August 2009 Archives - Brian McLaren
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August 31, 2009
Ramadan 2009: Day 10
The first week of the fast is completed ... and it has been a good week - good in terms of prayer, good in terms of self-control, good in terms of a humbling awareness of my weakness and limitations, good in terms of being intensely mindful of those who are hungry and thirsty day after day after day. It hasn't been easy: the thirst is tough late in the afternoons, I tend to feel a little sick and weak after about 2 pm, I've received quite a few amazingly nasty emails, and some of the blog chatter, I've been told, has included some predictable inaccuracy and depressing rhetoric. (I generally avoid those kinds of blogs.) But the negatives seem trivial and small in comparison with the blessings and encouragements. Two special encouragements ...
My fasting partner Eboo Patel writes about interfaith solidarity as well as anyone on the planet, because he lives it through Interfaith Youth Core. He talks about our shared fasting experience here. Quotable:
I hope this interfaith solidarity during Ramadan is a sign of the times. I pray that we are moving towards a world in which people are rooted in their own traditions but find dimensions to admire and learn from in others, that Ramadan is a time during which people from a variety of backgrounds come together in the common purpose of growing closer to God and one another. That is the heart of Islam, of all of our faiths and traditions.
And Ben Ries, a new friend (whom I met at Ichtheology at Yellowstone in July), is one of several who felt the call to join in the fast after reading about it here on this site. He shares his beautiful experience in an article here.
Two more after the jump ...
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Q & R: Women in this conversation
Q:
I know this is going to be random, but I thought I might give it a shot.
My name is ??? and I'm 21 years old. I love so much of what Brian (and others) are contributing to the church as a community and how he isn't afraid to question everything. I could go on about how much I love the conversations that are going on within the church as a whole right now, but that's not my purpose in writing.
I am desperate to find women who are asking similar questions and engaging in this converstion. There are so many men to look up to and learn from in this conversation, but I don't know of many women. And it's not that I can't learn from men but as a young woman myself I very much want another woman who is asking similar questions, someone to relate to. Within my local church and circle of friends and acquaintances I am the only woman who is passionate about, and engaging in this new messyness that some have labled the emerging conversation. My question is this. Who are the women that are visible in this conversation that I could learn from? I've struggled to find them and if there are any women authors or speakers or pastors etc., that you could recomend to me that would be so very much appreciated. I know whoever is reading this must be very busy with e-mails so I understand if you don't have the time to answer this; however if you do that would be amazing! Thanks for your time regardless :)Reply after the jump:
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August 28, 2009
Christians, Muslims, and Jews ... Tom Krattenmaker gets it right
Tom Krattenmaker offers a beautiful piece on interfaith friendships.
And this story from the Washington Post goes in the same hopeful direction.
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Christians and Muslims ... Worst and Best
To my Christian friends: would you agree with this statement?
Christianity was not intended to create a chosen people, fostering exclusive claims for themselves, while looking down upon the rest of humanity like a sea of untouchables or regarding the animate and inanimate worlds around them as fields readied for wanton exploitation. Wherever Christians find themselves, they are called upon to be actively and positively engaged as vanguards of mercy, welfare, and well-being.
(More after the jump...)
Continue reading Christians and Muslims ... Worst and Best...
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More on NKOC ...
Here's a note I recently received about NKOC from someone who describes his background as "zealous evangelical, and probably fundamentalist."
Hi, my name is XXX. ... I've been on the road several weeks this summer, and I came across A New Kind of Christian.
I used to be a zealous evangelical, and probably a fundamentalist. Went to Bible College in Dallas, was always in church. Then at some point I started going through a lot of changes mentally and spiritually. It was really an awakening to the concept and the reality of grace. But, something in me was being pulled away from the church more and more as I started falling more and more in love with Jesus. It was a very weird and scary and a lot of the times exciting adventure. An adventure, that among other things has led up to me being judged (I don't know if 'judged' is a good word, the ones I keep in contact with are "worried" about me though) by my fellow Bible College grads, etc...
(more after the jump) -
August 27, 2009
If you live in the New York City - Connecticut area ...
I'll be speaking at Christ Church in Greenwich, Connecticut, September 20th, preaching at 9 and 11:15, signing books at 10, and leading a workshop 1:30-4:30. It would be great to have you come! You can download the flyer with details here:
Download fileThen I'll be at Berkeley Divinity School and Yale on Monday the 21st - details TBA.
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Who is this man? And why is his voice important in the current health care debate?
Let Nicholas Kristoff tell you about him here.
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Steve Bell shares some acoustic artistry ...
One of my favorite musicians and a wonderful human being ...
He also shares a wonderful story about painting a neighbor's house, followed by two beautiful love songs, one by Steve and one by Pierce Pettis (another amazing singer-songwriter you should know about if you don't already) here.
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Q & R: four stages of faith
Q:
I heard you speak on the 4 levels of faith which I found very helpful. I asked you after if you had the power point and you said it’s on your website. I cannot find it I would love to refresh myself in what said and I am a visual person so I would find it helpful. Do you still have it even if you have it in word format that would help.
Reply after the jump ... -
August 26, 2009
Agreeing with a graduate of Southern Baptist Seminary on Healthcare Reform, But ...
I couldn't agree more with David Gushee's recent editorial on the moral imperative of health care reform. Why would I follow that statement with a "but"?
First, let me make my agreement a little more specific. Gushee, now a distinguished professor of Christian ethics at McAfee School of Theology, strikes a downright prophetic note when he says ...
