Lynne Hybels gets it right ... here.
I've seen the film she refers to - it really is worth seeing.
Also worth seeing - Bob Roberts and Prince Turqi model Christian-Muslim dialogue:
Prince Turqi of Saudi Arabia from Glocalnetblog on Vimeo.
I've had a quiet summer - good for writing (and recuperating from 2 tick-borne diseases). Next week a full travel schedule ramps up again. Between now and Christmas I'll be ...
In North Carolina
In Tennessee
In Minnesota
In Baltimore
In Edmonton, AB, Canada
In Hong Kong
In Cambodia
In Boston, MA
In Houston, TX
In Toronto, Canada
In Boston, MA
In Philadelphia, PA
In Shreveport, LA
In VA Beach, VA
In Louisville, KY
In Dallas, TX
In Philadelphia, PA
Philip Clayton gives one of the best overviews of "what's emerging" that I've seen anywhere ... right here.
A reader writes ...
Continue reading The Cross and the Greco-Roman narrative...
A reader writes ...
Continue reading Q & R: A great question about prayer ... and a hint about my next book...
A reader writes ...
Hi Brian,
I am an avid follower of your blog and am reading one of your books right now for the first time. You're different way of thinking has truly helped me re-frame my traditional evangelical upbringing. I had never heard of "Big Tent Christianity" until your recent post about it as part of the synchroblog. From your post, I gathered it was a pretty cool concept. Then I read another post from a blog I follow "Ethnic Space and Faith" where the writer talked about an injustice done to him from White Christians...in relation to being asked to contribute to the Big Tent synchroblog. I am continually trying to broaden my perspective and be more vigilant against the subtle kind of discrimination and racism that is (some would say) inherent in dominant culture. So I wanted to ask someone I respected, what is this blog writer referring to? Is there something about Big Tent Christianity that only serves dominant white Christians at the expense of others?the blog post I'm referring to:
http://ethnicspace.wordpress.com/2010/08/13/honest-hatred-under-the-big-tent/
Continue reading Big Tent ......
I'm really pleased that the Emergent Village council has chosen "Creating Liberated Spaces in a Post-Colonial World" as the theme for their theological conversation this year, Nov. 1 - 3.
You can register here.
There are a number of folks blogging about the theme this week ...
- Jonathan Brink at http://jonathanbrink.com/blog/
- Annie Bullock at Marginal Theology http://marginaltheology.wordpress.com
- Julie Clawson at onehandclapping http://julieclawson.com/
- Nelson Costa (in Portuguese) http://www.nelsoncostajr.com/
- Natanael Disla (in Spanish) http://karmatarsis.wordpress.com/
- Carol Howard Merritt at TribalChurch.org http://tribalchurch.org/
- Dave Ingland at http://www.daveingland.com/
- Mihee Kim-Kort at first day walking http://miheekimkort.com/
- Crystal Lewis at Jesus Was A Heretic, Too. http://jesuswasaheretictoo.blogspot.com/
- Katie Mulligan at The Adventures of Tiny Church http://tinychurchnj.blogspot.com/
- Ann Pittman www.anncpittman.blogspot.com
- Danielle Shroyer at http://danielleshroyer.com/
Emergent Village will be releasing a short piece I wrote on the subject soon.
Be there November 1-3 if you can - and if you can't, educate yourself on this important theme. These blogs are a good start ...
Then I hope you'll consider being part of a gathering there in just over a week. You can read about it here.
And even if you can't be there, stay tuned ... hopefully lots of good things will unfold in the months to come from this time together.
The college years often play a pivotal role in faith development. Some young adults are given a faith that "works" well for them when they leave home and enter university.
Others discover they can't in good conscience make the faith they inherited their own - they face realities of science, history, psychology, philosophy, or even their own psyche that can't coexist honestly with their inherited faith. Some who find themselves in that situation simply put faith aside entirely. Others have to go through a painful but essential and tremendously creative process of adapting their inherited faith (instead of adopting it without adaptations). I'm always glad to hear when my books help young adults do the latter.
Many of us have wondered how to facilitate that process of helping young adults adapt their inherited faith so they can have a faith they truly and wholeheartedly celebrate. And we've wondered how to teach the faith to children in such a way that it will support rather than hinder their intellectual, interpersonal, ethical, and personal growth later on ... which is why I'm enthusiastic about the event that just was announced last week.
Here's a note from a recent college graduate ...
Continue reading BACK TO SCHOOL (cont'd): Especially for College Students...
Wise words from Jim Wallis and Dr. King ...
Continue reading Regarding Glenn Beck's Washington, DC gathering yesterday ......
I think he gets it right:
Here (Part 1) and
Here (Part 2)
Becky Garrison has a series of free podcasts available - interviews with some interesting people, plus yours truly ... They're related to her new book, Jesus Died for This? - a title that keeps coming to mind these days as I watch the news!
I haven't posted anything on youtube in a while, but here's a 1 minute reflection on the news ...
Rose Swetman is leading a group to Rwanda to engage with the genocide and issues of reconciliation there. Here's some info:
Travel with Dr. Rose Madrid Swetman; meet expert Rwandan practitioners and thinkers in the field of Reconciliation, as well as a 3-day Reconciliation workshop with victims and perpetrators of Genocide. Rwandans witnessed one of the most horrific and devastating genocides of all time in 1994, where upwards of 800,000 people were slaughtered in 100 days. Join Bakke students in a 10 day experience of an indepth study of reconciliation through lectures from expert field practitioners, to visiting genocide sites, to a three day reconciliation workshop involving perpetrators and victims of the genocide.
Speaking of Rwanda and reconciliation, and with all the wild animosity flying about the Manhattan mosque, here's some encouraging news from a Baptist church in Washington, DC, led by one of my favorite pastors, Amy Butler.
A number of us have been talking for years about the need for an international conference to talk about the spiritual formation of children and youth in the emerging context. I'm pleased to announced that it is on the calendar!
Children, Youth, and a New Kind of Christianity
- May 7-10, 2012
- at Calvary Baptist Church, Washington, DC
- keynote speakers include Brian McLaren and Ivy Beckwith
- presentations by several key leaders/thinkers in children’s and youth ministry and emerging faith communities
- Will include opportunities for tours around DC
- Topics include sexuality, technology, religious diversity, and violence in the Bible.
Save the dates, and stay tuned for more information - especially via:
http://suchasthese.wordpress.com
Also - don't miss this beautiful reflection on ministry with children and (yes) America's Got Talent ...
http://suchasthese.wordpress.com/2010/08/27/back-to-school-day-5-connor-doran/
You can be two of my books for $6 each ...
Secret Message of Jesus
Everything Must Change
And Finding Our Way Again is also on sale for just $7.20.
Three books for less than $20 ... not bad!
If you've been posting this week about spiritual formation of kids and youth (or want to do so in the coming days), please let Dave Csinos know here ASAP ... He'll compile links so they can easily be cross-listed. Thanks!
Here's an honest and important email from a student. I'll insert my responses in the text.
Continue reading BACK TO SCHOOL WEEK: High School and Doubts...
Here's the Q:
Our congregation has just transitioned to the Carver Model for governance. Our new council is currently defining the END (or ENDs) which is/are to articulate ‘our reason for being a faith community at this time and in this place’.
Having completed a careful reading of your book ‘A New Kind of Christianity’ (and agreeing with your response to the sixth question … and also the tenth), I’m proposing a start-up effort that in time (if successful) would transform the congregation into ‘a school of love’.
Can you suggest any resources? Do you have any suggestions? Is there anyone for me to dialogue with?
Thank you for writing the book, and for any response you can make to this request.
Continue reading BACK TO SCHOOL WEEK: School of Love...
Dave Csinos newest posting is really worth reading - and commenting on at his site. His starting point - that children are born with spirituality as they are with creativity - should not be put in tension with dearly-held doctrines (of some) like original sin or total depravity. Dave remembers that Genesis 1 (God created us good, and in God's image, walking with God "in the cool of the day") shouldn't be eclipsed by Genesis 3 (we disobey God and sometimes try to play God - instead of playing/living with God).
All this resonates with me in a special way because of a new friendship with Jerome Berryman, founder of Godly Play. If you don't know about this tremendous organization and this brilliant Christian educator ... today's a good day to begin remedying that. Here's a 6:33 video ...
Here's the Q:
Recently, you spoke at our xxx Diocesan Convention and it was wonderful. (I was the one in the back asking a question about “Empire.”) I’m a parish priest in yyy and I want to have an intergenerational class where we discuss your book. I know the high school age kids will be fine – but I also want to include middle schoolers. They are extremely bright and I know will have much to give to the conversation.
Do you have any ideas, or handouts that might distill or bring into focus the topic of your chapters so they would be easier for them to read – I’m thinking of vocabulary, and/or a framework of the questions explained and phrased in a way that would be more on their level.
Maybe you know some pastors who have done this kind of intergenerational experience with your book and you could put me in touch with them?
As you know, Christians need to include everyone in these ‘emerging church’ conversations – so I’m just trying to find a way to do that and would be extremely appreciative of any help you can provide.
Continue reading BACK TO SCHOOL WEEK: Intergenerational classes...
1. A reader writes:
I am puzzled by your recent post "Why I Support the Mosque in Manhattan." It seems strangely at odds with your attitudes expressed in "A Generous Orthodoxy":"I once saw a small, old synagogue in the shadow of a big, new church. A huge cross towered above the church entrance, which abutted the synagogue entrance. It pained me that the good Jewish people of that synagogue had to enter it under the sign of that huge cross every Sabbath, a symbol that has carried horrible associations for Jewish people. 'Jesus wouldn't have done that,' I thought" (fn. 31, p. 78).In your view, is the relevant difference that the mosque will be located further away from ground zero than the church to the synagogue in your example? But its not feet and inches that carry moral weight here, it's the distressing impact on those who feel the offense. (New Yorkers have clearly expressed their feeling on the issue.) Or in your view, is it the respective religions that make the difference? It's difficult to see, however, why the Christians of your example ought to be sensitive to the feelings of their neighbors (even when exercising a Constitutional right) but Muslims ought not do the same.
There are other distinctions you might draw, I suppose, to block the charge of inconsistency, but none seem very promising. Thus, I echo the closing thoughts of your post on the mosque: knowing that you respect reason and consistency, I think if you give it a second and prayerful thought, you couldn't help but change your mind.
Continue reading Q & R: On the Manhattan Mosque (two queries)...
A reader writes:
I tried to friend you on facebook, but understandably I got a message saying that you had too many friend requests. I would love to follow you on facebook if you have room for one more "friend." Somehow my brother xxx snuck in as your friend (probably because you also met him in person and talked before) so I thought I would give it a shot. ;-). If that would be cool with you my facebook link is xxx:
Sorry for the confusion on this. Just fyi - there are several Brian McLarens out there with facebook accounts. Recently, there was a "fake" one posing as me and using the site to promote his own slant on things under my name ... sheesh.
Here's the facebook page to use to keep up with me. All my blog posts immediately go up there ... and you can make comments. It's an open site, so you don't have to be approved. I can't keep up with personal messages on facebook - I'm sorry, I wish I could - but I do try to keep up with comments posted on the wall. So here's the site:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Brian-D-McLaren/65814657989?ref=ts
People are going to be buying Christmas presents this fall - why not help them buy fair trade products? For more information - check out Trade as One.
See Mike Todd's excellent reflections on Jeremy Rifkin's proposal here ... all highly relevant to the spiritual formation of children.
It's especially disconcerting to think that some religious education - Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, whatever - teaches children who belong to "us" not to have empathy for "them." So much of Jesus' teaching, it seems to me, was seeking to overcome that religious us-them thinking in his day and engender empathy (love) for stranger and enemy as well as brother/sister and neighbor. See especially the idea of extending empathy beginning at about 7:00 in the video ...
One of Rifkin's final conclusions - we have to rethink the human narrative (about 9:55) - certainly resonates with my most recent book. When you see things in this light - and what's at stake (evidenced in the growing Islamophobia in the US), you can see why I have been willing to take a good amount of critique from defenders of the old narratives.
Check in over at http://suchasthese.wordpress.com/ to see what others are saying about the spiritual formation of children ...
A reader captures one important dimension of this subject here:
I'm reading "A New Kind of Christianity" for the second time -- really "chewing" on it this time. You've helped me articulate things that have been formulating in my heart and mind for a while now... and, there's a sense of relief: I'm not crazy! (Well, maybe a little.) My wife and I have had lots of good conversations lately, trying to work out the implications of all this. If there's one word I could use to describe how we feel these days, it's HOPEFUL. Thanks for all you've done to encourage/inspire.We have two kids, ages 5 and 3, and we want to do a good job of laying a strong spiritual foundation. In the emergent context, do you have any suggestions on how to "raise them up in the way they should go"? How and what to pray for them? How to talk to them about Jesus? Answer questions they have about hell (especially when they hear about it from others)? Questions about sexuality? Sin? Heaven? Basically, do you have any thoughts on how to communicate everything you wrote about in ANKC to kids?
For some time, we've got the impression from our faith community that the MOST IMPORTANT thing to push our kids to "pray the prayer" and "get baptized"... But there's so much more than that!
Two responses - first, these are exactly the kinds of questions we need to grapple with. Stay tuned for information about an international gathering about kids' ministry and a new kind of Christianity ... May 7-10, 2012, in Washington, DC.
