challenge their assumptions.
Second, many conservative Christians aren't really arguing about homosexuality. They're arguing about a view of biblical authority on which nearly everything they say and do depends. They can't imagine their faith surviving if they lost their current view of biblical authority, so they find themselves sometimes saying and doing things that really bother their consciences ... but they feel they must, for the sake of "groupishness" (which I explore in my new book on Christian identity in a multi-faith world).
2. Why do the baptists (such as myself) or other religions only pick out the negative verses about homosexuality as aposed to the ones like the golden rule?
Again, people are taught how to use the Bible in a certain way, based on certain assumptions - and geared toward certain vested interests. Many of us are trying to demonstrate another way of interpreting and applying the Bible that will steer us away from the abuses of the past and present.
3. How can I help put discrimination toward homosexuals to an end?
Get to know some gay people so you can advocate for them as individual human beings. When people say prejudicial things against gay people, you can say, "My friend Mary isn't like that" or "My friend Jack isn't like that," or whatever. At some point, you may choose to disassociate from groups that discriminate against gay people.
It's important to graciously speak up when unkind and/or untrue things are said, or when opinions are stated as fact (as they often are). In my talks on my recent book (which is about inter-religious hostility - but much of it applies in this situation as well), I recommend we learn to say, "Wow, I see that differently!" Not arguing, not fighting, just having the courage to speak up and differ graciously - and suffering the consequences graciously too.
4. Can I believe that the behavior is a sin but still be an activist for the person?
Yes. This is the position I was taught many years ago. But I think it is an inherently unstable position over time. It's a step in the right direction, but I think over time, people will move beyond it.
I know thats kind of a lot but if you can give me anything that would be truly appriciated.
Glad to be of help in any way I can. Thanks for caring. Those of us with close friends and family members who are gay are deeply grateful for people like you who are trying to reduce hostility against our friends and relations.
Q & R: What Makes Someone a Christian?
Here's the Q:
I recently started reading your new book, and it's already made me think about quite a few things. But, over the past few weeks, I've been asking as many people as I can the following question: What makes someone a Christian?
I am assuming your book will help me get a take on your answer(s) to this question. But, if not, I'd love to hear what you think about it. I'm an ex-evangelical pastor, but more recently I've come to - at the least - accept Christianity as primarily a socio-cultural identity (as Richard Dawkins defines himself, a "cultural Christian"). Beyond that, is "Christian" primarily a noun, an adjective, or a verb? Should we, like Kierkegaard, say we shouldn't actually call ourselves a Christian? Or, like Bono, say that we're trying to be a Christian? Many people simply equate orthodox Christianity with Christianity itself, but this seems to defy the historical usage of the word (i.e. Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, many other "unorthodox" Christian groups, or even someone like Pete Rollins). Or, many people will say that to be a Christian necessarily means that a person is actively involved in some concrete version of Christian community. Is there an objective list of beliefs or actions that one must agree with or perform in order to "deserve" the label? Or, as Roger Olson has suggested, that Christianity is a "centered set" that defines itself by Jesus, but does not have any "boundaries" as to who's in or out?
This seems like a very difficult, multi-layered question to answer. I will keep reading your book, but if you don't specifically address this question, I'd be interested to hear your response.
Here's the R:
Thanks for your question. I'm sure many will be struck, as I am, that an "ex-evangelical pastor" would see this as an important question to ask. I think you're right. It is. I remember being with an Eastern Orthodox priest once who, very graciously, let the rest of us Protestants and Catholics know that we weren't part of the True Church and that we didn't participate in true worship. (He said we were engaged in "popular piety" and nothing more.) I frequently hear from readers (actually, most of them aren't actual readers, but have read something about me on someone else's website, etc.) who tell me that I'm not a Christian because I don't uphold their preferred atonement theory or doctrine of biblical inspiration vigorously enough. So there's no end to this kind of "who's-in, who's-out" activity.
I think your question is important and it opens up important conversation, but I think it's impossible to answer without saying, "To me..." or "to us..." I think you'll find an interesting twist on this question when you come to Chapter 20 (where you'll see my friend Pete Rollins quoted, by the way).
Your question opens up the whole subject of religious identity which I grapple with in the book - as you say, not simply as a theological or institutional question, but as a social, psychological, and even political one. I think you'll find a lot to further stimulate your thinking as you continue reading. In the meantime, here are a few relevant words from Jesus himself:
Why do you all me "Lord, Lord," and do not do the things that I say?
Many of the first will be last, and the last, first.
As much as you did it to the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.
A tree is known by its fruit.
If you love your friends only, what good is that? Don't even the tax collectors do that?
By this will all people know you are my disciples, if you love one another ...
He has a way of mixing things up, doesn't he?!
Q & R: Isn't Paul the Problem?
Here's the Q:
Fantastic book and I almost feel “great, I’m not alone!” when reading it, but to my mind you’re stopping short of what we need. You do a masterful job of trying to continue the Genesis-Exodus-and-forwards narrative into the epistles, but the fact is that they were written by someone who believed that Jesus was coming back in his lifetime (i.e., his framework was wrong) and who did focus a great deal more on justification by faith than on the kingdom (and insisted on dogmatic correctness, something Jesus never even alluded to). The problem with “road to Damascus” epiphanies is that they don’t necessarily give the ‘convert’ time to really sort their through [stuff]; I think Paul needed to get himself into some 12-Step recovery program before becoming a leader of something else (and in that he would have learnt how God-focused fellowship actually can flourish without leaders, rather than become the role model for the evangelical obsession with leadership as foundation stone of mission).
To really embrace a new Christianity which takes us back to the essence of Jesus’ life, ministry and mission, don’t we need to have a Bible that stops at the end of John’s gospel? Why did anyone feel the need to add anything after God had come among us and spoken Himself? The epistles (and the bizarre hallucinations of Revelation) made it into a religion, and the seeds for all the disasters that followed were thus sown.
I would be profoundly grateful for your insights, if and when you could share them.
Here's the R:
Thanks for your question. A lot of people feel as you do - they love Jesus but feel Paul messed things up. I don't see it that way.
I think the problem isn't Paul but rather the conventional interpretations of Paul - along with faulty approaches to the Bible in general.
I think it's not Paul's fault - but our own - that we have tended to read Jesus in light of a bad interpretation of Paul. It's our responsibility to understand Jesus on his own terms, and then to forge a better interpretation of Paul in light of Jesus.
If you were to take chapters where I engage with Paul's writings from my books since Secret Message of Jesus, I think you'll see a different way of reading Paul - where he doesn't subvert the teaching and way of Jesus, but is learning - as a human being like the rest of us - to live in that way. Another resource on the subject would be Sylvia Keesmaat and Brian Walsh's excellent book, Colossians Remixed. I also find Michael Gorman's reading of Paul to be extremely helpful. Hope that helps!
A reader writes: Not a critique - a nudge in a fuller direction
A reader writes:
I'm halfway through the new book and appreciating it greatly. I've just reached chapter 12, "How the Doctrine of Creation Can Create Humankind(ness)," and read footnote 6, listing a number of global thinkers working on reading the Bible from subaltern positions. I know it's a massive body of writing, but I'd encourage you in the spirit of extending a preferential option to the poor to stretch to reading and citing feminist and womanist theologians. Womanist theologians like Emilie Townes, Katie Cannon, and Delores Williams should join James Cone; West African Mercy Amba Oduyoye has written beautifully of "cultural hermeneutics"; Kwok Pui-Lan gives a really smart and interdisciplinary read on postcolonial feminist Christianity; the Reader in Latina Feminist Theology is full of really good essays; etc.
Liberation theologies are often implicitly masculinist--the women who are writing in these veins (but not being named as frequently as their male counterparts) often take their brothers' critiques one step further by considering postcolonial / contexts in need of liberation theologies through the matrix of sex/gender as well, resulting in a more nuanced and just re-visioning of the Christian tradition and its Scriptures.
Anyway, thanks for the good work. This isn't a critique, but a nudge in a fuller direction. Reading A New Kind of Christian when I was an undergrad at Cedarville University was a life-giving experience for me and is to blame in large part (along with dear Professor Dave Mills) for my decision to pursue a PhD studying the intersections of gender, religion, and race in contemporary literature and theory. So, again, thank you.
Thanks for these names. The nudge is appreciated - both by me, and by many readers of my blog, I'm sure. I'll look forward to reading these writers - and referencing them in the future.
Q & R: Reaching the American Evangelical Community for Christ
Here's the Q:
Hey Brian! Hope you're doing well. I had a question that a friend of mine and I continue to wrestle with balancing. Over the last two years we've been working with some people in India through an non-profit we've started here in the United States. The people we work with are Christians who were born and raised in Kolkata and have a strong heart for the people of the city. Our work together includes education, vocational training, nutrition, medical assistance, and spiritual care. We have schools and churches in different areas in and around the city. The requirement for the places in which we work is that there must not be any other organization connected to or helping those people. As you can imagine they are very poor and many live in terrible slum conditions. Our new journey has us thinking very hard about poverty. What are the systemic causes and contributors, and what are the solutions? We're discovering that the causes are complicated and the solutions are long suffering. For us the journey began out of a rediscovery of what Jesus says about the poor and our responsibility to community. There is no question as to what he requires us to do, even though it can be politically, culturally, and religiously subversive.
Through this process we've had to reevaluate what the "Gospel" and the "Kingdom of God" actually are. (You're writing has been incredibly helpful on that topic.) As you're aware, much Christian mission work these days is focused on getting to heaven or escaping from this earth. Through our prosthelytizing we end up exporting our culture, economics, and distorted values in addition to our religion. We have a desire against this. We want to bring heaven here to earth, to melt down the spiritual dualism into a community of kingdom focused peace makers.
Here is our problem. In our current religious paradigm that's a very hard sell to evangelical churches and individuals. They want to hear that you're "preaching the gospel" as they understand it. There is little concern or respect for the cultural and religious intricacies of the host people. Meanwhile, they continue to dwell in hopelessness and sadness as Jesus' words echo in our ears. We forget that we were not commanded to "love in order to convert", but just to "love". Only in that unconditional love and compassion does Jesus' new kingdom explode.
What advice do have for people like us who want to help the poor and spread the love of Jesus in the right ways, while still engaging people in the American evangelical community?
We want to truly communicate our message and our vision but we don't want to alienate ourselves from goodhearted people who have a less complete understanding of the gospel. As my partner says, "You can tell someone you're preaching the gospel and they'll never ask you if you're feeding the poor. But you can tell someone you're feeding the poor and the first thing they'll ask is if you're preaching the gospel." It's hard to tell someone you're main priority is not to build a church building.
It seems to me most of this boils down to what people believe the Kingdom of God is. We believe it's more than a ticket off this planet to heaven, but rather that it is a rhythm of compassion that participates in everyone's humanity, even the least of these, and binds everyone together through the love of the Father. Unfortunately that's a hard thing to convince most Christians of.
I apologize for the length. Any writing, wisdom, and advice would be cherished.
Here's the R:
I can't tell you how many Christian workers have asked me a version of this question. American Christians have faults, to be sure, but we have many wonderful qualities, and generosity is one of them. We provide a lot of money for important work around the world - but many of us have been trained to want to measure success only in terms of "souls saved" or "churches planted," and show too little interest in the well-being of human beings in the totality of their lives. Too many of us have mixed our Christian faith with a corporate mentality that wants "bang for the buck" in terms of people who have "said the sinner's prayer," etc. How many souls per dollar? How many churches per thousand dollars? When you express it in that monetized way, I know, it's kind of sickening ... but I've heard this sort of talk too often in my life, and even when it's not said overtly, it's often a covert motivation.
I think of one retired missionary who told me that during his years of service, all the "missionary numbers" were way up - "souls saved," churches planted, # of Christian schools and radio-tv stations, etc. etc. "By all the measures we measured," he said, "our work was a great success." But, he said, "every indicator of human well-being is now at an all time low." In spite of all the "souls saved," crime and corruption were up. Health was down. Divorce and domestic abuse were up. Environmental health was down. Rape and HIV were up, etc., etc. But people didn't want to hear about that. They just wanted the "missionary numbers." He was very disillusioned, as you can imagine.
A lot of mission workers live in the tension of trying to stretch and educate their donors - while trying not to alienate them. Some grit their teeth and play the game - telling the donors what they want to hear and avoiding stretching them much if at all.
So here's my advice. It's not easy or quick. But I think you need to work hard to develop a donor base that you painstakingly educate. Be respectful of their traditional understanding - they don't believe what they believe because they're mean or heartless, but simply because that's all they've been taught and that's all they've seen or heard. Tell stories. Explain why you do what you do. You'll have to be "bilingual" - speaking language that people in general will understand, and speaking the language of more traditional folks. Maybe you can recommend books that will stretch people. Some people will leave you. But that's sometimes the price of honesty.
Key to this will be telling stories - not simply of "souls saved," but of people and communities whose lives in their totality have been helped. And tell your own stories - what you're seeing, learning, etc. Explain how this flows from your love for Christ. Explain how you feel the Spirit moving you to serve people in the totality of their lives. Explain how the Bible has taught you to practice "integral mission."
And one other piece of advice - along with bringing along your more traditional donors, focus on recruiting younger donors and educating them and bringing them along with you for the long haul. It's slower in some ways, but essential in the long run. None of this is easy, but as you know, if you want to help folks in India, it will involve winning the confidence of donors in the US and Canada, and then educating them. That's not a distraction from your ministry. It's part of your ministry. God bless you in it!
This came in several weeks ago ... a reminder (something I discuss in my new book) that our faiths look very different if we follow our founders rather than their later followers:
I read your article on CNN's belief blog. I am a Ahmadi Muslim. I was really impressed by your honest analysis of the situation. I agree with you, when you said in your article that " Yes, “they” – the tiny minority of Muslims who turn piety into violence – have big problems of their own".
I, wholly condemn the violence in Libya & Egypt. There is no excuse that can be used to justify the violence and the killing of the U.S. Ambassador and other U.S. diplomats. I support all diplomatic efforts to bring the situation under control and resolve issues.The anti-Muslim film is clearly intended to provoke Muslims. Muslims must not take the bait but respond with civility. Islam does not prescribe any punishment for blasphemy. The Quran instructs Muslims to walk away from those insulting their faith.Islam protects freedom of speech, and the Prophet Muhammad's example proves this, as he never punished those who blasphemed against him or Islam.
I feel very sad for those who lost their lives while serving their country.
I thank you for your article. May Allah be with you always.
Q & R: He is 30 ... how many others are like him?
Here's the Q:
Just to briefly say thank you for all you do and speak of Brian.
Still trying to wrap my head around some of your thoughts and things, but you have been, and continue to be, an oasis in my faith.
I was able to have a conversation with my brother recently about my evolving faith-this is very unusual for us to have that sort of talk as he is scarred by a church upbringing. He was interested though and said he thought some of the perspectives I talked of were refreshing.
At that moment I saw he is agnostic not because he doesn't want to have any kind of faith- he simply can't stomach the faith he inherited in light of his culture and who he is- he wants to maintain his integrity and I salute him for that.
He is 30. How many others are there like him?
Here's the R:
I'm in Lakeland, Florida, this weekend, working with my friends at Coalition of Immokalee Workers. It's a great honor to meet people who are practicing a kind of faith that I think your brother and others like him would find inspiring. But so many people haven't ever seen this "new kind of Christianity" in practice - so all they know is an approach to faith that feels like a step away from integrity instead of a step into greater integrity.
That's a great word - integrity - one I think a lot of readers will carry with them today. Thanks for sharing it.
Why We're Leaving Church - a report from the Nones
The same day news outlets around the country carried a notable headline -- "Protestants Lose Majority Status in US" -- I was in a jam-packed church, speaking about my new book on Christian identity in a multi-faith world. The article explored recent Pew research about the rise of the "Nones", religiously unaffiliated Millennials, and the corresponding decline in both Mainline and Evangelical Protestant church affiliation.
After my lecture, several young Christian adults talked with me about how the headline resonates with one of the book's main ideas -- that Christianity has carried on a long affair with empire and colonialism, and as a result, has picked up the imperial auto-immune disease of "hostility to the other."
A Christian and a Muslim Walk Into a Restaurant ...
That was Eboo Patel and I a few weeks back in Chicago. We both released books on religious identity and hostility recently - his, Sacred Ground, and mine, Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? He was kind enough to come out for my book tour event in the windy city, and we had some time to talk about our books and our shared work after my lecture.
John W. Morehead is the first (that I'm aware of) to review the two books together - and I hope he won't be the last to see the many commonalities between Eboo's sensibilities and my own. As I read Sacred Ground recently, I kept underlining quotations that I could have written, and I hope Eboo felt the same way when he read my book. Yet neither of us is advocating putting our respective religions in a blender and hitting puree to create a religious smoothie ... we are advocating for strong, distinct religious identities ... but identities that see in the other not an enemy to be feared, not a competitor to be vanquished or colonized, and not a demon to be exorcised, but rather a neighbor to be known, understood, appreciated, loved, and collaborated with for the common good.
In the coming weeks I'll be posting some of my favorite quotes from Sacred Ground. I highly recommend this excellent book ... especially in the aftermath of an election season that has managed to whip up some of the most unsavory elements of our national and religious psyche. Here's one fascinating sample. Frequently in the book, Patel contrasts voices of hostility to the other (like Peter Stuyvesant in the 17th century) with more encouraging voices, such as that of Edwart Hart:
In the mid-seventeenth century, the Dutch director-general of what was then New Amsterdam, Peter Stuyvesant, banned Quaker prayer meetings. Quakers were viewed as ... “seducers of the people” who posed a threat to his city....
But Edward Hart, the town clerk of ... [Flushing, Queens] was determined that this land would be different.... The Flushing Remonstrance of 1757 [said]: “The law of love, peace, and liberty in the states extending to Jews, Turks and Egyptians, as they are considered sons of Adam... Whatsoever form, name, or title hee appears in, whether Presbyterian, Independent, Baptist, or Quaker, but shall be glad to see anything of God in them.... Therefore if any of these said persons come in love unto us, we cannot in conscience lay violent hands upon them, but give them free egresse and regresse unto our Town, and houses.” (13)
A South African reader writes ...
The issue of "election" (spiritual chosen-ness, not presidential electioneering) is terribly important in the development of hostile - or benevolent - Christian identity. I devoted a chapter to the subject (14) in my new book. It's of special interest to South Africans, since Apartheid was a theologically-based social project, building on understandings of "election" common in Protestant circles - and still highly prominent in Evangelical circles in the United States and Canada today. Here's a note from a South African reader:
Like most of your more recent books, I am forced to read your latest very slowly – taking it one chapter at a time, with a few days (sometimes a week or two) between readings to ruminate on your thoughts. So, I am working slowly through the book and reached chapter 14 (on election) tonight.
I just wanted to let you know that I am blown away. Maybe it's because I am South African. Maybe it's because we've tried to live out a new approach to being chosen in the way we've constructed our own family. Or maybe it's because Abraham is my favourite Biblical character, and that God's covenant and commands to him in Genesis 12 have long governed my wife's and my life choices ("blessed to be blessing"). I don't know. But chapter 14 has touched me.
...Your thoughts on the various versions of "us" and "other" will help us make sense of what is happening in South Africa, and will give us a wonderful way to talk about things with others and our friends. God has indeed given us all a ministry/mission of reconciliation.
You know I am both a fan and a friend, Brian. From both of those perspectives, I say, "thank you" for your insights, your wisdom and your ability to articulate a new kind of christianity. And I say thank you especially for chapter 14 of your book. It's a gem.
... for now, strength, grace and peace to you – and Grace - as you surf the storm.
Thanks for these kind and encouraging words.
Q & R: What about eschatology?
Here's the Q:
I just finished the new book, and was tracking with you, learning page after page. I too seem to suffer from CRIS...and I'm finding that there are more of us all around than I initially thought.
I love the central thesis of exploring how a Christian person of faith may have both a strong and benevolent identity. As such, I joyfully went with you through the whole book, rejoicing with many aha moments. I found your rebooting the doctrines of creationism, original sin, and the Holy Spirt particularly insightful.
Then came the end...and honestly a bit of disappointment. I was really embracing the idea that there is real hope to be both strong in your Christian convictions (admittedly after some much needed debugging) and benevolent toward all people and faiths. My disappointment came in chapter 28 - as I wanted (oh how I wanted) to read about how a robust eschatology plays out in this emerging vision. I wanted to read of how we can be both strong and benevolent...and still look forward to the final eschaton. I wanted to read about all nations coming together and worshipping the Lord Jesus. I wanted to still hold out hope that there is more to life than even the grand vision you outlined. Yes, I desire for peace and harmony and love to extend across the globe. I also believe there should be room for orthopathy in this new vision...space to still embrace a Second Coming; space for hope in an afterlife- not just a bodiless heaven with gold streets, but the consummation of all things in an eternal harmony with the actual King of this Commonwealth- what NT Wright describes appropriately as "life after life after death."
Can the newly debugged and freshly rebooted faith still include room for an eternal consummation with our Creator and Lord? Can we still have hope that our King will return - that we may actually join with the saints of history, even our deceased family and friends, in an eternal and glorious Kingdom - surely dancing merrily together in the perichoretic fullness of God?
I hope and pray as you work on the liturgy for the new emerging evangelicalism that you'll include the anticipation for both a redeemed planet and for the fullness of times where people of faith throughout history will join in together in a glorious song.
Here's the R:
As you can imagine, keeping the book at a readable length meant I couldn't cover every doctrine that has been used for hostile purposes (as have our eschatological doctrines) with the intent of re-purposing them for benevolent ends. Like you, I've found our eschatological doctrines especially interesting and challenging, and have already written quite a bit about them. You may be interested in The Last Word and the Word After That
and The Secret Message of Jesus
I've also addressed the subject of life after death frequently here in my blog. You might start here, and check out the downloadable article "Making Eschatology Personal." The passage I'd very much like to write more about in this regard is Philippians 2. Someday soon, I hope! Thanks for your question - sorry you were disappointed that I couldn't explore eschatology more deeply in the new book, but I hope this information helps.
UK Book Tour: Peace, Love, and Misunderstanding - November 29-December 5
Birmingham
Thursday 29th November 19.30– St Martin’s in the Bullring – Tickets »
With music from Jasmine Kennedy. More to be announced.
Manchester
Friday 30th November 19.30 – Manchester Cathedral – Tickets »
With conversation with Robert Cohen and music from Jasmine Kennedy. More to be announced.
Newcastle
Saturday 1st December 19.30 – Turbine Hall, CastleGate – Tickets »
With conversation with Professor Mona Siddiqui and music from Gareth Davies-Jones.
Bristol
Monday 3rd December 19.30 – Woodlands Church – Tickets »
With music from Miriam Jones. More to be announced.
Southampton
Tuesday 4th December 19.30 – Central Hall – Tickets »
With conversation with Mohammed Ansar and music from Miriam Jones.
London
Wednesday 5th December 19.30 – Oasis, Waterloo – Tickets »
With conversation with Rabbi Shoshana Boyd Gelfand. More to be announced.
In short, I tell people that John 14:6 has nothing to do with the uses to which it is normally put (asserting exclusivity of the Christian religion). John 14:5 does not say, "Thomas asked, 'Lord, what about people of other religions, or people who have never heard of you?'" To pretend it does is to ignore the larger context (which I explore in some detail in A New Kind of Christianity).