The tenor of the debate raises the legitimate question as to whether our nation still has the capacity to tackle an enormously complex policy challenge such as this one. Each day we spend millions of dollars to defeat external threats -- but if we cannot address our own domestic problems any more effectively than this, then it will not be al Qaeda that undoes us.
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Faith seeking understanding ...
I'm in day 5 of the Ramadan fast. It's not easy. As I wrote in Finding Our Way Again, I've never been one to feel euphoria when fasting; from about 2 p.m. to sundown, I feel a little sick and weak. It's not easy (especially the water part), but it's good.
One of the benefits of the fast is that I've been able to help a few of my Christian friends overturn some common misconceptions about Islam. There is so much misinformation and misunderstanding on both sides. Perhaps as the month goes by I'll share some of those conversations. But if you are a Christian who is willing to question some of the standard and sanctioned propaganda about Muslims, let me recommend three books by Christians today, and three books by Muslims tomorrow.
1. Mark Siljander was a conservative political leader who epitomized the Religious Right. (He was the Republican protagonist in Charlie Wilson's War, if you've seen that movie.) He had the courage to face some of his misconceptions and wrote an important book called A Deadly Misunderstanding. It's really worth reading.
2. Paul-Gordon Chandler is an Episcopal priest who served for many years in Egypt. There he met a fascinating person whom I've also had the privilege to get to know - Mazhar Mallouhi. In Pilgrims of Christ on the Muslim Road, he tells Mazhar's story - and sketches out what it might look like for Christians and Muslims to learn to walk together in peace as pilgrims of Christ.
3. If you're not a big reader, but do like a good story, I'd recommend you begin with Father Elias Chacour's Blood Brothers. This Christian priest tells the story of the Palestinian-Jewish conflict as someone who experienced it firsthand ... and manifests a spirit of reconciliation rather than revenge or resentment.
True faith seeks true understanding - of God, of one's neighbor, and of oneself.
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August 25, 2009
Q & R: emerging in Philippines ...
Just got this in ...
I got a copy of A New Kind of Christian and it blew me away! Me and a friend are discussing it and am glad you wrote it because it is something that is starting here in the Philippines. I'm so glad our country has not gotten to where the US right now in terms of culture. (I didnt mean that in a bad way, but i used to live in Georgia before and left and when i came back around 2007 for a short stay i was culture shocked). Anyway, it helped alot but man, its impossible to get your books here in the Philippines. I'm not sure I want to pay the huge shipping cost but i still want to read the next two books in the trilogy (and maybe more)! Was hoping you could tell us where we could find some copies locally, or at least in Asia where shipping would be cheaper.
...So many good points but lol id rather not belabor the book.... Soooo looking forward to your other books (when we can get a hand on them)
Maraming salamat (many thanks in Tagalog)I wish I had a good suggestion on where to get my books more easily and inexpensively in Asia ... Hopefully, digital downloads will be more readily and internationally available soon. But in the meantime ... I wonder if you have a friend or contact visiting the US who could bring you the books on their next visit?
PS: I just received this note from my friend Sam in Netherlands (thanks!):
I was just surfing on your blog and saw someone requesting your books in the Philippines. Since I am very active in the Philippines, and even lecture your books at our University, I know where they can get your books. I saw them even there: OMF Bookstores in Quezon city Manila, they have many of your books or they can order it. I hope this will help.
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This fall ... events I wish I could go to
If you haven't signed up for one or more of these events ... you should if you can! I have other commitments, sadly, so will have to miss them, but wish I could be there.
Nov 20-21 in Seattle, there's Off the Map ...
Oct 9 - 11 in Minneapolis, there's Christianity 21.
A bunch of my favorite speakers in the world are speaking at this one ...Sep 9 - 11 in Chicago, there's the theological conversation with Jurgen Moltmann.
A chance to hear Moltmann - and to hear Danielle Shroyer's overview of Moltmann's work ... and to catch up on the latest from emergentvillage.com.I hope I can buy downloads or cd's of these!
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Theology and Evolution ...
Robert Wright offers an irenic and intelligent perspective on the creation-evolution debate here. (Thanks J Stone!) -
August 24, 2009
Ramadan 2009: Day 3
You can read two beautiful postings from Peace Moms Soraya and Nadyne here.
Day 1 was a little harder than I expected, especially between about 4 and 8 pm. Hunger wasn't too bad, as I've fasted quite a bit through the years. But I don't think I've ever gone for more than a few hours without a drink of water in all my 53 years. So that was a new experience, a little extra challenging down here in the Florida heat where sweating is inevitable if you're outdoors as I was for much of the day. Grace was kind of enough to delay her dinner to coincide with mine ... and she could tell how happy I was for sundown to come so I could have a tall glass of cold water. With Day 2, I knew what to expect so things went smoother. Both days were good!
Again and again I've been thinking about people who live every day with food and water in short supply. Knowing that relief awaits me in a matter of hours, I wonder what it would be like to be a child and not have that knowledge ... or to be the parent of that child, feeling responsible for his or her well-being. You pray for your neighbors in need in a different way when you're hungry and thirsty.
Here's my prayer from Day 2 (after the jump):
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Q & R: Lutherans and Wesleyans have been ignored for too long!
A note from a Lutheran and a Wesleyan. More after the jump ...
From a Lutheran ...
Q: First, thank you for sharing your writings and thoughts. I am exceptionally grateful for your "A Generous Orthodoxy."