Second, I hope many people will offer their responses over at Dave Csinos' site - This is an important topic about which we all need to have a say.
Another reader asked this valid question ...
Continue reading Why No Comments, cont'd...
Several of us - I hope more will join over the coming days - are blogging about the spiritual formation of children and youth this week (and perhaps the coming weeks too). With the new school year beginning, it seems like a great time to invite people to grapple with what I think is one of our most unacknowledged and important issues (crises? opportunities?) in the church.
If you want to phrase it as an issue - it's the fact that even among churches that are doing innovative things for adults and young adults, many are implementing off-the-shelf curricula in unexamined programs for kids. Does this mean that the current generation of kids will have to re-boot their faith when they come of age as many of their parents have had to do - unlearning much of what they've been taught, and relearning it in a new paradigm or narrative?
If you want to phrase it as a crisis - it's the retention crisis: the drop off of emerging generations from active church involvement.
If you want to phrase it as an opportunity - it's the opportunity to rethink the spiritual formation of children from "this side" of the post-modern/post-colonial transition.
Here's an article (to which I contributed) to get the conversation rolling (also included after the jump - and here in pdf format with photos, etc.)
Dave Csinos will be participating in the synchro-blog this week, and he'll be hosting dialogue on this article and related subjects. Here's his blog.
If you blog on this subject, please send your link to Dave's blog, and he'll aggregate the links. As always, you can comment on my facebook page as well.
Also - stay tuned for information later this week about an international gathering on spiritual formation for kids and youth to be held in Washington, DC, May 2012.
Continue reading BACK TO SCHOOL WEEK: Introduction...
Jay Bakker is a good friend, one of the biggest-hearted people you'll ever meet. Here's a wonderful profile on Jay and Revolution NYC.
David Gushee talks about the denialosphere regarding global climate change in a worthwhile article here.
Another friend, Logan Laituri, offers a good summary of our time at the Peace Among the Peoples conference. Here's the hosts' - AMBS - report. Here's a picture showing my better side with Jarrod McKenna at the conference ...
Romal Tune gets it right on scapegoating teachers ... here.
For anyone who thinks that politics is dirty and good or "spiritual" people should avoid it, see this from CPJ ...
An interesting blog on agnosticism ...
A blogger writes:
I read your comments about Anne Rice and couldn't agree more. I have been on a worshipful journey now for 30 weeks, attending a different faith group every week and writing about it on my blog. I have come to the same conclusion. We are all flawed, and while it might discourage me to see all the various and unending variations of defects I am developing a deep love for Jesus Christ and how much he loves me with all my own imperfections. Thanks for your good words!
Finally, I've already spoken up on behalf of the mosque in Manhattan. Here are some additional responses I think are worth reading:
This one from Will Bunch ...
In 2010, a large swath of the American public -- led by ratings-mad media mavens and immoral politicians like Newt Gingrich and Sarah Palin -- had declared out all-out war on "the Other" in America in all its alleged forms, from immigrants to Muslims to non-white aides working in the West Wing of the White House and of course the president himself.And it is threatening to rip America apart in a way that we have not seen in 145 years. Over the last year, I traveled across the country seeking the sources of right-wing outrage and anger in the Obama era as I researched my new book that will be published at the end of the month. What I discovered was fear -- some of it innate and much of it whipped up by high-def hucksters on TV and in talk radio and even in the corridors of political power in America. Much of that fear centered on one simple fact: That America is increasingly becoming a non-white-dominated country. While many Americans take no issue with that, the prospect of an America with an increasingly non-Caucasian face is a deeply disturbing one to millions of people -- people for whom a unified and traditional culture is a source of solidarity and comfort, even -- according to some sociologists -- a bulkhead of immortality.
And this one from Eboo Patel ...
President Obama caused a stir with his speech at a White House iftar stating that Muslims had the same religious freedom as every other community in America. President Bush used to host White House iftars too. I believe, if he were President today, Bush would have given the same speech. I wish he would emerge from his ranch in Texas to give it now.
This is worth reading, especially for my many Evangelical friends.
A reader is disappointed that I don't include comments here on the site.
In your recent blog post you write about converting those who do not accept the clean energy agenda. And, yet, there is no place for comments so that you might learn what it is specifically that turns people away from that agenda. Without that knowledge, and without addressing real concerns, it seems you are talking to yourself. And that you are not interested in a productive, collaborative approach. Did I miss the comments section and the dialogue?
Continue reading Q & R: Why no comments?...
I met Doug in Brisbane, Australia, last year. He recently sent me this poem by Australian poet Drew Gillies (posted with Drew's permission).
Uncautious
[a repentance from mindless dogma]
I used to say a person
went off the rails.
As if life were about rails.
I used to say a person
lost the plot.
As if life were about a plot.
A blinkered slave worker,
swinging my hammer and driving the spikes
and singin' mah spirit-chuls,
it was me laying the rails.
Across the plots of others.
+++++
For more on Drew, here's his site.
Here's the Q:
I am a gay Christian with a quick question. Some other believers say that being in a committed relationship as I am is "fornication" which I am sure you know is "porneia" in Greek. What does that word specifically mean? Is it related at all to my relationship (we had a church commitment ceremony before God years ago)?
Continue reading Q & R: From a Christian who is gay...
I'm a Youth Pastor in South Africa. Just wanted to write a quick note and say that I am ever so greatful for your writing, your guts to go public with concepts that are difficult for many people to deal with. On the other hand there are so many people who are so relieved to find some alternative ways to think about the Christianity that has been sold to us for so long. And to find that your theology is actually incredibly biblically faithful. I mean that in the way of respecting the Bible more for what it is meant to be. In my humble opinion. ; )I found your book "A new kind of Christianity" a very useful resource and am suggesting it to many people who seem to be on the same kind of journey, asking the same kind of questions. God seems to be bringing many of them across my way. I am even going to suggest the book to a very good friend of mine who doesn't believe in God, but in "Good". Not to 'convert' her, but to comfort her to know that not all Christians are fundamentalistic and narrow minded. This friend of mine is a professor in journalism and conclusively is very critical and questioning about everything about life. I find this a positive attribute, but it is unfortunate that she found that she had to leave the church because she was prohibited to ask her questions. I have also suggested it to one of the Confirmees in my church, since he is battling with the traditional (though very Greek philosophical) answers which has been forced onto him. Also I have found that you have helped me to phrase so well what I have been intuitively feeling might be true. For that I am ever grateful.
Gosh, this letter is turning out to be not a quick note after all. Sorry!
Thanks so much for writing. And thanks for sharing the books. An author has no way of getting his/her message out apart from readers who are helped by the books and spread the word. Baie Danke!
Jane Redmont has written a beautiful response to Anne Rice. (I wrote a less beautiful one myself.) I just finished Jane's delightful book "When in Doubt, Sing" - and loved every page, both in content and style.
(cont'd after the jump)
Continue reading Jane Redmont gets it right ......
Here's the Q:
I have been on a journey for a while now. I am in my mid-30s, a couple of years ago I was on the staff of a large pentecostal church in xxx. After reading some of your books, among others, and having the opportunity to hear you speak I realized I simply could not align myself any longer with the teachings I had been brought up to believe.Over many months, and hopefully with some wisdom, I spoke to my leaders and as time went on found myself slowly exiting, first leadership, and then the church. I am now very happily meeting with a small group of friends. I guess I could call it a faith community. And to be honest, there is very little I miss from being part of a larger church.
But I keep coming back in my heart to question of accountability. I am accountable to the community I meet with, but they are all peers. The men I used to be accountable to while a member of a larger church were men of integrity, years and wisdom. Unfortunately, they simply view the world differently to me, and do not consider me to accountable to them if I no longer attend a large congregation, preferably theirs. So I am left feeling slightly disconnected, and wondering where I can find men with more wisdom and age than me, that I can be accountable to. I am sure there are others in the same situation and wondered if you would have any advice.
Continue reading Q & R: Accountability...
Here's the Q:
First let me tell you how much I enjoyed reading A New Kind of Christianity. For the past couple of years I've made sure to read one book each year, Rob Bell's Velvet Elvis. It's been good to remind myself of many of the things he talks about in that; it's good for my soul. Now I have a second book to add that I'll be reading each year: A New Kind of Christianity. Thanks for such a great work!
I've been blessed to be asked to lead a book group at my church on A New Kind of Christianity, and I was wondering if you were planning on developing any kind of study guide/discussion questions to go along with it. If you are, I'd love to pilot it for you and report potential issues, concerns, etc. raised from my group.
For now, here's what I was planning on doing: I was thinking of giving the group members some some questions about how they view things now (i.e. "What is the gospel?") before they read the chapters. Then, as they read, I'll have them write what you say about those things, and what they think about what you say. Hopefully that will lead to some good dialogue, which, as you say, is really the point, right?
Blessings on you, your work, and your family. Peace,
I mentioned Southern Baptists the other day. Southern Baptists are the largest Protestant denomination in the US, and they have enormous influence and do a lot of good in the world. (Like all of us, they have some embarrassments too.) Although I'm not a Southern Baptist, I have a lot of affection and respect for SBC folks, so I'm especially glad when I receive a note like this one ... [after the jump]
Continue reading More from Southern Baptists ......
A reader writes ...
I am part of a group of xxx lawyers who have recently formed xxx Lawyers for Sustainability. We are interested in using our skills as lawyers to promote ecological, social and economic sustainability.I am also just finishing your marvelous "Everything Must Change." I've attempted to attend church in the past, but found them slack and passive, implicit apologists for the status quo. Your book shows a different way.
Thanks for your note ... I have so much hope when I hear from folks like you. First, it's thrilling to hear about lawyers, engineers, and others seeing how their professional lives are essential to the change we need. Second, I do believe that more and more churches are becoming hopeful, active agents for change - for a clean energy conversion, for environmental stewardship, and for the development of the kind of regenerative economy you stand for ... ecologically, socially, and economically sustainable. For example, I spent this last weekend with a group Presbyterians who "get it" and are forging ahead in creative ways.
Whether it's the practice of law or ministry, there are encouraging signs afoot.
By the way, March 1 - 3, 2011, in the San Francisco area, there's going to be a conference on this subject. I'll be participating - so if you're interested, check back on my schedule page for details which should be available soon.
My recent six-part series on Clean Energy Conversion (I hope you'll read it ...) began with the bold assertion
Dirty energy is cheap and that's a problem.
An important CBS News editorial estimates the actual cost of gasoline ... $11 to $15 per gallon. Why doesn't gas cost that much at the pump? Because we subsidize it with our taxes, with the lives of young soldiers, and with our health and ecological well-being. I hope you'll take a few minutes to understand our need for a clean energy conversion - both from CBS News, and my series:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
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?
Continue reading Q & R: College student heading off into 2010-2011 ......
A reader writes ...
My name is YYY and I hope you can give me a little bit of advice about my quest for God. I believed in God since I was a little kid (my parents were agnostics/atheists) but I went to a Christian School. But since a few years a go I have had doubts about God. First it was about the fact if Jesus had lived, then it was about the Bible and then it became so strong that I doubted the fact if God exists at all. In your book "Finding faith" it is said that doubt isn't bad at all (if it's not against but with God). But my doubts are so strong now, that I see myself more as an agnostic than a believer. And that's not what I want. It's egocentric to say (although I think that for more people this is a strong motive for beginning/restarting to believe in God) but I don't want to feel the anxiety and depressed feelings I have felt lately. The idea of no God or no afterlife makes me very sad, panicked and anxious. I don't think that's a good motive for wanting to believe, but I'm desperate and I don't know what else to try. Although this seems not to work out as I want to.(cont'd)
Continue reading Q & R: Doubting God in Netherlands...
... into a personal conversation with a friend ... He wrote:
hey brian
how are you healing btw?
i was wondering if you could help me understand this in terms of whether jesus was being exclusive?
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+10&version=NIV
i mean in my hebrew studies the sheep were israel, and also the word mean 'to journey' (rachel) and it seems if he ever was exclusive it was toward the 'religious elite'; would you say thats going on here? is there space for pluralism?
would love to get your thoughts?? a HUGE thanks bro!
I responded ...
Here's a twenty-minute interview with Scot McKnight from the Q Conference.
Q | Conversations on Being a Heretic from Q Ideas on Vimeo.
If you're interested in learning more, check out
A New Kind of Christian
Everything Must Change
I had the privilege of speaking at a conference for Christian peacemakers recently. Here's a good summary:
http://www.consistent-life.org/news.html#peacepeoples
Here's my piece on "the future of Christianity" over at Patheos. There are several fascinating contributions ... Scot McKnight's is especially good, as is Philip Clayton's as is ... well, actually they're all great.
Thanks to all who volunteered to help with Friends Without Borders. (Hopefully you'll hear from some of the organizers soon, if you haven't already.) This is a collaborative venture among Christians, Muslims, and others to be peacemakers. Please take a couple of minutes and catch the sincerity, emotion, and dignity of these friends in Afghanistan.
A reader writes ...
Brian, thanks for your books. I've been a conventional AOG contemporary pentecostal in Australia for xx yrs, xx years of that a staffed lead pastor running a reasonably large multisite church until I burned out and was slowly debilitated by anxiety and depression.Since then I've been rethinking everything.
More after the jump -
Continue reading Q & R from a "Contemporary Pentecostal" - what's sufficient?...