As I explain in the book, we have been taught to quote and misapply that verse because our teachers had imperial-colonial interests (consciously or not), and that verse served those interests (just as Colossians 3:22 served the interests of slaveowners and racists, and Colossians 3:18 served the interests of chauvinists, etc).
That's why I believe it's time for us now to teach people other verses to quote when questions of the claims of Christ and Christian identity in a multi-faith world come up. Imagine, for example, if we quoted 1 John 4:7-8 whenever the question came up. Or even John 14:9 - followed by the question, How many people did Jesus torture, imprison, burn, or kill? (Truth be told, though, I'm not a fan of "versification" - proof-texting with verses, which too often involves taking them out of their full context).
At any rate, here's a good question that came in related to John 14:6:
I attended your book tour stop here in Dallas and was the person who asked the question about John 14:6.
Ironically enough, now just the day after your presentation I have run into a Christian Pastor who quoted another hostile verse, (Matthew 10:34-36). He used this verse to not only justify pitting different religions against each other but also different denominations of the Christian Faith against each other, who don't believe the way he says they should.
Any further advice, other than just pointing out verses such as 1 John 4:7-8?
I think the best interpretation of Matthew 10:34-36 is Luke 4:14-30, especially 25-27. If you dare to voice God's concern for "the other," then "us" - members of your own family and town and people and religion may well become your critics and enemies. I talk about this in some detail in my new book, Chapter 6.
A reader writes from Egypt: Seeing God in a More Charitable Light
I've been voraciously reading your books for the past 6 months after I read through "A New Kind of Christian" with my pastor at University Baptist Church in Waco, TX. As a Baylor student and a religion/theology major (and Arabic minor), the things you have to say resonate with me. I especially appreciate your quoting Jonathan Tran, one of my former ethics professors, in your new book, which I'm currently reading while studying abroad in Cairo. I have two comments to make:
1. Your new book about religious plurality (with the cumbersome title--I won't try to reproduce it here) is especially applicable here in the Middle East, in a country with a Christian minority around 5-8%. As I'm reading the book, the American flag is being burned in the street here and in other close countries in protest of an inflammatory hate-speech movie which is inciting violence and unrest. It's good to have definitive solutions still rooted in robust tradition; for a lot of my life I've identified just as you did in the beginning, a hostile evangelical. But thanks to writing like yours and others', I've been helped to see God in a more charitable (and illuminating, and true!) light. And because of that, I now have a platform here, in classes with Muslim students and nonreligious students from the States and Europe, to practice what you write about: mutual respect and help for growth for religious traditions that are (consciously or not) waiting for and working toward the Kingdom of God. So thank you!
2. Also, I'd like to point you toward the work of another professor I've had at Baylor (who recently accepted a position at McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago), Dr. Reggie Williams. Dr. Williams is doing important work with "black theology" in conversation with the works of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, focusing on Bonhoeffer's ideologically transformative time spent in New York City and Harlem specifically. His dissertation, “Christ-Centered Empathic Resistance: The Influence of Harlem Renaissance Theology on the Incarnational Ethic of Dietrich Bonhoeffer,” is well worth the read, and is indicative of an encouraging direction of both contemporary Protestant/Evangelical scholarship and Baylor University's religion department in general. Also, I couldn't have learned from a better man (although, of course, he'd say his desire is to know neither good nor evil but to know only God!).
In closing, thank you for the effect you've had on my life. I thank God for you and the way he's made you to see the world. Keep doing what you're doing!! I hope you have time to read this, but if not, I won't be offended at all. After all, you've got some pretty important things to do! :)
Thanks for this note, for the encouragement, and for these excellent recommendations. Keep up the good work in Cairo!
Book Tour memories
I'm taking some time to recuperate from a wild and wonderful book tour over the last seven weeks - with stops in New York, DC, Boston ... San Francisco, Berkeley, LA, and San Diego, and lots of cities in between. Lots of notes are coming in, like this one ... In this deep south city, during the Q & R time, a young man felt it was his important duty to tell me I was a heretic, to warn me of divine wrath if I didn't repent, etc., etc. He was very sincere and quite respectful, and obviously in some pain as he tried to faithfully deliver his message. Someone else who was present wrote ...
I would like to thank you again for your presentation in [our fair city] the other night. My wife and I really enjoyed it. Since both of us grew up in very fundamentalist Southern Baptist churches, a lot of what you said resonated with us. Even though she moved on to where she could encounter and experience God more intimately within Buddhism, she was giving an "Amen" every now and then!
As I stated in our brief time together, when people talk about finding a middle road, of trying to relate to those of other faiths, it's usually from the stand point of the Other being "out there." But in our case, the Other is found in our most intimate settings! Being a Celtic Christian priest married to a Buddhist sure makes people stop and rethink! We have found that there is a lot of unity between our ways of living that most people (especially in our state) wouldn't see. We like to see ourselves as living this "New Kind of Christianity."
I hope that your experience with [the young man who rebuked you] had some redeeming elements He stated that he told you "to your face" to repent. It's that way of seeing that turned my wife away from the church. I'm so sorry that you have to go through that type of thing. But, when stuff like that happens, I think of Jesus. He encountered a lot of the same things in his public ministry. I think you're in good company!
I got a lot out our evening together. It was very edifying.... Again, thank your for the wonderful evening. May God continue to bless you, your family, and your ministry.
Thanks again to all the hosts and all who came for making the tour possible. And thanks to my friends and colleagues at LTM and Jericho Books for their support for the tour and the book.
An interview about my new book from Red Letter Christians
A New Way Forward for Evangelicals.
In his discussion, McLaren shares his vision: “We hope, we dream, we pray that another option will come into view – one that doesn’t pit us against others in hostility, and one that allows us to remain true to our own deepest Christian convictions” (34). Elsewhere he expresses this desire with the hope “that some courageous Evangelicals and Pentecostals will make a break from hostility while retaining their evangelistic passion” (23, footnote 17). I suggest that the realization of McLaren’s dream has already begun. At the Evangelical Chapter of the Foundation for Religious Diplomacy we have been assembling a like-minded and growing network of Evangelicals who are doing precisely this. We are working with Evangelicals and mainline Protestants to “Prepare Christians for interreligious understanding and relationships without compromise and in civility through advocacy, education, and conversations.” We have seen our application of the “interfaith triangle” of education, relationship, and attitudes result in the transformation of Christian faith identity from hostile to benevolent.
Brian McLaren has done Evangelicals a great service with the writing of this book. It should be read widely, discussed vigorously, and experimented with radically as Evangelicals continue their journey through the religious pluralism and violence that characterizes the continuing journey through the twenty-first century.
Israel and Palestine
Anyone who cares about the issues I raise in my new book will also learn to care deeply about the situation in Israel and Palestine. Here are some excellent articles on the subject, by people I trust:
I'll have a day at home, and then will be in Dallas (Wed.) and Miami (Fri.) next week. (Hope to see you there! More info here...) Thanks to all who have made this tour a pleasure, especially the event hosts and my friends at LTM,Jericho, and Creative Trust.
Hatred never ends through hatred
Hatred never ends through hatred.
By non-hate alone does it end.
This is an ancient truth.
- The Dhammapada (sayings of the Buddha)
You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.” But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.
- The Sermon on the Mount (sayings of Jesus)
Friends in DC and NYC
You've probably heard about the ugly posters being placed in subways in NYC and DC. They read: “In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man. Support Israel. Defeat Jihad.”
The language of "savage" and "civilized man" should ring a lot of bells for people who are reading my new book.
I’m writing about the anti-Muslim ads paid for by the American Freedom Defense Initiative.
The ads encourage discrimination against Muslims by comparing them to “savages” rather than “civilized men”.
When I see signs with hate messages, like the ones that went on display today, I feel attacked. Even though I am not Muslim myself, Muslims are my neighbors, my co-workers, my partners in the community.
WMATA shouldn’t profit from a message of hatred. Proceeds from the ads should go to the DC Human Rights Commission.
I cannot tell you just how much your writing means to me - and has done for several years now. I could go on. I shall not.
All I wish to share with you is that your latest book, Why did Jesus . . . Just moved me spontaneously to tears. Good tears. Beautiful tears. That moment you were hugged by the Imam after 9/11 and a new friendship began; it was such a moment of precious loving, compassionate, hospitable humanity.
Surely, surely this is what all our faiths are about - loving one another in our oneness.
Thanks for these encouraging words. I'm nearing the end of my US book tour, and so many people are sharing their own stories like these - of friendships that "break down the dividing walls of hostility." God's love, working through compassionate people, is weaving and mending the fabric of human-kind that is so easily torn by fear, prejudice, ignorance, and hostility. (BTW - I'll be in the UK 27 Nov - 6 Dec.)
We Christians will not experience a reorientation of our identity until we are willing to go through a profound thinking of our history. We will never truly deal with the worst parts of our history by denying or minimizing them, but only by facing them honestly, humbly, and fully. That is what the Bible calls repentance.
In Kent Nerburn's "Wolf at Twilight," a Lakota elder powerfully articulates to a young Caucasian writer what historical repentance looks like: "When you look at black people, you see ghosts of all the slavery, and the rapes and the hangings and the chains. When you look at Jews, you see ghosts of all those bodies piled up in death camps. And those ghosts keep you trying to do the right thing." But the stories of the Native Peoples are still minimized and marginalized, he explains, so "when you look at us, you don't see the ghosts of the little babies with their heads smashed in by rifle butts at the Big Hole, or the old folks dying by the side of the trail on the way to Oklahoma* while their families cried and tried to make them comfortable, or the dead mothers at Wounded Knee or the little kids at Sand Creek who were shot for target practice." Until we hear those stories and feel their import, the Lakota elder suggests, others remain the other, not us, their kind, not our kind.... But if we bring our secrets into the light, according to the Good News we proclaim, we can be redeemed, re-identified ...." (79-80)
I devote a chapter in my new book to Columbus (Chapter 9). That's the source of the quote above.
I recently received this note from a reader of my books, someone I had met on a trip to Asia a few years back:
I read recently about your recent stand on homosexuality ... Don’t know if everything is correct – but this was my comment on that article:,
“I have regarded Brian as my mentor in coping with expressing my Christian faith in the postmodern world but now I have to break ranks with him - it leaves me devastated. "Neither do I condemn you - go and sin no more" the words of Jesus in the situation of the woman caught in adultery gives me guidance on this issue - "not to condemn" is not the same "it is not sin". To use a supra concept of "Loving God and Loving Neighbour" to excuse what is clearly sin in the Bible is to dilute the fundamental of obeying the Bible for its teaching authority in our lives in defining ethical behaviour - what else will happen next?
Brian my dear friend, thank you for journeying with me and opening my eyes to see my faith being worked out in a post modern world - your journey has taken you in a different direction from where I want to go - I feel lost as to who will be my next guidepost, but I will carry on this journey with Jesus as the author and finisher of my faith ...”,
I met you when you were in [Asia] some years ago. If you get to read this and would like to respond it will be great but otherwise it’s ok. God bless you brother.
Thanks for sending me your comment. I appreciate your warmth and feel your sadness in needing to (as you say) break ranks with me. There is a lot I'd like to say - but I'll just offer three (actually four) brief comments.
First, as you probably know, I'm not a "we have to keep ranks" type of guy. One of the characteristics I most appreciate about "a generous orthodoxy" or "a new kind of Christianity" is the freedom to stay unified and stay in fellowship even when we disagree. In fact, if we only "keep ranks" with those with whom we agree, it pretty much guarantees we won't be challenged to think new thoughts and grow into new areas. So, it's important for you to know that if you hold a different view than I do, whatever the issue - I would not want to "break ranks" with you. In fact, I am continually enriched, instructed, and challenged by people who differ with me on this and other issues - and I hope the reverse could be true.
My view on human sexuality has indeed changed over a period of thirty years, and actually, the views of most conservative Christians have also been changing over that period. It wasn't too long ago that the only conservative position was, "It's a choice and an abomination." When that position became untenable due to increasing data, the conservative position evolved to "it's a changeable disposition, and we know how to change it." When fewer and fewer people who claimed to have been reoriented were able to sustain the reorientation, the position shifted to "it's a hard-to-change disposition, but it can be done with great difficulty." More recently, I hear conservatives say "the disposition may be unchangeable but the behavior is a choice, so people may choose to live a celibate life or a heterosexual life, even against their orientation." All that's to say that it would be unfair of me to break fellowship with people who are themselves on a journey, just because they aren't where I am at this point.
So I'm glad that difference doesn't need to mean division. Which brings me to a second comment ...
In many settings - some cultural, some multi-religious, some denominational, not taking a firm anti-homosexuality stance can cost you your reputation, your job, and even your life. Because you have been an outspoken supporter of my work in the past, I can see how my public stand would put you in a terrible position. If you don't publicly break ranks with me, people may practice "guilt by association," branding you a "friend of sinners," or worse - someone in ranks with a heretic. Those costs would be very high. So be assured - I don't criticize you for breaking ranks with me - and doing so in the most public way possible. I can see how even if you privately agreed with me (and I know you don't), it would be almost impossible to do otherwise than break ranks, as you say. Many of my friends have been in a similar position. I'm deeply sad about this - for both sides - but understand it.
Finally, this issue is not going to go away. A significant percentage of people are gay - I would guess around 6%. This percentage seems to be a remarkably consistent feature of every human culture and population, every denomination, every religion, including those who deny it exists among them. If each gay person has two parents, the issue affects 18% of the population. If each gay person has one sibling and one friend, we're up to 30% who are directly affected by the issue.
It's much easier to hold the line on the conservative position when nearly all gay people around you are closeted and pretending to be other than they are. Eventually for some, the pain of pretending will become greater than the pain of going public. Whenever a new son or daughter comes out of the closet, their friends and family will face a tough choice: will they "break ranks" with their family member or friend, or will they stay loyal to their family member or friend - which will require them to have others break ranks with them?
In my case, I inherited a theology that told me exactly what you said: homosexuality is a sin, so although we should not condemn (i.e. stone them), we must tell people to "go and sin no more." Believe me, for many years as a pastor I tried to faithfully uphold this position, and sadly, I now feel that I unintentionally damaged many people in doing so. Thankfully, I had a long succession of friends who were gay. And then I had a long succession of parishioners come out to me. They endured my pronouncements. They listened and responded patiently as I brought up the famous six or seven Bible passages again and again. They didn't break ranks with me and in fact showed amazing grace and patience to me when I was showing something much less to them.
Over time, I could not square their stories and experiences with the theology I had inherited. So I re-opened the issue, read a lot of books, re-studied the Scriptures, and eventually came to believe that just as the Western church had been wrong on slavery, wrong on colonialism, wrong on environmental plunder, wrong on subordinating women, wrong on segregation and apartheid (all of which it justified biblically) ... we had been wrong on this issue. In this process, I did not reject the Bible. In fact, my love and reverence for the Bible increased when I became more aware of the hermeneutical assumptions on which many now-discredited traditional interpretations were based and defended. I was able to distinguish "what the Bible says" from "what this school of interpretation says the Bible says," and that helped me in many ways.
So - many years before I learned I had members of my own close family who were gay - my view changed. As you can imagine, when this issue suddenly became a live issue in my own family, I was relieved that I was already in a place where I would not harm them as (I'm ashamed to say this) I had harmed some gay people (other people's sons and daughters) earlier in my ministry.
I know this won't be convincing to many people, but it's an honest though brief accounting of my story. I express a similar thought in my new book (p. 52). I'm addressing the issue of hostility toward other religions, something many people feel they must uphold in order to be faithful and orthodox Christians:
I think of a friend of mine from the same background of Christian fundamentalism I hail from. When his son came out, he had no support to help him accept the possibility that his son could be both gay and good. With deep ambivalence, he stood with his tradition and condemned his son. The cost -alienation from his son - was high, but it grew unspeakably higher when his son internalized the rejection and condemnation of his community and took his own life. Or I think of another friend, the mother of a gay son, also from my heritage. She came to me in secret to talk, knowing that one of my sons had come out around the same time as hers. Through tears she said, "I feel like I'm being forced to choose between my father and my son. If I affirm my son, I'm rejecting everything my father stood for. If I stand with my father, I'm rejecting my son."
In religion as in parenthood, uncritical loyalty to our ancestors may implicate us in an injustice against our descendants: imprisoning them in the errors of our ancestors. Yes, there are costs either way.
I want to add one more brief comment. You ask, if we change our way of interpreting the Bible on this issue (my words, not yours) "- what else will happen next?" Here's what I hope will happen. After acknowledging the full humanity and human rights of gay people, I hope we will tackle the elephant in the room, so to speak - the big subject of poverty. If homosexuality directly and indirectly affects 6 - 30% of the population, poverty indirectly and directly affects 60 - 100%. What would happen if we acknowledged the full humanity and full human rights of poor people? And then people with physical disabilities and mental illnesses and impairments? And then, what after that? What would happen if we acknowledged the spiritual, theological, moral value - far beyond monetary or corporate value - of the birds of the air, the flowers of the field, of seas and mountains and valleys and ecosystems? To me, Jesus' proclamation of the reign or commonwealth of God requires us to keep pressing forward, opening blind eyes, setting captives free, proclaiming God's amazing grace to all creation.
So - thanks for your note, for the warm spirit in which it was written, and for the invitation to respond. No need to be devastated. You will be fine. God bless you too, my brother! I hope our paths cross again soon. In friendship, as always - Brian
Tonight online, Tuesday in Denver, Wednesday ...
You can catch a rebroadcast of my Darkwood Brew conversation with Eric Elnes on Convergence Christianity tonight at 6 ET/5 CT: http://www.onfaithonline.tv/darkwoodbrew/
Regular readers of this blog know that I'm an avid supporter of fair trade, ethical buying, and especially the fair food campaign. I'm looking forward to the day when all our major grocery chains sign on ... Yesterday we learned that Chipotle Restaurants have joined the Fair Food Campaign. Congratulations, Chipotle! Way to go! You can learn more here - http://www.ciw-online.org
For more on Fair Trade products, check out Trade as One.
Thanks for your new book. You describe my upbringing to a "T." I want to leave behind my strong-hostile religious background without sliding into a weak-benign one instead. The strong-benevolent option is the way for me - and your suggestions on how to get there are just what we need. Thanks also for your recent CNN.com piece. I know you took a lot of heat for it - from all sides - but I also know that if people don't speak out against religious prejudice wherever it is found, including among us Christians, we'll sink deeper in the hole we're digging.
Now that I want to get a bigger picture of what's going on in the world - including other religions - I want to find a reliable source of news and information about the Middle East. It seems that many of our so-called news sources have heavy doses of propaganda. Where do you go for more trustworthy information?
Here's the R:
First, I'd affirm your concern - that the line between news and propaganda isn't as obvious as many people think - especially here in the US. So it's unwise for anyone to listen to any single perspective without hearing other sides (the "s" is important - there are many sides to almost every issue) - presented by knowledgeable sources, not a single biased perspective. So, for example, I wouldn't listen exclusively to Fox News or NBC without also listening to Al Jazeera.
There's a new site I can recommend for trustworthy perspectives (again, the "s" is important) on the Middle East: www.MiddleEastExperience.com
A reader writes: strong and benevolent Christian identity in these times
Each night of the book tour I've met wonderful people, and we've had tremendous interaction in city after city. Many things people say and send are deeply personal and deeply encouraging to my own soul, as you'll see in this note:
we just met a little over a week ago, in st. louis, after your presentation on inter-faith dialogue....
in addition to my gratitude for your time and your words that evening - and truly, i am indeed grateful - i'm writing this note to tell you - i am so proud of you. as you said to me regarding my own desire to stand in solidarity with the gay community in my particular context 'it is the christ-like thing to do.'
there was a beauty to those words - they resonated with truth.
you repeated them as if you spoke them from a deeper place than i realized...
'it is the christ-like thing to do....'
He then recounts reading an article about me on a popular website:
most the comments were atrocious. as i read through them, i literally began to cry. ... it's damning. and i'm so sorry for the words that are spoken - toward you and your family - in the name of christ. what a painful example of the sort of hostility you have such a passion to bring us out of as christians.
...i am encouraged by your commitment to live like jesus, and to teach others to do the same. you inspire me to be more christ-like, to find the strength and the courage to run hard after God in the way of jesus regardless of the voices that would attempt to convince me otherwise - voices often found inside the church.
... i'm proud of you for writing what God has stirred in your soul to share with his church. i'm proud of you for being willing to put yourself on the line - being misquoted, misinterpreted and misunderstood - and responding with a divinely inspired grace.
you give me hope.... thank you. thank you for serving as an example of what gracious disagreement looks like within the context of a life tilted toward christ, of exemplifying a strong and benevolent christian identity in these times.... in the midst of many hateful things said by others- past, present and future - i wanted to pass those thoughts along to you.
i hope to live my faith out as well as you live yours. you are truly an inspiration of what it looks like to love God and others in the way of jesus.
Obviously, this is very humbling and one encouraging comment like this can make up for a thousand nasty jabs in comments sections. It's clear from responses like this that people aren't just looking for a book or an idea: they're looking for imperfect but growing examples of lives "tilted toward Christ." May all of us keep "tilting" in that direction - toward kindness (not hostility), toward justice (not prejudice), toward truth (not misinformation or ignorance), toward generosity (not fear), toward hope (not cynicism), toward self-giving (not self-protection). We have a long way to go, so it's better for us to begin today than to wait until tomorrow.
If you need a good sermon today ...
You've probably never heard the grandson of a famous Pentecostal televangelist who speaks like this:
Pay attention to Drew Sumrall - he represents what is happening among many thoughtful children and grandchildren of more conventional conservative Christians in America.
An interesting discussion, somewhat peripherally about me ...
Terry Mattingly wrote a piece about whether the label Evangelical fits me any more. That's certainly a legitimate question - one I'm sometimes curious about myself. (I wrote about Conflicted Religious Identity Syndrome in my new book.)
Greg Metzger called me (a nice thing to do!) and asked one of the questions Terry Mattingly raised, and then wrote a response.
I think it's fair to say that Terry's original piece implied that one can identify a bona fide Evangelical (or smoke out a covert Mainline Liberal Protestant) based on three questions:
(1) Are biblical accounts of the resurrection of Jesus accurate? Did this event really happen?
(2) Is salvation found through Jesus Christ, alone? Was Jesus being literal when he said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6)?
(3) Is sex outside of marriage a sin?
Terry's three (actually five) questions make perfect sense to him, I'm sure. I suppose a simple "yes" answer to each means passing the Evangelical test. But to me his test questions are too interesting to simply pass or fail. They are jammed full of so many assumptions that they defy a simple yes or no (which is why Greg Metzger referred to the "do you still beat your wife" question). As I say in my new book, it's very hard to understand a different paradigm from the outside.
Terry may intend his resurrection question as a test regarding whether one is an "Enlightenment rationalist-reductionist" who believes in a mechanistic universe in which nothing happens that can't be explained by physics and mathematics, where the "supernatural" is absorbed into the natural, and the natural is reduced to the physical and mathematical, and so on. This is what Francis Schaeffer used to call a "closed impersonal universe of cause and effect." There was a lot of surrender to these Enlightenment assumptions in the old liberalism - and Terry would be right to resist surrender.