In fact, when given the opportunity to lead a small group this past spring at a small progressive Lutheran church..., I chose this book. I am not a life-long/cradle Lutheran; rather my religious upbringing is quiet eclectic - raised in a conservative Christian home I was baptized Southern Baptist ..., became a member of a Mennonite Brethren church ..., and attended a fundamentalist non-denominational church ... during my high school years. Given this background, plus a few years of being anti-Christian for perhaps all too obvious and typical reasons, I appreciate your willingness to seek out the best in the various branches of Christianity. Still, I cannot help but notice that there not a section on "Why I am Lutheran." I am certainly not criticizing; my small group and I were simply curious.Continue reading Q & R: Lutherans and Wesleyans have been ignored for too long!...
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August 23, 2009
well done, travis reed
If you don't know the work of Travis Reed and friends at theworkofthepeople.com, you should. I can't imagine more punch, emotion, and impact being packed in less than two minutes ... here's Hell in a Handbasket, part of an interview with theologian John Goldingay:
HELL IN A HAND BASKET from The Work Of The People on Vimeo.
thanks, sivin kit!
Another relevant quote from Richard Rohr after the jump: -
Wisdom on the wind ... Thomas Friedman and Nicholas Kristof get it right
Thomas Friedman, learning from an experience on safari in Botswana, gets it right in his NYT editorial today ... Quotable quote:
We’re trying to deal with a whole array of integrated problems — climate change, energy, biodiversity loss, poverty alleviation and the need to grow enough food to feed the planet — separately. The poverty fighters resent the climate-change folks; climate folks hold summits without reference to biodiversity; the food advocates resist the biodiversity protectors.
They all need to go on safari together.
“We need to stop thinking about these issues in isolation — each with its own champion, constituency and agenda — and deal with them in an integrated way, the way they actually occur on the ground,” argued Glenn Prickett, senior vice president with Conservation International. “We tend to think about climate change as just an energy issue, but it’s also about land use: one-third of greenhouse gas emissions come from tropical deforestation and agriculture. So we need to preserve forests and other ecosystems to solve climate change, not only to save species.”
This was exactly the insight that smacked me upside the head when I was researching Everything Must Change. You can't deal with discrete symptoms without getting to the deeper disease-issues that underlie them.
It strikes me that we need to keep this holistic, systems-thinking approach engaged as we deal with health care here in the USA. For example, when restaurants and grocery stores know they can make more money selling us oversized portions full of and coated with high-fat, high-sugar, highly-processed gunk, and when we keep buying what they're selling, and when that produces an obesity epidemic - and obesity is becoming a bigger health-care problem than smoking, by the way - then we have to realize that health care is related to diet, and that one of the "externalized costs" of the food industry's profits is a sick health care system treating sick people and creating a sick economy. (Nicholas Kristof captures one facet of the sickness of our soul-less calorie-factory food industry in his NYT editorial today, a fitting companion to Friedman's, as they both call us to re-situate ourselves within creation.)
So today is a good day to remember Solomon, that icon of wisdom, who, for all his flaws, knew there was a lot to learn from observing natural systems in their amazing interdependence. He was no one-issue expert who had climbed tall into the silo (aka ivory tower) of one narrow discipline; he pursued multi-dimensionality in his life. For starters, he was (in his early years at least) a truly spiritual man, having prayed for wisdom over riches, fame, power, etc. No wonder he said, "The reverence for the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." He was also an artistic man - with obvious gifts for poetry, for music (like his dad), and for architecture as well. These qualities, together with his attention to plant and animal life, seemed to give him the kind of integrative, big-picture wisdom that we need a lot more of today. Here's how he was eulogized in 1 Kings 4:
God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore... He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five. He described plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also taught about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. Men of all nations came to listen to Solomon's wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.
If he were here today, I think old Solomon would have given Thomas Friedman and Nicholas Kristof a hearty "amen," maybe even a high-five.
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August 22, 2009
On the beatitudes ...
I've been enjoying my friend Fr. Richard Rohr's beautiful reflections on the beatitudes that come in his daily devotional emails (you can sign up here ... highly recommended!). After the jump, I'll include a few that have touched me especially.
On the beatitudes, I wish a US publisher would make Dave Andrews' beautiful book Plan-Be more widely available here in the US. Dave sent me the book from Australia, and it is a real gem. There's nothing like it available here in the US. Here's a video put together by the Aussie publisher:
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Ramadan 2009: Day 1
Here is my prayer today:
God, Creator of all people, in this month when a billion people will observe Ramadan with fasting and prayer, with devotional reading and with kindness to the needy, may your Spirit be at work in the hearts of Muslims, Christians, and Jews (who together make up over half the world's population) as well as people of other faiths and no stated faith.
May your gentle voice call us to move beyond our tribal visions of a deity who loves "us" but hates "them." Help us to see you more truly as you are, a God who is pure light, rich in mercy, whose mercy triumphs over judgment, who knows us each by name, and who graciously considers us beloved, wherever we are from, whatever our background, whatever labels we apply to ourselves or others apply to us.
May your voice of truth call us to question the prejudices and misconceptions about you and about one another that we learned from well-meaning but misinformed authority figures, even when they thought they were speaking in your name.
May your voice of peace make us ashamed of our violence, hatred, fear, superiority, and resentment. And may your voice of courage inspire us to walk in the way of reconciliation, even when that path is dangerous and difficult.
May your voice of compassion teach us to see one another - and ourselves - with new eyes, your eyes. And so may we forgive one another where we have been hurt by one another; may we humble ourselves and admit the truth where we have done the hurting; may we repent where we have chosen the small ways of revenge and exclusion rather than your greater ways of reconciliation and embrace.
May your voice of wisdom call us out from our vicious cycles of self-destruction.