Here's the Q:
Hello Brian. I’m sure you don’t remember me, but we met many years ago at Glorietta, GA. I was the first guy in the first class you led after writing your first book. You told me how you really disliked the cover but, as a first time writer, you weren’t given a choice.
Well, I continue to read your books. You are one of the voices that I listen to and that’s why I’m writing. I am a pastor at the ??? Mission. I’ve been here for x years. Recently, (OK it’s been a while but I’ve been denying it) God has been calling me to evangelism. It is what I do here at the Mission. Every Sunday I give a salvation message and literally hundreds have responded. I then have them for about a year or so. Then we encourage them to get involved in an outside church. That, to me, is absolutely the work of an evangelist. I’ve shied away from the term evangelist because of what it means in our culture.
That brings me to the question: What do you think the role of an evangelist should be today? The Bible clearly uses the term, “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers,… (Eph 4:11)” Where do you see the ministry in a culture today that defines evangelist as a weird guy you see on TBN with blow-dried hair and a white suit who is of questionable character? Maybe even deeper, since evangelists have played a role in so many movements of the Spirit over the centuries, where should this go? I have already accepted that it is to go out and preach, but how would you characterize the ministry?
Continue reading Q & R: Evangelism and evangelists...
Sivin is a committed Christian (a Lutheran pastor) living in a Muslim country, working for peace and promoting honest dialogue. He's an example to me ... and I hope to you as well.
A thoughtful Q & R after the jump in response to my recent posts on Clean Energy Conversion
Continue reading Clean Energy Conversion Response: "We" = Who?...
I'll be part of the Big Tent Christianity gathering coming up in a few weeks in North Carolina. I hope you'll consider being part of it. The line-up of speakers is tremendous, and the term "big tent" is evocative.
A lot of bloggers are responding this week to this prompt:
What does “big tent Christianity” mean to you? What does it look like in your context? What are your hopes and dreams for the Church?
It’s our hope that this Synchroblog will jumpstart a new national conversation about what a “big tent Christianity” might look like and how we can build a roadmap together to get there. We hope you’ll be a part of this invigorating conversation!
There's a lot I could say about the term "big tent," but I'll boil it down to one brief comment ... (after the jump)
Continue reading BIG TENT CHRISTIANITY SYNCHROBLOG...
A reader offers a thoughtful response on the issue of homosexuality after the jump. My comments follow his.
Continue reading Q & R: A third alternative?...
To all the Muslim friends who read this blog - Ramadan Mubarak!
Last year at this time, I was beginning the fast, in partnership with a number of Muslim and Christian friends, including Eboo Patel (of Interfaith Youth Core) and Nadyne and Soraya - the Peace Moms..
The fast was far more rigorous than I imagined (especially going without water), and more rewarding as well. It helped me as a Christian to draw closer in friendship and understanding with my Muslim friends. And it helped me enter more deeply into the Christian practice of fasting too. Its positive effects have stayed with me through this whole year.
Just as I think it would be meaningful for a Muslim or Jew to participate in Advent or Holy Week with a committed Christian, or for a Christian or Muslim to share Passover with a committed Jew, it was meaningful for me to share in Ramadan with my Muslim friends. Thanks to those who were so hospitable to me!
This year I was considering participating again, but the decision was made for me earlier this summer when I got sick and had some liver damage as a result. Since I'm still on the mend, it doesn't seem wise to stress my system, although I may join in the last week or so.
Throughout Ramadan, I'm going to be doing all I can to speak up about the growing Islamaphobia in the US. Many sectors of the Christian community are squandering whatever moral authority they have left by failing to stand up to this anti-Christian spirit of fear and exclusion. It violates Jesus' core teaching and betrays his example. I got a taste of what it must feel like to be Muslim in "Christian" America last year when I shared in Ramadan. It wasn't pleasant. If that's what popular American Christianity is becoming - just another tribal religion that incites "us" against "them" - no wonder so many people don't want to be part of it.
Of course, as the Taliban's horrible murders of Christian mission workers in Afghanistan make clear, religion-inspired fear and supremacy show up in every religion. So my prayer is that during Ramadan, a desire for peace and reconciliation will flow like a refreshing wind through Islam as never before. May such a wind blow everywhere and among us all!
Thank God, many of us are doing what we can to model a better way. Muslims, Jews, Christians, and others are realizing that Jesus was right - those who live by the sword (or mockery, fear, exclusion, hatred, etc.) will die by it. The "way, truth, and life" embodied in Jesus wasn't about fearing and marginalizing the other: it was about identifying with the other, befriending the other, loving neighbor and stranger and even enemy as brother or sister. Most Christians don't know that you can't be a good Muslim without believing that Jesus was from God and that his teaching should be followed. That is an important starting point for common ground and growing friendship from which everyone can benefit. Ramadan mubarak!
Wow, I just found out that Amazon is selling Everything Must Change for $6.00. That's cheap!
Speaking of bargains, you can purchase my Bible overview podcast series for $20 here...
And you can purchase Songs for a Revolution of Hope (a soundtrack to Everything Must Change), an album of original music here for $10.
We need a clean energy conversion.
If civil rights was the key issue of the previous generation, I think clean energy is one of the two or three most important issues of our generation. For that conversion to take place, as we've seen, we need to help people see four truths:
1. Dirty energy is cheap, and that's a problem.
2. We must re-price dirty energy.
3. We must wisely invest the dividends of re-pricing dirty energy.
4. People who currently oppose clean energy conversion need to be respectfully listened to, genuinely understood, consistently and kindly responded to, and humbly invited to join in a journey towards a more sustainable way of life.
Now these four truths aren't simply matters of scientific data or secular policy. Each of them flows from values of a deeply spiritual nature.
For example, to say that money isn't the most important consideration in life - that's a spiritual matter. To think long-term, not just in terms of winning the next election but in terms of our moral duty to generations yet unborn - that's a spiritual matter. To seek the common good - not just self-interest - that's also a spiritual matter. And to determine in advance that people who oppose our ideas are not enemies or obstacles but neighbors who deserve respectful dialogue ... that's a spiritual matter too.
To speak in terms of clean and dirty ... that language evokes deeply held values that go far back in religious history. Although "cleanliness is next to godliness" isn't in the Bible, the idea that clean is good and dirty is bad - that is.
Having served as an evangelical Christian pastor for twenty-four years, I know that calling people to conversion is spiritual work. Conversion means turning around. It involves a turning away - from wrong, foolish, and destructive behaviors, and a turning to - to God and neighbor and all creation in love. It involves a radical transformation of beliefs, values, and daily life.
Conversion changes everything. It means having an epiphany or spiritual awakening that changes us, makes us "new creatures" in a new creation. No wonder it requires repentance - deep rethinking, a profound reinterpretation of things, including regret for past and present wrongs.
Scientists can give us data that tells us we're in trouble. Politicians can channel a desire for change into policy. But it will take a genuine spiritual movement to translate scientific data into a desire for change.
Sadly, some religious communities are currently playing on the wrong side. Some are actively on the side of dirty energy and others are on the sidelines, complacent about the whole matter. But there's good news for these religious communities - they can change like everybody else! Religious communities can be converted to a better way too! (Just look at a tremendously significant step taken recently by Southern Baptists, for example.)
It's interesting to note: in the Gospels, Jesus constantly confronts "unclean spirits" - spirits which drag people down into moral filth and social decay. He does so by the power of the Holy Spirit - who could perhaps also be named (in contrast to unclean spirits) the Clean Spirit, or the Spirit of Healing, Health, and Wholeness. In Jesus' Nazareth manifesto, at the very beginning of his ministry, he quoted the prophet Isaiah: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me." The Spirit would proclaim, he said, good news to the poor; the Spirit would help blind people see; the Spirit would liberate people who were captives.
Today, I believe the Spirit of God similarly wants to bring good news to people who are suffering the worst consequences of cheap, dirty energy. The Spirit today wants to help people who have been blinded by greed, apathy, convenience, and lack of vision to see a new and better way of life. The Spirit today wants to liberate people from captivity within a self-destructive and dirty economy to vitality in a sustainable and regenerative one.
I'm a committed Christian, and you may be too. Or you may follow Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Indigenous religion, humanism, agnosticism, atheism, or whatever. I wonder what could happen if we, from our many traditions, opened our hearts to a spiritual movement toward a better way of life - including a clean energy conversion. We wouldn't be trying to convert one another to join us where we are now. Instead, we would be willing to go with one another to a place none of us have never been before. That involves a journey; it involves moving; it involves growth. It is a call to conversion from which nobody need be exempt.
I am so fortunate to receive emails like this one ...
I felt compelled to send you a word of encouragement. I’ve been on my own journey of spiritual transformation as I’ve followed your journey. Thanks for having the courage to publicly ask hard questions. Thanks for the courage to share your thoughts with the rest of us, especially when you know they will be controversial. Thanks for your humility and grace. I can only imagine how hard it’s been. Please be encouraged – we need you! Many are being helped by your example and by your writings. You are making a tremendous difference.
You might not be receiving much encouragement these days. You may be doing good work - but all you're getting is criticism. I've been there too, so I'd like to pay this encouragement forward and pass on my own encouragement to you. Please know that we all need you ... that you're making a difference, and that you, in your unique way, are helping many. God notices every act of kindness, every choice for goodness and truth, every cup of cold water given in love. Please don't give up.
Let's all keep paying encouragement forward. It's in short supply sometimes!
Here's the Q:
I just finished "A New Kind of Christianity". I really enjoyed it and so did my wife. We both have been on a spiritual search for sometime, and your ideas struck a responsive chord in us.As I reflect on the difference between a more traditional view of Christianity and your ideas, there is one aspect that I can't seem to get past. As you know, "faith" or "believing" plays a huge role in both the gospels and the epistles, and is also there in the Old Testament, although in less obvious a fashion.
Just to quote the obvious passages..."believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved"..."your faith has saved you"... "for by grace are you saved, through faith"...and you know all the rest. But in reading your book, although I agree with so much, I'm not seeing the role of faith in this new paradigm. Unless you addressed it and I just missed it.
In your opinion, what is the role of faith? Faith in what or who? Why is faith such a key concept in the New Testament? (Now abide faith, hope, and love...) What is the consequence of a lack of faith? If you could give me a few thought-starters on this, I'd really appreciate it.
BTW, you and I are the same age. I saw on your website that you were born in 1956, as was I (Jan. 8th). I've always thought those of us in the same age cohort need to stick together! (Tom Hanks is also a '56'er).
Continue reading Q & R: Faith...
I know that at Southern Seminary and similar places, I'm not on the list of favorite Christian authors. But as the encouraging note below suggests, Southern Baptists could consider me, not an enemy, but a kind of "Plan B." If their approach to faith and practice doesn't work for some of their folks, perhaps I can be of help. Here's the note:
I just finished reading A New Kind of Christianity and felt compelled to
drop a quick line and say "thank you" for writing it! Your book perfectly
captures the struggle that I and a close friend have had over the past
several years with traditional Southern Baptist theology. While I maintain
many wonderful memories of my childhood church and still hold most of it's
members in very high regard, I am no longer able to support many of the
doctrines they espouse.I have searched for years for an alternative view that explores new
possibilities without completely discounting belief altogether. Your work
has provided a framework from which I can begin to look at faith in a whole
new way! Since I began reading with your most recent book, I now will go
back and read your earlier works to get a more complete idea of your
viewpoints. I am sure that this will lead to many wonderful conversations
and explorations between friends and family and I thank you again for
having the courage and faith to write!I wish you much peace, happiness and success as you carry out this vitally
important ministry!!!
I don't have to tell anyone that we are polarized and paralyzed in our political life. We think we're getting fair and balanced news, when in reality we're getting some degree of spin wherever we get our information. Truly important issues drop off the table, while secondary issues that can win elections get center stage. It's in that context that we seek a clean energy conversion.
Our job isn't easy. It's not easy to convince a teenager that there's a downside to premarital sex or underage drinking. It's not easy to convince a conflicted married couple that working through their problems might be wiser - and less painful - than getting a quick divorce. It's not easy convincing a child that taking piano lessons and practicing will actually bring a lifetime of rewards that more than compensate for short-term sacrifice. And it's not easy helping people understand three important truths:
- Dirty energy is cheap, and that's a problem.
- We must re-price dirty energy.
- We must wisely reinvest the dividends that come from re-pricing dirty energy.
But that's our challenge, and in order to pursue it, we'll need to develop three virtues. First, we'll need gentle, persistent firmness, or firm, persistent gentleness. We'll need to speak up, and do so firmly, and do so again and again, but without inflammatory rhetoric. It's easy to talk about clean energy in a way that will rouse the choir of the already converted to shout amen - but in so doing, turn off or turn away the not-yet convinced. We need to focus our attention on the not-yet convinced and to seek to avoid needless offense.
Second, we'll need to listen - to listen to objections and concerns. We'll have to take those objectives and concerns into consideration as we move forward. We'll have to answer questions and endure harsh reactions without reacting harshly ourselves, even though the objections we hear may seem weak, ill-informed, rudely put, and old hat. To the person making those objections, they make sense, so we must listen with true interest and respect, seek true understanding, and only then respond with true grace and patience.