Here's where the paradigm problem comes in ... part of what happened to me in my adult life is that this familiar dualistic world - that sees everything in terms of natural-supernatural, us-them, liberal-conservative, etc. - collapsed (or deconstructed) beneath my feet. I think that songwriter Peter Mayer captured it well in Holy Now. I didn't go from being a supernaturalist to a naturalist: I went from a place of seeing a secular/natural world interrupted by a few sacred/miraculous interventions to living in a world where everything's a miracle, where everything is shot through with the holy, where I have to take off my shoes (not literally) because it's holy ground. (Songwriter Carrie Newcomer also captures this in her marvelous song Holy as the Day.)
Some folks will mock this, of course, or see it as evasion of the only question that matters.
As I told Greg Metzger when he called, I believe in the resurrection and have based my life upon it. The resurrection event has captured my imagination, won my heart, and become the story by which I seek to live. Here I am in my mid-50's, and I confess that the event continues to bubble up with new depths of meaning I didn't grasp before. So my faith in the resurrection is for me what has been called a "saturated event" - an event surpasses and overflows every attempt I have ever made to contain it. I guess that's what faith is about - saying "I trust something is true," while simultaneously saying, "And there's more to it than I understand."
Regarding his second question ... one of the central discoveries of my adult life - that I've written about extensively - is a conviction that the word "salvation" doesn't mean what I was taught it meant in my Evangelical upbringing (justification through penal substitutionary atonement that reverses the ontological curse of original sin so that individual souls can go to eternal bliss in heaven, not eternal conscious torment in hell). As I understand it now, it means something much closer to liberation (evoking the Exodus), rescue from being held captive by "this present evil age," restoration on the path to original goodness, reconciliation with God, neighbor, enemy, self, and planet ... reintroduction to abundant life, shalom, the reign or commonwealth of God, the healing of the earth. Ask me if Jesus is central to all this and I can give an enthusiastic yes.
I certainly believe John 14:6, but I don't think it's wise to interpret it as if John 14:5 said, "And Thomas came to him and said, 'Master, what about those who have never heard of you or who follow other religions?'" Nor do I think it's wise to assume that "through me" in 14:6 means "through the Christian religion," or that "come to the Father" can be reduced to "going to heaven when you die." (I explain all that in some detail in A New Kind of Christianity.) And my new book grapples with these matters in even more detail.
His question about sex outside of marriage is equally interesting. I'm for celibacy and fidelity - not promiscuity and infidelity. But the question may be intended to smoke out those who no longer hold to the traditional position against homosexuality (which has itself, of course, been changing, but that's another story).
So does the E-word apply? I think all my books are works of evangelism, expressions of a truly evangelical spirit - in that they proclaim the good news of Christ (as I understand it) and call people to rethink everything and become followers of Christ's new way of life and new vision of truth. But the Evangelical label/brand is being managed by others, so they'll have to decide whether my assessment matches theirs.
I often think that my worst Evangelical sin isn't dropping my opposition to gay people. I think it's dropping the narrative I was taught that imposed on the world a liberal-conservative dualism where Evangelicals/Conservatives were the clean, the children of light, the faithful, etc., and Mainliners or Liberals or whatever were the unclean and apostate children of darkness. I think that both sides - along with all of us who don't fit in either bucket - are a mix and mess of clean and unclean, light and dark, smart and stupid, etc. And I think God loves and blesses us all, even when we refuse to follow God's example.
As I see it, something new is (sorry for this word) emerging. Many Mainline Protestants are (re)discovering the possibility of what Evangelicals call "a personal relationship with Christ." They're experiencing the Holy Spirit in ways that Pentecostals and monastic mystics used to feel they had a monopoly on. And many Evangelicals are (re)discovering that you can love and believe the Bible without using terms like "literal" and "inerrant" to describe it. More and more Mainline Protestants are warming up again to evangelism - not meaning proselytism, and not meaning accepting a certain theory of atonement, but meaning boldly proclaiming Jesus' good news of the kingdom or reign or commonwealth of God and calling people to repentance and wholehearted, lifelong commitment in it. Many Evangelicals are becoming equally passionately committed to social justice - working for the poor, for peace, and for the planet. Many are moving beyond both pre-critical Evangelicalism and critical Liberalism to a post-critical terra nova ... which is hard for many Evangelicals and Liberals alike to understand.
More and more of us are convinced that there is a convergence taking place among a growing minority of both MLP's and Ev's ... along with Progressive Catholics, the peace churches, many in the ethnic churches, and still others as well. Someone recently told me that when she is forced to choose between the old conservative-liberal polarity, she feels she is being asked to choose between "the blind leading the blind" and "the bland leading the bland." (I wouldn't say it exactly that way myself.) Another friend describes those options as "ignorance on fire" and "intelligence on ice." I'll say it like this: God gave human beings both minds and hearts, and they want to employ both fully in the love and service of God, and sooner or later, we'll all need to make room for that.
So, God bless Terry Mattingly and those who worry that the Evangelical label is being used too broadly. God bless Greg Metzger and all who fear the label is being constricted into something far more narrow than the love of God would mandate. God bless those who have the label and love it. God bless those who lost the label and still love it. God bless those who have no idea what the label means or why it matters. And everyone else too.
Comments on "Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road?"
From a reader in China:
I'm sitting in a Starbucks in Xiamen, China reading your new one. I'm on Chapter 6 where you're recounting your online dialogue and it's blowing me away. Something just hit me like a brick.
First the quote:
"We need to become better Muslims, better Jews, and better Christians. (And we all agree that Jesus has a lot to offer to all of us in this predicament."
Now the brick:
Perhaps this idea is a reasonable (and integral!) explanation of what Jesus meant when he said, "No man comes to the Father except through me." Perhaps Jesus foresaw his role as the refiner of our particular faiths, and not just the Christian one.
As always, thanks for what you're doing. I'm cheering you on from the other side of the planet, where I'm completely surrounded by The Other. Wait a minute... Maybe I'm the Other.
From a gifted leader at an Evangelical megachurch:
Just a quick email to let you know how much I'm loving your new book "Why did Jesus...". I seriously can't think of a more important conversation on earth right now...or a more brilliantly winsome way to approach it. Way to go! Keep pushing us!
As I've said over and over, the call to Americans of the 20th Century was to get racial harmony right, while the call of the 21st Century is to get religious harmony right.
And that's exactly the point of McLaren's book.
McLaren's concern is how Christians can retain a strong religious identity and still be respectful of other religions and their adherents. He argues persuasively that one need not compromise one's religious beliefs to be able to relate constructively and respectfully with people of other faiths.
Congratulations on your book release. It is a prophetic word. I pray it gets great attention. As you eloquently persuade us, we must have strong, benevolent Christian identities.
I listened to your conversation with Phyllis Tickle on Mormon Matters and I valued the combination of your collective vision and perspective on the movement as a whole. Thank you for that. Just a question on your vision of the relationship between two forces. Do you see emergence Christianity coexisting with convergence Christianity or absorbing it? Have you written something to clarify this relationship?
Here's the R:
Thanks. I am so grateful for the response the book is receiving. I'm in California at the moment, and night by night, wonderful and needed conversations are unfolding.
I'm not a big one for arguing about terms, but here's what I'd say. If "emergence" is the big picture, convergence is one key element. But the key question is what are we emerging into and for? What are we converging into and for?
That's the question that seizes my imagination ... not simply a movement to change the church, but to reinvigorate and refocus the church for the good of the world. I hope more and more people will want to be part of that.
Like Rev. [Clay] Thomas, I'm part of a growing movement of people who realize that there is a moral dimension to capitalism. With every purchase, our dollars "vote" for companies. Of course, some companies have better prices and products than others - but that's not the end of the story. Some companies are more careful of the environment than others. Some companies take better care of their employees than others. Some companies are more responsive to the community than others. Some companies work harder to ensure well-being down their supply chains than others.
Because of our moral commitments - rooted in our faith commitments, more and more of us don't stop with price and product quality - we're concerned about justice and corporate responsibility too.
So more and more of us want to reward the more responsible companies with our business. That's especially true regarding food. Since we need it every day, we understand that we are connected by the food we eat to the stores that sell the food, the transporters who ship it, the farmers who grow it, and the workers who plant and harvest it.
The good people of Relational Tithe could use your help:
RT, founded by my good friend Shane Claiborne, is putting together the Common Change website. It is a platform to help groups give to the needs of others they are in relationship with (or want to be in relationship with). It is pretty cool. You can contribute to RT, and/or you can "vote" for it to receive an important grant. You can learn more here:
http://givingoflife.com/project/online-sharing-platform-called-commonchange.com
Q & R: Memorial Tour
Here's the Q:
Do you have any suggestions for leading youth on a D.C. Memorial tour, where they could learn about how we have formed hostile identities against others in the past and to learn how to form "strong, gracious towards others" identities in the future?
Here's the R:
I lived in DC for most of my life and one of my favorite things to do when I'm back in town is to take people on a tour of war memorials - to guide people on our national reflections on war. Here's a slideshow on the subject: http://www.slideshare.net/brianmclaren
You can start at Lincoln and then go to Vietnam and Korea. Then go to World War II, then cut over to Roosevelt and end at MLK. It will take about 4 hours and you will walk a couple of miles ... and at each stop, you can reflect on
a) What the memorial is saying about America when the memorial was built
b) What the war or person it commemorates was about
c) What the architecture, artistry, and inscriptions are saying about America and war
d) What effect the memorial has on you.
One thing you won't find ... any memorials to the humanity of our enemies. Their humanity is predictably absent from all our memorials. (I've always wished that a church in DC would create something that our government probably won't do ... create a memorial to the war dead from the other side of our conflicts.)
But thankfully, you will find the voices of the marginalized in a few places in DC - in the Native American museum, the Holocaust museum, and in the future, at the African American history and culture museum (currently a part of the Smithsonian History and Technology museum). They should be at the top of your list of places to visit.
DC is an amazing treasure. Visiting can be a rather meaningless succession of touristic photo stops, or it can be a truly life-changing engagement with our past, present, and future.
A few days off ...
The first leg of the book tour is over - New York, DC, Boston, St. Louis, Grand Rapids, and South Bend. Thanks to all the hosts of the events - and thanks to all who came. Next week, I'll be in Berkeley, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego. You can learn more here.
In between, I'm enjoying a few days with my family, including my two adorable granddaughters. I'm a happy man!
... has gotten a lot of response - 7000+ comments, 14000 Facebook recommendations, etc. I'll choose a few of the most critical responses to respond to in a few days. Many of the comments make clear how much we need to reflect on the subject of my new book ... Thanks for all who have come out to the book tour events, responded with your honest feedback to the op-ed (whether positively, critically, or negatively), and started needed conversations about Christian identity in a multi-faith world.
In St. Louis tonight, in Grand Rapids tomorrow ...
Hope to see you!
September 17 St. Louis, MO (free event, no registration necessary)
Ladue Chapel Presbyterian Church
9650 Clayton Road
Event Time: 7:30pm
September 18 Grand Rapids, MI
Eberhard Center, Grand Valley State University
Grand Rapids Campus
301 West Fulton St.
Event Time: 7 p.m.
Friends with Chronic Illnesses ...
My friend Andy Barwick lives with chronic illness. This excellent piece advises the rest of us on how to help - and avoid hurting - our friends who struggle to live well with so much working against them. http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/11/health/invisible-chronic-illness/index.html
Andy's picture is in the slide show ... remember him, and those you know with chronic illnesses - in your prayers.
I just wanted to tell you how timely your book has been. I'm only 13%
of the way through it (can you tell I got the Kindle edition?) but it
has been very affirming.
I resonate with the spectrum you laid out. I've long been a middle of
the road guy...my line about my denomination is "we're evangelicals, but we're
nice." And I suspect that option D is where I really want to be. I'm
looking forward to learning more and finishing the book.
Blessings on you and the new book. I hope it will get a wide reading.
(I suppose I could wait until I finish it to say that, you know,
given the warning you offer at the beginning, but I suspect even the
bits that I may disagree with will give me much to ponder.)
A Muslim, a Christian, a nonreligious person, and an agnostic respond to an op-ed
My CNN.com op-ed over the weekend got a lot of people talking. Here are three responses:
From a Muslim:
I read your article and while the English was a little above my level (maybe most Americans too) I understood most of it.
What I truly want to say is you did hit the nail on the head with this one. You presented the facts about the short comings of the Muslim and Christian communities (no one doeskin perfect) and a roadmap to work our differences (if any exists really!) and the more important part you were fair!!
I want to thank you as a Muslim for being fair and about having Muslim friends, if one in your community wants to have Muslim friend tell then to contact me
From a Christian:
Your article published by CNN today was a good one. I don't ever write to columnist, but I thought your opinion was relevant and certainly timely. I haven't read any of your books and don't know why the Christian book stores don't carry them (I might agree with them), but the article was very good.
From a nonreligious person:
Rather than pointing fingers at the prejudiced Islamaphobic evangelicals, you should have perhaps described the situation in the same way a 3rd grade teacher would. A rotten kid in the class taunts another rotten kid, the second kid has little tolerance for the commentary and starts hitting the first kid.
Both kids are immature and wrong. The kid who threw the punch has committed the worse offense in escalating the matter. And chances are that the subject matter of their disagreement would seem downright immature even to the other third graders.
Just a simple perspective from someone who practices no religion. But also someone who has seen too many folks like yourself criticizing the taunting kid while completely ignoring the violent one.
From an agnostic:
Dear Mr. McLaren, may I respond briefly to your comments? I was not raised in any religion and would probably call myself an agnostic. I have grown increasing disgusted at the behavior of religious Americans. The hateful speech and political activity of the religious right are not, in my view, consistent with the teachings of Christianity. I agree with you. But the failure of the more moderate Christians, Jews, etc to speak up loudly in defense of tolerance, kindness, acceptance and respect makes it seem that they stand in silent support.
And I feel the same way about Muslims. I assume that most Muslims, like most Christians, are decent, compassionate people who abhor violence, hate and cruelty. The Muslims I know know personally are kind, generous and loving. But, again, where are their voices raised in outrage out shouting the screams for jihad?
To a non- religious person, you all are to blame for this flood of incivility and hostility that is drowning us. To paraphrase a comment I read on the web: "I wish the first rule of religion was like the first rule of Fight Club!"
An amazing week ...
My new book released, we had excellent gatherings to discuss the book in New York, Washington DC, and Boston. And in light of religiously-related violence (and puerile filmmaking), there has been a good bit of media attention too.
I'll be in New York Wednesday, in DC Thursday, in Boston Friday, and near St. Louis on Monday. I hope you'll come, hear me share about some of the book's key ideas, let me sign your copy, and say hello IRL.
Also - I'd be thrilled if you help spread the word via your networks.
Thanks for your interest and support, everyone. I have an amazing community of readers - I appreciate you!
Tomorrow!
Tomorrow my new book releases. Thanks for your interest!
Our root problem is neither religious difference nor religious identity nor even strong religious identity. Our root problem is the hostility that we often employ to make and keep our identities strong - whether those identities are political, economic, philosophical, scientific, or religious. (Brian D. McLaren, Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? p. 63)
Learn more here: http://bit.ly/R8fzUI
Endorsements for "Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? (Christian Identity in a Multi-Faith World)
The book releases tomorrow!
‘[Brian McLaren] actually believes that Jesus and his followers can change the world. This book is no exception – he starts with a joke but quickly you realize just how serious he is about doing what Jesus teaches us to do. Helpful, timely, and really, really inspiring.’
– Rob Bell, author of Love Wins
‘An extraordinary book: a thought-provoking introduction to one of the biggest challenges confronting the church in our globalised world, and a profoundly biblical and brave beginning to a Christ-centred cultural revolution.’
– Rev Steve Chalke MBE, founder of Oasis Global and Stop The Traffik
‘Brian has resisted the temptation to create an all-you-can-eat buffet of religions, where you can pick and choose what you want. Instead, he curiously explores what it looks like to be unashamedly Christian and still be nice to people who aren’t. As one who wants the world to know the love of Jesus, I am deeply troubled that one of the major obstacles to Christ is Christians . . . and I am deeply grateful for thinkers like Brian who are helping us discover a Christianity that looks like Jesus again.’
– Shane Claiborne, activist and author of The Irresistible Revolution
‘Brian McLaren is a genius in provoking – in a constructive way. You won’t see relations among religions in the same way after you read this book.’
– Miroslav Volf, Professor of Theology, Yale University
‘I think Brian McLaren is a spiritual genius! Not only does he have the courage to say what must and can be said, but he says it with a deep knowl- edge of both Scriptures and Tradition, and then says it very well besides – in ways that both the ordinary layperson and the scholar can respect and understand. You can’t get any better than that, which is why I call him a genius!’
– Richard Rohr, O.F.M, Center for Action and Contemplation
Why bother to read this book? Within decades the American religious landscape has been transformed by the exponential growth of Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam. Yet, religious pluralism and freedom is under siege, threatened by exclusivism, intolerance and extremism, at home and abroad. This engaging and compelling guidebook, written by one of America's most influential religious thinkers and spiritual teachers, is groundbreaking, redefining religious pluralism for the 21st century. It is a "must read" for Christians and followers of other faiths or no faith.
– John L. Esposito is University Professor and Founding Director of the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, Georgetown University and author of The Future of Islam.
‘In its relationship to those who believe differently, Christian formation all too often takes shape with hostile reaction, or collapses into some washed out common denominator. Brian helps us recover, and explore a vital and exciting alternative. Of how learning from “others” of all persuasions, is possible and intrinsic to vibrant Christian identity.’
– Jason Clark, Deep Church
‘This is a major work in every sense of the word – so major, in fact, that it would be impossible to exaggerate either its importance or its worth to the current conversation about religion and religions. Mapping the space between Christian exclusivism and inert universalism, McLaren brilliantly reclaims the ancient Christian imperative to abandon the accommodations of static religion and pursue instead the principles of Kingdom-living.’
– Phyllis Tickle, author of Emergence Christianity
‘Genuine dialogue with difference has often been avoided by the Christian community because of a fear that it will undermine, weaken or erode the faith. Here McLaren shows us that far from being something that is acidic to Christian identity, such engagement is part of its deepest expression.’
– Peter Rollins, author of Insurrection
‘Brian McLaren is a master of pointing us to the right question, and he has done it again by asking Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? This is a dangerous question. Dangerous in that it will not leave you alone once you invite it in . . . Brian reminds us that this question is not new, but that it is ours. I, for one, am grateful to Brian for the intro- duction to this immensely important book and question.’
– Doug Pagitt, pastor and author
‘Brian McLaren is the most creative Christian theologian and spiritual teacher writing and preaching today in the U.S., yet his universal message is as relevant to people of all faiths and none. A champion of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness – and rooting these in the Biblical texts – McLaren helps heal CRIS – Conflicted Religious Identity Syndrome. As a Jewish theologian, I welcome this important contribution to showing the path through which all religions can become an emancipa- tory force for human liberation.’
– Rabbi Michael Lerner, Editor, Tikkun, Chair of the Interfaith Network of Spiritual Progressives
‘Surely there is no problem more important – and more vexing – to people of various faiths than how we can all get along in this pluralistic, post- modern world. In Brian McLaren’s capable and gentle hands, these ques- tions are answered, and a new way forward is offered. This is a book for Christians (and others) who want to maintain their religious distinctive- ness but develop loving compassion for their neighbors of other religions.’
—Tony Jones, author of The New Christians
Countdown Day 1:
When religions - including Christianity - grow strong by incorporating hostility to otherness into their identity, they become more like one another. In light of that similarity, their differences seem increasingly trivial. Like rival twins, they are joined in the conflicted unity of a hostile identity, different in content but mirroring one another in attitude and behavior. (Brian D. McLaren, Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? p. 57)
Learn more here: http://bit.ly/R8fzUI
You don't have to be Lutheran to be inspired by this:
Thanks, Nadia!
Deriving Strength from Hostility
Countdown Day 2:
The tensions between our conflicted religions arise not from our differences, but from one thing we all hold in common: an oppositional religious identity that derives strength from hostility. (Brian D. McLaren, Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? p. 57)
Learn more here: http://bit.ly/R8fzUI
Q & R: Heart-wrenching to think ...
Here's the Q:
In your recent article about Convergence Christianity, you said,"My general hunch is that in the short run, the most conservative streams of Christianity -- in Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox settings alike -- will constrict, tighten up, batten the hatches, raise the boundary fences, demand greater doctrinal, political, and behavioral conformity, and monitor boundaries with increased vigilance. Doing so will increase commitment (and anxiety) among the "true believers," but it will also drive away their younger, more educated, and less isolated members.”
This is so true. You have no idea how true! Our family just had to (painfully) leave a church situation that did exactly as you predicted! The problem is, we live in [a small city in the South) and after lots and lots of visiting churches, reading church websites, and asking around, there doesn’t seem to be a faith community for a liberal leaning, progressive, questioning, passionate, trying-to-be-a-Christ-follower like myself. It is heart wrenching to think I might have to leave church completely and fulfill the second part of your prediction and “drift into nominal faith and become tacit devotees of secular consumerism.”
I feel like I am at a dead end and am desperate. I thought that because of your connections you may know of a church body in this area that is making Convergence Christianity happen (or even just on the right track toward the kind of faith you talk about so beautifully in your books). I deeply appreciate any help you can offer us lost pilgrims : ) Thank you!
Here's the R:
Thanks for your encouraging words. I should note that I've heard from some young Evangelicals since writing that article who said the opposite, basically, "No, we want to be more conservative. We like certainty. We aren't being driven away at all. We appreciate the clear and fixed boundaries." Based on my experience over the years, I'd say they might feel differently five or ten years from now (or twenty - when they have kids who come of age). But for now, they're thrilled with the drift to the right. So the same quest for certainty that drives some away gives others a sense of security and belonging - just as the quest for new understandings that inspires some of us gives others a sense of lostness and vertigo. We really are different people with different issues, needs, and desires!
I've been talking for several years to friends about the need for some sort of website that helps people find hospitable congregations. It doesn't exist yet, but if someone would like to donate fifteen or twenty thousand dollars (or maybe five or ten?), I know some folks who could create such a site (and keep it updated, which is critical). You'll find a good start at what's needed here on the Emergent Village site: https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=204825663061074949418.0004784e2a7b6ded34581&z=2
And there are other ideas several of us are gestating. Stay tuned. In the meantime, maybe you have some friends you can invite over for dinner and dialogue every week? You could watch Darkwood Brew together ... or discuss a book ... or share a short liturgy of prayer and Scripture readings. Could be the start of something...
A Christian and a Muslim walk into a radio show ...
Countdown Day 3:
When secularists see no hope for peace apart from the eradication of religion from the earth, they open up possible atheistic scenarios that could easily become as scary as the theocratic scenarios of their counterparts. (Brian D. McLaren, Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? p. 57)
Learn more here: http://bit.ly/R8fzUI
Next Week - I hope I'll see you in NY, DC, or Boston
My book tour begins next week!
Will you help me spread the word to friends in NY, DC, and Boston? Thanks!
Wednesday September 12 New York, NY
Christ Church United Methodist
520 Park Ave
Event Time: 7 p.m.
Thursday September 13 Washington DC
Calvary Baptist Church
755 8th St, NW
Washington DC
Event Time: 7:30 p.m.