With your help, Lord, may we, who are faithful and loyal to the different doctrines and traditions we learned from our beloved parents and respected teachers, not let our loyalty to sacred teachings and traditions make us disloyal to you or to one another. For in this age of crushing financial debt, we all have a beautiful and liberating debt, Lord, to you and to one another: a debt of love. For as Jesus taught us, the greatest command is to love you with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbors - including those who consider themselves our enemies - as ourselves.
May your voice of goodness nourish in our hearts a desire that is even greater than the desire for food and drink. May you create in us an insatiable hunger and thirst to be filled to overflowing with your goodness - to everyone, Lord, but especially to the poor, the sick, the misunderstood, the rejected, the vulnerable, the forgotten. For the common good, Lord, bring together those of us who have all that we need and more, and unite us together with those in need, so that all will soon have enough and more to share.
It is good, Lord, when people pray and sing praises to your name. But how hollow are those words and songs when we do not also honor you by honoring one another. For how can we honor the God who cannot be seen when we dishonor our neighbor, made in your image, who can be seen?
So, Creator and Provider and Sustainer of Life, Giver of all grace, Source of justice and mercy, may your voice be heard deep in my heart, and in the hearts of all people on earth, this beautiful planet that displays your artistry, majesty, and power. Amen.
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August 21, 2009
Ramadan 2009: Part 5
After the jump, you can read Eboo Patel's current newsletter about how a Jewish and Muslim college student teamed up to make a difference for needy people in their community, and brought along a lot of their college students in the process.
Their endeavor reminds me of a parallel initiative among Christian pastors who decided that the best way to honor the birth of Jesus was probably not by buying additional luxuries for luxury-saturated friends and relatives. They came up with a creative alternative that more and more churches are joining to support. Maybe yours? You can read about the Advent Conspiracy here.
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August 19, 2009
Ramadan 2009: Part 4
I recently wrote about an experience of fasting I hope to share with Muslims in the month of Ramadan, which begins (in the US) tomorrow night. I don't want to say too much about it at all (keeping Jesus' words in Matthew 6 in mind), although I will try to post on the experience once a week or so. For reasons I explained earlier, I'm not planning to respond to criticism about the Ramadan fast during the Ramadan fast. But after the jump, I'll include two emails that came in already, along with very brief responses, and a powerful quote from Protestant Reformer John Calvin.
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Q & R: John 14:6
Q: I recently had to teach a class on John 14:6 and did some extensive research, but couldnt put my fingers on just the right approach. I googled this and your paper came up. I have used it in my study and my teaching and have found your ideas extremely helpful. I just do not believe this passage the way most Christians do and want to wide student's ideas about a new vision for this chapter. Thanks for sharing these insights. You have helped me tremendously.
Thanks. I reworked that material into an important chapter in my upcoming book, A New Kind of Christianity: Ten Questions that are Transforming the Faith. The passage is often used to answer the question, "How do we relate to people of other religions?" But a careful reading of the verse ("I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me") in its immediate and broader context shows that its most likely meaning is almost the opposite of the way it's commonly used. Who is Jesus speaking to? What specific question is he answering? What does "come to the Father" mean? What do way, truth, and life mean? What's the dramatic setting for the statement? (If people think the answers to those questions are either immaterial or self-evident, I don't think they've really struggled with the text, nor have they taken seriously what is for John an extremely important statement - namely, John 6:63 in relation to 6:55 ... Jesus speaks on a "spirit" level and people hear/read him on a "flesh" level. This theme goes way back to 3:6.) What a fascinating gospel we have in John! Working on a close and comprehensive reading of John for that chapter in the book constantly moved me to wonder, amazement, and worship.
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One more on health care.
Just received this:
I am one of the conservative Christians you refer to in your letter. I did not and still do not support President Obama although I do know that there is reform needed in health care. It just does not need to be run by the Federal government. The reason I do not support the President is his pro abortion views. The Senate bill will mandate government payment for abortion. How an Evangelical Christian or any Christian support a president or a bill calling for the taking of the life on the innocent in the womb is beyond my understanding. Or vote for a candidate that is pro abortion as President Obama has made clear he is. I strongly support the church doing its part in caring for the health needs of the poor. My church[First Baptist] in West Palm Beach, FL has a state of the art medical clinic for the poor along with a ministry to help the homeless and poor with basic needs. If liberal Christians as yourself would spend their time mobilizing the church to do what it is called to do and give generously and encourage others to there would be no need for health care reform for the needy. I would like your response relative to the life issue. I would have posted this on your blog but saw no way to do it. I pray God will change your heart. I find it very interesting that the life issue is ignored in your open letter.
Reply after the jump:
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August 18, 2009
Sunrise ...
Tracy Howe just sent me this beautiful song enriched with footage from Africa with amahoro-africa.org. Enjoy ...
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Q & R: using dvd format ...
Here's the question:
I am wondering if you are taking the presentations of Brian McLaren and video taping him doing them so that they could be shared on a DVD format. The DVD's could come with guidelines/ suggested questions/ helpful information for small groups to discuss. My own sense is that there is a need for a DVD about atonement / the purpose of Jesus' ministry. We need to be able to discuss together a focus on getting to go to heaven / being part of bring heaven to earth under God's care.
Response after the jump ...
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August 17, 2009
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More response to the health care letter ...
This email (in response to my previous open letter) reflects what a lot of people feel ...
I just wanted to write to you and say thank you very much for your open letter. It said so much of what I have been feeling and thinking with great eloquence and simplicity. I have been afraid to speak out as most of my friends as "hard right" conservatives with some believing vehemently every conspiracy theory imaginable. Your letter gave me courage and I have posted a link to it on my facebook account. No doubt I will get some hazing....!