Which brings us to our third needed virtue. We'll need patience. Patience isn't easy when we're dealing with such an important and urgent matter as the planet on which we live and which we are damaging for future generations. True virtue generally involves holding strengths in tension - gentleness and firmness, listening and nonreactivity, and urgency and patience. If we fail in the area of virtue, we will fail, even though our cause is just and wise.
My friends in Washington tell me that due to political realities, clean energy legislation probably won't get on the agenda until early 2013. That seems like a long way away when you think about how important a clean energy conversion is. But that seems like a short time when you think about how much work we have to do educating people and recruiting them to join us in a movement for clean energy conversion, based on these four truths:
- Dirty energy is cheap, and that's a problem.
- We must re-price dirty energy.
- We must wisely reinvest the dividends that come from re-pricing dirty energy.
- We must seek to understand and educate people who oppose clean energy conversion.
On Park51, the Muslim center in Manhattan ... here.
Also - several Christians - including yours truly - blogged on the subject at Eboo Patel's blog, here. This is an important dialogue to have!
As you can imagine, it's deeply encouraging to know my books are helping people. But it's also concerning to think that many people are reaching a point of no return - either they find a "new kind of Christianity," or they're out entirely (as Anne Rice's recent announcement makes clear). So along with encouragement, I feel a growing sense of urgency: we need to continue to articulate and embody a viable, vital alternative.
I’ve just read “A New Kind of Christianity”. Thank you so much for being courageous and for speaking out with the things so many of us are feeling and thinking. It’s given me fresh hope and a feeling of anticipation that I haven’t felt for a very long time. I live in the UK and am meeting more and more Christians who are reaching a point of no return. Your work is like the light shining and showing a new way so I’m so grateful.
So far we've focused on two realities: dirty energy is is cheap, and that's a problem. And the best way to deal with this problem is through re-pricing dirty energy.
The idea of re-pricing dirty energy can be summed up in this either-or statement:
A. Either energy-extracting corporations keep all their profits for themselves, leaving the public at large to deal with the negative and costly consequences of dirty energy...
B. Or energy-extracting corporations repay the public for having to deal with those consequences. (Another way to say this is to say these corporations pay rent to the public - they rent the right to pollute their air, dismantle the Appalachians, or put the Gulf of Mexico at risk, for example.)
Four important questions come to mind when we imagine re-pricing dirty energy:
1. Where do we re-price dirty energy - at the point of extraction, or the point of pollution? It makes the most sense to add a surcharge on dirty energy at its point of extraction. After all, there are only a few hundred major extractors, but their are hundreds of millions of users.
2. When and how would the surcharge be added? The surcharge would be phased in gradually over time so as not to shock the economic system - especially at a fragile time when the economy is still recovering from a near-meltdown. The re-pricing would have to happen gradually enough so that everyone could adjust, but quickly enough that people wouldn't simply stick with business as usual. By announcing a firm, clear plan, businesses would be able to project impacts accurately, and entrepreneurial creativity would be unleashed.
3. How would we invest the dividend from re-pricing dirty energy?
The income from this surcharge should be used for three main purposes:
A. As a dividend paid back to taxpayers, helping them cope with the rise in dirty energy prices. This, by the way, is what the State of Alaska does: every taxpayer gets an annual rebate - a check in the mail - representing their share in the rent of the Alaskan ecosystem by oil companies.
B. As support for research and development of clean energy. The goal is to bring the cost of clean energy down as the cost of dirty energy goes up. When clean energy is as affordable as dirty energy, we will reach a historic tipping point, and everyone will be better off.
C. As aid for those who suffer the most from dirty energy's unintended consequences. For example, the poorest people in the world - in Africa and Asia - are suffering the most from changes in the global climate. As sea levels rise and deserts spread, hundreds of thousands of people will be displaced.
4. How do we prioritize these three possible uses for the dividend?
That's an argument worth having, because if we foolishly squander the dividend, it will be what its critics fear: a tax without a benefit.
Various proposals are out there. My personal sense is that fifty to sixty percent of the dividend should go back to taxpayers, twenty to thirty percent should go to clean energy research and development, and ten to twenty percent to aid. A 60-20-20 split would make a lot of sense to me, or a 60-25-15 split.
Knowing how politics works, politicians will probably race to promise one-hundred percent to taxpayers, thus shortchanging our children and grandchildren (who would benefit most from our investment in clean energy) and the poorest among us (who are already suffering disproportionately). It will take people like you and me to resist this cynical possibility.
Sadly, right now, many people are still arguing whether we need to deal with dirty energy at all, when the real debate should be about the wisest way to invest a dirty-energy dividend. Let's all try to move this conversation forward!
It's important to point out that a huge investment in clean energy development will create millions of needed jobs. If human beings made trillions of dollars plundering the planet, we have to imagine making hundreds of trillions of dollars through good stewardship. Destruction may make a killing short-term, but long-term it's foolish. Wise stewardship is the best long-term investment, as we'll see in more depth in our next installment.
To review:
Dirty energy is cheap, and that's a problem.
We must re-price dirty energy.
We must wisely invest the dividends of re-pricing dirty energy.
Here's the Q:
As I am reading New Kind of Christianity, you ascribe the "good" events (redemptive, reconciling, freeing, delivering) works to Elohim & all of the "bad" that happens to "nature" (the Nile River, tides, the land, etc). This seems to reinforce a kind of dualism that you speak of as being Greco/Roman. How can you ascribe the source of all of the "good" that happens to the "hand of God" and all of the "bad" to "natural forces"? Seems like a convenient way to save-face for Elohim.I have read nearly all of your other books and works, you have been a helpful spiritual mentor from a distance. So, I ask as an advocate rather than a protagonist.
R after the jump ...
Continue reading Q & R: literary dualism?...
hey friends - I need your help with a special project. a group of us are developing something called "friends without borders." the idea is to help people in "the west" to develop friendships with "the other" online. so we'd like to help a southern baptist teenager in alabama become friends online with a muslim teenager in afghanistan, or we'll help a jewish mother in canada become online friends with a christian palestinian mom in gaza. that's the big idea. what we need is a team of web-skilled persons willing to devote (i.e. donate) some serious time and skill to developing the website, and then another team to provide tech support once it's running. this isn't a small request ... but it could have a big impact. if you're willing to help in either way, would you send your info to info@brianmclaren.net? we'll select a small team of volunteers to join the larger team of volunteers around the world who are getting this idea off the ground. thanks!
Melvin Bray does some amazing storytelling and reflecting on the Genesis story over at his excellent site. Well worth browsing!
You can hear my recent interview with Ian Mobsby here and here.
Here's my response to a question about the future of Christianity ...
For folks interested in organizations and the power of narrative, check out this fascinating series of diagrams ... here. (Thanks, BC!)
A thoughtful proposal on nuclear policy here.
Burns Strider takes Newt Gingrich to task here. Newt wouldn't be happy with my recent post on the subject, unless it convinced him to change his mind. One can always hope!
[This post was a guest blog at The Faith Divide yesterday.]
+++++
I don't really like proof-texting - pulling a verse out of context to try to prove a point. I'm not even a big fan of the fact that the Bible is divided up into chapters and verses. It wasn't always that way - our modern schema of chapters and verses is a relatively late addition to the Bible, having evolved since the 13th Century. Chapter-and-versification allows people to kidnap a quote out of its context in a longer narrative and apply it in potentially irresponsible and harmful ways, as if the Bible were a legal constitution and its verses were articles, sections, subsections, and amendments in a legal code.
But I'm about to engage in chapter-and-versing, consciously and intentionally - and with regard to context, because in this case, the ancient text applies powerfully to our own situation in America today. Consider Exodus 23:9:
"Do not oppress an alien; you yourselves know how it feels to be aliens, because you were aliens in Egypt."
The command was originally for ancient Jewish people. After a famine, they became refugees in Egypt and eventually were enslaved for generations by Pharoah's regime. But according to the Bible, God isn't on the side of the oppressors; God sides with the oppressed, and so God liberated them from slavery. God then led them through the wilderness and ultimately provided them a place to live. The oppressed became the blessed. (continued after the jump)
Continue reading Why I Support the Mosque in Manhattan...
If the first important truth of clean energy conversion is that dirty energy is cheap, and that's a problem, the second is equally challenging and important: we must re-price dirty energy.
It's as if we bought a really cheap used car and bragged to everyone about the great bargain we got. But over time, our "bargain" is turning out to be a lemon: it needs so many repairs that in the end, it will cost us a lot more than a more moderately priced, well-built car would have cost. Cheap dirty energy feels like a bargain, but hits us with so many hidden costs that we now need to gradually raise the current price so that it approaches the actual price. We need to do so gradually and according to a clear, agreed-upon plan so that we all - individuals and businesses - can gradually adjust to the more accurate cost.
We do something similar with nicotine and alcohol; because of their harmful impacts on health, we make sure that cigarette and alcohol corporations don't make a killing at our expense. By re-pricing these substances, people who smoke and drink the most pay their fair share of the cost. In a way, using cheap, dirty energy is like our whole nation smoking or drinking too much. That's why we need to take steps, gradually and carefully, to make it less profitable for dirty energy producers and less cheap for dirty energy consumers to maintain the status quo. As we do so, we'll all move toward a more healthy economy together.
This might seem very obvious and common-sensical; but some people immediately write this truth off by using the "t" word - "tax." "You're just raising taxes!" they say.
But I think that response misses the point. The point is that we're already accumulating the hidden costs for dirty energy, but we're doing so in hidden ways that are unfair to many people.
For example, everyone on the Gulf Coast paid an unfair share of the cost of dirty energy this summer. People in Appalachia pay an unfair share of the cost of dirty energy by living in an environment toxified by mountaintop removal. People with asthma and other diseases pay an unfair share of the cost. Poor people who use less dirty energy experience the same consequences as those who use a lot of dirty energy, and that's not fair. And our children who will live with the accumulating consequences of burning cheap, dirty energy ... they will pay the biggest share of the cost, as the full consequences our dirty energy use crash upon them like an economic meltdown that was decades in the making. That's not fair!
Again, who reaps the profit for these hidden costs? The dirty energy extractors - and that's not fair, nor is it smart.
So instead of thinking of re-pricing dirty energy as a tax, we need to think of it as turning an unfair hidden tax into a public dividend, and then letting everyone share in that dividend - not just a few dirty energy extractors. The dividend raised by re-pricing dirty energy can be used for three purposes - three purposes which benefit us all, rather than hurt us all. (More on that in our next installment.)
So, to review: dirty energy is cheap, and that's a problem. That's why we need to re-price dirty energy.
We’re excited to announce the Big Tent Christianity Synchroblog, taking place the week of August 9-13 across the Web.
Philip Clayton, one of the main organizers of the Big Tent Christianity conference (coming up September 8-9 in Raleigh, NC), has written about “big tent Christianity” before and said this: “[It is] urgent ... to reclaim a Big Tent Christianity, a centrist return to ‘just Christian’ in word and action. The two poles are driving each other ever further apart, spawning ever deeper hostilities. The solution — in American society as in the church — certainly is not to let the other’s anger fuel my own. As leaders it’s our task to help break the cycle of anger, of rejection leading to rejection, and to foster a radically different understanding of the heart of Christian faith.”
What does “big tent Christianity” mean to you? What does it look like in your context? What are your hopes and dreams for the Church?
Please consider participating in this week-long Synchroblog by posting an update on your blog/website the week of August 9-13. We’ll be compiling a list of all the participants and linking to them and all of the “big tent Christianity” blog posts from the Big Tent Christianity conference website (http://www.bigtentchristianity.com/). Just leave a comment on http://www.bigtentchristianity.com, send an @ reply to @bigtentx on Twitter, or email Steve Knight at knightopia@gmail.com. Please also support other synchrobloggers by reposting those links, reading the posts, and commenting.
It’s our hope that this Synchroblog (and the conference in September) will jumpstart a new national conversation about what a “big tent Christianity” might look like and how we can build a roadmap together to get there. We hope you’ll be a part of this invigorating conversation!
As an added bonus incentive, 15 bloggers who participate will be chosen at random to receive free copies of “Transforming Christian Theology” by Philip Clayton and “A New Kind of Christianity” by Brian McLaren...
This is Part 2 of a six-part series
Coal, oil, and natural gas have brought us a long way. We owe a lot to them. But their day has passed. They are dirty energy sources. They cause harm in various ways when we extract them - as the Massey coal and BP oil disasters this year make clear. They cause additional harm when we use them, because they produce gases that are subtle but real forms of pollution - from fish-killing acid rain, to asthma-producing smog, to climate-changing greenhouse gases.
It's time for a conversion to clean energy, but one big obstacle stands in the way: dirty energy is cheap, and that's a problem.
There are two reasons dirty energy is cheap. First, we like it that way. We depend on cheap dirty energy to heat and cool our homes, fuel our vehicles, and produce most of our electricity. Second, energy extractors don't have to pay the full cost of producing dirty energy. Who pays the full cost? We all do - we just don't realize it.
Consider this little parable. Let's say we started a company that sold apples. Our apples were really cheap and really delicious, and everybody started eating them- at least one per day.
But our apples had one problem that nobody knew about: each one had tiny, microscopic worms. The worms were too small to see, and they caused no harm if you only ate an apple or two a month. But once people consumed enough of our apples over time, the tiny worms began to make them very sick. They would have to miss work and go to the hospital, which was very expensive. Some people even died - something you can't put a price on.