Friday September 14 Newton, MA
First Baptist Church of Newton
848 Beacon St
Newton Center, MA
Event Time: 7:00 p.m.
October 19 Hollywood, FL
First Presbyterian Church
1530 Hollywood Blvd
Event Time: 7:30 p.m.
(Followed by coffee and dessert reception in church courtyard)
Loyalty and Injustice
Countdown Day 4:
In religion as in parenthood, uncritical loyalty to our ancestors may implicate us in an injustice against our descendants; imprisoning them in the errors of our ancestors. Yes, there are costs either way. (Brian D. McLaren, Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? p. 53)
Learn more here: http://bit.ly/R8fzUI
The Single Greatest obstacle
Countdown Day 5:
The single greatest obstacle to rethinking Christian identity won’t be imposed from the other side by other people, whether “us” or “them.” The single greatest obstacle will arise inside each of us. Your greatest obstacle will be in you and mine will be in me. In the end, it’s not the threats of others that cause me to shrink back, but rather my own fear. (Brian D. McLaren, Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? p. 52)
Learn more here: http://bit.ly/R8fzUI
Countdown Day 6:
To give myself to the Other without reserve or concern for what Us will say ... that is a level of love I do not think I often attain. But it is something to which I aspire because of the example of and teaching of Jesus. (Brian D. McLaren, Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? p. 48)
Learn more here: http://bit.ly/R8fzUI
What a month is ahead!
My new book launches officially next week, but copies are already out there in circulation. My book tour begins a week from today. Here's the latest on cities - I hope to meet lots of you at one of these events!
BOOK TOUR DATES/LOCATIONS 2012
September 12 New York, NY
Christ Church United Methodist
520 Park Ave
Event Time: 7 p.m.
September 13 Washington DC
Calvary Baptist Church
755 8th St, NW
Washington DC
Event Time: 7:30 p.m.
September 14 Newton, MA
First Baptist Church of Newton
848 Beacon St
Newton Center, MA
Event Time: 7:00 p.m.
September 17 St. Louis, MO (free event, no registration necessary)
Ladue Chapel Presbyterian Church
9650 Clayton Road
Event Time: 7:30pm
September 18 Grand Rapids, MI
Eberhard Center, Grand Valley State University
Grand Rapids Campus
301 West Fulton St.
Event Time: 7 p.m.
September 25 Berkeley, CA
"First Congregational" Church of "Berkeley"
2345 Channing Way
Event Time: 7:30 p.m.
September 26 San Francisco, CA
Calvary Presbyterian Church
2515 Fillmore St.
Event Time: 7:30 p.m.
September 28 Los Angeles, CA
Brentwood Presbyterian Church
12000 San Vicente Blvd
Event Time 7:30 p.m.
September 29 San Diego, CA
Mission Gathering Christian Church
3090 Polk Ave.
Event Time: 7:30 p.m.
October 5 Chicago, IL
Details TBA
October 9 Denver, CO
Messiah Lutheran Church
1750 Colorado Blvd.
Event Time: 7 p.m.
October 10 Phoenix, AZ
Details TBA
October 11 Austin, TX
First Baptist Church
901 Trinity St
Event Time: 7:00 p.m.
October 12 Oklahoma City, OK
Mayflower Congregational UCC
3901 NW 63rd St.
Event Time 7:00 p.m.
Date TBA Hollywood, FL
First Presbyterian Church
1530 Hollywood Blvd
Event Time: 7:30 p.m.
Tickets at most venues will be $15 advance and $20 at the door. You will receive more than $20 in free materials at the event, and you can pre-order the book too at a 20% discount. REGISTER HERE: http://lifeinthetrinityministry.com/mclarenbooktour/locations_1
"Since 1997, the Justice Department has prosecuted seven cases of slavery in the Florida agricultural industry — four involving tomato harvesters — freeing more than 1,000 men and women. The stories are a catalogue of horrors: abductions, pistol whippings, confinement at gunpoint, debt bondage and starvation wages.
Thankfully, those enslaved workers may be among the last found in Florida’s tomato fields. Today, virtually all Florida tomato growers have joined the Fair Food Program, which includes a code of conduct outlawing debt bondage and requiring humane conditions of labor and a more livable wage. Shade stations, toilets and drinking water are appearing in the fields, and educators are spreading word about the code to the harvesters. "
But all the news isn't good:
The CIW model is one of the great human rights success stories of our day. But the Fair Food Program won’t be sustainable unless the largest buyers of tomatoes — grocery stores — reward the growers in the program with their purchases and pay the price premium. Despite years of pressure from the CIW and from consumers, major supermarket chains including Ahold, Kroger’s and Publix have snubbed the Fair Food Program. They prefer their private production codes, which don’t benefit from the Fair Food Standards Council’s independent monitoring and evaluation.
If you want to help and become a long-term advocate for Fair Food (as I am), you can learn more here: http://www.interfaithact.org
Countdown Day 7:
Crucifixion happens, not at the hands of the Other, but Us. It is not easy risking that, even when we are trying to build solidarity with the Other. (Brian D. McLaren, Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? p. 48)
Learn more here: http://bit.ly/R8fzUI
Daring to Humanize the Other
Countdown Day 8:
I dont’ think we Christians often realize the great degree to which we live in fear of Us. This is true whether we’re Evangelical, Catholic, Mainline Protestant, Orthodox, Pentecostal, or whatever.... Our fear becomes all the more acute when we venture to do what many of us in this dialogue are doing: we are daring to defend and humanize the Other. (Brian D. McLaren, Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? p. 47)
Learn more here: http://bit.ly/R8fzUI
The threat of Us
Countdown Day 9:
To be rebuked, marginalized, or excluded by Us is an even greater threat than to be attacked by the Other. (Brian D. McLaren, Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? p. 47)
Learn more here: http://bit.ly/R8fzUI
Gaining by Defending and Attacking
Countdown Day 10:
If we defend ourselves against the Other, if we attack the Other, we gain credibility with “us.” We show that we are loyal, supportive believers, members of Us, and we are generously rewarded and affirmed. We gain a lot by attacking the Other - in religious circles as well as political ones. (Brian D. McLaren, Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? p. 47)
Learn more here: http://bit.ly/R8fzUI
Links Roundup
Eboo Patel writes a wonderful article on how Evangelical Christians could come to love Muslims here. What a contrast between Eboo's magnanimous spirit and the tone of the comments! Aargh!
Bill Dahl's boundless creativity now expresses itself in T-Shirts - check them out!
http://www.billdahl.net/store/
Countdown Day 11:
All of us are posed between two dangers. The obvious one is “The Other.” The subtle one is “Us.” (Brian D. McLaren, Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? p. 47)
Learn more here: http://bit.ly/R8fzUI
Threats, Fear, Suspicion
Countdown Day 12:
If you dare depart from traditional identity categories - whether in the strong/hostile zone, in the weak/benign zone, or in the moderate zone in between - you will be seen with suspicion by your former colleagues in that zone.... In response, they may threaten you, hoping that fear will make you stay, not realizing that it will more likely drive you farther away. (Brian D. McLaren, Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? p. 46)
I was given an advanced copy of your newest book at the Wild Goose Festival this past June. I've thoroughly enjoyed it and want to lead a book discussion based on it. This particular copy does not have discussion questions at the end. I'm just wondering if the copy being sold will include such questions. It would be helpful in sharing this book with others. If so, I'll go ahead and buy a new copy. Just wondering...
Here's the R:
We'll have a downloadable Reader's/Leader's Guide available right around the release date (September 11), and we'll be giving free copies to everyone who comes to the book tour. I think this book will work very well for group conversation - so glad you're planning on this.
Kathleen Staudt has written a beautiful piece called Why Church? here.
You can access my recent interview about Convergence Christianity at Darkwood Brew here. Topic - emergence and convergence.
Alan Bean posts on Mitt Romney's recent birthed "joke." It wasn't, of course, simply a joke. Whether it was conscious or not, it was a covert message of "us-ness" that sought to render President Obama "the other."
If you missed the Children, Youth, and a New Kind of Christianity event in May, here are some short videos that will give you a taste of what you missed ...
How much confidence do people have in the church/organized religion as compared to other institutions of society? This from Gallup gives both current numbers - and data since the 1970's.
I'm part of a group that has made a proposal for a presentation at SXSW in 2013. You can help our presentation be picked by casting your vote here:
http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/vote/5112
Expressing Love Through Hateful Actions
Countdown Day 13:
Few hostile people ever see hostility lurking in their hearts; they would see love - love for God as they understand God, love for their religion, love for their community, their ancestors, their history, their future. And this is part of the power of religion - not that it inspires hate, but rather that it inspires loves so powerful that they can be expressed without conscious intention through hateful actions.
(Brian D. McLaren, Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? p. 43) Learn more here: http://bit.ly/R8fzUI
Last Week/This Week
Last week Grace and I enjoyed a magnificent week with Life in the Trinity Ministry, with whom I serve as Theologian in Residence and who is sponsoring my book tour (for my upcoming Jericho release) that starts September 11.
We gathered at Ghost Ranch, surely one of the most beautiful (and hospitable) places on the planet:
I thought some folks would find a good use for the next photo. (McLaren as snake-handling preacher?) A friendly and harmless bull snake showed up twice at our meeting place (no doubt hoping to find a dropout from the barn swallow nest just outside the door):
I gently escorted him to a field nearby so he could continue enjoying life as one of God's creatures (not to mention reducing the local rodent population).
The gentle reality of this creature's actual presence brought to mind the contrasting cover image from a book by one of my loyal critics that critiqued several of my friends and me with winsome sincerity and passion (and a liberal dose of inaccuracy to boot):
Thanks to all who made the time in New Mexico such a joy. Our trip home was made dramatic by Tropical Storm Isaac, whose bluster was exaggerated here in Southwest Florida.
This week, I'll be recording a number of interviews relating to Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? (We just learned the book will be featured on NPR's All Things Considered in September - which is thrilling to me because I'm a huge fan of the show.)
This coming weekend, I'll be at Wild Goose West in Oregon. I look forward to meeting many of you there. It's not too late to sign up!
Non-member benefits
Countdown Day 14:
Good mentors sometimes unsettle you. It’s part of their job. One of mine got me squirming one Sunday morning when he commented, “Remember, Brian: in a pluralistic world, a religion is judged by the benefits it brings to its nonmembers.”
(Brian D. McLaren, Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? p. 40)
Learn more here: http://bit.ly/R8fzUI
It's hard to believe that two weeks from today the new book will release. I hope you'll go to your local bookseller (they deserve support!) - or if that's not possible, to your favorite online bookseller - and pre-order a copy. Or - sign up for my book tour and order one at a discount and it will be waiting for you when I come to a city near you.
A lifeline
Countdown Day 15:
Perhaps such a strong-benevolent faith will never be “main line,” but it can certainly be a lifeline in these conflicted and challenging times. (Brian D. McLaren, Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? p. 38)
Learn more here: http://bit.ly/R8fzUI
Safe or Trapped?
Countdown Day 16:
The more we insiders succeed in shutting others out, the more I tend to feel locked in, caged, trapped.
(Brian D. McLaren, Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? p. 31)
Learn more here: http://bit.ly/R8fzUI
Ironically
Countdown Day 17:
Ironically, there are few actions better guaranteed to engender conflict than proposing love and understanding for those identified as outsiders and enemies.
(Brian D. McLaren, Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? p. 23)
Learn more here: http://bit.ly/R8fzUI
How?
Countdown Day 18:
How do you oppose hostility without becoming hostile against its promoters? How do you oppose division without dividing from dividers? How do you oppose exclusion without excluding excluders? How do you oppose rage without raging against the ragers? How do you distinguish yourself from those who need enemies to know who they are - without rendering them the enemy by whom you know who you are? (Brian D. McLaren, Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? p. 21)
Countdown Day 19:
How do we, as Christians, faithfully affirm the uniqueness and universality of Christ without turning that belief into an insult or weapon? (Brian D. McLaren, Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? p. 20)
Learn more here: http://bit.ly/R8fzUI
Luminosity versus the Black Hole
Countdown Day 20:
Yes, something good still shines from the heart of our religions - a saving drive toward peace, goodness, self-control, integrity, charity, beauty, duty. And something shadowy struggles to overcome that luminosity - a hostile drive, dangerous, resilient, and deeply ingrained, a black hole in our identity that needs an enemy to help us know who we are and how good we are. (Brian D. McLaren, Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? p. 20)
Learn more here: http://bit.ly/R8fzUI
Are You Seeking Treatment?
Countdown Day 21:
More and more of us are seeking treatment for what we might call Conflicted Religious Identity Syndrome (CRIS).
(Brian D. McLaren, Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? p. 15)
Learn more here: http://bit.ly/R8fzUI
Q & R: Am I a Hypocrite?
Here's the Q:
I read your post about a “Plant-Based Diet” a few days ago. Then yesterday, you posted your upcoming book tour dates, and I am a little perplexed.
Do you see the contradiction of worrying about the carbon footprint of your diet, while ignoring the gargantuan (by comparison) carbon footprint of just six weeks of travelling?
Bill Leonard gets it right ... on religious identity
These days, in the land of the free and the home of the exceptionally well-armed, we’d all better know who we are, by faith, both internal and external. Real religion is dangerous. Make no mistake about it.
(Obviously, these are themes deeply relevant to my new book ...)
Love and betrayal?
Countdown Day 22:
To accept and love God, must I betray my neighbor of another religion? To accept and love my neighbor, must I betray the God of my religion?
(Brian D. McLaren, Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? p. 15)
Learn more here: http://bit.ly/R8fzUI
A note to Paul Ryan ...
In these conditions "the other" becomes an intolerable threat. What better way, then, of dealing with the crisis than inventing a literary-romantic mythology of the nonrelational individual? This is just what Rand did, depending on Nietzsche before her, who did somewhat the same thing, but with infinitely more finesse. Like Nietzsche she also understood that Christianity was the real problem. She called it "the best kindergarten for communism possible."
For those interested in the Fair Food Campaign, and especially challenging Publix to live up to their expressed values ...
This
http://www.winknews.com/Local-Florida/2012-08-05/Farm-workers-protest-publix
and this
http://ciw-online.org/FFP_sexual_harassment_brief.html
Speaking of fair food - what about fair technology?
I know something about you: you have enough technological gadgets to access this site. That's why you should be interested in the connections between your gadgets and injustice in Africa. You can learn more here - including how to make a difference: http://www.raisehopeforcongo.org/companyrankings
Would you like to see the Holy Land - not just retracing the footsteps of Jesus from the past, but seeing issues of justice, liberation, compassion, and peace being played out today? My friends Jeff and Janet Wright are leading a trip in early 2013. You should consider going!
http://www.footstepsofJesustour.org/
For friends in the DFW area, check out The Barnabas Journey ... great growth opportunities for you, led by my friend Connie Freeman.
A cool project down under that my friend Jarrod McKenna is involved with ...
Derek Flood is a young theologian who has a bright future ahead of him. His first book - Healing the Gospel - is now available: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1620321629/?tag=therebgod-20
You'll notice when my new book comes out in a few weeks that I reference Derek's creative work quite heavily in a key chapter.
My friend Kelley Nikondeha has started blogging. I know you'll enjoy following her, as I will, here: http://kelleynikondeha.com/
I'm really looking forward to the gathering In Memphis TN, January 11-12, with Phyllis Tickle and friends, on Emergence Christianity. I think it will be excellent. More information here: http://ptaf.thejopagroup.com/
Pangs of Betrayal
Countdown Day 23:
There is something real and good in my faith - a call to love God and neighbors - that I can’t abandon without feeling a pang of betrayal. There is also something wrong in my faith - a vague hostility toward the cherished religions of my non-Christian neighbors - that I can’t tacitly support without feeling an equal and opposite pang of betrayal.
(Brian D. McLaren, Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? p. 15)
Learn more here: http://bit.ly/R8fzUI
A review of my upcoming book ...
One of the most striking things about this new work is that in choosing to argue for a strong Christian identity, a standard position of evangelical theology, McLaren's work deserves the attention of astute evangelical readers, even those who might have overlooked this book because of the association of McLaren's name with emerging or progressive Christianity. Granted evangelical readers may not track with every doctrinal, liturgical and missional twist that McLaren proposes over the course of his argument, but if they can trust his insistence on a strong Christian identity and his bold and unwavering Christology, it seems there is plenty of room for conversation about how to move forward together in the direction that McLaren offers, in spite of our theological quibbling. And in extending this olive branch of sorts to the evangelicals, McLaren's book practices what it preaches. Although the book is explicitly about interfaith relations, its message is also one that desperately needs to be heard within the broad tradition of Christianity.
Countdown Day 24:
In the Bible I read about love, love, love, but in various Christian subcultures in which I’ve participated, I keep encountering fear, superiority, and hostility. In a wild array of forms, the message comes to me from the centers of religious power: I can’t belong to our us unless I am against our them. I’ve found that a lot of old-fashioned nastiness can lurk within that old-time religion. (Brian D. McLaren, Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? p. 14)
Learn more here: http://bit.ly/R8fzUI
Our ultimate choice ...
Countdown Day 25:
We are increasingly faced with a choice, I believe, not between kindness and hostility, but between kindness and nonexistence. (Brian D. McLaren, Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? p. 12)
Learn more here: http://bit.ly/R8fzUI
Flying in a motorized paraglider over one of the most diverse continents in the world, George Steinmetz captures in his photographs the stunning beauty, potential and hope of Africa's landscapes and people. See the project at http://mediastorm.com/publication/african-air
Countdown Day 26:
My pursuit, not just in this book but in my life, is a Christian identity that moves me toward people of other faiths in wholehearted love, not in spite of their non-Christian identity and not in spite of my own Christian identity, but because of my identity as a follower of God in the way of Jesus. (Brian D. McLaren, Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? p. 11)
Learn more here: http://bit.ly/R8fzUI
Strong/hostile, weak/tolerant, or ?
Countdown Day 27:
Simply put, we Christians already know how to do two things very well. First, some of us know how to have a strong Christian identity that responds negatively toward other religions. The stronger our Christian commitment, the stronger our aversion or opposition to other religions.... Alternatively, others of us know how to have a more positive, accepting response to other religions. We never prosyletize. We always show respect for other religions and their adherents. We always minimize differences and maximizes commonalities. But we typically achieve coexistence by weakening our Christian identity... I’m convinced that neither of these responses is good enough for today’s world. (Brian D. McLaren, Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? p. 9-10)
Learn more here: http://bit.ly/R8fzUI
This short video from Dan Shapiro of Harvard offers some excellent insight into peacemaking (which he calls "negotiating"):
Appreciation, autonomy, affiliation, status, and role ... five concerns that all participants in a conflict share.
Not a joke ...
Countdown Day 28:
So to imagine Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed taking a walk across a road together doesn’t have to introduce a joke: it could introduce one of the most important conversations possible in today’s world. (Brian D. McLaren, Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? p. 8)
Learn more here: http://bit.ly/R8fzUI
It would inject some wisdom and true hope into the remaining weeks of our campaign season.
The Franciscans get it right - on Climate Change
Their statement is one of the best short statements on climate change I've seen anywhere.
Well done!
Thanks, London! Thanks, UK! Thanks, Olympians!
What an inspiring Olympic Games ... so good to see human beings showing, through sport, the kind of respectful engagement we are capable of, all in pursuit of excellence and peace.
How Would Jesus See?
Countdown Day 29:
... according to the four Gospels, Jesus had extraordinary insight into human character. He saw value where others saw only flaws. He saw the love of a sinful woman who anointed his feet with tears at a banquet, the spiritual thirst of an oft-married woman at a well in Samaria, the big seed of hope in a little chap named Zaccheus, the undeniable faith of a Syrophonecian mother, the flinty strength of loudmouth Peter, and the deep and spunky wisdom of Mary of Bethany. With that track record in mind, we can only imagine what he would see in Mohammed, Moses, or the Buddha, not to mention Confucius, Lao Tsu, Nanak, or Wovoka. (Brian D. McLaren, Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? p. 4)
Learn more about Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? (Christian Identity in a Multi-Faith World).
How Would Jesus Cross?
Countdown Day 30:
If you’re a Christian like me, of whatever sort ... let me ask you to seriously consider this: how do you think Jesus would treat Moses, Mohammed, and Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha) if they came to a crosswalk together? (Brian D. McLaren, Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? p. 3)
Learn more about Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? (Christian Identity in a Multi-Faith World).
One month from today ... my new book releases.
We picked September 11, 2012, as the release date for my upcoming book because its theme - religious identity and its relationship to hostility and violence - became headline news starting on September 11, 2001. Over a decade later, we Christians are still grappling with what it means to have strong Christian identity without hostility toward the other. Each day over the next month I'll post a short quote from the book. I hope you'll pre-order the book - or drop in your favorite bookstore on September 11 and purchase it and help spread a needed conversation about Christian identity in a multi-faith world.
Learn more about Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? (Christian Identity in a Multi-Faith World).
Forgotten in our exclusionary debates is the fact that there is another gentler tradition that runs throughout religion and secular philosophy. For instance, 18th century atheist David Hume declared "that personal merit consists entirely in the... agreeableness of the person... to others." And in the Christian tradition, inclusive concepts of universal salvation go back to some of the earliest fathers. For instance, the 2nd century Epistle to Diognetus says that God is, was, and always will be free from wrath, and that imitation of God consists in caring for those weaker than oneself and rejecting revenge.
... When we demonize the "other," even in the name of reason, we open the door to a world of zero sum redemption where one person's gain is another person's humiliating loss. We have allowed condemnation to rule our minds, and so it rules our political life.
... As for me I'm burnt out on rhetorically burning others. I'm going to try Hume's agreeableness for a bit. Instead of damning each other, maybe we can learn to show mercy to those with whom we disagree, taking our cue from a teacher who said that love of enemy -- not correct theology or politics -- is all that can make us whole.
The comment sections on both articles are worth reading too.
A reader writes about Sex and Violence
“There is something profoundly wrong with a society that rewards me for killing a man and rejects me for loving one.“ Leonard Matlovich, Vietnam Vet, gay activist
Along with this quote, a reader writes:
As a society, we are more comfortable with and accepting of violence and death than with sexuality. We are totally conflicted about sex. Yet, sex deals with the affirmation of life, not the destruction of it. Our values are all upside down!
Would you comment?
It is to be expected, I think, that we have important debates - in the culture at large, and in the church as well - about sexuality. Human sexuality is a huge issue, leading to great joy and great suffering, to life, as you say - but also to oppression, depending on how we understand and direct it. (It is a sign of our tendency to scapegoat that heterosexual people who make up about 90% of the population spend so much time focusing on the homosexuality of less than 10% of the population, and so little on the damage caused by abusive or irresponsible heterosexuality.)
So we are willing to divide churches and denominations over convictions about sexuality, but we remain strangely tolerant of a variety of opinions and convictions about killing, bearing arms, capitol punishment (most recently, of a Texas man with an IQ of 61), and weapons of mass destruction. In fact, the default mode is that violence is tolerable, as long as it is "us" doing it. What does that say about us? Your comment gives us all a lot to think about. Thanks for sending it in.
Thanks, Randy Woodley, for describing reality well ...
Randy reflects on his experience at the Wild Goose Festival (you can still join us at Wild Goose West, by the way ...)