During the recent years I have been disheartened and discouraged by how so many high profile Christians have acted. The 2008 election brought a new wave of shame as I saw the vitriol and hate ramp up. I thought it couldn't get much worse but the current health care reform debate, specifically the disgraceful conduct of people at the town halls, have sadly, proven me wrong.
I have shed tears in prayer over the terrible witness of professing Christians. I must admit I was losing hope that things could ever change in this country. The honesty in your letter has reminded me that God is indeed faithful. That His timing is perfect and that His purposes sure. I will continue to pray and continue to hope. To strive to live according to the Word and the teachings of our Lord.
Above all - I will continue to strive to live according to the commandment that God gave us. To love others as we love ourselves.
Lastly - thank you for showing me that there are some conservative Christians who are not racist, gun toting, vein popping people with toxic anger! And thank you for reminding me to pray for these people the most. May God have mercy on His children and may we continue to be salt to the world.
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Ramadan 2009: Part 3
(Continued ...)
This desire to build relationships and seek collaboration with people of other cultures and religions has been strong in my life for as long as I remember, even before writing EMC.But it got even stronger when Phyllis Tickle invited me to write the introductory volume to a series of books she was planning. The series would explore seven practices shared by the three Abrahamic faiths: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The book was called Finding Our Way Again. I concluded the book with the dramatic story of St. Francis in the court of the Sultan of Egypt, Malik Al-Kamil, where a Christian and a Muslim individual each transcended the hostility of their warring religious communities long enough to respect one another as human beings. As I wrote the book, I felt how much we needed more Christians to follow the path of St. Francis today, and I rededicated myself, before God, to that pathway.
One of the seven practices shared among Abrahamic faiths, of course, is fasting. But fasting among most Christians is haphazard at best. Most of what I wrote about my own experience of fasting in the book veered towards the humorous, because when it came to fasting, I was admittedly a clumsy neophyte.
All of this was simmering on the back burner last year when Nadyne Parr came up to me and told me about her group Peace Moms. She told me how a Muslim woman and fellow mom named Soraya Deen had become her friend, and for the last two years, Nadyne had joined Soraya in observing the fast of Ramadan. As soon as she told me this, something in my heart said, “Yes! This is a good thing! I should join them!”
So Nadyne kept checking back with me to see if I was serious. I knew I needed a Muslim partner to do for me what Soraya was doing for Nadyne. My first choice was Eboo Patel, a fellow writer and blogger whose work I respect greatly. (If you’ve never read Acts of Faith or learned about the work of Interfaith Youth Core, now is the time to do so.) My hunch was that Eboo might be too busy to add to his duties being my partner in Ramadan, but he responded with warmth and enthusiasm to the idea.
I had shared the idea with a few Christian friends who I know also believe in the importance of interfaith friendship. One of them told me he had already been observing Ramadan for over twenty years, and it had become his favorite month of the year. Another told me he had a lot of friends who he thought would join in too. So here we are … without a lot of lead time … we’ve decided to embark on this journey of faith and friendship.
If your heart moves you, you can find a Muslim friend and see if he or she would be your partner or fast-friend as well. If you're a blogger and would like to participate, and you'd like to be listed on a synchro-blog list ...
(more after the jump) -
Q & R: electronic versions of my books ...
A would-be-reader asked:
I've been trying to buy your book in electronic format.
It is available through Sony and through Amazon. However, both of these services are not available outside the united states.
Is there anywhere else those of us who do not have the privilage to live in the USA can get this electronicly.
I have an eReader and would like to read it on this as opposed to as "dead tree book".
Let me know ASAP (today??).I'm sorry you're having this frustration. This is something we're working on with my future books - to be sure this sort of thing is facilitated from the start. With my older books, I think they'll eventually become available in a variety of digital formats outside the US, but since I'm not a million-seller, it will happen gradually. I wish I could speed up the process somehow! Please accept my apologies and shared disappointment.
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August 14, 2009
brighten your day ...
My friend Claudio Oliver sent this link to a song by his friend Dago Schelin. He said it would add happiness to my day, and he was right. Beautiful song, great videography too. Enjoy!
One note samba from Dago Schelin on Vimeo.
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Ramadan 2009: Part 2 Why is a committed Christian joining faithful Muslims in observing Ramadan?
When I wrote Everything Must Change, I spent over a year studying our world’s biggest challenges. It became clear through my research that three critical social/economic/political challenges underlie the others:
1. How can we develop a reformed and renewed economic system that sustains and regenerates the planet rather than consumes and degrades it? (The challenge of the planet, the crisis of an unsustainable prosperity)
2. How can we deal with the growing gap between rich and poor, where a privileged few live in extreme luxury leaving the many farther and farther behind, with about a sixth of the global population living struggling extreme poverty? (The challenge of poverty, the crisis of growing inequity)
3. How can we learn to address and resolve conflicts with nonviolent means, when more and more groups and nations are being armed with more and more potentially catastrophic weapons? (The challenge of peace, the crisis of security)But it also became clear that beneath these challenges, there was an even deeper question: why weren’t we dealing with the first three problems, when they are simultaneously so obvious and dangerous? I concluded that our societies are driven by narratives that can be either creative or destructive, and our current narratives drive us away from creative engagement with our biggest challenges.
“Where do societal narratives come from?” I wondered as I continued in my research. Clearly, they usually come from faith communities. But our faith communities today too often teach us narratives that drive us to make the first three crises worse, not better, which brings us to our fourth great challenge:
4. How can our faith communities discover and communicate healing rather than destructive narratives so that we will meet the first three challenges? (The challenge of purpose, the crisis of spirituality)
As a Christian, of course, I seek to challenge my fellow Christians to grapple with this challenge in a Christian context. But the truth is, no single religion can meet this challenge alone. So by the time I was finished with EMC, I knew that inter-religious collaboration for the common good would be an even bigger part of my future than it had been in my past.