Recently, a few people have realized that the hidden cause of their illness is the tiny worms in our apples. Now they are threatening to sue us for damages. As a result, our apple company is weighing three strategic options:
1. we can prevent our apples from having worms - but that will cost us a lot of money - either reducing our profits or increasing the price of our apples;
2. we can raise the price of our apples to absorb the costs of lawsuits for damages caused by our apples;
3. we can convince people that since you can't see the worms in our apples, they don't really exist.
Obviously, Option 3 is the cheapest option - economists call this "externalizing costs," since the public has to pay the hidden costs instead of our apple company. And since everyone loves the excellent taste and rock-bottom price of our apples, many consumers are easily convinced: we're telling them what they want to hear. You can see why our apple company would lean toward Option 3.
In terms of dirty energy, we're at the point in the story where some people are just beginning to learn about the worms in the apples, and the energy extraction companies are choosing Option 3, and it's working. Most consumers are easily persuaded to ignore the hidden costs of dirty energy. And many politicians are easily persuaded as well, especially since energy extraction companies make big contributions to both political parties. Not only that, but if the government were to make dirty energy companies pay for the hidden costs, the companies would pass those costs on to consumers, and no politician wants to be blamed for higher energy prices, especially during an election cycle. (And we're always in an election cycle.)
That's why more and more of us have to learn about the worms in the apple.
We have to learn, for example, what cheap coal mining is doing to the people and ecosystems of Appalachia - how it causes asthma, how it puts toxins in the groundwater, how it contributes to rising rates of cancer and heart, lung, and kidney disease along with birth defects.
We have to learn what happens to the fumes that come out of our exhaust pipes and smokestacks - how they affect the climate, how they create acid rain, how they contribute to disease.
We have to learn about the concept of peak oil - the economic reality that the less oil there is left, the harder it will be to extract and the more it will cost. Many experts think we have already passed the peak oil point, and others think we will do so soon.
We have to try to understand some of the other easily overlooked but high costs of cheap energy too - like the fact that it involves us in wars and other foreign entanglements, some of which put money in the pockets of terrorists and others who aren't fond of us but are happy to make a lot of money selling dirty energy to us.
We should even learn about the missed opportunity costs of cheap dirty energy: while we depend on cheap dirty energy, other countries are becoming the pioneers in clean, sustainable energy - which will fuel the economy of the future.
Put it all together, and you can see why we all need to understand - and communicate - this essential fact: dirty energy is cheap, and that's a problem.
Wednesday, July 28th marked Day 100 of the oil spill. It marked the 13th day since a cap was successfully installed, and the newly-announced president of BP promised that within days, the capped well will be "killed." So ... crisis averted, and we can resume our regularly scheduled program of consumption, right?
No doubt, many of us will do exactly that. But many of us won't. For many of us, the Gulf catastrophe has become an epiphany. As a result, we don't want to fall into the typical amnesia of the news cycle: shallow outrage followed by blame, lasting until the next outrage arises. We want this summer of gushing oil to result in a life-long awakening, a conversion if you will.
And if we experience this kind of conversion, we'll need to become examples, teachers, we might even say evangelists of a new way of life - a sustainable, regenerative way of life based on clean energy, not a consumptive, toxic way of life based on dirty energy. What will our basic message be - the message we need to learn, internalize, embody, and share?
I'd like to suggest four simple but essential teaching points, the first of which is the most difficult to communicate:
1. Dirty energy is cheap, and that's a problem.
2. We must re-price dirty energy.
3. We must wisely invest the dividends of re-pricing.
4. We must seek to understand and educate people who oppose clean-energy conversion.
I'll do my best to flesh out four points in upcoming installments in this series.
I was invited to write up a response to Anne Rice's recent announcement about quitting Christianity ... here's a link to the piece on the CNN site. I've included the post after the jump ... I think this story brings up some worthwhile subjects for conversation.
+++++
Continue reading My Take: Why I support Anne Rice but am still a Christian...
Here's the Q:
I have read your book "A generous orthodoxy" in swedish translation, 2 times. I am thrilled, and I really like your writings, and your way of neutralizing negative statements about "the others" by mentioning parallel phenomena within the christian world.
I guess one of the things about the emergent church is that we really do not know how it is going to develop. Looking at some video clips about some of the groups now operating does not help, and in fact, I would feel very uncomfortable sitting in a sofa just asking questions in a never ending discussion. Isn`t there any place for an orderly service??? Not everybody is a postmodern "non-committer" who enjoys questioning everything. Furthermore, I do not think that we have to invent more and more userfriendly things. Sooner or later our inventiveness ends.
Reply after the jump ...
Continue reading Q & R from Sweden: Isn't there any place for an orderly service?...
This question reminded me how we need to remember that each day, new people are for the first time realizing that some sort of paradigm shift is possible, happening, and needed in their faith. Every day, new people are ready to start on the journey and get involved. A number of friends from the emergent village community have talked about this for years ... we need to keep extending the new road farther and farther into new territory, while maintaining onramps for people from many different communities to start the journey from wherever they are, whenever they're ready. It's too easy to do one without the other ... but both are essential. I've inserted a few replies into the email below:
Hi Brian, Thank God for you, and for other men & women like you! I realise that you must get 1000's of emails just like this one, from people just like me, saying that they feel just like Dan Poole! I also realise how incredibly busy you are so I'll keep to the point and dispense with the need to provide you with my entire story!First, thanks for your kind words. And please know that I appreciate every email like yours that I get. It's so encouraging to see how Dan Poole's fictional story continues to strike a resonant chord with so many people.
For a number of years, I have felt called by God to church planting; the church I attend has also recognised this so I have attended their seminary and 'qualified'(!) as a pastor, and the church has tried for a long time to help me bring to fruition the call to church planting. The problem being that I cannot - in good conscience - move forward with a plant, keeping to the 'party line', whilst knowing that there is so much more to real (a new kind of-) Christianity than what we currently practice. My question is this: I feel like a new kind of Christian but I need to know what a new kind of church looks like... what post-modern worship looks like... what post-modern preaching looks like... the actual day-to-day practicalities of a new kind of church. I really need to network with other like-minded people; I just need to find them. How did you ever start this journey?
First, you're fortunate in that fifteen years ago, when this journey was beginning for me, it was really hard to find anyone "safe" to talk to ... there was a lot of talk about innovative methodology, but to raise theological questions was somewhat risky. Of course, it's still risky - but thankfully more and more networks are forming where it's safe to ask questions, think together, and explore. Let me mention three resources based in the US:
1. As you've already discovered, Emergentvillage.com is a great resource. They put together and promote excellent conferences which always build in time for conversation - not just a lecture-listen format. The site can also help you find or form a cohort - a group of people who connect regionally for mutual support, encouragement, exchange of ideas, and development of relationships.
2. A great place for online dialogue is theooze.com. So many people have been helped by the "safe space" and virtual community available there. There are other helpful online communities too ... like Questians, for example.
3. When it comes to networking with other church planters, the good news is that a number of denominations are moving forward in supporting church planters like yourself. And some trans-denominational networks are beginning to form to encourage both affiliated and unaffiliated faith communities that are forming. One excellent new network to look into is TransForm.
I have only recently 'discovered' your books and feel a sense of elation; I feel like I have come up for air after a long time holding my breath at the bottom of a pool. I have read A new kind of Christian this weekend, and have started on The story we find ourselves in. Next to be read (this week) will be The last word and the word after that and A new kind of Christianity. But are there any other resources you can recommend? I'm looking at the Emergent Village website and Leadership Network's site, but would really appreciate some pointers... Many thanks in anticipation.
Again, I'm so glad you've found the "onramp" to some very encouraging developments. The good news is that there are so many resources - books, blogs, podcasts, etc. If you follow the links above and others on this site through emergent village, questians, transform, etc., you'll find lots of bloggers who are engaging in the emergent conversation. And soon, you'll see that you're not just an observer, but a vital participant with much to offer - as you've already done through this email. Thanks!
One last thing ... We need thousands of leaders to help lead existing churches through the current paradigm shift. AND we need thousands of leaders to help plant new faith communities. Both are essential, and progress in one helps the other. Among church planters, we need folks who will start churches to help alienated churchgoers ... people who will drop out of church unless somebody forms a more open space where they can survive and thrive spiritually. But no less important - more important, in my opinion - we need church planters who will go much farther than most alienated churchgoers would want to go - to meet the "spiritual but not religious" where they are and form faith communities among them, forming authentic disciples or followers of Jesus without needless religious baggage. So I just wanted to say to you and anyone else feeling this call ... you're needed. Fan the flame. Go for it. Don't let anyone discourage you!
Here's the Q:
I have been following you on Facebook and I've been reading your newest book, "A New Kind of Christianity," which has brought me to joyful tears throughout. After re-reading Chapter 19, I was wondering if you could suggest some Bible studies that are outside of the Greco-Roman narrative? I grew up in the Greco-Roman Christianity of the 80's and 90's. After getting married and moving to a new state, we tried to find a new church home which was a disaster. For the last 12 years I have been questioning and fighting and giving up and taking back my faith and last year I started considering church again.What I have not yet done again is pick up my Bible. The Bible, when read from the Greco-Roman point of view, is scary. I think about reading the Bible and my hands get sweaty and my heart races and so of course, I skip it. I feel like a Pavlovian dog. When reading Borg, McColman, Newell and now your books, I cherish the parts that are like mini-bible studies because that's pretty much all I'm getting unless I'm following the liturgy on Sunday mornings (on the mornings I attend, which are few as I am very slowly getting reacquainted with churchgoing.) I just don't know how to approach it again in a healthy way and I know guidance would be helpful in the way of a workbook or study guide. However, I don't know who to trust so I thought I might ask you.
I know you're extremely busy and I appreciate that you take the time to answer your reader's questions - those that applaud and those that question (sometimes harshly) with such grace.
Reply after the jump:
Continue reading Q & R: Sweaty palms, joyful tears, and the Bible...
Here's the Q:
My name is X, and I'm the new minister of spiritual formation at Y Baptist Church in Z. I had the opportunity to hear you preach last Sunday night at BB and have also read some of your books. As a young pastor and writer, I have an interesting background-- grew up Catholic, a M.S. in marine and environmental science from CC, licensed in the Church of the Nazarene, attending Wesley
Theological Seminary, and having helped launch a new church ... that had over 200 people show up for Easter-- before I moved here a month ago for my new position and seminary. I might be only 2 years in ministry, but have experienced a lot. I am passionate about preaching the gospel in a real life, relevant, out-of-the-box way, and communicating to the people of today.Anyway, I have a question for you about the whole model you showed, using the world-church-you series of circles as a model. I realize that many pastors and churches, especially in conservative circles (literally) reject what you are saying because what they fear is the arrows going the opposite way- meaning, that the world will infiltrate into the church, which will infiltrate into 'you,' corrupting the true gospel. I know many (and have been friends with) who are afraid of 'the world.' My question is: what do we do? I've had friends hide behind the theory of following 'false teachers' and shrink further into their walled circles. What do we do?
Thanks for being an influence on me and for sharing a new way to look at
things. I hope God will someday use me to plant a church where people are
unafraid of the real world. God bless!
Reply after the jump
Continue reading Q & R: Who influences whom?...
How about a number of us connected with the emergent/emerging church conversation set aside the week of August 23 as BACK TO SCHOOL WEEK. And how about we blog on Christian education/spiritual formation for kids and youth that week?
Some good friends have started a blog on ethnicity, ethics, and faith ... called Ethnic Space and Faith. It's worth getting familiar with now, and checking back in on often. I hope to be a regular contributor.
Here's the Q:
After reading several of your books, I get the impression you primarily vote Democratic. While I agree with the Democrats on many issues, especially those focused on personal freedoms and social justice, I have never been able to support a candidate who is "pro-choice." I understand that there will never be a candidate who matches my own political mindset exactly, but the potential of human life is too important for compromise. How do you deal with this issue in your own voting choices?
R: I think you'll find this post - which I wrote during the last presidential election - to be helpful in answering your good and important question. I'm like you - I agree with Democrats on many issues, but I agree with Republicans on some issues too, and in both cases, my agreement is often partial, not complete. I may agree with the conclusion, but not the arguments made for it, for example. Sadly, both parties play some unhelpful games.
This email has several questions which I'll address one by one ... Here's the Q:
Thanks so much for the continued effort you put into all of your books. I finished chapter 18 of your new one yesterday. Dr. King's quote at the end really moved me--what a wonderful world it would be if we lived out those words!! There was one other thing with that chapter that really struck me--I thought that you might actually touch on it in the chapter. You discussed in depth the meaning of the second coming and how it could be viewed as already occurred with the destruction of the Temple in 70AD. This view that you present creates a stark irony regarding christians following a dispensationalist paradigm who sometimes persecute Jews for not realizing that Jesus is the messiah. Just as the Jews are waiting for a messiah that has already arrived, so are dispensationalist christians waiting for a second coming that has already occurred.