... I asked a serious question. “How many of you people around my age still want to change the world?” Every hand went up, some with big smiles, some with serious intent and even a few with tears in their eyes. My take-away from that mental picture is that Jesus was there, and he is up to something special…Maybe it is not too late to change the world.
In this cynical, snarky world we live in we are getting pretty good at diagnosing the problems, sometimes even to the point of paralysis. What is needed now is direct action chipping away at the systems and structures of oppression. The Jesus community must be actively present wherever oppression, marginalization and exploitation of the disenfranchised exist! The American and Euro-western church has spent the past 500 years creating and fostering a dualistic and abstract theology that was followed by a wake of injustice, violence, oppresssion and individualism. I believe that church and that theology is dying. Hopefully one day soon, the oppressive, violent, dualistic, individualistic church, (that I contributed to) will be only a confession on our lips that we use to check ourselves from becoming arrogant. So what is being birthed now?
From where I sit it appears to be a messy, blundering, almost leaderless, bunch of communities who want to focus on the real, authentic Jesus: The Jesus who was born in a stable in the midst of mouse poop and camel spit; The Jesus who grew up in the poor hillbilly region of Galilee; The Jesus who hung out with prostitutes, Gentiles, beggars and other disenfranchised people; The Jesus who radically spoke out against the oppression of both the Roman occupied government and his own nationalistic and religious contexts; The Jesus who died with criminals and loves everyone just the same, even the ones who oppress and kill the voice of authenticity. This sounds just like the kind of communities for which God has been waiting to arise. And it appears that there are two generations alive right now who want the same things.
From my Huffington Post piece - Fertile Summer for Violence
If we want to stop shootings in theaters and houses of worship, we'd better start paying attention to the seeds of hostility we're sowing in our theaters and houses of worship -- and in our political speeches, on our cable news shows, in our blogs (and comment sections), and even around our dinner tables.
think faithful Christians (and faithful adherents of other religions) should listen to her words for two reasons.
First, she makes a great point about human nature. “I was on the right track, and you were the ones that were going to burn in hell.” It’s true that many of us Christians tend to have faith that we are on the right track because we know others are on the wrong track. We identify ourselves as “good” people by identifying others as “bad” people who are going to burn in hell. We reinforce our sense of goodness by uniting against others. These “others” could be Jews, Muslims, atheists, or even (maybe especially) our fellow Christians of a different stripe. There is an unfortunate paradox here. As strong as we Christians may seem when we fall into this trap of faith, we are actually quite weak. The reason many of us are so stridently against some “other” is because in order to feel worthy we need to faithfully unite with one another against a common enemy.
And that is a faith worth losing.
But there was a second thing that really moved me about MacBain’s statement. It was the sentence, “And I’m happy to say as I stand before you right now, I’m going to burn with you.” That resonated with me because it’s a powerful statement of solidarity. Instead of threatening others with hell, MacBain states that she will go through hell with them.
Ironically, as MacBain stood there at the Atheists' convention and publically embraced her atheism, she was closer than ever to discovering the Christian God.
Here’s why: the Christian doctrine of the Incarnation makes a radical claim. First, it states that God is not somewhere out in the universe, far away, aloof and uncaring about humanity. Rather, it claims that God is fundamentally present in the world, especially in the places where humans suffer. Because humans (tragically, Christians aren’t the only people who do this) tend to gain a sense of goodness by uniting against others, we tend to make those others go through hell on earth. Jesus reveals that God doesn’t work that way; humans do. As humans forced Jesus to suffer through hell on earth, as Jesus hung on the cross, God revealed through Jesus that God stands in solidarity with all who suffer. It is there, on the cross, that we discover the God of solidarity. The God who goes through hell on earth with us.
Through the Incarnation of Jesus, God says, “I’m going to burn with you.”
Faith in that God, and in that way of life, is a faith worth keeping.
I'll be with Adam Ericksen on September 6 at 11 a.m. CT (12 ET, 9 PT) on Voices of Peace Talk Radio. You can join the conversation and contribute your thoughts by phone or computer. Learn more here - http://www.ravenfoundation.org/details/playing-for-keeps-radio
David Crumm and Rob talk about the freedom writers and speakers have that local church pastors don't:
DAVID: I’ve got to say that—after watching the Viper Room video—one of the refreshing new messages you now apparently feel free to express in a straight-foward way is this: Let’s quit beating up on gay people in the church. You put it very simply: “Some people are gay and they’re our brothers and sisters and we love them.” Then, you go on to affirm that there are good, solid gay Christians in our churches and you say that we all ought to just get over this issue, accept our gay brothers and sisters—and move on with the work of the church.
What’s most remarkable about that segment of the video is: You seem so relaxed in saying that simple yet important thing. You’re smiling. You’ve got to be breathing a sigh of relief that you’re able to say this now without a panel of church elders to whom you’ve got to answer—or other critics in the church. So, what I want to know is: Does it feel good to get that off your chest?
ROB: I am smiling right now at that question. I am smiling.
It was a joy and honor and privilege to be part of a local church. It was absolutely amazing through all those years, but believe me—I know what you are describing here on a cellular level. Yeah. That’s all there is to say—yeah. I am smiling.
It's been six-and-a-half years since I left the pastorate, and while I had a wonderful group of church elders - no complaints there - I remember (as Rob said, "on a cellular level") - the challenge of dealing with "critics in the church," and more - the challenge of wanting to speak freely and honestly without causing harm and division to the congregation I loved and served. I'm happy for Rob - and for the effects his increased freedom of speech will have on us all. I'm smiling too.
I'm back in civilization, rested, and about as happy ...
as a human being can be. I spent several days last week in Yellowstone, enjoying two of life's finest pleasures - talking theology (with wonderful conversation partners like Becca Stelle, Pat Kiefert, and Wes Granberg-Michaelson) and fly-fishing for cut-throat trout (catch and release) in the majesty of the United States' first national park.
This week, Grace and I are hanging out with our younger grand-daughter, our two daughters, and our son-in-law.
I've never been more excited about the release of a book ... you can see why I have a lot to be happy about, a lot to be grateful for, a lot to look forward to.
I'll be with a group of theologians and practitioners who share a love for the outdoors via the sport of fly-fishing. Get ready to groan - the group calls itself "ich-theology." The good news - I'll have the chance to refresh my spirit with some friends and mentors. The bad news (sort of) - I'll be off the grid. But if you're bored - I'm sure you can search through the archives here and find plenty to keep you busy. (Try using the search function to see what's been said here about subjects of interest to you.)
My general hunch is that in the short run, the most conservative streams of Christianity -- in Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox settings alike -- will constrict, tighten up, batten the hatches, raise the boundary fences, demand greater doctrinal, political, and behavioral conformity, and monitor boundaries with increased vigilance. Doing so will increase commitment (and anxiety) among the "true believers," but it will also drive away their younger, more educated, and less isolated members.
Where will they go? Many, I fear, will drift into nominal faith and become tacit devotees of secular consumerism. Others, I hope, will be welcomed into a new emerging coalition, and that's where my hope lies. That new coalition, I believe, will emerge from four main sources....
And you can tune in for a 90-minute "world-wide conversation on Convergence Christianity" hosted by Darkwood Brew on Sunday, August 19th, 6pm EST/5pm CST. I'll be part of it - I hope you will too.
Wild Goose West - a festival in Oregon, 30 Aug - 2 Sep
Want to educate yourself about the world's most neglected tragedy?
Those of us who follow events in East Africa know that the relationship between the Congo and Rwanda is complex, to say the least. Nearly everyone knows of the millions killed in Rwanda in 1994. But far fewer know of the millions dead in Congo since then - casualties of a complex set of problems that include "conflict minerals" (in which we all - if we own laptops and smart phones - are complicit), Rwandese interference, and the Congo government's own failures. We know that the closer we get to a true diagnosis of the problem (no matter how complex), the closer we will be to a real solution. That's why these articles are so important.
Stay tuned for more - especially on how we can put pressure on technology companies to buy only "clean" or conflict-free minerals.
I love the Bible ...
I was at Claremont Seminary last week with a vigorous and energetic group of Methodist leaders (along with a standing-room-only public panel with my friends Philip Clayton, Diana Butler Bass, and Mark Whitlock). I concluded my time at Claremont leading a study from the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament. From childhood, I was taught to read Acts as a manual for ecclesiology ... to prove that our denomination was the only true and biblical one, of course (a common theme in Protestant Bible reading). But now I read Acts as a missional account of how Jesus continued his work - his Spirit alive in the bodies of growing numbers of his followers who constitute - quite literally - his body on earth.
And the message is the same - the message of the kingdom (or reign, or commonwealth, or sacred ecosystem, or new love economy, or regeneration network, or creative community, or ...) of God. You could think of it like this ...
Acts 1: The risen Christ teaches the apostles, as he always has, about the kingdom of God. The apostles learn to stop waiting for the kingdom to appear in the future, and instead, wait for the Spirit who will empower them to live in the kingdom here and now.
Acts 2: The Spirit comes - and demonstrates that God is not monocultural and monolingual, but that God speaks all languages, and God is concerned with the poor and rich alike, everywhere ... a profound, revolutionary discovery!
Acts 3: Peter demonstrates how the Kingdom begins with those who have been marginalized and excluded (kept outside the gate) by conventional religion - starting with the physically handicapped.
Acts 4: Peter and John demonstrate how the kingdom of God boldly challenges human regimes to face their violence and exclusion.
Acts 5: The apostles boldly demonstrate that nobody can lock up or box up God's message of love and power.
Acts 6: The kingdom of God transgresses old borders of ethnicity, religion, age, sex, and class through "the deacons" ...
Acts 7: The kingdom of God again confronts conventional religion with its refusal to accept "new light" and its addiction to violence to solve its problems, and Stephen demonstrates a courageous, nonviolent response.
Acts 8: Through Philip, the kingdom of God crosses from "the orthodox" to the "semi-orthodox" - the Samaritans, and it refuses to become a business venture. Then it spreads to the racially, religiously, and sexually other in the Ethiopian eunuch.
Acts 9: Saul, an angry agent of violent religion, is converted to Jesus and his way of joy, peace, and love. His name is changed to Paul.
Acts 10: Peter discovers that the old "clean/unclean" dualism of his inherited religion is passé in Christ. He eats and stays with Gentiles ... and they are added as full-fledged members of this growing global movement.
Acts 11: The church in Judea struggles to accept these radical innovations - but does. Only when the movement becomes multi-cultural are its adherents called "Christians."
Acts 12: Peter demonstrates (again) that you can't chain and silence the radical message of God's transforming and reconciling love.
Acts 13: Paul debuts as a messenger and ambassador of the commonwealth of God to Gentiles (outsiders/the unorthodox/etc). The religious elite persecute, but the message spreads all the more.
Acts 14: Paul and Barnabas, rejected by their inherited religious leaders, refuse to be co-opted into another religion, but declare, "We are just human beings like you!"
Acts 15: A conservative resurgence from "headquarters" seeks to domesticate this radical new movement, but wiser heads prevail and it continues to expand.
Acts 16: The kingdom of God confronts a colony of the kingdom of Caesar, beginning with the socially marginal (women) and powerless (a slave girl), and confronting all levels of society with a message of liberation (a better translation for "salvation").
Acts 17: The kingdom of God engages with Greek philosophy (the philosophy that animates the Roman empire) on its own turf in Athens.
Acts 18: The conflict between the religious elites and the new movement of God's commonwealth reaches a climax: Paul turns to focus on "outsiders" (Gentiles) exclusively.
Acts 19: The kingdom of God confronts the religious-industrial-complex of Ephesus.
Acts 20: Paul attends to succession planning - encouraging local leaders to own the mission and message as their own, and to focus - not on money and power, but on the weak and vulnerable.
Acts 21 - 27: Paul returns to Jerusalem, is rejected again by the religious elites, and appeals to Rome. En route there, he survives a variety of challenges on land and sea and speaks to a variety of people - from kings to commoners - about Jesus and the kingdom of God.
Acts 28: Paul is under house arrest in Rome, the center of the kingdom of Caesar. There, as everywhere, he speaks to people about Jesus and the Kingdom of God.
Around the world today, as Christians of all stripes and styles gather, may we re-center ourselves in this primal good news of God's reign, commonwealth, sacred ecosystem, regenerative community.
Saving the world from the bottom up
You gotta love these guys.
(thanks rachel held evans!)
Deep Philosophical Conflict
If you get bored, skip ahead to 2:37. (thanks, sivin kit!)
Ahhhhh ...
A thoughtful review of Word of the Lord to Republicans
Ever since reading "A New Kind of Christian" several years ago your work has been a huge inspiration to me. You've taught me how to be a disciple of Christ without turning off my brain, or feeling like I was constantly 'covering' for God or the Bible. Today my wife and I are long-term missionaries (might carry a negative connotation, I know :) in [Asia], seeking to live the Christ life authentically while blessing our dear friends here.
During the course of my journey I was prompted by Rob Bell and Dan Golden's book "Jesus Wants to Save Christians: A Manifesto for the Church in Exile" to begin reading the biblical story through the lens of "how the people of God are to live in relation to oppressive empires."
Prompted to radically consider my involvement in supporting oppressive empires through my political affiliation, consumer habits, entertainment choices, as well as food selection, it gradually became very clear that one of the most basic ways I was constantly feeding an oppressive system of organized violence was simply by eating meat. As a result, I took the practical step I to switch to a plant-based diet about 6 months ago. Not only is this lifestyle much more consistent with my ethical beliefs, but it is also decidedly healthier, and good for the environment.
My question for you is how come I haven't heard any postmodern church leaders publicly call people to adopting a plant-based diet? To me it seems like a necessary measure if we are serious about ending the evils of oppressive empires, extending benevolent care to our fellow creatures, as well as stemming the adverse effects of climate change.
I'd be grateful to hear your thoughts on this question!
Here's the R:
First, I'm glad you mentioned Rob and Don's book "Jesus Wants to Save Christians." Although "Love Wins" got all the attention (and it's an important book, no doubt), JWSC is even more radical and important, I think.
I'm also really glad you raise this question about a plant-based diet. Although I'm not a full vegetarian or vegan (yet), I've been moving toward a plant-based diet for several years. When I'm home, I do the cooking and my wife and I have come to prefer a diet that is based on vegetables, fruits, and grains. (When I travel, it gets more complicated.)
I grew up in the era where a chunk of meat was the basis for a meal, usually supplemented by a starch (meat and potatoes, meat and pasta, etc.). Now, I think of a vegetable as being the basis for a meal, supplemented by a starch or grain: asparagus and rice, green beans and rice, broccoli and pasta, hummus and bread, etc.). I know I still have a long way to go in bringing many areas of my life in line with a smaller ecological footprint ... but I think that everyone can at least begin to shift their diet in the direction of less meat, both for the sake of their health and for the health of the planet (and the poor among us).
New York, DC, Boston, St. Louis, Grand Rapids, Berkley, San Francisco, LA, San Diego, Atlanta, Denver, Austin, OK City, Dallas, Miami, and maybe a few more ...
I'll be doing events in the cities above between September 11 and October 20. I look forward to meeting you and a carload or two of your friends! (I'll be in the UK November 27-December 6.) More details coming soon ...
The best piece on Climate Change you'll read today
I write to you as a young (30's) PCUSA pastor, passionate and very hopeful for the future of the Church (even the mainline). I want to thank you--for your wisdom, words, deep and meaningful insights, and your ability to communicate so much so well to so many souls like me. I've read (most of) your books, falling deeper and deeper into agreement with them, you, and so much of the emergent movement.
Mostly, however, I want to thank you for taking the time to travel to PCUSA's General Assembly in Pittsburgh, and speaking to the throngs gathered there. I was a commissioner two years ago, and am holding this year's GA in constant prayer. Amid the deep stressors, fears, and passions that encompass this time in the GA, it brought me joy to know you would be speaking, and also to read about what you shared.
Thanks. It was an honor to speak to the Presbyterian General Assembly several weeks ago, and I take these encouraging words to heart again this week as I am in California meeting with a number of sharp, engaged, and hopeful Methodist leaders.
There are struggles and difficulty ahead for Mainline Protestants, as there are for Evangelicals, Pentecostals, Roman Catholics, and the Eastern Orthodox. But if we believe that death and resurrection are written into the code of the universe (inherent in the Logos), then we shouldn't despair, but see opportunities for resurrection. I came across these sage words from Sister Joan Chittister recently:
The essence of struggle is neither endurance nor denial. The essence of struggle is the decision to become new rather than simply to become older. It is the opportunity to grow either smaller or larger in the process. There is, then, a gift hidden in the travails of forced change. It is the gift of beginning again: conversion.
A new generation of young leaders like you hold so much promise. Don't let anyone or anything discourage you. You are needed!
Encouragement for Risk-Takers
“The unfaithful witness is the one who simply transmits the conventional and familiar, unchanged and undigested. He is unfaithful, in the first place, because he is lazy. For the labor of interpretation and contemporization, the work of ‘translation,’ is grueling work and it is never done without abortive trials and breath-taking risks. . . . He who simply repeats the old phrases takes no risks; it is easy to remain orthodox and hew to the old line. But he who speaks to this hour’s need and translates the message will always be skirting the edge of heresy. He, however, is the man who is given this promise (and I really believe this promise exists): Only he who risks heresies can gain the truth.” (The Trouble with the Church - Helmut Thielicke)
Thanks to Mickey Maudlin for this great quote - from his note on the softcover release of Rob Bell's important book Love Wins.
Q & A: Naked Spirituality Exercises?
I probably should have written - "Exercises for Naked Spirituality?"
Here's the Q:
Thank you for all your contribution to my life and the lives of many God seeking people. I would like to make one comment and ask one question.
I was very impressed and grateful for your talks at Greenbelt, UK last year, and especially impressed during the Q&A after your talk on "Christian Identity in a Multi-faith Context". Unfortunately the recording of the session from Greenbelt has the question but not the response and answer which most inspired me. You talked very powerfully about our need to be 'open handed' Christians in our conversations with people of other faiths not 'closed fisted' protagonists. The questioner mentioned the John 14 passage "I am the way, the truth, the life; no one comes to the father except through me" and suggested that, contrary to what you had been saying, Jesus was here very aggressively and dualistically making clear distinctions between "us" and "them". You very graciously, open handedly (literally) said that you would love to talk more, but that you disagreed profoundly with his understanding of this passage, and went on to very briefly explain why.
When you paused for a moment, many people in the auditorium began to applaud your reply. This horrified me, as they seemed to be doing precisely what you had just said that we shouldn't do. Here is my point, to your credit you held up your hand to them, indicating that they should stop immediately, and this simple, yet profound action was evidently not lost on the audience. I am sure many others like me were immensely grateful that your had so naturally practiced what you were preaching. I hope that those who applauded were suitably ashamed at having so profoundly missed your point altogether. Thank you so much for your very real and practical integrity.
Now to my question. I have been very greatly helped and challenged by "Naked Spirituality" and am using aspects of it in conversations I have with other people. I have tried to search the resources provided for the book, which again appear very helpful, but not quite what I'm looking for. I am a trained spiritual director and in my supervision group come across many Ignation trained directors. Ignatius evidently spent a lot of time observing people and their relationship with God and developed his exercises to help people in their discernment of God's will, purpose and direction for them. I am not Ignation trained, probably more celtic/soul friend/anamcara based, certainly emerging but also recognising the incredible depth of spirituality available to us from generations past (loved "Generous Orthodoxy" and NKoC). So my question is: do you have any material or thoughts about developing a scheme of exercises similar to Ignatius that could be used in a spiritual direction context to help people grow in their faith journey? I ask this because whilst I recognise the significance of group (community) work, 1-on-1 spiritual director/directee relationships can also be deeply significant for growth.
Hope there is something you have to offer along these lines and looking forward to hearing from you.
Here's the R:
Thanks so much for your note. First, I've been on the receiving end of those awkward applauses, where people side with one party and shame/reject the other, and I don't want to put others in that situation. It's not easy to express gracious disagreement - without creating an in-group and out-group ... it's far easier to create either fake/superficial agreement or ungracious disagreement. I still struggle to do this well, so I'm glad there was a day at Greenbelt last year where it went well, because I'm sure there have been many when it didn't. Your encouragement is appreciated. BTW - that session I shared last year is central to my upcoming book - Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? It's such an important subject - I'm not sure if our former presidential candidate's recent comments made the news over there, but there is a terribly ugly and uninformed religious hostility spreading like a smoldering fire through the Christian community here.
On Naked Spirituality, I'm so glad it's proving helpful. I've been approached by several people who are developing supplementary resources.
- A gifted yoga and tai chi instructor, for example, has developed a beautiful set of body movements to work with the twelve simple words.
- Some fascinating work is being done with youth based on the book. A brilliant youth worker developed an instrument to help kids locate themselves in the four stages and then uses that framework for spiritual direction. (This is easily transferable to adults.)
- Someone has been using a set of twelve prayer beads to work through the twelve words
.
I hope to be making links to these resources available soon. If you develop anything, let me know! I'm grateful for collaboration like this ...
Adam Ericksen gets it right ... on a lot of things, including
So, here’s the challenge for us inclusive “liberals”: How do we include those with whom we disagree? How can we respond to Douthat in a way that doesn’t make him out to be the bad guy? I’ll admit that when I first read his article I felt some self-righteous anger that made me into the good guy and him into the bad guy. That’s a dangerous place to be. It’s Original Sin tempting me to claim a sense of my own goodness against Douthat. What’s the solution? I’d like to hear your thoughts about that. But I think the first step is to admit that our fellow Christians are not making tough decisions on liturgy based on an attempt to appeal to a certain demographic. We're better Christians when we give everyone the benefit of the doubt that we are all basing these decisions on an attempt to be faithful followers of Christ. With that realization, we may not agree, but we have a better chance of moving forward in gracious disagreement.
His article prompted me to place a quote from Ross Douthat's NYT article alongside its mirror image:
Which side would you choose?
Option A. Religious progressives are flexible to the point of indifference to dogma, friendly to sexual liberation in almost every form, willing to blend Christianity with other faiths, and eager to downplay theology entirely in favor of secular political causes.
Option B. Religious conservatives are dogmatically rigid to the point of callousness to real human beings, unfriendly to sexual liberation in almost every form, willing to pit Christianity in violent conflict against other faiths, and eager to downplay legitimate human rights in favor of parochial theologal causes.
The gross generalization/mischaracterization of one is made clear by its mirror image. So that makes me want to choose
Option C. Both religious conservatives and religious liberals have some good things they are for and some bad things they are against. Our common challenge is to faithfully balance our commitments to inherited teachings and to our fellow human beings who don't share them, to free speech and to the avoidance of slander and false witness, to what we see and to the certainty that we have both blind spots and a lot to learn.
Whether or not you agree with Adam in every detail, his piece reflects Option C quite well, I'd say.
The Story of Change
For readers (and potential readers) of Everything Must Change - this is a good and informative video - well worth your time.
Ramadan Mubarak!
To all my Muslim readers, may the month ahead be full of deepening spiritual insight as you fast and pray, give to the poor, practice peace, gather with family and friends, and ponder the meaning of joyful submission to God's will.
And may Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, and others around the world reach out to one another as neighbors, extending open hands to one another rather than clenching fists.
I'll be on my book tour (in Boston that day - more info coming soon); otherwise I'd want to be there. A great lineup of speakers!