Then last year, I was speaking at Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and after the service, an enthusiastic woman named Nadyne came up to me and told me about a network she and a Muslim friend had started. It was called Peace Moms ... (to be continued)
P.S. If you want to learn more, along with Peace Moms ...
Read the Spirit and FaithHouse Manhattan and Abrahamic Alliance are great examples of interfaith relationship-building. -
Keep going ...
What this reader shares with me (after the jump), I would like to share with all of you ...
to encourage you to keep going and NOT STOP, NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!
The reason?
So many of my friends are sitting on the edges of churches, unable to give their hearts fully to the ministry of the church either because they or their contribution are (or are made to feel) unwanted (e.g. most women in conservative evangelical churches), or because the relentless push towards doctrinal distinctives makes them long for the unity of the body all the more (like me, really) OR, because they know that Jesus gave us a new way of living in a new kingdom but nobody ever talks about this in these terms in church!
Or as another reader recently wrote:
Dear Brian - I have just finished your trilogy. Thank you so much; you have raised questions that I thought I was alone in asking, and also given possible avenues for answers to them. I had pretty much given up on Christianity, after 9 years of dedicated evangelicalism. I feel like you have given me permission to follow a new understanding, one which neither constricts the intellect, nor requires me to discard God. I have no idea where to go from here, other than to start rereading the books again a little slower this time. It's the start of a new adventure.
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more on health care ...
I've received a lot of positive response to my open letter on health care. Here's a sample:
Dear Brian McLaren, Your open letter to Christian Conservatives about health care reform is one of the best presentations I’ve seen since this all began. I will take it to my Republican Congressional Representative’s office this week, along with my views, concerns and position on the subject, all to be offered in resolute courtesy. I have blood relatives who know of my support for health care reform and the criticism they have heaped on me has been shocking, eye-opening, down-heartening, and testing. I did not engage them, they sought me out and, now in bewilderment, I wonder if the old familial warmth may ever be rekindled, for now it is cold. Discourse has dropped into ad hominem hate speech against almost anyone who disagrees with them, and all in the name of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ “who hates the anti-Christ and all his demons” of which, apparently, I am one. This boggles me. Thanks for your help
More after the jump ...
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August 13, 2009
Ramadan 2009: Part 1 What’s going on?
Ramadan is the Muslim holy month of fasting for spiritual renewal and purification. It commemorates the month during which Muslims believe Mohammed received the Quran through divine revelation, and it calls Muslims to self-control, sacrificial generosity and solidarity with the poor, diligent reading of the Quran, and intensified prayer.
This year, I, along with a few Christian friends (and perhaps others currently unknown to us will want to join in) will be joining Muslim friends in the fast which begins August 21. We are not doing so in order to become Muslims: we are deeply committed Christians. But as Christians, we want to come close to our Muslim neighbors and to share this important part of life with them. Just as Jesus, a devout Jew, overcame religious prejudice and learned from a Syrophonecian woman and was inspired by her faith two thousand years ago (Matthew 15:21 ff, Mark 7:24 ff), we seek to learn from our Muslim sisters and brothers today.
Muslims observe Ramadan in the same basic way world-wide: they fast from food, water, sex, etc., from dawn to dusk. We Christians who are joining in the fast will share these four common commitments:
We, as Christians, humbly seek to join Muslims in this observance of Ramadan as a God-honoring expression of peace, fellowship, and neighborliness. Each of us will have at least one Muslim friend who will serve as our partner in the fast. These friends welcome us in the same spirit of peace, fellowship, and neighborliness.
We will seek to avoid being disrespectful or unfaithful to our own faith tradition in our desire to be respectful to the faith tradition of our friends. For example, since the Bible teaches us the importance of fasting and being generous to the poor, we can participate as Christians in fidelity to the Bible as our Muslim friends do so in fidelity to the Quran.
Among the core values of Ramadan are self control, expressing kindness, and resolving conflicts. For this reason, if we are criticized or misunderstood by Christians, Muslims, or others for this endeavor, we will avoid defending ourselves or engaging in arguments. Instead, we will seek to explain ourselves humbly, simply, and briefly when necessary, connecting with empathy to the needs and feelings of others as we express our own.
Our main purpose for participating will be our own spiritual growth, health, learning, and maturity, but we also hope that our experience will inspire others to pray and work for peace and the common good, together with people of other faith traditions.
May God bless all people, and teach us to love God and love one another, and so fulfill our calling as human beings.I'll share my personal story about deciding to join in the fast in the next few days, and I'll also share regular updates and reflections here on this blog (brianmclaren.net) leading up to, during, and after Ramadan.
If you'd like to consider this observance, or just would like more information, here are some good links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramadan
http://www.holidays.net/ramadan/ -
old dogs can learn ... and so can young pups
My daughter Rachel has three shiba inus. But when #3 came into the family, he and #1 couldn't ... get along. Now, as the pictures below show, they've become buddies. If two dogs - old and young, brown and white - can stop growling and scrapping, can't people?
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August 12, 2009
Sojourners is doing something about it ... and you can too
As a fan, subscriber, and former board member of Sojourners, I have huge respect for their work, and they've developed a way to take action on the concerns I wrote about the other day.
You can sign a health-care creed that becomes a message to Congress here ...
And you can stay updated via their health care resources page.