Thanks for the encouragement. One slight tweak - in Chapter 18, I talk about the meaning of the word "parousia." I explain that the term "second coming" isn't found in the biblical text. It's a term like "the Fall" - developed in extra-biblical theological literature, and then read back into the text (and sometimes put there by "translators" who are actually interpreters). That doesn't mean it's wrong - just that the term itself is subject to questioning. When Jesus speaks of coming back or again, sometimes he's referring to the resurrection ... sometimes he may be referring to his coming to be with us via the Holy Spirit at Pentecost ... and sometimes he may be referring to the coming of a new era and "the end of the (current) age" centered in holy city, temple, priesthood, and sacrifice. He may also be referring to some ultimate judgment day ... but the more I read the New Testament, the fewer of those references I think there are. More and more, it seems, Jesus was referring to things that were very close at hand, and so in that way, it turns out both Jesus and Paul were right: the cataclysm they predicted would happen "before this generation passes."
Q (cont'd):
Your chapter on whether God is violent or not was helpful. However, this is something that I really continue to struggle with.
Continue reading Q & R: 2nd Coming, God's violence, selectivity ......
I received an encouraging email recently (after the jump). Along the way, the writer asked if I could recommend a study Bible. There are lots of good ones, and probably the one I would recommend most will be released in the next year or two. But in the meantime, regarding understanding the Bible, I'd recommend Walter Brueggemann's work on the Hebrew Bible, and on the New Testament, N.T. Wright's growing body of work. There are so many others, of course, but I'm trying to keep things simple. And of course, I hope my podcasts on the Bible would be helpful too.
Continue reading Q & R: Study Bible?...
I couldn't be at last year's emergent theological conversation with Jurgen Moltmann, but I'm savoring the podcasts, available here.
The last few minutes of episode 1 - on the mutual indwelling of the trinity, and making space for the other - are absolutely beautiful.
BTW - speaking of podcasts, just a reminder: my bible overview podcasts are available here. You can sample the first three for free, or buy them singly for a buck a piece, or $19.95 for all 51.
Here's the Q:
My name is YZ and I am doing a study on the "New Perspective on Paul" and was wondering what an emergent like yourself thinks about this exegetical movement in our interpretation of the Pauline Epistles? I would love to hear your opinion and view point on this crucial movement away from the traditional approach.
Continue reading Q & R: On Paul...
Here's a review of my friend Sharon Baker's new book on hell.
And here's information on Doug Frank's equally helpful new book, A Gentler God.
Here's the Q:
There's been one question that I've been dying to ask you ever since I met you so I figured I had just get it out. When I interviewed you I asked you "What one thing do you want to come out of the emergent movement?" You gave a great answer but I had a sub-question that I was going to ask you and I didn't. That question relates to a fear I have with the emergent movement, and that is "Is the emergent movement going to throw it's weight behind one key issue or is it going to adopt a hodge-podge of issues?" I realize this may seem like an odd question but I believe it's of fundamental importance. One of the problems with modern social justice ethics is that there are so many voices screaming to have their voice heard (which is great) and all end up having to compete for the same resources. The problem is that people get capitulated by so many choices that they can feel overwhelmed or powerless or that there resources end up getting divide up so narrowly that little change can take place in one particular field.
I look at the early evangelical movement in which it was a powerful force against slavery (though i'm quite aware that the motivations for some was a moral crusade rather than a humanitarian issue) but this act of changing one thing gained the early evangelical church a great deal of respect and influence (the contemporary affection for William Wilberforce comes to mind). The emergent movement seems to be quite powerful and yet it is one voice amongst many. My fear is that if the voice is not united against a single issue that it will get lost in the cacophony of voices in the public sphere. Is there one issue that you would like to see the emergent movement address? My heart is for sex-trafficked women but their are a plethora of other causes that one could address. Yet I feel conflicted in writing this because all the issues are worth addressing.
I realize you don't represent the whole emergent movement and yet you are generally regarded as champion of this movement. As well, I know you are a remarkably busy man and have a lot of people ask you a great many of questions (and likely you often feel lost in the cacophony of voices!) so I apologize for asking you this question already, but I simply had to get it out there.
Continue reading Q & R: What will the emergent conversation DO?...
Here's part of a longer note from a reader of Everything Must Change ... I'll insert a couple of comments ...
I am still working on making tangible changes in my life. I recently made a commitment to longer do grocery shopping without taking re-usable bags with me and something that simple and easy, believe it or not, can be a challenge.
That's great. All of these seemingly small "lifestyle" changes add up, and they also strengthen your long-term commitment to change. Let me mention two of the biggest next steps you could take:
1. It turns out that about 40% of all greenhouse gases are emitted in the process of heating and cooling buildings. So - if you increase the energy efficiency of your home, you're going to the biggest single leverage point. Here's a good place to start researching ... a simple search on "home energy efficiency" will give you lots of info.
2. The biggest single thing you can do on this subject is support legislation that will re-price carbon. I have a short but really important post I'm working on regarding this subject at the moment - so stay tuned. We need to support every energy bill that takes us even a baby step in the right direction - but the key one will be the one that wisely reprices carbon. Here's a way to say it:
Dirty energy is cheap, and that's not a good thing.
One final note:
I was somewhat saddened the other day to see a bumper sticker that read "Jesus, don't leave earth without him". Of course I have seen this saying in the past and usually in the form of a bumper sticker. Seeing it the other day though irked me because it represented a certain shallowness to thought or maybe even arrogance. In the same vein I was thinking today of the old "Uncle Sam Wants You" posters that you would see in the Late 70s early 80s, at least I think that is the time frame. Maybe a "Jesus wants you to:" poster would be a little over the top. Still, I would love to see believers and non-believers for that matter called to action. I have never been a fan of bumper stickers but would perhaps place one on my car that said "Jesus wants me and you to: Learn to do good; seek justice, rescure the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow." (Isaiah 1:17--taken from Gary Haugen's books.)It could also more succinctly read, and this would be great for us Americans, "Consume Less and give more!"
Yes, there is so much downright stupidity being purveyed by bumper-sticker theology. Perhaps bad-theology-bumper-stickers will start irking more and more of us - and so fill a useful function!
P.S. I have a very poor grasp on the situation between Palestine and Israel--if you have any book recommendations to help me better understand the history and current situation there please pass them along.
Thanks for asking about this. Here are some books I recommend ... I also hope to do some posting and maybe a youtube video on this subject in the next month or so.
On a related note to your "consume less, give more" bumper sticker idea ... here's a powerful short video about hunger ...
So you're planning to pack up the minvan or mini cooper in the next couple weeks and head to the beach, lake, river, mountains, big city, or elsewhere. And you're thinking, "Maybe I'll read one of Brian McLaren's books. Which one?" Here are some suggestions.
___If you want to read my newest and perhaps most significant (and controversial) book, try
A New Kind of Christianity.
___If you want to read a book that relates faith to contemporary global issues, it would be ...
Everything Must Change
___If you'd like to read a novel (it's either educational fiction or creative nonfiction, you pick), try one of my trilogy:
A New Kind of Christian
The Story We Find Ourselves In
The Last Word and the Word After That
If you're a fast reader, you might pick up all three.
___If you want a pretty fast read, try
The Secret Message of Jesus
More Ready Than You Realize
___If you're looking for something of a more spiritual-formation nature, it would be
Finding Our Way Again
(Next summer, my yet-to-be-titled book on spiritual practices for the pre-, post-, non-, or minimally religious should be available.)
___If you're just searching for faith and a spiritual life, not sure where to begin ...
Finding Faith, part 1 (A search for what makes sense)
Finding Faith, part 2 (A search for what is real)
And finally, if you've got a long drive ahead of you, or if you're planning the legendary cross-country road trip, you can download 51 podcasts, about twenty-minutes long each, that give an overview of the Bible ...
here.
Hope that helps!
What Larry Jacobson, Executive Director of the National Society of Professional Engineers, says about his profession could be said about almost any profession.
The problem, he suggests, is a design flaw in corporate structure: Employees are loyal to their employers, who are in turn loyal to owners or shareholders, who demand rising share prices and corresponding short-term profits, quarter after quarter. Long-term ethical responsibilities to the community and the environment can too easily be left out of this cycle of loyalty.
Now consider the engineer's position. Almost all industrial processes and construction begin with the engineer who does the design. The engineer is under enormous pressure to help create profit for management, and those severe pressures influence choices—choices between the safest and most prudent design and the design that sacrifices safety in the name of cost. Lower cost usually means higher short-term profit for the company.
It's easy to see how this constricted cycle of loyalty lies behind recent engineering failures like BP in Louisiana and Massey in West Virginia. In view of the BP disaster, Jacobson says,
[I]t's critical to reflect on how to avoid a repeat, not only in the oil industry, but in any industry that can cause serious harm to people, their livelihoods, and the environment.
Jacobson argues for requiring the signature of a licensed professional engineer to approve engineering plans "whenever a project involves safeguarding life, health, or property." Such an engineer would have "taken an oath to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public" and to "place their professional practice ahead of profit." Only about ten percent of professional engineers currently have taken such an oath, he says.
Constricted cycles of loyalty can be seen in any number of current or recent crises - from Wall Street's meltdown to destructively partisan politics to our ongoing addiction to dirty energy. Apart from government regulatory oversight of the kind that obviously failed in the Gulf, and in the absence of the kind of professional ethical commitments Jacobson and others argue for, what social movements or structures in our culture push against constricting loyalty cycles to expand our concern for the common good - not only of current generations, but of generations yet unborn?
I think we all know who should be urging our circles of concern to expand rather than contract: our faith communities. But too often, they simply fall into their own constricting circles, seeking institutional survival above all else and evidencing the same design flaws that exist in Massey and BP. Shouldn't every gathering of a community of faith either explicitly or implicitly strengthen our expanding ethical commitment to the common good? Shouldn't our faith communities strengthen non-conformity to the design flaws that undermine our corporate culture? Shouldn't good faith work against the bad-faith constriction of loyalty?
What's true of engineers is true of us all: we need to expand, not shrink, our circle of loyalty and ethical concern. That we are all connected in one creation is one of the prime lessons of the Massey and BP disasters, and it is a shared conviction of the fields of ecology and theology. Whatever our faith tradition, whatever our profession, we need that message now more than ever.
Here's the Q:
I am currently a college student who is studying to be a minister, and have recently heard a lot about this movement that you have started. I was just wondering about how it started and what are some of the things that are different views from the New Testament Church, and where you get these new ideas from? If you could respond that would be greatly appreciated. I know you are most likely very busy, but this would help me out a lot in my studies.
Continue reading Q & R: The Emerging Church...
Ah, David, you've done it again.
(BTW - check out musical medicine on David's site, or let Wilcox radio play while you surf.)
As many friends know, I was hospitalized earlier this month with irregular heartbeat and elevated liver functions, and have been waiting for a final diagnosis. My symptoms suggested hepatitis or Lyme disease. But additional tests just came in, and it turns out I don't have hepatitis or Lyme disease. I have a dual infection - ehrlichia (a tick-born disease similar to Lyme) and bartonella (can also be carried by ticks). I'm on appropriate antibiotics and within a couple weeks should be back to 100%. It's a relief to finally know what the problem is ... and I'm grateful for great medical care.
In response to my posting last Friday, a friend wrote:
As I was reading your blog on Allies this morning I thought, I wonder if people agree but are unsure where to start. For me, it began when one of my friends (who is a lesbian) had a dear friend (who was also a lesbian) die in a car accident. She asked if I would go with her to the funeral. When I arrived at the church I slipped into the pew next to her. I noticed that she and twelve other young women were sitting in the back two pews in the church. In front of them were two empty rows and then the rest of the church pews were somewhat full. I noticed that people kept staring back at us. I didn't know if it was because of the "lesbian group" in the back two pews, or if it was because I, a guy was sitting with them. After the service a number of the women were quite surprised when my friend introduced me as her pastor. That one decision on my part of where to sit at a funeral has lead to a number of conversations, and some of those women have joined us for dinner and bible study on Sunday nights. I think the idea of allies is about taking that first step, of being willing. You might be surprised where it will lead.
If you use a cell phone or computer, you're probably connected - whether you know it or not - to the long-standing conflict in Eastern Congo. Minerals mined there - from tin, tungsten, and tantalum to gold - find their way into many of devices we use every day (including at this moment, if you're reading this online). Many of the mines in Eastern Congo are run by outlaw militias that are destabilizing the region - killing countless people, mass-raping women and girls, terrorizing and displacing populations, perpetuating the world's most deadly but least publicized war. Just as buying foreign oil and dirty diamonds can unintentionally aid and abet terrorist organizations, almost every high-tech purchase has, until now, helped fund some of the most vicious, lawless, violent people and organizations on earth in the Congo.
But this week, the President will sign into law the Financial Reform Bill, passed by Congress last week. And thanks to the good work of thousands of activist citizens - many of them mobilized by the Enough Campaign - that bill not only seeks to reform Wall Street, but it contains a Congo-minerals related provision. An Enough Campaign posting explains:
The conflict minerals language requires companies that use tin, tungsten, tantalum, or gold in their products to file a disclosure report with the Securities and Exchange Commission detailing whether these materials originated in Congo or its adjoining countries. And ... the bill requires companies to audit these reports to actually prove whether they are sourcing from conflict mines or not.
Many of us are disappointed that the reform bill didn't go farther in strengthening accountability for powerful financial entities. But whether we're dealing with the development of our own character or with the improvement of our nation's economic policy, we need to celebrate small, incremental steps in the right direction as well as major conversions and breakthroughs. The same goes for ending the horrible conflict in Congo, as the Enough article explains:
While passage of the conflict minerals provision is not a cure-all for completely ending the war in Congo, it is a huge step forward. This new law – once it is signed by President Obama – begins to eliminate the source of funding that allows armed militias to continue to terrorize and humiliate communities, cause countless deaths, and commit widespread sexual violence and rape.
