Brian McLaren

Spring 2006 Update

Three things stand out this spring – the completion of our round-the-world trip, my upcoming trip to Europe in May, and the release of The Secret Message of Jesus.

You’ll find more details on the trip Grace and I just completed in the accompanying report, and you’ll find my schedule for Europe (with contact information) in the Schedule section of the site.

As for The Secret Message of Jesus, I’m thrilled because I think this will be the most important book I’ve written so far. It pulls together the themes that have captivated my heart over the last ten years or so.

A number of people have asked about the title. Some people are concerned that it has “Gnostic connotations.” Obviously, I was aware that some might draw this conclusion, but my main audience for the book (and really, for most of my books) is not members of the Christian subculture who would even know what “Gnostic” means. Instead, my primary audience is the “spiritual but not religious” people who are interested in what Jesus was about, but are generally turned off by the Religious Right, institutional religion, etc. I felt that the title would connect with this audience, and I was willing to risk being misunderstood for that purpose. Jesus, I think, took similar risks again and again.

As I worked on the book, I was repeatedly struck by how “strategically indirect” Jesus was – hiding his message in parable, sign, and wonder. I began to realize that this strategy of hiddenness was integral to Jesus’ whole message and ministry. I think people who read the book will be struck by this theme as well.

I’m a little nervous because it breaks my heart to see people who haven’t even read the book (or at least, not read it carefully!) writing negative and unfair things about it. It’s funny – it hurts more to read harsh things written about one of my books than it does to read personal attacks. I suppose one’s books are like one’s kids – every parent wants their kids to be treated fairly when they send them out into the world.

It’s quite sad to see the way that some readers (generally those of a more fundamentalistic bent) respond to the book on amazon.com and elsewhere on the web. Some write reviews without having read the book. Others misinterpret or miss the main point in nearly unbelievable ways. Many say, “McLaren says” or “McLaren believes” – with no apparent basis at all for their assertions, ignoring places where I say the very opposite of what they claim. Several friends have told me that these kinds of caustic reviews actually help sell the book, but I’m sad anyway because I think this kind of sloppy thought and uncharitable rhetoric doesn’t reflect well on our common Christian faith.

Of course, the people who write these kinds of reviews must feel the same way about me and my book – which reminds me that most of us are doing the best we can, and so we should try to be understanding and gracious with one another. I just read Bob Dylan’s wonderful autobiography (Chronicles: Volume One – what a great read!), and at one point Dylan meets this odd character named Sun Pie deep down in Louisiana. Sun Pie asks him if he’s a praying man, and if so, what he prays for. “I pray that I can be a kinder person,” Dylan replies. Not a bad idea!

I hope you’ll enjoy the new resources here on the site. Greetings to all the new friends who are visiting the site for the first time. I hope you’ll find some encouragement and help here whenever you stop by.