Geoff Tunnicliff, D.Min., CEO of the World Evangelical Alliance, representing 600 million evangelicals
David Gushee, Ph.D., Professor of Ethics at Mercer University and co-author of Kingdom Ethics
Jim Wallis, CEO of Sojourners and author of numerous books, including God’s Politics
Douglas Johnston, Ph.D., President of International Center for Religion and Diplomacy
Lisa Sharon Harper, director of Mobilizing at Sojourners and co-author of Left, Right and Christ: Evangelical Faith in Politics
Bob Roberts Jr., D.Min., Senior Pastor of NorthWood Church and author of numerous books, including Glocalization: How Followers of Jesus Engage a Flat World
David Beasley, former Republican Governor of South Carolina & National Prayer Breakfast activist
Glen Stassen, Ph.D., Professor of Ethics at Fuller Seminary and editor of Just Peacemaking
Chris Seiple, Ph.D., President of the Institute for Global Engagement
Eric Patterson, Ph.D., Senior Research Fellow at the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs at Georgetown University.
Q & R: as valid as the Bible?
Here's the Q:
I've read many of your books and have found them both inspiring and helpful. I have a question which I would be interested and grateful to have your response to:
Should Christians give books/blogs/letters etc written today about faith/doctrine/following Jesus etc equal authority as the Bible? - If we believe that God still talks to/inspires people today as much as he did to Paul and the other writers of the Old and New Testament shouldn't it follow that what he says to preachers/teahers/authors etc today is just as valid, if not more so because they have been written by people in our time/context/culture etc? Or is this massively undermining (and missing the point of) the "authority" of scripture?
I hope that makes sense and isn't too heretical a question!?
Here's the R:
This is an important question. In general, I think the writings and words of many Christian leaders across Christian history have been given equal authority to the Bible - and more. But they haven't been given that authority overtly: they have been given it covertly.
Their writings aren't added to the Bible. 1 & 2 Augustine, 1 & 2 Aquinas, 1, 2, and 3 Calvin, or the Notes of Darby-Scofield-Hagee weren't added after 3 John, Jude, and Revelation.
But their writings and thoughts have deeply influenced how millions of us have read the Bible. These "authority figures" set up alternative framing stories or sets of assumptions about what words mean and how biblical texts work ... and in that sense, they've done something far more powerful than being added to the Bible: they have been used to set limits on the way Bible readers read every word that is already in the Bible.
So - your question is terribly important because it gets us thinking about the vexing question of authority - and how groups, texts, and traditions have authority. I hope that we can go back and give Jesus' words a fresh read in this light - to see what he says about authority, and how he models it. I keep going back to a line of thinking from the brilliant South African missionary and missiologist David Bosch. "It is when we are weak that we are strong," he said. So our encounters should be characterized, not by claims of authority ("Accept what we say because we said so!"), but by vulnerability:
The people who are to be won and saved should, as it were, always have the possibility of crucifying the witness of the gospel. (TM 485)
I wonder if we have fully grasped the radical redefinition of authority embodied in Jesus. It's not simply the power to command obedience. It's the power to lay down one's life for one's friends ... the power shown in weakness ... the power shown in kindness and forgiveness and suffering ... the persuasiveness that speaks softly and doesn't strike back when ignored or misinterpreted. Maybe (following Michael Gorman) we should call it "cruciform authority."
If that's the case, then our explorations of biblical authority should begin with a re-opening of the question of how we define authority in the first place, how we expect it to work in the world, how we hope to respond to it and exercise it ... in light of Christ.
The Best Blog Post I've Read in a Long Time: Thanks, Jacob Nez
It’s not the sermon. Sermons are usually not about anything we can relate to.
It’s not the music. The music is horrible.
It is the sacrament of Baptism and the Eucharist.
It is very important to us that we are in a ceremony that connects us to the Holy. It is important that we see the Christ in each other and that we work against injustices. It is important that people in a Church are serious about the ceremony and treat it with respect. Almost all of us have been baptized and have taken our first communion as the highlight of our spiritual life.
The way we know that it is a good Church to visit is when we pass the peace. If a congregation really treats us as one of them when they pass the peace, then we know we are in a holy place.
We go to Church when we can and when we are welcomed. We will continue to invite other youth to Church when we find one who welcomes us.
Progressive Christian Artists
Conservative Christians have lead the way in networking artists in recent years. One of the ironies of my lifetime, I think, is that what was a controversial innovation in the 1960's and early 1970's - "Christian rock" - by the 1980's became the bread and butter (or icing on the cake) of religious radio. Many/most religious broadcasting networks had a strongly conservative political and economic agenda, and thus CCM (Contemporary Christian Music) largely lost it prophetic edge and became, all too often, the soundtrack of the Religious Right.
Children, Youth and a New Kind of Christianity - keeping up
I blogged a lot leading up to the premier gathering in May of Children, Youth and a New Kind of Christianity. Many of you wished you could be there. I just learned that CYNKC will be releasing podcasts from the May conference. The first in the podcast series is a free audio podcast of my keynote presentation, "Christian Faith (and) the Next Generation: Why We Need this Conference." It's available now at the Wood Lake Books website (http://www.woodlakebooks.com/). Other podcasts will be released periodically, so be sure to check back regularly.
Diana Butler Bass and Rachel Held Evans get it right ... Ross Douthat, not so much
A few months back, I read Ross Douthat's recent book (Bad Religion) and hoped someone would write a response to it. Then I read his NYT piece Sunday, and felt the same.
...[in 2012], liberal churches are not the only ones declining. It is true that progressive religious bodies started to decline in the 1960s. However, conservative denominations are now experiencing the same. For example, the Southern Baptist Convention, one of America's most conservative churches, has for a dozen years struggled with membership loss and overall erosion in programming, staffing, and budgets. Many smaller conservative denominations, such as the Missouri Synod Lutherans, are under pressure by loss. The Roman Catholic Church, a body that has moved in markedly conservative directions and of which Mr. Douthat is a member, is straining as members leave in droves. By 2008, one in ten Americans considered him- or herself a former Roman Catholic. On the surface, Catholic membership numbers seem steady. But this is a function of Catholic immigration from Latin America. If one factors out immigrants, American Catholicism matches the membership decline of any liberal Protestant denomination. Decline is not exclusive to the Episcopal Church, nor to liberal denominations--it is a reality facing the whole of American Christianity.
Douthat points out that the Episcopal Church has declined 23% in the last decade, identifying the loss as a sign of its theological infidelity. In the last decade, however, as conservative denominations lost members, their leaders have not equated the loss with unfaithfulness. Instead, they refer to declines as demographic "blips," waning evangelism, or the impact of secular culture. Membership decline has no inherent theological meaning for either liberals or conservatives. Decline only means, as Gallup pointed out in a just-released survey, that Americans have lost confidence in all forms of institutional religion.
The real question is not "Can liberal Christianity be saved?" The real question is: Can Christianity be saved?
A great story to start the week: "Just love and willingness"
A reader writes:
I'm a 25 year old middle American guy. I prayed the sinners' prayer at 7 years old and really had a pretty good grasp of what I was praying and who this Jesus guy is. Of course, over the span of many years this has developed, changed and grown. At the age of 17, I felt the pull and the excitement to full time vocational ministry. But as sometimes with God's call, we hear, but don't want to respond. I argued with God that I wasn't the right man for this job, I wasn't good enough, i didn't have the right education; and with the state of the church and it's members, I wasn't even sure I wanted to be a part of that. So off to college I went, working odd jobs, and eventually getting a nursing degree. All the while, that call to ministry was still in my heart and I tried to suppress it all the more. I finally started to admit to myself, whatever I set my hand to in terms of work didn't feel "right". I was walking out of step with what God had intended and called me to do. But even at this, I would spend the next 7-8 years wandering, half heatedly committed to Jesus.
I'm still not even sure how I stumbled upon your writings, but I did and it has totally invigorated, renewed, and rebirthed the call to ministry on my life. I read Church on the Other Side first, and it was like a lightbulb went off. I realized church could be a safe place. A place where 20 and 30 something's could come, just as they are and go on a journey pursuing Christ. Since it was written in 1998, some of the very things in that book have come to pass. Some it would seem are waiting to break forth. Either way, it totally rocked my world. I also started really digging into the Bible with major study and prayer time. I got active in my local church and started having discussions, not arguments, about Jesus with anyone who would take the time to talk. A New Kind of Christianity further rocked my world. I realized, as Jesus commanded we have to rethink everything; no really, everything! in order to be a part of the kingdom and what Christ is doing today.
So I write all this, Mr. McLaren, to simply say thank you. Thank you for being someone who believes so passionately and so wholeheartedly in communicating this Jesus. Thank you for being willing to boldly proclaim the need to examine why we believe the things we do. Thank you for being a fresh voice that says its o.k. to not have all the answers and to humbly leave room for mystery. Thank you for teaching that us vs. them is really overrated, and we need to simply love one another as Christ called us to. Thank you for being an inspiration, a great teacher, and someone who has truly helped to change the path I was walking. You helped to take my heart and connect it to the heart of God's so that now I'm excited about the future God has planned. I now realize a kid from Missouri can be used of God and doesn't have to be perfect or have all the right answers. Just love and willingness.
Keep up the wonderful and important work,
Thanks for this encouraging note. Your next-to-last sentences would be a good take-away for everyone who reads this blog:
A kid from anywhere can be used of God and doesn't have to be perfect or have all the right answers. Just love and willingness.
Hi, Brandan!
Great responses! I'll reply piece by piece ... You said ...
Now back to point 3 of your post. You address my concern that you are unable to reconcile a God who is loving and wrathful. I appreciate and hear your response. The whole theme of Wild Goose this past year was "Retribution vs. Restoration". And I heartily agree that it seems to me that most of God's judgement in Scripture is restoritive. God is radically in the business of making all things new, recreating broken messes, and bringing life to the dry bones in the valley of death. However, I find that, like most issues, this is not a black and white issue. It's not one or the other. There is benefit to both restoration and retribution. And I don't feel that you have acknowledged that completely.
I'd be interested in the benefit that comes from retribution. If a person does something evil or unloving or unkind, and another person (or God) decides to imitate their behavior by doing something evil, unloving, or unkind to them, it seems to me that we have more evil, unloving, and unkind behavior in the universe, not less. And now God is in the messy business of mirroring human behavior. That seems a step down from what I'm suggesting. But maybe I'm missing something?
You wrote ...
Hear me- I want to believe that all of God's wrath is restorative. I really do! But my commitment to the Bible stops me in my tracks and points me to places like Revelation 14:11 where it says, "And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast..." or Jude 12 & 13 where it says "These men are those who are... wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever."
If I understand you correctly, you're bringing these passages in to say that because of the word "forever" (and ever), this is retributive punishment, and not only retributive, but eternally retributive? That creates the additional problem of a finite creature doing finite wrong, and an infinite God imposing infinite retribution. I think you're right: this view can be defended with some Bible verses, but I don't think it is easily defended in relation to Jesus - we don't see him practicing revenge or retribution. In fact, he consistently practices the opposite - "when he was reviled, he did not revile," and so on. Was he misrepresenting God? That's why I think other interpretations of these texts are preferable - interpretations that highlight Jesus as Logos and full bodily self-expression of God.
You wrote ...
Now, in our interview, and indeed, multiple times in the book, you teach about "Two traditions", the peace tradition of the prophets and the sacrificial wrath tradition of the priests. You conclude that Jesus sides with the "Peace" tradition- to which I agree. But I don't think that means Jesus was against the wrath tradition. We have so many examples of Jesus doing and saying things that we're not very comfortable with. Jesus, of course, prohibits his disciples from engaging in war and violence- but that is completely different from God engaging in retribution. I just don't think we can possibly get around the fact that God does condemn and offer retribution to those who have not submitted their lives to the Lordship of Christ. Even though we really want to.
Actually, I don't think it's quite that simple. The prophetic tradition, for example, includes Elijah and Elisha who had a lot of violence associated with them. And there are powerful peace messages in the priestly tradition. (I'm intrigued, for example, by James Alison's interpretation of the day of atonement - you can hear it in his audio series, "The Shape of God's Affection." It's a stunning reading of the relevant texts.)
Also, I am quite comfortable saying God judges and condemns. I think condemn means "exposes as wrong" or "identifies as wrong." And I think judges means "evaluates morally" (and usually if not always, also means "sets things right.") I think God does these things - and in fact is the only one competent to do so!
I think in Christ, sacrifice (in the sense of appeasing a hostile God) is over. (You may remember I offer an overview of the Book of Hebrews in the book, which I believe makes this very point.) So that dimension of the priestly tradition is done. In the New Testament, the old appeasing sacrifice is replaced by another kind of "sacred gift" - the living sacrifice of dedicated and non-conformist lives, the sacrifice of praise, and the sacrifice of kind and generous deeds to others, "with which," Hebrews says, "God is pleased."
You wrote ...
In point 2 of your response, you argue that you are not calling us to simply disregard violent passages, but rather to acknowledge them and the harm they have done in history. Granted. I believe we all need to spend a lot more time reflecting on how we have abused and misused the Bible as Christians in history to do horrendous and unChrist-like things. But, once again, that simply doesn't mean that because these verses have been abused, we need to disregard them, which is, it seems, what you are arguing that Paul and Jesus did. By siding with "Peace" they disregarded "Wrath". I think that's what you mean? Right?
Again, I don't throw out the word "wrath." But I don't equate it with eternal conscious torment or hostility on God's part. Again, I think God is hostile toward that which is hostile toward God's beloved creation (which includes us). If we destroy God's creation, then God is against our destructive behavior. By the way, I notice in Romans 1-2 that wrath is expressed in letting people experience the natural consequences of their actions. In today's terms, that would mean that if we continue to disregard our responsibility to care for the environment, we can expect to have to face rising sea levels, drought, storms, and the like. If we don't take our vows and commitments and responsibilities seriously, we can expect to experience social fragmentation. God isn't like a codependent who enables our bad behavior by shielding us from its natural consequences.
Interestingly, the passages from Jesus and Paul that I cited in the text clearly do side with peace and disregard vengeance and related themes. So my question would you would be why you aren't upset with Jesus and Paul for doing so?
I do find your references to Law and Gospel very compelling, I must admit. We are taught in the New Testament that the Law was useful, but the Gospel now fulfills and does what the law could not. Applying that to retribution vs. restoration is indeed fresh and incredibly thrilling to think about. But my question still remains- even in the New Testament, don't we still see the "Priestly" tradition lived out? What do we do with the book of Revelations retributive scenes of God's wrath or Peters references to condemnation and judgement? It seems that, while peace, grace, restoration, and love prevail as the prominent themes of the Gospel, wrath and retribution still have a place in the Gospel tradition.
I don't have any problem talking about wrath as God "giving us up" to experience the consequences of our foolish choices. But I can't quite see how peace, grace, restoration, and love actually do prevail (win?) if wrath, retribution, etc., have the final word. (That's why I entitled a book The Last Word and the Word After That.) Sin does indeed abound, but grace abounds "all the more."
On your question about the priestly tradition - it depends on how we define priestly. What I think ends decisively (again, I'd refer you to the chapters in the book on eucharist for this) is sacrifice (appeasing blood-letting). It is over forever. But there's more to the priestly tradition than that. There's what we would call the pastoral role - teaching, leading in worship and prayer, seeking lost sheep, healing the wounded, catechizing, and so on - the kinds of things, I think, that you and your peers are preparing for in college. May God bless you in your continuing studies and preparation!
And let me say thanks again for modeling such intelligent and engaged learning, questioning, challenging, listening ... all essential to a wise student's work. This is what good education is about, and I'm a better person for your excellent questions and honest push-backs. God bless you, Brandan!
Compassion Training, Multi-faith Training
If you're looking for a worthwhile training experience, what could be better than learning compassion in the way of Jesus? Some friends of mine have developed a solid training course that you can learn about here: http://cec.claremontlincoln.org/2012/05/compassion-training-open-to-the-public/
And if you want to learn about Abrahamic traditions, here's a prime opportunity, based in New York, also organized by some friends of mine:
http://www.faithhousemanhattan.org/2012/05/23/abrahamic-manhattan-3-day-summer-immersion/
Great opportunities!
Q & R: Greco Roman Influence?
Here's the Q:
Your books are marvelous. Right now I'm reading A New Kind of Christianity, and it has sparked my interest in the Greco-Roman influence on what we believe today.
Could you provide a "simple" explanation of what actually has been the basis for our current interpretation of the Bible. I've looked into some of the history but haven't found anything that seems concrete enough for me to say "okay, here it is."
Many, many thanks for the manner in which you have used the brain God gave you. It has benefited many greatly.
Here's the R:
I think you'll find more on the "Greco" part of the equation as you continue reading A New Kind of Christianity. And you'll find more on the "Roman" part of the equation in Everything Must Change.
To really shrink it down, here's what I'd say:
1. Certain strains of Greek philosophy privilege concepts over material, thinking over action, stasis over change (or being over becoming), and perfection (which is sterile and static) over goodness (which is fertile and dynamic). This in turn privileges "the philosophers" as an elite group - because they understand the conceptual, the ideal, the static and perfect. Since the world is now divided into two's - ideals/ideas and matter, thinking and action, philosophers and common people - we'll call this a dualistic mind.
2. Roman politics takes this dualism a step further. It divides the world into "the Roman Empire" - or "US" - and the barbarians or "THEM."
3. This us-them mentality typically justifies unlimited violence in the defense of us and the domination or expulsion of them.
When you read the Bible with this kind of dualistic mind, it frames your understanding. It reshapes your assumptions about what words like "salvation" and "chosen" and "gospel" mean. It reshapes your view of God. It makes the Biblical narrative much less Jewish and much more ... Greco-Roman. And it sets you in opposition to anyone who doesn't read it as you do. I hope that helps a bit!
I have a challenge in living with a congregation that imagines God is violent and with folks who feel that when I proclaim God's nonviolence that I'm not loving "our" soldiers. I walk a fine line:
I want to honor and love soldiers who have suffered and "sacrificed"
I want to imagine new, Christ like ways of resolving conflict without the cycle of violence
I want to live the nonviolent, active peacemaking ways of Jesus
When I feel the most tension is on the Sundays around Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and the Fourth of July. Folks want me to preach, equating Christ's sacrifice with a solder's sacrifice. And I cannot do that. Yet I do love the veterans in our congregation and respect them! Do you have any response or suggestions?
Here's the R:
Such an important question - and one that comes up more and more often.
First, I think you are using the right language ... "I can not do that." I think you have to explain why your conscience, your theology, and your sense of integrity won't allow you to do that. I think you have to gently share your perspective - respecting those who differ, and asking them to respect you as well.
Suzanne Stabile told me about a veteran who said something like this to her: "The Republicans want us to be heroes, which means they don't want us to talk about our pain, moral injury, or disillusionment. And the Democrats don't know what to do with us. So nobody's there to help us really heal and reintegrate into the community when we return." There is an enormous need and opportunity for churches in this gap ... and I hope churches like yours can move into the gap to help.
Bu the way - the current Time magazine cover story deals with suicides among soldiers ... a timely article in light of your question. Soldiers and Veterans need us to be honest about their challenges, pain, needs ... Making them heroes who can't speak the truth about their experience, or criticizing the wars they fight are equally insufficient responses.
When I was invited to participate in Animate, I needed another project on my plate like I needed a kick in the shins. But the more I learned, the more intrigued I was, and I couldn't say no. After watching Animate take shape, all I can say is ... check it out. It's an amazing resource - for a small group, a class, a youth group, a retreat, maybe even a Sunday series. I'm honored to be part of it. For more info: animate.wearesparkhouse.org.
A reader writes ...
Dear Brian
I once had the enormous privilege of meeting legendary basketball Coach John Wooden when I happened to exchange pulpits with the pastor of his congregation in LA. Amongst other things, he said to me, "Listen neither to praise nor to criticism. Only you know how well you have really done". My preface is stated because, as a minister (in the UK), I know both praise and criticism and, though I've learnt various responses to criticism I've become quite skeptical of praise. Yet, here I am, about to praise you (and thank you) no end!
I have read so many of your books that you have become something of a mentor to me as I evolve spiritually, pastorally and theologically through the years. Today, having pondered the various coloured lines weaving around the cover of my copy of "A new kind of Christianity", I was unsure of the reasons behind the design. Now I have just now read chapter 20: "How can we translate our quest into action?" and all has become clear.
Wow! I mean WOW!!! Jesus is the light of the whole world, in the world's / history's / humanity's / religion's full spectrum, and within the full spectrum of colours within the White light of "God". Dear Brian, I have tears in my eyes as I write this!
Shortly I am to share a lecture in my church with [a man who] happens to be Buddhist. Suddenly I can articulate why as a Christian I just have a feeling of Oneness with this [man]. It's because as Christian and Buddhist we ARE one - in the wide spectrum of light / enlightenment.
Thank you SO much.
My praise may slip by you unnoticed.
It may swell your ego.
It may bounce off you skeptically.
It may bow your knee in humility.
Whatever.
It is most sincerely offered from a heart filled with thanks because of the tremendous blessing that your work is to me. THANKYOU. I wish you to sense how well you have done - for me.
God bless you dear brother in Christ and humanity.
Thanks for these encouraging words. I take them to heart and am humbled that I've been able to be of service to you in any way. I hope readers of this blog will see that you're not saying, "as Christian and Buddhist we are exactly the same."
If we're exactly the same, we're redundant and don't have differing gifts to offer one another. But you realize how our differences are real and important. Differences don't have to be divisions.
So you're seeing a larger story or reality that has room for differences. That larger story doesn't say that our differences don't matter. It doesn't ignore the problems or errors or harmful dimensions of those differences - or similarities for that matter (and it's in our similarities that I think our deepest problems lie). All this is central to the thrust of my upcoming book.http://brianmclaren.net/archives/books/brians-books/why-did-jesus-moses-the-buddha-a.html If Muslims or Christians or Hindus or Jews or atheists or whoever don't have room for the other in their story ... if "they" are unwanted intruders who are taking up space that should be for "us," then hatred and violence will result. For you and me as Christians, we see Jesus model a desire to move toward the other as neighbor ... as in the story of the Good Samaritan, to cross the road to encounter, love, and serve the other.
Q & R: Your music?
Here's the Q:
As a musician I am excited about your simple, in the best way, chanted music. For me it is not a far jump from Taize musically and the text is a beautiful homage to simplicity. I very much appreciate the contemplative, meditational style of your music and I look forward to introducing your music to our congregation. Thus, I have what I hope is a simple request. We are planning to use your version of "The Lords Prayer"for this summer and for your visit. My hope is to maintain your beautiful simplicity while in the Taize style adding other instruments and possibly harmonies. Which in a round about way brings me to my question. Could you please send me piano or guitar chords for "The Lord's Prayer"? I know it's simple and I could pull it from your Youtube rendition but I really want to start from and bud upon your original ideas.
Your help would be greatly appreciated and we welcome the opportunity to use your music for our worship experiences.