In the future, because of incremental steps like these, achieved through lots of people and organizations working slow-but-persistent political processes, you won't have to wonder who was forced into slavery, driven from their land, or raped, killed, or terrorized in order for your cell phone to function. So this is a good day, a good thing to celebrate, another step forward in our journey to justice. There's more work to be done on so many fronts, but first, it's a good time to pause and appreciate the people who worked on all our behalf for this important moment.
I mentioned in passing on Friday that we in central Maryland were awakened at 5:04 a.m. by a 3.6 magnitude earthquake. My sister-in-law sent this photograph that accurately and fully conveys the unimaginable trauma and immeasurable devastation all residents of our region have been living with ever since. Pity us accordingly.
I'm a big fan of Noble Exchange on Halogen TV. They recently featured some friends of mine in Burundi ...
If you'd like to learn more about Halogen's idea of "empowering entertainment," inquire here.
Also - see David Beckman on the silent malnutrition epidemic on PBS - here.
Here's the Q:
I’ve just finished reading the above mentioned book. For the first few chapters I thought I’d missed something somewhere, and kept re-reading to make sure I hadn’t. I understand some of what you are trying to tell us, but I’m confounded by the fact that you grew up in a Christian church that didn’t do it’s job. I’ve attended many different denominational churches and some non-denominational, and have always learned that Jesus came to destroy the sin that began with Adam and Eve, and because He died on the cross, we now can go to live with Him forever. However, that’s not all that these churches taught. We as Christians have a duty, also, and that duty is to transform the world into a better place to live by feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, healing the sick, sheltering the homeless, etc, etc. In other words, bringing Heaven to Earth. By showing our love, just as you say Jesus taught, we can transform our world to be a peaceful place. When we, as Christians have done our job, then we most definitely are participating in the Kingdom of God. I’d hardly call this a secret. Not only does Jesus teach it in the Gospels, but we hear it from all the others who wrote the books of the New Testament.
The church I belong to now reaches out in love to feed on the average of 1200 people every month from our food pantry. No questions asked, and many of those who have been fed, are now part of our other worship programs. Our young people go out into the community in the summer, along with members of the local police department to help the elderly and poor with repairs and cleanup around their homes. And at least once a month, we have a flea market for local crafters to sell their wares and the people of our community to buy quality products at low prices. We are a small congregation, with big ideas, and our motto is Building Bridges to the Kingdom. Isn’t this what Jesus’ message was all about?
I agree that we don’t have to fight wars to conquer the world. Love conquers all. I’ve seen it happen in my life, one person at a time.
Continue reading Confounded...
Greetings from Maryland, site of this morning's 3.6 magnitude earthquake. Californians would hardly have noticed it, but for us it was quite a surprise. Most of us awoke at 5:04 a.m. feeling our houses shake for about ten seconds.
I've been thinking lately about the importance of allies - people of advantage who stand in solidarity with others in need:
Straight allies of gay people: Folks like my friend Jay Bakker, and informative websites like this one.
Christian allies of Jewish and Muslim people: Like the good people of Sabeel. (See a recent report from Sabeel after the jump)
Jewish allies of Palestinian people: Like ICAHD and Birthright Unplugged.
Immigrant/Colonial-descendant allies of Indigenous People: We need a lot more of these!
Citizen allies of immigrants: We need a lot more of these too!
Human allies of environments, ecosystems, and endangered species: thankfully, more and more of us are joining this group.
At the heart of my faith is the good news that God is an ally of all creation, including sinners, failures, losers, washouts, weaklings, and bumblers like me. To whom can we embody God's gracious solidarity today? Living as gracious allies will shake up the world in the most positive ways possible.
AOL News carried this editorial I wrote ...
+++++
(July 12) -- The Gulf of Mexico oil catastrophe has become the first defining moment of Barack Obama's presidency -- and not just because of the disaster's enormity or his administration's response. Rather, this has been the first real test of whether Obama is simply a very accomplished politician -- or something greater.
To be an effective president, you must, of course, be a very good politician. But to be a great president -- the kind they erect monuments to (or at least name an airport after) -- requires something more than counting votes and working the phones. It requires an ability to challenge and inspire others to see possibilities that they otherwise could not. You might say it requires the ability to kindle faith.
Continue reading Can we undergo an energy conversion?...
I often say that one of my favorite parts of being a pastor for twenty-four years was pronouncing the benediction each week at the end of gathered worship. It wasn't that I was glad for our gatherings to be over; rather, I was thrilled to be deploying people into the world to live out their faith between Sundays. In my understanding, it is in the daily life of family, neighborhood, market, and workplace that a functional, vital faith makes its greatest contribution and bears its most important fruit.
And it is in those arenas of daily life where a dysfunctional, unhealthful faith also shows its true colors.
Could I suggest that the West Virginia Massey coal mining disaster and the Louisiana BP oil are a reflection, not just of the dysfunctionalities of extractive industries, but also of the dysfunctionalities of popular American Christianity?
Both disasters represent failures on multiple levels. Political leaders failed to provide adequate regulatory oversight. News directors and journalists failed to investigate corporate threats to public safety and health. Boards of directors and accountants failed to provide due diligence in risk management. Chief executives failed to create a culture of safety and responsibility in their organizations. Mid-level managers failed to stand up as whistle-blowers when they saw corners being cut and risks being taken. And engineers failed to build in sufficient structural strength and fail-safe back-ups for emergencies.
Many, perhaps most, of the politicians, news directors, journalists, directors, accountants, executives, managers, and engineers in question attend church on a regular basis. Whether they go to a traditional Catholic mass, a high-intensity Charismatic megachurch, a staid Evangelical chapel, or a quaint Protestant high-steeple congregation, they apparently did not hear a challenge to integrate their faith with their professional lives. If the spiritual leaders of their faith community sent them out with a missional benediction - such as "Go forth to love and serve the Lord in your home, neighborhood, and workplace" - the message wasn't conveyed with sufficient fervency to get their attention.
Take engineers, for example. At first glance, it's hard to imagine any career more removed from moral matters than engineering. Designing the tensile strength of a bolt or projecting heat transfer rates or perfecting a detonation device -- these seem like matters of pure mathematics and physics - not ethics and morality. But think again: if a bridge fails or a shut-down valve won't shut down or a bomb misfires (or fires), people die. If a mine shaft doesn't ventilate properly, or if a deep-water oil rig fails -- we've seen on the news what unfolds. On the other side of those seemingly amoral engineering equations are orphaned children, burn victims, families thrust into unemployment and poverty, dying ecosystems, depressed public health, ruined livelihoods, and incalculable suffering.
So a message to pastors and priests this Sunday: you share in the ethical responsibility of every decision made by your parishioners. If you inspire them to deepen their sense of ethical responsibility, if you give them courage to stand up for what's right even if it means losing their job, if you sharpen their moral vision to see something beyond the morally-bankrupt single bottom line of profit, you are doing God's work. But if you don't, no matter how big the attendance and offering numbers are, you are selling out. You are part of the same dirty economy as BP and Massey, thinking of your organization's well-being and not of your responsibility to the community. You are part of a religious extraction industry, making a living by extracting time, energy, and money for the benefit of your enterprise rather than mobilizing and deploying agents of ethical responsibility and goodwill in the community and for the common good.
And a message to engineers - and politicians, news managers, journalists, executives, managers, accountants, and others: if you are a person of faith, make sure you live it out in your profession. Singing, kneeling, tithing, praying, and listening to sermons on Sunday (or whenever) aren't worth much if they don't affect the way you do your work on Monday. Think of BP and Massey, Enron and Bear Stearns ... and realize that your work reflects your values, your ethical character, and your vision of God and God's character. To paraphrase the apostle James, faith that doesn't affect your work is dead.
Sojo.net posted my recommendations ... Of course, there are so many others who deserve to be added as well.
Here's the Q:
I'm not sure that this is the right email address to be reaching you. Hopefully, through the magic of the internet this will somehow get onto your computer screen.Today, or rather this evening, I am writing simply for advice—some sort of guidance in response to a few of your FAQs at the end of a NKOCy.
First, let me introduce myself. I'm XXX ... I'm 20-something and from Los Angeles, California by way of [the midwest]. I'll also begin this by saying that I'm a friend of Brian Murphy's, who you just profiled in your blog re: his organization, Sanctuary Collective. I'm so excited that you are promoting what he's doing. I love his mission and vision, and it's incredible to see folk like yourself making his vision grow.
Secondly, I'd like to apologize for my rambling. I will try to make this poignant but concise, though I think I'm already anticipating my failure at being concise.
I digress. The past few months have been so strange—a new little bump on the road on a journey that's been 3 years in the making now. Let me explain. I started attending a church in [so-cal] in 2007, right after I graduated from college. I had been off and on attending a very very pentecostal church for a few months, but my new roommate invited me to her church. Long story short, I fell in love with this church. The music. The people. The messages. It seemed as though every word was tailored to me. It was the perfect place for me, and so I started getting involved—really as much as I could. I joined a men's small group. I started volunteering on the prayer team. I became a cabin leader for our retreats. This was all new to me, so I kind of just dived in. Three years later, I'm doing much of the same things. I'm singing on our music team. I'm helping put together promotional videos to invite people to serve across the city. I'm planning our outreach events. And now I'm leading a small group.
I'm sure you've heard this story before, so I won't bore you with excessive details.
But that's where I am now. At a great place. With great people. Who are doing, by and large, great things.
However, I'm finding I just don't believe the same things that every one else does. And it's driving me crazy (perhaps not literally, though sometimes).
In my journey, I've spanned the gamut of doctrinal beliefs. For a minute, I was very fundamentalist. Then, my friend introduced me to Catholicism. My family is more or less some flavor of Christian. I've, of course, had my fair share of Evangelical land, which is where I am now. I jumped over to Pentecostalism for awhile since music seems to speak to me more than anything else.
So that brings us to now. I'm at a place where my beliefs are in a very strange place. I've read. I've studied. I've prayed and (I think) been open to answers. I'm by no means a scholar, but I try. I took one class at [a local] seminary, but found it to be far too stuffy for my liking. And after those years of searching, I've arrived at a place that's very different from friends of mine. I don't know that I believe in a physical hell. I don't know that I believe in the devil because the idea just doesn't make sense. I have a wide-open, universalist view of salvation because I feel like I see God's beauty in all sorts of different folks. I believe in the resurrection of Jesus, but I don't know how I feel about the idea of atonement.
I could go on and on.
So my question arises: how do I take this into my church? I'm faced with a church who has very staunch beliefs on certain things, and I'm called to lead people in those beliefs. I don't feel like I can in my right mind or right conscience lead a group or even be involved with a church who believes a lot of these things. I know you have said be a good servant of the church and do your best there...and I'm doing that, but I feel like I don't know that I can anymore. With each day, I disagree more and more. With each new sermon on generosity, I see the church buying new HD projectors. With each question that I ask, I get told to worry more about how I can serve my local church rather than understand these big questions better.
Again, I could go on and on.
Then, at the same time, I'm faced with the situation of burning a lot of bridges should I decide to leave. I have a lot of friends who I've made at this church. Pastors have, in some way, mentored me and helped me understand this world a little bit better. It really is one of my core foundations. They've been such a blessing to me in my life (I think) that it would be hard for me to say goodbye. Though I might not ever have to say "goodbye," I sometimes worry that that's the case.
There is obviously a lot of my story that I'm leaving out, and much of it probably informs where I am at now. But for time's sake, I'm omitting it for now. I have great respect for you and your ideas. And right now, I'm asking and inviting you for your advice. Please help.
Continue reading Q & R: Stay or Go?...
This is an email that doesn't need a reply - it's just to ask if you know about the wonderful ecumenical monastery/ retreat centre/ youth gatherings at Taize in France. I have just returned from an amazing week there and during that time it struck me how much you would love the place: spirituality - plenty of ancient practices! - inclusive, life-affirming theology, concern for the poor and marginalised of all kinds, simple but deeply moving music, peace, natural beauty, friendships across denominations and nations, (their passion is to see reconciliation between Christians in particular and the peoples of the world in general). So if you don't know about it but might like somewhere to go and rest for a bit, I suggest you check it out at www.taize.fr. Probably best to avoid school holiday times, when I imagine the queues for the showers might take up a lot of the day! And don't expect haute cuisine! If your French isn't too hot, don't worry - the main language is English, though if you are keen on languages you will be pleased to get an opportunity to hear a lot of different ones and to sing in them. Thank you so much for everything you have written. You have been a tremendous help to me and to many others I know.
Yes - I've been following the important work of Taize for many years. US-based fans of Taize will be glad to know that a group of us are pulling together a gathering here that will have a lot of resonance with Taize ... It's called the Wild Goose Festival. It's maiden voyage - June 23-26, 2011.
You've provided some excellent resources here ...
Especially relevant for readers of Everything Must Change.
Here's the Q:
Thank you for sharing the "conflict of narratives" piece over Israel/Palestine! How inspiring to hear about folks doing this difficult work!As I've been praying about this, I often hear about members of the armed forces putting their lives on the line, defending their country. They go to the place of conflict, and they fight. They get into the mess.