When some Christians are spreading ridiculous and harmful misinformation about "death panels" and so on, it's time for the rest of us to speak up and say, first, "they don't speak for - or to - us," and second, "we approach this issue in a different way, and here's how...."
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the latest on darfur, sudan ...
Those of us who have been involved in the Darfur genocide and associated humanitarian crises know that Eric Reeves has been a tireless voice for achieving a real resolution there. He voices real concerns that the Obama administration (led by special envory Scott Gratian) will be excessively optimistic in his recent Boston Globe editorial here. Quotable:
Most disturbing, Gration gives no evidence in any of his public comments of understanding the ruthless nature of the security cabal that rules Sudan and is determined to retain its stranglehold on national wealth and power; like many before him, he is convinced that the National Islamic Front is controlled by men who can be reasoned with, cajoled, rewarded, made to do “the right thing.’’ He ignores the basic truth about these men: during their 20 years in power they have never abided by any agreement with any Sudanese party. Any rapprochement that is not preceded by clear and irreversible actions to establish unimpeded humanitarian access, create freedom of movement and deployment for peacekeepers, and meet the critical benchmarks of the north/south peace agreement is doomed to fail.
Reeves' suspicion reminds me of the sagely advice of a friend of mine who has spent his entire career in foreign service. "The key issue, again and again, is regime continuation," he said. In other words, those in power want to stay in power, and those out of power want to get in and stay in. Many of us would agree - the Khartoum regime has already had a lot of continuation without much to show for it except broken promises, death, displacement, and defiance of international concern. Let's pray for peace in Darfur. And let's pray that our leaders will push and pull in the wisest ways possible.
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Q & R: Religious Right theology ... from a missionary
A fascinating question after the jump ...
Continue reading Q & R: Religious Right theology ... from a missionary...
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SBC: Southern Baptists for Civility?
If SBC folks accept this pastor's challenge, their future could be very different from their last few decades ... Wade Burleson offers a positive example of what I wrote about the other day ... a conservative (his word) white male speaking to conservative white males about their need for more graciousness and civility toward "the other," whether "the other" is women, people of other races, people of other theological persuasions, or people of other religions.
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August 11, 2009
A father at 90+ years of age ...
Readers of The Story We Find Ourselves In will appreciate this story or this video about Lonesome George. (Thanks, Sheryl Fullerton!)
Background info here (which may contain more information than you may want to know!)
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August 10, 2009
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An Open Letter to Conservative Christians in the U.S., On Health Care
Dear friends,
Although today I would not call myself a political or social conservative, I am grateful for my heritage as an Evangelical Christian: my faith is rooted in a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ, I honor and seek to live in harmony with the Scriptures, and I love to share the good news of God's love with others. Since my teenage years when I decided to follow Jesus, I have pursued wholehearted discipleship, and my life has been shaped by that commitment. After completing graduate school and teaching college English, I became a church planter and pastor and served in the same congregation for twenty-four years.(Continued after the jump.)
Continue reading An Open Letter to Conservative Christians in the U.S., On Health Care...
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August 7, 2009
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the spirituality of fly fishing ...
Krista Tippett (not to be confused with tippet) explores it here ...
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Wes-Granberg Michaelson gets it right on global climate change
Right here ... because he's been spending time right here:
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Advice for writers ...
Quite often I receive requests to read unsolicited manuscripts to assess their potential for publication (which I wish I could do, but can't), or requests for advice, like this one:
Any advice for aspiring writers? It isn’t the writing part that’s the struggle. My question is, what in the world do you do with the final product?
A better answer than any I could give was given by Margaret Feinberg (a gifted young writer herself) here. Along with a lot of great links, she offers this:
In a nutshell, my best advice is simply to write, write, write. This is an art form, a craft, and time is your friend. Once you know what you want to write, put together a proposal and get yourself to a writer’s conference where you can get one-on-one time with an editor and listen to honest feedback. Then, it will be time to write, write, and rewrite some more.
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August 6, 2009
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Hiroshima and Nagasaki ...
On this sixty-fourth anniversary of my nation's decision to drop of nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki (August 6 and 9), it's a good day to learn about Faithful Security.
And it's a good day (it's hard to use the word "good" in this context, isn't it?) to ponder what taking 250,000 civilian lives looks like. It's a good day for meditating on Jesus' words:
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God. I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Take no sword. Those who live by the sword will die by the sword. If my kingdom were of this world, my disciples would fight. My kingdom is from another place. Love one another as I have loved you. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. As you have done it to the least of these ... you have done it to me.
It's a good day for praying this prayer:
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
when there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
Grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand,
to be loved as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.Thank God for groups (like this one) who are working so that nuclear bombs never fall again.
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Q & R: Please dismount your high horse ...
A reader wrote ...
My name is XXX which has absolutely no meaning, relevance or significance to you. I am not famous, nor noteworthy. I have no more power nor influence than my Anglican-American middle class status affords me, which I realize in the overall scheme of the world structure puts me in the "upper echelon," but in terms of Who's Who in the US and the world, you will not find my name there with yours, or in any other circle that your name exists.
Those words may seem somewhat inflammatory, as will some of what I say that follows. Ironically, however, before I go on I would like to establish that I truly am an avid fan of your theology. I have recently begun a new Sunday School class in our United Methodist congregation, mostly due to and inspired by your trilogy. Indeed I, like you, believe that it is not only time for, but perhaps gravely past time for, a theology that cries out for a new kind of Christian.
A very good friend of mine, who's foremost passion is for the victimized and ostracized segment of our society that Christians have,for centuries, and continue to even today, persecute--the LGBT community--invited me to be part of a book study which consisted mostly of gay men. The book they would be reading next was one of your own--the first of the trilogy.
