Q & R: College student heading off into 2010-2011 …
This note just came in from a college student …
Hi Brian, I am an 18 year old who will be leaving for college in about a week. I am currently reading “A New Kind of Christianity,” and must say that I have a flood of emotions regarding the book. I feel happy at times, knowing that you feel the message of Jesus as paramount in the development of the Biblical narrative; frustrated at times, because your interpretation is so different than anything I have ever learned; angry at times, because the church has watered things down to where Jesus is a “get out of Hell free” pass; questioning at times, wondering how these questions can affect the church and how many more people may see that Christianity (if actually following Jesus) and social justice can (and actually should) work together. That being said, I still see myself interpreting things in Greco-Roman manner. I feel as if I have been brainwashed. How can I see the Bible through a different lens? Is there a different way of reading things, or am I just missing something?
Reply after the jump …
R:
Thanks so much for your note. This really is a critical time in your faith development – sorting through your inherited faith and deciding what will be your chosen faith. The process never ends, really, but I recall how exciting and challenging that time was in my life – all the emotions you mentioned were part of my experience as well. You articulated the struggle beautifully.
I tried in NKOCy to demonstrate how the Bible “works” outside the old narrative. I hope you could see in the readings of Genesis, Job, John, Romans, Acts, and so on, that this approach in no way minimizes the text; I feel that it honors the text in a far greater way than the old approach has done.
For some other authors doing the same thing, I’d recommend Rob Bell and Don Golden’s “Jesus Wants to Save Christians,” or anything by Walter Brueggemann. My Secret Message of Jesus and Everything Must Change (each of which is on sale for just $6 right now!) will give you a more in-depth grappling with the Gospels, and Walsh and Keesmaat’s Colossians Remixed will do something similar with Colossians.
Also – if you listen to podcasts, I have a series of 51 20-minute podcasts that give an overview of the Bible from this alternative perspective. I think you’d enjoy them – might be good while exercising, walking between classes, etc. I hope that helps – and I especially hope you’ll find a few good conversation partners at school, since these things are best processed in community. I hope to hear from you again in the future.