Here's the R:
Thanks for your inquiry. The Lord's Prayer chant is a simple scale, rising five tones and falling five tones. The key of D works well for the chant, so you could play it like this:
D - Em - F#m - G - A - G - F#m - Em (or A) - D
This is not the day to isolate all the trends affecting all the groups, but they include the demographic along with so many more. It is the day to suggest that they are demonstrating that there is no place to hide from cultures named "millennial" or "youth" or "pop" or "consumerist" or any other one might name. One does not have to be an ideological "declinist"—I refuse to be one, and I have plenty of company—to know that by amassing the stories of decline one can paralyze or, perhaps, awaken and nudge.
Adam and Eve – not historical
Death – not an intrusion into a good creation
I have found many books and articles that claim to defend the Bible against the above statements (which basically say that they are wrong because otherwise the Bible is wrong – {never admitting that perhaps it may be a particular interpretation of the Bible that is being challenged}).
However hard I have searched I cannot find anything which wrestles with the implications of death being an integral part of creation, there being no Fall – and the consequences on what the life, death and resurrection of Jesus means and accomplished.
Please can you say whether you have come across anything that deals positively with this?
Many thanks
On death - I agree with you - this is a subject that deserves so much more attention than it has gotten.
You'll find a good discussion on the subject at Open Source Theology (a place where intelligent theological conversation happens daily): http://www.opensourcetheology.net/node/954
I was recently with Tony Jones in the Boundary Waters wilderness of northern Minnesota with a bright and bold group of Fuller Seminary students engaging topics like these under the rubric of "Doctrine of Creation." Here's a video about our trip ...
Really, a theology of death needs to be part of our doctrine of creation ... especially in light of a scientific worldview. For starters on that subject, I'd recommend Moltmann's "God in Creation" for a scholarly grappling with many of the issues you raise. I'd also recommend John Haught's work, beginning with "God After Darwin."
On the subject of death, I grappled with it to some degree in "The Story We Find Ourselves In". I hope to do more writing on this subject in the future (if I live long enough!).
My friend Bruce Reyes Chow's new ebook is out - "The Definitive-ish Guide for Using Social Media in the Church." It will be updated each year and gives equal weight to the theory and practice of social media directed at the place where most churches are located, "We know we should, but have no idea why or how to begin."
For anyone who has wondered if and how social media can benefit the church, Presbyterian pastor and social media early-adopter Bruce Reyes-Chow steps in with answers. He deftly weaves practical how-to’s with a convincing rationale for why social media matters for the church. Social media novices will find an accessible introduction and ideas for getting started, while more experienced users will discover new ways to use social media in congregations. Readers will learn from Bruce’s experiences managing information overload and navigating social media issues during a pastoral transition. This is a book to pick up for both practical purposes and Bruce’s insightful and inspiring commentary on the ways social media is changing our culture and the church. Learn how social media allows Christians to be in the world in new, powerful, and God-honoring ways.
The church that [I attend] has decided to plant a new church. Against my recommendations, they bought a building, and have hired a young guy w/ zero pastoral experience. I decided to get to know this guy and visited his office on Tuesday. As always, the first thing I did was look over his bookshelves. I noticed three of your books on the shelf and started to say, "Hey! This is my dear friend Brian..." but then he interrupted that by saying, "Yea, after he denied original sin, the virgin birth, and said he accepts gay people I was like, 'well that's enough, he's no longer a Christian...'" - you'd think I'd get used to that type of thing, but it makes me sick to my stomach. I didn't yell or anything, I just smiled and invited him into a conversation about judging people so harshly and that maybe someone could remain a Christian even if he doesn't line up theologically with one's personal doctrines.
Of course I have a bias towards church planters, having been one myself. I hope this fellow will read my upcoming book. He'll find out that in Chapter 19 I note a beautiful way of holding the doctrine of the virgin birth and that Chapter 13 is devoted to the topic of original sin. And regarding gay people, if he rejects everyone who seeks to accept everyone, I guess I'll have to be rejected by him, but considering Luke 15:2, I might be in good company.
I hope you'll keep reaching out to him and building a relationship. Many of us can remember saying exactly these sorts of things when we were young and either insecure or overly confident, trying hard to prove ourselves as legit members of the righteous inner circle, etc., etc. Life has a way of humbling us, you know? Especially if there are patient and mature friends around - like you.
Q & R: a question i can never get an answer to?
Here's the Q:
This has been a wavering journey for me since leaving the more 'fundamentalist, literalist' understanding of the bible. I always find myself back and forth.
The issue I am particularly wavering a lot in concerns the love of God. I have come to accept, through your writings as well as others, that the bible is the lenses through which humans perceived God... but not necessarily how God sees things (in the 'infallible bible' sense of the word).
Since then, I then ask myself often: 'how do I know that the love of God is real?' What is my evidence that God is a loving God? So sometimes I will look at creation, but then I see hate in creation. How do I know that God isn't hateful?
There are so many perspectives out there about creation, the bible, evolution, the nature of God, etc - that it has all become confusing.
My longing is to know that there is a loving God out there. I find that this is the question that consumes me often. But I often do not feel at rest in knowing whether this is a question I can never get an answer to.
Would love to know if you've ever dealt with this. What are your thoughts on it all?
Here's the R:
When you say that sometimes you see hate in creation - I imagine you're thinking of lions and gazelles, lizards and flies, sharks and seals. I don't think that's hate, but I can see how it becomes a reflection to us of our own human hatred. And human hatred is all to real in our world.
So let me rephrase your question - if there is a God, is God best reflected
a) in human love, but not human hate,
b) in human hate, but not human love, or
c) in both human hate and human love?
Now we would need to define more carefully what we mean by "hate" and "love," no doubt - but assuming that by hate we mean hostility, the desire to harm or destroy another, and the desire to use one's power to downgrade and destroy the well-being of another - then my guess is you will never get an "answer" (in terms of proof) to this question, but you will have enough data and instinct to make a faith choice in response to the question.
The Catholic philosopher Richard Kearney refers to this as life's "wager" (drawing, no doubt, from Pascal). We literally bet our lives on love rather than hate being at the center of it all, hope rather than despair leading to meaning, faith and grace rather than resignation and fear being the way forward. That's what faith is all about ... not knowledge, answers, or proof as much as a choice for love, hope, love, and grace.
We want to do all we can do to help mobilize and spread this rising movement of kingdom people who are rethinking what it means to be a “Christian,” what it means to have “faith,” and what it means to be a follower of Jesus. We want to join others in imaginatively exploring the shape that post-Christendom discipleship and the post-Christendom Church might take. And we want to join others in boldly rethinking everything Christians have always assumed they already knew.
To recover the self-sacrificial revelation of God in Christ, and to advance the servant kingdom he inaugurated, it is time for us all to take a fresh look at everything.
Amen!
Thanks, IJM!
It's wonderful to see International Justice Mission engaging with the fair food campaign, justice for farmworkers, and related issues in their new Recipe for Change campaign. Check it out ... they've put together a number of practical, doable, enjoyable ways you can become an advocate for justice - starting with the tomatoes you enjoy.
Second Review of "Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road"
Bill Dahl is an avid reader and a gifted writer - not to mention a stellar photographer, an avid outdoorsman, a fly-fisherman (the opera and ballet of outdoor sport?), an international student host, and the world's leading advocate for the porpoise-diving life.
Let's hang out for a week in August in New Mexico, OK?
I've heard for years about a beautiful place called Ghost Ranch. I hoped I would someday be invited there ... and it happened!
I'll be working with my friend and colleague Suzanne Stabile. She'll be using the Enneagram to help people map their inner worlds, and I'll be helping turn that inner sensitivity outwards in putting our faith into action in the outer world.
It's August 20-26. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in an incredible setting. I understand there's still some room ... Let's get together in New Mexico!
A reader writes ... about GWDT
A reader writes
Just finished reading "The Girl with the Dove Tattoo." I'm really digging your fiction, and I'm looking forward to more in the future.
"Dove Tattoo" got me to thinking about how far too often we twist prophets' words around to suit our own system of violence and oppression. In fact, the other day I was talking to some friends on Facebook about how sometimes I feel like being a part of Christianity--or any religion, for that matter--is being a part of a global system of injustice and oppression. You would think I'd know by now that religion doesn't always equal oppression. But for some reason I still have trouble separating the two.
I think your concern is near the heart - for many people - of the "spiritual but not religious" phenomenon. They distance from religion because it seems to closely allied with hostility. Can religious identity build benevolence instead of hostility? That's the big question I wrestle with in JMBM, which will be out in just over two months!
First Review of "Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road"
I had the chance to meet Brandan at the Wild Goose Festival a few weeks back in North Carolina. I was so impressed with his ardent spirit - a great example of 1 Timothy 4: 12. I thought I'd offer a few responses to some of his observations ...
Dear Brandan ...
...if we are as good as we say we are, we won’t ignore the moral complexity of our own history
Suzanne's piece hits me hard because of a conversation I overheard the other night. Grace and I were eating at a funky little place on our funky little island-town at the edge of the Everglades. I was really trying to concentrate on our own scintillating conversation, but I kept getting distracted by this guy at the next table who was talking about ten decibels above NRV (normal restaurant voice).
Anyway, I'm sketchy on this first part because I was trying to block him out, but it sounded like the fellow at the next table was talking about our governor Rick Scott's refusal to cooperate with the now-ruled-constitutional Affordable Care Act. Then he started talking about South Carolina - the place where the Civil War began.
Around this point, I whispered to Grace ... "Can you hear what the guy next to us is saying?" At that point we surrendered to eavesdropping.
There are lots of groups in South Carolina, he said, who are getting ready to stand up to the federal government. Eventually, they're going to bear arms to reaffirm States' Rights. (Sound familiar?) The hope is that when these South Carolina "patriots" rise up, similar militia across the South will join them.
Then, he said, there are a lot of "captains and such" in the military who will switch sides and join the "patriots" in fighting for "freedom."
Maybe the Northeast will want to stay with the federal government, he suggested. But not the South.
It was the first time I've heard an overt (10 decibels above NRV) argument for civil war - I think in my lifetime. Which is why Suzanne's piece really hits me hard and makes it hard for this Fourth of July to be a normal one.
To quote Suzanne once more:
...if we are as good as we say we are, we won’t ignore the moral complexity of our own history
I had the privilege of speaking to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) in Pittsburgh ... a day full of stimulating conversations, hopeful people, and signs of grace.
Q & R: Europe? Australia?
Here's the Q:
Hi I have been reading your books avidly since I was introduced to them, and have been recommending them to as many as possible. You have helped me greatly in clarifying questions and issues affecting us today. I was wondering if your plans for a book tour included Europe, with a name like McLaren, there must be some Irish blood there and I am sure you would have a very warm welcome both in Ireland (where I live) and the UK! best wishes
Here's the R:
I'm so glad you've been enjoying my books. And thanks for recommending them too. With the release of Why did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? this fall, I'll be touring the US and then the UK. I'll post details for both tours here on the site soon - but in short, I'll be doing a US tour September 11 - October 19, and then a UK tour November 27 - Dec. 6.
I am a student of yyy College in zzz. and have just finished reading your book, " A new kind of Christianity" for my Religious Studies class. Although I am a Neo-Pagan, my mother is a long time Christian. I am witnessing her becoming displaced from the church because her belief system is changing through life experiences. I don't think my mom will ever drop the Christian God from her life, but I do think your book might offer her a new way of thinking about her relationship with religion and God. The problem is that she is a Spanish speaker and I can't seem to find a Spanish version of your book anywhere. Do you know where I might order one from?
On another note, I am really enjoying researching your book. You really do make the orthodox establishment raging mad! I know this is not your intention, but I personally love your take on Christianity. I would not go back if you paid me, but I know lots of people( like my mom) are really hurting because they crave a new way to approach their God without fear of "the constitution". Good book.
Thanks for your note. Your mom is blessed to have a compassionate child like you!
I wish that a Spanish translation of New Kind of Christianity were available, but it's not. So far, only two of my books are available in Spanish - Mas Preparado de Lo Que Piensas (Kairos), and El Mensaje Secreto de Jesus (Nelson). I hope more will be translated in the future....
I think your mom would enjoy both of these books. And here's an idea about New Kind of Christianity: maybe you could sit down with her and share some of the ideas from the book that you think might be helpful to her. If that happens, let me know how it goes, OK? Thanks again for writing.
Here's the Q:
I have a couple questions about the physicalist view of the afterlife you have and how it aligns to the bible?
1. In I Corinthians 15:50, Matthew 16:13-17 it says that flesh and bone cannot go to heaven so how will there be a physical resurrection?
2. What will we do while our body is in the ground?
3. 2 Corinthians 5:6, Philippians 1:23 and 2 Corinthians 5:8 clearly shows that something will be separated from the body and will be in heaven during the afterlife not anything physical but spiritual?
4. Isn't it far-fetched that our dead bodies will somehow float up into the sky and we will basically live there it seems almost absurd to me?
5. This would also force someone to say that heaven is a physical place that can be found somewhere in the universe and heaven is obviously a spiritual place in the bible?
please respond to these questions
Here's the R:
This is an important question because it gives me a chance to address a problem I have with questions like this. When you say "the physicalist view of the afterlife you have," I'm not sure what you mean. I don't believe I've ever used the term physicalist before, and I'm not sure what definition you bring to the term. So if you were simply asking about my views of the afterlife, I could talk about that ... but I can't be sure what assumptions are hidden in the term "physicalist." (I have a similar problem when people use terms like liberal, conservative, process theology, evangelical, etc., etc.)
Physicalist (as I understand it) is not a term relating to the afterlife: it relates to how we see human life on this side of death. It differs with the old dualist/Cartesian view - ghost in a machine, soul/spirit in a body - and emphasizes the human being as a psycho-somatic unit. One could be (I think) a physicalist about life before death, and then believe in a variety of possibilities after death.
But that aside, your questions resonate with many questions I've asked about the afterlife and the Bible. I haven't written a lot about the subject because I'm still in the middle of rethinking it. I addressed it here: (link to downloadable pdf) - and in a chapter called "the future question" in A New Kind of Christianity. I also addressed it in The Story We Find Ourselves In. That's probably the best place to see my vision of how this life and the afterlife relate.
Since I'm rethinking this myself, I'll just offer a few comments on your questions.
1. In I Corinthians 15:50, Matthew 16:13-17 it says that flesh and bone cannot go to heaven so how will there be a physical resurrection?
That's a fascinating question. I'd point out that "inherit the kingdom of heaven" doesn't mean "go to heaven when you do" as I understand it. I'd also ask what "flesh and blood" means in context ... It might not mean "physical body" but it might mean "normal human systems of thought and behavior."
2. What will we do while our body is in the ground?
My best single-sentence definition of the afterlife is "to be retrieved, retained, reconstituted, and released for ongoing life by, with, and in the presence of God." Another way to say it would be "to be known, remembered, and loved by God" - here, I'm thinking of Jesus' reflection of God as the God of the living. I'm comfortable with saying, as Paul did, "to be absent from the body is to be present from the Lord." But I don't see the necessity of equating "absent from the body" with "in a dualistic, cartesian, body-soul dichotomist way."
3. 2 Corinthians 5:6, Philippians 1:23 and 2 Corinthians 5:8 clearly shows that something will be separated from the body and will be in heaven during the afterlife not anything physical but spiritual?
- Here the question is what you mean by spiritual. Do you mean an immortal ghost-like essence? Do you mean to be known by God? Paul might just be using common idioms to talk about being alive versus being dead ... When I say, "Those were earth-shaking election results," I'm using idiomatic language that doesn't imply I think earthquakes are caused by elections, and we should allow Paul that same freedom, I think.
4. Isn't it far-fetched that our dead bodies will somehow float up into the sky and we will basically live there it seems almost absurd to me?
I think the main proponents of physical resurrection are focused on bodies that are raised for life on earth - forever, or for a thousand years, or whatever. I can find problems with every way I've ever heard of dealing with all this ... which is why I am content to entrust myself to a faithful God in the afterlife, even though I don't have a clear or certain conception of what that will be. My "eye hasn't seen, nor has my ear heard, nor has my heart imagined...." - but I know enough of the faithfulness of God to agree with Paul: to be with God beyond this life (wherever, however, in whatever state) is "far better." So there's nothing to fear.
5. This would also force someone to say that heaven is a physical place that can be found somewhere in the universe and heaven is obviously a spiritual place in the bible?
Again, I think it's necessary to ask what assumptions you bring to the terms "heaven" and "spiritual." There are a lot of assumptions hidden in those words. (BTW - Moltmann has a fascinating chapter on the biblical meanings of "heaven" in "God and Creation.")
+++++
To: Brian McLaren and readers of his blog
From: Lonesome George
Subject: Your responsibility for my death
Date: June 2012
On the eve of my demise, I am writing to a few human beings who seem to have some appreciation for my species. As hard-shelled and thick-skinned as we are, and in spite of the fact that we have about 200 million years of evolutionary history on this planet (in contrast to your own subspecies' mere hundred-thousand or so years), we are quite vulnerable. Since 1972, I have been the poster child for this vulnerability.
As I near my own death, I wanted to write to ask you to intensify and expand your efforts to convince your fellow humans that this planet is not theirs to dispose of as they wish. They were not given exploitive dominion over the planet, as many of them claim. They are not the pinnacle of creation as they so often presume.
Your fellow humans were given responsible stewardship over the planet. Your role as image-bearers of our Creator means you should join our Creator in our Creator's loving concern for the earth and all its creatures. The true pinnacle of creation was not humankind, but rather Sabbath ... the day set aside for our Creator to enjoy the wholeness and harmony of all creation living, working, resting, and playing in harmony.
Needless to say, your species has disrupted that Sabbath. While few humans will mourn my death or learn anything from it, be assured that the Creator, who cares for every sparrow that falls, also cares about me and takes note of your species' role in the demise of so many of your fellow creatures.
Although I don't understand the complexities of your human economic system, I have an excuse: my brain is about the size of a peanut. You human beings, with much larger brains, ought to at least try to understand your economic system - including its destructive consequences. I can't understand how a species with your intelligence maintains the absurdity of believing that unlimited growth is desirable or even possible. Your insatiable greed and ignorant lust for power and speed drove you to kill all my kin, and now, with my death, the Pinta Island tortoise will be gone forever. This is one of the costs of your economic system, but it won't show up on anyone's spreadsheet. I implore you to try to help your fellow humans understand this before more species end up where I am now.
You can do better.
The single bottom line of profit is unworthy of you. You should aim higher - not just to attain sustainability, to be to achieve regeneration - to rebuild and renew what you have destroyed. You should aim for a triple bottom line - economic regeneration, ecological regeneration, and social regeneration. That may slow what you call progress, but better slow and steady progress toward a worthy goal than fast progress toward an idiotic and murderous one.
There is much more to say, but I am very tired. If only more of you humans were like Fausto Llerena, who has watched over me for forty years. If only more of
+++++
1. Even when they are upset with me, they are polite and generous and civil. ... like this kind person who (mis)read my introduction to Andrew Marin's book Love is an Orientation. (A revised version of the "parable" part of that foreword appeared in A New Kind of Christianity, Chapter 17.)
I'm writing to you concerning your remarks in Andrew Marin's book. If I hadn't seen Andrew on Ytube or heard my pastor talk about him, I might not have read the book based on your foreword.
I'm not trying to pick a fight, but I was greatly disturbed with the sweeping allegations you made against the gay community on page 10 of the foreward. You accused gay people of trying to recruit young people into their way of life, but you name no such organizations; you say Jesus condemned homosexuals, but you didn't give a reference. To my knowledge, Jesus said nothing about homosexuals, but he did say a lot about self-righteousness, hypocrisy and divorce. He was big on social justice as well as personal salvation. Now if you're going to use Paul, then you should have mentioned him.
You criticize countries(which ones?) that are allowing this lifestyle to run rampant as somehow undesirable. What's happening in these so-called unnamed countries? I know in Uganda where they want to make gayness illegal by executing them is pretty awful.
You also blamed the gay community for breaking up families and churches which I thought was a pretty strong one-sided allegation. I know what's happening in the American Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion. I've heard Bishop Robinson interviewed and I believe he thinks he's doing God's will just like you think you are.
Now you have a right to your opinion, but when you make the above serious accusations, you better give some credible sources. That's my complaint.
I was so upset after reading your foreword that I looked you up on the Internet and was shocked to see that you are associated with Sojourners and that you campaigned for President Obama in 2008. The persona I saw on your website didn't seem to square with the foreward you wrote in Andrew's book. I thought the writer of the foreward must be a different Brian McClaren.
I am a straight Christian married for xx years this week. My husband and I just joined a xxx church whose pastor is openly gay. The church isn't a "gay church" but a family church which welcomes all people. We don't hear any sermons about being gay or straight; we hear sermons about God'd love and acceptance. Yes, we have gay couples and singles who attend. Some of them are as old as I am (60+) who have been with their partners for many years. In the majority are straight couples, singles, and children. The Body of Christ is very diverse.
The pastor of Riverside Church in New York once said something that I thought was profound. Can't we be be of 2 minds, but of one heart? I'm hoping that is how you receive my message.
I appreciate you reading my message.
In Christ's love and grace,
2. They are willing to listen to "the other side." We sent this reply ...
So sorry about the misunderstanding. Please read the 3rd paragraph on page 12. Brian isn't talking about homosexuality. He's talking about fundamentalism.
And then we received this response:
Thank you so much for writing to clarify! How did I miss that key word, "parable" right before he started the "lifestyle" business? I'm glad I wrote and you could explain the truth to me!! Now what I read about Brian matches up with the foreword!
... I apologize for my misinterpretations of Brian's message. I guess he's like Stephen Colbert using a right wing persona to ridicule the right!
I applaud Brian for his non-judgemental stand! I will look to read more from him on the Internet.
God bless you and Brian! I will read more carefully from now on!!
In humility,
3. They're humble, which continually humbles me.
I'm thankful for readers like you!
The Wild Goose Festival hatched last year, fledged this year, and promises to fly high in the future. I just got back from five amazing days in North Carolina, enjoying unbelievable music (including Rev. Vince Anderson, Phil Madeira, Gungor, Over the Rhine ... ), brilliant speakers and poets (including Frank Schaeffer, Phyllis Tickle, Rev. Dr. William Barber, Peter Majendie ...), a new conversation every three steps with an old or new friend ... and (to my surprise) lots and lots of jubilant kids who were having the time of their lives, so glad their parents chose to flock with the Wild Goose.
If you're feeling bad for missing it, 31 Aug - 1 Sep you can come to Oregon for Wild Goose West. I'll be there ... here's a taste.
Thanks to all who participated, planned, gave, served, fed, and supported the second migration of Wild Goose. I think this gathering has an important role to play as we migrate into the future, focused on spirituality, justice, art, and music.
The Kairos USA Statement is an important expression of solidarity with peace-loving people in the Middle East. I am an enthusiastic signatory. You can add your signature too. Start here: http://www.kairosusa.org/
Here's the statement's introduction:
Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
Or, trespasses
Or, debts
Or, wrongs
I would love for you to explore the practice of forgiveness, especially for congregations and Jesus followers.
In my context, I've seen folks who pray the Lord's Prayer at least weekly, although perhaps weakly. As Richard Rohr suggests, and I paraphrase, "they good people. We give them the hardware, but they can't do it. They just don't have the software."
So, how might we give folks the software. As James Alison, following Girard, "how can we help folks imitate the Forgiving Victim? How might we practice positive, loving, life giving mimesis?"
Bottom line: I'd love to see you write a book on forgiveness!