It would require a more lengthy and in-depth explanation than I care to share at this point, and I'm certain more than you would care to read at this point, but in as short of form as I can hope to convey this message, after having been raised in an environment that was very homophobic, then going through a God-inspired transformation that only God could have orchestrated as my own son went through the process of realizing a same sex orientation, through God's Grace I inadvertently became a part of the "emerging conversation" that I had no clue was taking place.
After having lived the experience of participating in and reading your trilogy in what I refer to as the "Gay Men's Book Club," I gained a respect and admiration for not only your theology, but you as a writer. You, sir, are extremely gifted and have the capacity to reach out to a world that is so desperately in need of your brand of what I feel is a true understand of and example of, Christ-followance. If only everyone could understand Christ as you do........
Now, having boosted your ego, which after reading Everything Must Change I have come to the conclusion you have no lack of, I must say to you that I hope you will get off your damn high horse and come back to ground level to speak to the vast majority of the public that needs speaking to.
More after the jump ...
Continue reading Q & R: Please dismount your high horse ......
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Encouraging note from the farmland ...
Thanks for this encouragement ... Nothing makes a writer or speaker feel better than hearing that people are going from "sitting pretty on their theology to taking action," especially action that feeds hungry people and that benefits God's stressed and exploited creation.
I'm another testimony to how God is using you and your writings.... I've read many of your books in the last couple months and continue to do so. I've gone from sitting pretty on my theology to taking action, starting a LIFE group (i.e. small group) and reaching out to the the hurting around us. We've been reaching out to our community and just finished a food drive that brought in 1.2 tons of food items for a mens shelter in our city of xxx.
We will soon be doing some environmental projects.
From your blogs, podcasts, GENEROUS ORTHODOXY, FINDING OUR WAY AGAIN, SECRET MESSAGE OF JESUS, to FINDING FAITH I have become reinvigorated in my work for the Kingdom. I'm a performing artist, mainly working for a 'Christian' theatre here amongst the beautiful farm land, where the generation-of-old has often stagnated the move of the Good News. But amongst even the cloudiest arenas of un-emerging areas, seeds are being planted for a vibrant, postmodern, active faith. Thanks for your part in planting these seeds!
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August 5, 2009
Q & R: Follow up on why Evangelicals don't like ...
Got this response to the earlier post ...
Q: I just read your blog today on why some people don't like you. If I did or did not like you it doesn't having any bearing on my comments. I will disagree with you but to dislike someone that you don't know is ridiculous. Hate the game and not the players.Anyway my big complaint is your take on the Gospel. The fact that you basically demean or downplay the substitionary atonement is beyond me. If you think that Christians don't do enough in the name of Christ, OK I understand that but to come up with a different Gospel, I would have to say you're treading on dangerous ground. Why don't you send me some scripture to make your point about the Gospel of "Kingdom Now" theology and maybe I'll consider it.
Reply after the jump ...
Continue reading Q & R: Follow up on why Evangelicals don't like ......
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For Russian Speakers ...
I keep hearing about new contexts where the emergent/missional conversation is beginning and spreading ... most recently, among Russian speakers. Please pass this link on to folks you know for whom it would be helpful.
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Pay attention to Katie Paris and FPL ...
You can get to know them here ... or below. I'm a big fan of Katie and FPL - and any other groups that are helping us transcend the polarizing, paralyzing rhetoric typical in recent decades of both of religious people talking/using politics and political people talking/using religion.
You can read Jacques Berlinerblau's delightful introduction after the jump ...
Continue reading Pay attention to Katie Paris and FPL ......
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August 4, 2009
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Michael Jackson's most important song?
OK, it's not "Thriller," "Billy Jean," or "Ben," but just maybe "Earth Song" contains the message from MJ that matters most (thanks, Mitch) ...
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August 3, 2009
Q & R: Why do Evangelicals dislike you?
Here's the question:
Hi Brian,
I was at a conference the other week, and my attention was grabbed when they mentioned your name with some negative connotations. I was wondering if you are able to articulate why you think the evangelical church has a problem with what you're doing? Is is a particular doctrine ... I'm just not understanding their position, and they didn't go into too much detail.Response after the jump:
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August 2, 2009
Yellowstone ...
Last week was a delight ... I was part of the Ich-theology gathering (a small group of folks who love theology and love fly fishing) in Yellowstone National Park. Highlights included ...
A close and funny encounter with a black bear (more details may follow if photos become available) and the chance to enjoy other wildlife (bison, elk, bighorn sheep, mountain goat, antelope, coyote, otters, beavers, eagles, etc.).
Lots of beautiful cutthroat trout ... plus the perhaps once-in-a-lifetime achievement of catching four kinds of trout in one half-day - cutthroat, rainbow, brown, and brook.
Learning more about fly fishing from the many experts in our group - especially Dick, Rich, Jeff, Jim, and Pat
Too many good conversations about theology and the spiritual life to count.
A suggestion ... if you've never been to Yellowstone, plan a vacation there. Spend at least four or five days, and spend most of your time in the north half of the park. Roosevelt or Mammoth Hot Springs would be great places to stay in a cabin. Hike. Fish. Ride horses. Drive and stop whenever you see something interesting. Take a lot of pictures. Write poetry. Draw pictures of what you see. Go outside at 3 a.m. and watch the stars. Be inspired. Eat every meal picnic-style at a different place alongside the road or trail. Swim in the Gardiner River at the hot springs. Don't be in a hurry. See how your view of God is expanded from the vantage point of Yellowstone's sacred grandeur.