Thanks - great suggestion. I've often thought of a whole book on the Lord's Prayer - and the subject of forgiveness would naturally be emphasized under the lines you quote. It truly is important ... as you say, as part of our imitation of God in Christ.
Sign On Statement on Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Law
I've signed a statement (below) that many of my friends will want to sign as well. You can send your name/title/affiliation to mcmullen@rfkcenter.org
Our Christian faith recognizes that all human beings have been created in the image and likeness of God, and Christ teaches that we are to love our neighbors as ourselves. All acts of bigotry and hatred betray these foundational truths.
Many of us previously expressed our profound dismay at the Parliament of Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009, which would have enforced lifetime prison sentences and in some cases the death penalty for homosexual behavior, as well as punish citizens for not reporting their gay and lesbian neighbors to the authorities. Now the bill is back, albeit with some of the harshest provisions likely to be removed, and we are alarmed at recent calls by our Ugandan brothers and sisters in Christ for the speedy passage of this legislation.
As Christians we wish to bear witness to the fact that Jesus spoke up for the marginalized in his society. But even in its revised form, the bill in Uganda would forcefully push lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people further into the margins, and it would criminalize anyone, including clergy, who speak up and provide support for their LGBT brothers and sisters rather than reporting them to law enforcement. Persecution of this kind has no place in any community guided by the commandment to love one’s neighbor.
Regardless of the diverse theological views of our religious traditions regarding the morality of homosexuality, the criminalization of homosexuality, along with the violence and discrimination against LGBT people that inevitably follows, is incompatible with the teachings of our faith.
As Americans Christians we recognize that groups and leaders within our own country have been implicated in efforts to spread prejudice and discrimination in Uganda. We condemn misguided actions that have led to increased bigotry and hatred of LGBT people in Uganda that debases the inherent dignity of all humans created in the image of our Maker. We urge our Christian brothers and sisters in Uganda to resist the false argument, debunked long ago, that LGBT people are a threat to our children and families and somehow “foreign” to our societies. We recognize that such treatment degrades the human family, threatens the common good and defies the teachings of our Lord – wherever it occurs.
Back in Civilization ...
What a delightful week ... canoeing with Fuller Seminary DMin students in the Boundary Waters of northern Minnesota, as a guest lecturer with Tony Jones' cohort of students. What a fantastic way to get an education ... Fuller deserves a lot of credit (pun intended) for encouraging this kind of learning community. Superb guides, challenging portages, great food, wild weather, excellent teamwork, tremendous equipment, and being constantly surrounded by God's beautiful creation ... it's hard to imagine anything better.
On Wednesday, I leave for Wild Goose Festival. More outdoor experiences ... more great teaching ... this feels like the beginning of the best summer in memory. I hope to see many of you at Wild Goose - if not in North Carolina this week, in Portland, OR, at Summer's end.
PS - I just learned there are still tickets for this week in North Carolina. Why don't you come?
Last week I spent a few days at BEA (the big expo for publishers, authors, and readers) in New York City. There we launched Jericho Books, a new imprint of Hachette, under the inspired leadership of Wendy Grisham. They're the publisher of my upcoming release - Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road.
It was fun to be with some of my fellow Jericho authors and to give away a bunch of pre-release copies of the new book. The official release is September 11.
I also spent some time in the hospital with my dad who had a bunch of tests on his heart, and is now home, doing well, looking forward to his 88th birthday this fall, and celebrating his 62nd (if my math serves?) anniversary with my mom.
During the week ahead, I'll be a guest lecturer and participant with Tony Jones and a class of Fuller Seminary DMin students. We'll be canoeing in the Boundary Waters of Minnesota, a great place to explore spirituality and the doctrine of creation. That means I'll have little online access, which will explain my relative digital silence (if you're paying attention).
With less to read online, this would be a great time to check out my digital fiction - three short novels (with a fourth coming soon). They're inexpensive and fun, with some surprising incursions of meaningfulness too. Info available here: http://brianmclaren.net/archives/books/brians-books/short-fiction-ebooks.html
Also - check out my friend Lynne Hybels travel blog from Africa. It's the next best thing to being there ... You can find some reflections on my recent time in Africa after the jump:
Q & R: the Ineffable but Knowable God - in higher ed?
Here's the Q:
I've been reading your books for years, and very few other authors have changed my approach to theology as much as you have. A New Kind of Christian actually helped me become a new kind of Christian, and A Generous Orthodoxy genuinely gave me a genuine orthodoxy. I'm now the ED of a small non-profit that organizes a college ministry ... It's my second college ministry gig, and I have been working to building a Christian community on one of the most atheistic campuses in America by engaging the doubting and questioning, and hopefully building up faiths that rest in the ineffable but knowable God rather than in religious security and confidence.
As I've tried to build the community here, I've looked for authors and resources that would approach college ministry with the sort of mindset I've gained from your work (and that of Bell, Rollins, etc.), but am finding that most of those who speak specifically to college age and emerging adults are seeking to preserve and protect rather than to be a prophetic voice which provokes and challenges. Despite many authors saying "emerging adult ministry is the new youth ministry," the literature is vacuous. What is written seems to be engaging contemporary issues (living in a post-Christian, digital, postmodern world) with an antiquated perspective. They're asking questions for the first time that the emergent folks have been asking for a decade and a half.
As you tour and speak I imagine you've had the opportunity to connect with people/groups/books/resources that address the question of how to live out this kind of theology in higher ed, and I'm hoping you might be willing to connect me with some of them. Specifically, I'm hoping to connect with those who have maybe tried creating networks of churches in a given city to respond to the unique faith development of young adults as a collective, or have in other ways sought to reach out to more than a single school.
Thanks for all you've done for me, I couldn't be more grateful. This last year, we've been trying to engage in meaningful interfaith dialogue by hosting meals and discussion groups for those of all faith backgrounds, so I'm anxiously awaiting Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha and Mohammed Cross the Road!
Here's the R:
Thanks for your note. What a great phrase - "the ineffable but knowable God."
I love your idea for city-wide connections for college ministries, and I'll bet some exist, but I'm sure more should exist. (Maybe folks with leads could respond on my Facebook page?) Your note gets me thinking ...
I'm thrilled that some good planners pulled together the Children, Youth, and a New Kind of Christianity conference in May. (And indications are there will be more to follow....) Maybe we also need a "College Ministry in the Emerging Culture" conference too ... I've met such amazing college ministers over recent years, and I know if some folks wanted to pull something like this together that I'd want to be there. It seems that college ministry still has a lot of silos where good things are happening - but not enough cross-pollination occurs, and not enough connection with supportive churches. Great possibilities!
A reader writes ...
I just wanted to let you know that my husband and I have been reading your books and listening to your podcasts almost every morning for quite awhile now, and since we have discovered you, we have been led to discover many other amazing thinkers and theologians. Your writing led us on this wonderful path and I have watched my husband become a better human being, which has all prepared him for the journey we are on now. He fell off a roof and broke his neck on Wednesday and our 2 year old daughter is being watched by family as I sleep in the hospital with him each night. We consider the healing process of this traumatic event to have begun about a year ago when we first began reading A New Kind of Christian. I just wanted you to know.
Thanks!
Thank you for this encouraging note. I hope your husband's recovery is speedy and thorough - and that he won't have to be on too many roofs in the future!
Q & R: Resources for Kids
Here's the Q:
Hello Brian,
I'm big fan of your work. I really do credit you (and the rest of the Emergent gang) for jump starting my dying faith.
My question is this: Have you (or are you) planning to create any resources for children? If not, can you recommend any? I am a new Dad and I greatly anticipate teaching my son about Jesus and the Commonwealth of God. Having some helpful teaching/learning materials would be nice.
Here's the R:
I'm so glad for this question. I recently participated in Children, Youth, and a New Kind of Christianity in Washington, DC. (There are some photos and reports here - more to come: http://children-youth.com/)
One of the reasons I was looking forward to the event was to meet publishers of children's and youth materials that would be sensitive to the issues of "a new kind of Christianity" - issues like dealing with the Bible's violent passages, reinforcing a nonviolent image of God, promoting a holistic gospel and integral mission.
My sense was that this gathering furthered the conversation among all these publishers - and I hope that the conversation will continue and expand in the years ahead. I may have some kids-and-youth focused contributions to make at some point ... but in the meantime, I'll be paying attention to the good work of the publishers and groups above, and others like them. There are wise and gifted people working in this important area of ministry and mission ... so I am very hopeful!
(BTW - my upcoming book on Christian identity will address some of the key issues that we must address with Christian identity formation in kids and youth ...)
Q & R: sexuality and marriage
Here's the Q:
Good morning, Brian! I've been an appreciative fan of your shared thoughts and insight. And when you needed to you have pointed to other equally wise and helpful scholars.
I was wondering if you could recommend an individual or resource that would give a Christian analysis on how sexuality has evolved in society, and how the church has responded historically. Any thoughts or help would be much appreciated. Thank you!
A complementary perspective is found in Bob Johansen’s "Leaders Make the Future.” Johansen suggests ten essential leadership skills for these times.
Maker Instinct: Exploit your inner drive to build and grow things, as well as connect with others in the making.
Clarity: See through messes and contradictions to a future that others cannot yet see. Leaders are very clear about what they are making, but very flexible about how it gets made.
Dilemma Flipping: Turn dilemmas—which, unlike problems, cannot be solved—into advantages and opportunities.
Immersive Learning Ability: Immerse yourself in unfamiliar environments to learn from them in a first-person way.
Bio-Empathy: See things from nature’s point of view; to understand, respect, and learn from nature’s patterns.
Constructive Depolarizing: Calm tense situations where differences dominate and communication has broken down—and bring people from divergent cultures toward constructive engagement.
Quiet Transparency: Be open and authentic about what matters to you—without advertising yourself.
Rapid Prototyping: Create quick early versions of innovations with the expectation that later success will require early failures.
Smart Mob Organizing: Create, engage with, and nurture purposeful business or social change networks through intelligent use of electronic and other media.
Commons Creating: Seed, nurture, and grow shared assets that can benefit other players—and sometimes allow competition at a higher level.
Why I think (many) Southern Baptists will like my upcoming book ...
Especially interesting is to hear Diana contrast her analysis of recent religious demographic data with that of Russ Douthat in his book "Bad Religion" (where, it turns out, I am briefly associated, with my friend Rob Bell, ambiguously between good and bad ...)
I think the tipping point is near ...
and it's about time.
Nearly eleven years have passed since September 11, 2001, and in that time, all of us have had to face - or avoid - the issue of religiously-inspired fear, hostility, and violence.
A growing number of books are grappling with the subject. I just finished Philip Jenkins' excellent new book, Laying Down the Sword, which deals with violent passages in the Bible and how they have been (ab)used through history. Samir Selmanovic's It's Really All About God explored this territory a few years back - with real intelligence and heart. My upcoming book (to be released September 11, 2012) will also engage in this conversation.
Meanwhile, reaction, retrenchment, and regression are easy to find too - discouraging, yes, but also signs that there is something to react to, retrench against, and regress from.
What I hope and pray for is this: that growing numbers of Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, and others will - in this time of global religious reflection and reevaluation - all open themselves to repentance (rethinking). I hope that we will, in the words of Jesus, stop trying to take splinters out of one another's eyes, and instead, focus on the planks in our own eyes - Christians facing hostility in our communities, Muslims facing hostility in their communities, Jews in theirs, Hindus in theirs, and so on.
Reaction, retrenchment, regression ... or repentance, reflection, reevaluation? That's the fork in the road we all face. The former is broad, smooth, familiar, and popular ... and we know where it leads: the destruction of war, hate, prejudice, fear. The latter is rough, challenging, less familiar, and less travelled. But the choice will make all the difference.
Knowing your weakness
Blessed is the person who knows his own weakness, because awareness of this becomes for him the foundation and the beginning of all that is good and beautiful.
Saint Isaac
I'll be on Darkwood Brew - 6 pm Eastern, 5 pm Central. What's Darkwood Brew? A creative, live online gathering ... find out more (and listen in today) here: http://www.onfaithonline.tv/darkwoodbrew/
Friends from the Religious Right ...
I am privileged to have several good friends who were architects of the Religious Right.
All of them have "switched sides" - having had deep second thoughts about the movement's political wisdom and ethical viability, not to mention its theological validity.
[I think] you do not believe God causes things like my cancer, or tsunamis, which is helpful (and I think I have read you to say something like that before). But I still have trouble with a God who would appear to only answer prayers related to one suffering child, but not the many many others. And the same for a God who created the world as it is, with this much suffering, which seems beyond anything that is necessary. Some believe that suffering came about because of man's fall, but I suspect you might agree that death and decay seem to have been baked into the universe even before man evolved.
Here's the R:
The question of suffering challenges us to rethink first the issue of God's agency (the kind of relationship we think God has with the universe - one of dominating control? crushing will? disinterest and distance? guiding presence and suffering solidarity?) and then the issue of God's character (is God understood more as a dominating potentate ... or as a suffering, indwelling, saving, guiding, loving presence ... or ?) It's a huge subject, too big for a blog post, but I think you'll find a lot of wisdom here ... http://www.ravenfoundation.org/blogs/in-the-beginning/suffering-and-the-god-of-love
Occupy Pentecostalism!
Let us plea the Holy Spirit for wisdom in how and what to speak in order to promote peace and justice in our dying world, without loosing our Christian and Pentecostal identity. May the Holy Spirit convince us that dialogue is better than argument and love covers all, even the differences!
Let us ask the Holy Spirit to give us the eyes to see the reality of our world: the rise of wars and genocides, the growing gap between the poor and the rich, gender inequality, racism, increasing diseases in various parts of the world where Pentecostalism is growing. May the God of Pentecost give us the wisdom the knowledge and the tools to become messengers of light in our communities.
As Pentecostals who hunger for peace and justice, let us join hands, and once again occupy Pentecostalism. Let us free Pentecostalism from the hands of false teachers, doctrines and practices. Let us occupy Pentecostalism and free it from self-enriching prophets of doom and gloom! Let us occupy Pentecostalism and free this beautiful movement from the hands of those who have highjacked its values and believes. Let us occupy and be occupied by the Holy Spirit! (Samuel Lee)
I have read Naked Spirituality and thought it confirmed so much of what I already knew. Great! Thank you! So I have persuaded our housegroups leaders that we will study it next year. However, I thought that there were study questions and ideas on your website and I seem unable to find them. Rather than reinventing the wheel, it would be great to use questions that you have already thought of and found to be beneficial. Could you direct me to the link, or alternatively, is there some other place that I could find a study guide for the book. Or do you fancy writing one if not!!
Here's the R:
I've been hearing about so many churches, classes, and groups using the book ... that's encouraging to hear!
The good news is that there's already a discussion guide included, right after the endnotes, pages 271 - 280. The bad news is that the guide was easy to miss!
I think you'll find it helpful. God bless!
Unbelievable. (In the best possible way)
I was just working on my travel arrangements and schedule for the Wild Goose Festival. It was the first time I went through all the amazing musicians, speakers, activists, artists, and other creative types who will be there. I'm amazed. Can't wait. Hope you'll come!
Here's more info - http://www.wildgoosefestival.org/intro/
In particular, don't miss the sermon linking the Spirit and Satyagraha ... and the stunning reading of the phrase "sin, righteousness, and judgment" from John's gospel. Amazing, amazing.
Home again ...
After 36 hours in transit (not counting another unexpected 24 hours when my original flight was cancelled) I'm back home from another amazing time in East Africa. Amazing friends there doing wonderful, needed, and inspiring things ... beautiful African countryside ... stark human need met by stunning human kindness, infused by God's Spirit of love, wisdom, peace, and creativity. I'll be sharing more in days to come, but am going to enjoy a few days of rest and recuperation first.
And you can get a glimpse of some of the beautiful projects (with tremendous photos) unfolding there - here: http://www.communityforburundi.org/
Greetings from Africa
I'm with an inspiring group of African leaders in an absolutely beautiful setting - at the top of Lake Tanganyika in Bujumbura, Burundi. I can hear the waves crashing on the shore - like an ocean beach with crystal clear fresh water. (They say Lake Tanganyika contains 1/6 of the world's liquid fresh water, in a deep rift between the mountains of Burundi and Congo.) Every meal, every break I meet new friends doing amazing things to serve God and/in neighbor.
Tonight, we sang the well-known song, "Open the Eyes of My Heart." Sean Callaghan from South Africa suggested we need to remember Jesus' words - that what we do for the "least of these" we do for him ... and he suggested it's not just that we need to "be Jesus" to those in need, but we must realize they are being Jesus to us ... if we have eyes to see Jesus in them.
Anyway, I started scribbling down a second and third verse to that song, inspired by what people around me embody in their service to people in great need. Let me know if any of you every try using it (feel free to improve upon it first!) in gatherings somewhere ... and let me know how it is received.
Open the eyes of my heart, Lord. Open they eyes of my heart.
I want to see you. I want to see you.
To see you low and beaten down ... in the homeless, sick, and lonely,
In the suffering and oppressed, we see you lowly, lowly, lowly ...
Open the eyes of my heart, Lord. Open they eyes of my heart.
I want to see you. I want to see you.
In what we do for them - the least of your sisters and brothers,
We also do for you, in the outcast and the lowly
Lowly, lowly, lowly ...
In Africa this week ...
For the next week I'll be in Africa with good friends in the Amahoro network ... I don't know what I'll have by way of internet capability, but I'm sure there's a lot of archived material here to explore if I'm digitally silent this week. Maybe pick a key word and search the site for it ... Or maybe check out my short fiction ebooks, available here: http://brianmclaren.net/archives/books/brians-books/short-fiction-ebooks.html
A story from a reader ...
A reader writes ...
I am a first time reader of your books. Just finished A GENEROUS ORTHODOXY, and A NEW KIND OF CHRISTIANITY. Thought I would take a chance with you since I saw you are going to be on the Board of Trustees at Claremont School of Theology. As a graduate I was once the President of the Alumni Association and as such on the Board of Trustees. I am now retired.
Your journey is an interesting one, that in many ways is similar to mine. I am from an evangelical background, raised with the Greco-Roman world view. I worried about all the things you mentioned, re: second coming etc. This is my story: During the summer of 1966, a friend of mine and I hitch-hiked the continent. We had been given a letter of introduction to Rudolf Bultmann, and an interview with him in his home at Marburg, Germany. He was then in his 80's and writing his commentary on the Gospel of John. Being from the background I was, I was fearful that I was on enemy territory, visiting a man whose treatment of the New Testament was questionable, if not heretical. I was very much in a theological turmoil, in the years prior to going to Claremont for theological reorientation. We found Mr. and Mrs. Bultmann to be warm and gracious, (which threw us off right at the beginning!) I posed a question to Bultmann, thinking I would stump him. I asked, "Dr. Bultmann what do you believe about life after death?" His answer: I believe that the God who meets me day by day will meet me when I must die." It was such a gentle and authentic answer, that I felt I was on holy ground. He didn't need to spell out what it would look like, he said "that is fantastic."
A few years ago I shared this story with Marcus Borg after a lecture series. He said that was his view as well. This incident I recalled after reading your chapter "The Future Question."
I thought I would be more mellow at this point of my journey, have all the answers, basking in some spiritual bliss! Not so. I continue to struggle and am grateful that you, among others, are here to keep the questions alive.
Thanks so much for writing. Many of us are taught in our religious communities to fear "the other" - the liberals, the conservatives, the Muslims, the Catholics, the Evangelicals, the Jews, the whatever. Then, we actually meet them and - lo and behold! - "they" are human beings, nice folks, bearers of God's image just like "us." (That's an important theme of my upcoming fall release ... I hope you'll enjoy it too!) This is a big part of what Paul is getting at, I think, in 2 Corinthians 5:16 ... "in Christ," we no longer recognize others "according to the flesh." Even Rudolf Bultmann or Jerry Falwell or anyone in between. Thanks again for sharing this story.
I find the idea of proselytizing to be, at best, patronizing towards the other. It flies in the face of Vaclav Havel's dictum to "keep the company of those who seek the Truth, and run from those who have found it."
How do we deal with this in a multi-faith world?
Here's the R:
Thanks for this good and important question. Christianity and Islam (unlike Judaism and Hinduism) are often called "missionary religions." But I think that categorization is problematic. Here's why.
All religions, I think, have a mission. For some manifestations of each religion, the mission appears to be little more than institutional survival - keeping a clergy class employed, keeping buildings or temples open, and so on. For others, the mission focuses on bringing benefits to members only (sometimes "enhanced" with threats towards the other). For others - the best ones, in my opinion - the mission extends to "the other" by focusing on the common good, with special attention to the outsider, outcast, stranger, marginalized, forgotten, disadvantaged, and even the enemy.
In some sense, then, all religions are missionary religions - it's just that their missions differ.
Many religious communities are also proselytizing religions - meaning they actively recruit people from other religions to defect from those religions and join their own. This, I think, is what you find patronizing. This approach may assume that one's own religion is purely good while other religions are purely evil. It begins by assuming my primary duty to my neighbor of another religion is to persuade him to convert ... or else. This is what Havel's quote rightly warns about: when we assume we already have the truth and so have nothing more to learn or seek in company with the other.
It's no accident that this viewpoint has historically gone hand in hand with colonialism. Such an us-vs-them attitude suits the colonial agenda perfectly.
To avoid this patronization, self-deception, others-deprecation, and colonial mindset, many people advocate a kind of religious isolationism ... you have your religion and I'll have mine; let's keep religion private so it doesn't cause conflict and division. I can see why this approach would seem appealing - all the more so if one is surrounded by proselytizers. Nobody wants to be colonized - religiously or politically.
I think we need an option better than either proselytism or isolationism. Such an approach would indeed be missional (focusing on mission for the common good), but it wouldn't fall for the oversimplified dualism that says "us=good/better" and "them=bad/worse." We might even say such an approach would be "evangelistic" - not in the traditional sense of demanding conversion with the threat of eternal damnation, but in the original sense of good news. In this approach, each religion is encouraged to bring its good news - its message about the common good, its transferable wisdom, its treasures to be shared.
This approach avoids the us-them thinking of conventional proselytism, which is highly problematic, as you know.
Any honest person would admit there are a plenty of problems in his or her religious community. There are plenty of blemishes, blind spots, inconsistencies, misunderstandings, divisions, disputes, prejudices, and flaws. And any honest person would admit there are plenty of virtues in the religious communities of others - heroism, loyalty, wisdom, morality, generosity, virtue, strength. Conventional proselytism largely ignores the negatives one is taking on when joining "us" and the positives one is leaving behind when leaving "them." Jesus spoke of this - he criticized those who travel over land and sea to make a single convert, only turning the convert into "twice the son of hell" he was before conversion!
That's why I think we need an approach that acknowledges the strengths and weaknesses on all sides and that invites people to come to the table with their unique gifts to offer the others. Gifts, of course, can't be imposed - that's colonization, not gift-giving. The very nature of a gift is that others can say, "No, thank you." When people obsessively push their gifts on others, that's also a dysfunction ... more like sales than friendship!
So my Buddhist, Hindu, and Jewish friends come to me with the gifts of their traditions, and I come to them with the gifts of mine. Some we may welcome; some we may not be interested in - now, anyway. Sometimes, the uninterested response of others will cause me to ask if there's something wrong in my presentation of the gift I offer ...