I am thinking that if I believe in peace-- if I reject violence as a means of "salvation," then I should be willing to go to the place of conflict and fast and pray and listen. I should be willing to put my life on the line. I should be willing to enter the mess, especially if I believe that this is what Christ calls us to do!
Do you know of any groups like "Witness for Peace" (in the Central American conflicts) that are doing this work in Israel/Palestine? It seems like if we can make progress in this one central conflict, then we can make a lot of headway towards a wider peace in the world. What if we raised up a non-violent "army" that waged peace? What if we had a "tipping point" number of people who laid it on the line? There are no guarantees. But what if a sizable group took this step of faith?
Stay in One Peace (Christ's)
R: There are a number of excellent groups doing this sort of work ... One of the best is
Christian Peacemaker Teams
By the way, here's a wonderful group of Muslims in Iraq doing parallel work: Muslim Peacemaker Teams.
A reader writes:
I have been reading some book on Open Theism by Clark Pinnock and Gregory Boyd. I was wondering if the Emergent Church has doctrinal sympathies with Open Theism such as the following: 1. God does not determine the future in detail because He cannot know the future…the future simply cannot be known by anyone 2. Biblical prophecy cannot be interpreted literally but only can be interpreted on what God intends to do and also on a very conditional basis 3. People who are sincere in other major world religions will be saved by Christ because of the attitude of their hearts…not what they believe 4. Hell is not eternal conscious punishment but is either a place of restoration for persons to eventually enter heaven or it is just annihilation 5. God does not elect any persons to heaven nor does God reprobate any persons to hell 6. God does not even know in advance which persons are going to heaven or going to hell Thank you.
Reply after the jump.
Continue reading Q & R: Open Theism...
A reader writes:
There are so many things I'd like to say about your new book. I've been a Christian most if not all of my life - definitely under the Greco-Roman thought construct. Your book started out so tough and emotional for me. If your view on God changes - everything changes! My husband and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary last week and after a couple of glasses of wine I started to cry. He asked why and I said, "Brian McLaren is messing me up!" :) I am so glad I temporarily shelved my greco-roman thoughts to think through these questions. My world has been blown apart, in such a great way. I feel like (and I'm not even done the book yet) I am better able to really love God - the way I always thought I should love him - without reservation! I also feel like I am able to love others better. For example, that comment from a reader on Amazon you quoted on your blog caused me to feel sadness for the individual rather than anger. I am so thankful for your writing and for putting to voice so many things I didn't even know were going on inside me. Thank you.
Eric Allaby shared the following beautiful analogy with photographs he took 35 years ago.
You probably do not remember meeting me at your two-day seminar in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in September, 2009. Three of us Baptists, a pastor, his daughter (children's pastor) and myself, from a small, rural island church, eagerly savored every moment of discussion.
In thinking about how you helped us to expand our notion of "truth", I pass along what I believe to be a helpful illustration.
I worked as a diver for many years and thought this analogy might help us see truth in all its colors. Under the sea, most of the spectrum of light is soon scattered or absorbed, green light penetrates the deepest into the ocean. The first picture shows sea anemones on the sternpost of a shipwreck 85 feet below the surface, where only green light penetrates. Everything looks green. The second picture, of the same sea anemones, is taken with flash, which has the full spectrum of light. The same sea anemones now have bright pastel colors. Which is truth?
Both are true. When you look at truth with only the spectrum of objectivity, as moderns have been taught to do, we see truth in just that color. If we add the colors of creativity, imagination, beauty, awe, relationships, love, and perhaps other colors that you can think of, then truth can become much brighter, richer and more colorful.
Can we learn to look at truth with more colors than objectivity alone? Will truth be more beautiful and powerful if we do?
Thanks, Eric. Beautiful!
Here's the Q:
I recently finished reading "A New Kind of Christianity." I want to thank you for giving voice to what so many of us have been thinking (but are often too afraid to say!). I have been mulling it over ever since, and I have two questions.First, how can we avoid feeling overwhelmed and discouraged? I look around me and I see an ocean of need--poverty, hunger, illness, broken relationships, prejudice, the oil spill--and I have no idea where to start. It all seems important, but there is only one of me. I only have so much time, energy and financial resources. Do we just focus on the one or two things where we really feel the Spirit's leading? Are some things more important than others?
Second, how can we avoid creating a new list of what we believe are "God's do's and don'ts," much like some have interpreted the letters of Paul? What starts off as a desire to bless others and do the right thing ends in self-righteousness or extremism. For example, I know some Christians who equate being vegan with being Godly. But I grew up in a family with two parents both of whom had eating disorders. Any form of very strict eating is not possible for me, but I feel the sting of judgment every time. At the same time, I am passionate about sharing all the wonderful financial blessings I've been given, and I tend toward being judgmental of others who don't feel the same way. How do we handle our differences?
Reply after the jump.
Continue reading Q & R: Overwhelmed? Judgmental?...
You need to care about nuclear weapons abolition. After the jump, read Tyler Wigg-Stevenson's sane and wise assessment. It will just take a few minutes, and will bring you up to speed on the big picture.
On a side note - I wonder if what we need most is a multifaceted new abolition movement:
Abolish the contemporary slave trade
Abolish nuclear weapons
Abolish dirty energy
Should there be more?
Continue reading If you have children or grandchildren ......
Thanks to all who have sent expressions of concern, prayer, and encouragement. Although some of my test results still haven't come in, the best diagnosis at this point is that I picked up viral hepatitis in my travels somewhere. All my symptoms fit in with that basic diagnosis. My liver functions are still off, but not as bad as when I was in the hospital last week. I had to go back to the hospital for a few hours on Tuesday when I broke out in a rash all over my body with unbearable itching. Three minutes after receiving two shots, I felt fine. Viral hepatitis is generally self-limiting, meaning it runs its course. That means I'll have to take it easy, deal with symptoms, and keep having my blood monitored for the next few weeks. If anything significant changes, I'll let you all know. Again, thanks for your concern ... and my apologies to the good people I had to cancel events with over these days.
A reader writes, in reference to my blog a few weeks back:
Prophetic words, Brian, bless you. Last week I was in Bavaria, southern Germany. Almost every south-facing roof was fully covered in solar panels, which I was told will pay for themselves in 5 years, and then more. There has been a government tax incentive to install them, but apparently the German government is removing that soon (is it costing the federal govt too much?). The panels may not look too beautiful in the lovely Bavarian countryside, but after the initial surprise, I got quite used to seeing them, and then began to ask 'why does that roof NOT have solar panels on it?'! Why can't we do the same? The UK is at least 10 years behind mainland Europe in all these areas, including recycling. Almost every litter bin we saw was already colour-coded for either paper only, or metal only, or plastic only etc, ie ready-sorted for recycling. One of the very few 'mixed' garbage bins I saw was being re-sorted (by hand!) by the garbage man, who was separating the contents into paper, metal, plastic etc! HOWEVER. . there is no speed limit on the Autobahns, and as we drove at over 100 mph, we were continually being overtaken by cars which must have been doing 150 (yes, I do mean MILES per hopur, not kms!). We can be selectively environmentally friendly when we wish.
If the mills and railroads "built" the 19th century, and if the automobile and highways and computer built the 20th century, what else will build the 21st century but solar, wind, and other renewable energy, along with the retrofitting of existing homes, transport, and buildings for greater energy efficiency? But this kind of growth is inherently different - because it is pre-engineered for sustainability - for a regenerative economy, not an extractive-consumptive one. Thanks for helping us envision this with you in Bavaria. We have to see it everywhere.
Bruce Cockburn fans will recognize this line from his song "Down Where the Death Squad Lives."
Like some kind of never-ending Easter passion,
from every agony a hero`s fashioned.
around every evil there gathers love --
bombs aren`t the only things that fall from above
down where the dead squad lives
down where the dead squad lives
I was walking along the beach recently and found this old sandwich container, obviously discarded by a boater offshore some months ago.
The outside had already been coated by a few kinds of barnacles and other univalves.
I counted 8 different kinds of organisms that had made the piece of plastic their home, gathering like love around an evil. May God's creative grace once again surround and overcome our stupidity and evil ... and may we yearn for a conversion from dirty energy and a consumptive economy to clean energy and a regenerative economy.
(PS - If you want to see the oil from space, there's a good photo here.)
My recent post on the Holy Spirit has attracted a lot of attention. It's great to see this post from my friend Samuel Lee in Amsterdam offering his preliminary proposals for a new kind of Pentecostalism.
I grow more and more convinced that the way forward is a grass-roots alliance among emerging Pentecostals, progressive and post-Evangelicals, Missional Mainline Protestants, Progressive Catholics and Orthodox, and indigenous Christians ... across global north and global south ... who share the kind of ethos Samuel articulates and seeks to embody there in Amsterdam. (I'm so sorry I missed being there last weekend due to health issues - about which hopefully I'll have an update to offer tomorrow.)
A reader writes ...
Q: Thank you for writing this book A New Kind of Christianity. You are fortunate that you did not lose your faith--I lost mine and have struggled to recreate some sort of faith. Life is a real drag without faith. . .
Anyway, I am interested in the questions you pose on p. 35 about whether the Bible explicitly teaches the diagram of the Christian story you show on p. 34. Maybe the operative words are "explicitly teaches." Genesis does tell a story that sounds like a "fall" and "condemnation." Also the Hebrew Bible discusses "Sheol." I am curious why you think otherwise.
However, I agree that ... the [six-line] diagram view of Christianity [you critique] a pretty worthless endeavor.
R: I remember a friend of mine who lost his faith in grad school once said to me, "How are you keeping your faith? You're reading all the same philosophy that I'm reading." I said, "Sometimes it's not easy," to which he replied, "Well, it's not easy losing your faith either." So many people are caught in this tension ...
A lot of people who suffer the most are those who let fundamentalists define the faith, and then find that fundamentalist faith unacceptable. That definition generally begins with the biblical narrative as an imperialist/colonizing soul-sort affair. I wish I had succeeded better in convincing you in those first few chapters of the book that this reading is actually very weak in the text itself; true, it has been deeply ingrained in us ... but I think if we approached Genesis as somewhat "innocent readers" (meaning not previously ingrained in the imperialist/colonizing reading of the text), the kind of reading I propose would make so much more sense than the dominant alternative. You might try giving the Narrative Question chapters a re-read or two, plus the Future Question - where I propose an alternative diagram.
Here's a song I wrote a while back on losing faith ... I think there's a kind of loss of faith that can clear the way for a new and richer kind of faith. That's my prayer for you.
I find it amusing when I hear people talk about the end of the emergent conversation. My sense is that it has just begun, and that the most interesting times are ahead - especially as it becomes more ecumenical and more global. This fall's theological conversation is a case in point ... Here's the link and vital information:
Theological Conversation - Creating Liberated Spaces in a Postcolonial World
When: November 01, 2010 at 02:00 PM - November 03, 2010 at 12:30 PM
Where: First Presbyterian Church, Atlanta, 1328 Peachtree St NE, Atlanta, GA 30309
Greetings! We're thrilled to invite you to the 11th Annual Emergent Village Theological Conversation, scheduled for early November in Atlanta.
This year's Conversation will feature a global panel of three theologians from diverse theological backgrounds , each of whom will share stories, processes and theological reflections to engage our imaginations as we attempt to create liberated spaces in a postcolonial world. New Testament Professor and Christian feminist scholar Musa Dube joins us from Botswana, Richard Twiss shares what it means to walk the way of Jesus among First Nations peoples, and U.K.-based Colin Greene, Director of Metavista Consultancy (www.meta-vista.org) and Visiting Fellow of Bible, Theology and Culture at St John's College, Durham University, presents his reflections on theology and cultural engagement. Following on the heels of the American Academy of Religion's annual conference, the Conversation offers a unique opportunity to engage with leading theologians in a highly interpersonal context. As in years past, this gathering is intentionally designed to foster relational interaction with both speakers and fellow participants. You won't want to miss what promises to be a landmark year in Emergent Village's signature event. For additional information, please visit the 2010 Theological Conversation website. If you find you still have questions, feel free to e-mail us at events.ev@gmail.com. Space is limited, so register promptly if you want to reserve your space. This is an opportunity you won't want to miss.
It evokes my recent book ... and also David Dark's beautiful book, The Sacredness of Questioning Everything.
Tony Jones - whose blog is on my must-read list - quotes a Jewish scholar on the meaning of the word abomination, a term which comes up a lot in debates about homosexuality. Our common understanding of the word - something that is absolutely morally reprehensible to God and to all good people - doesn't match the meaning of the ancient Hebrew word it is supposed to translate, the scholar says: in his assessment, the contemporary word "taboo" would be a better translation.
Over the last dozen years, I've come upon word after word like this ...
Salvation/Save/Savior
Kingdom of God
Repent/Repentance
Authority
Inspiration
Justification
Holy
Sin
Son of Man
Son of God
Coming (Parousia)
Fall
The issue is not simply that stupid, selfish contemporary people are trying to redefine words to suit our contemporary tastes or world views, as some folks infer. It's that our ancestors were just as likely to define words to suit their contemporary tastes and world views as we are ... which requires us to realize that the meanings of words are constantly under negotiation. That complicates life, I know. But life is that way, and that's why the Scriptures emphasize the need for wisdom and understanding - requiring us to dig beneath the surface.
The narrative question in my most recent book, A New Kind of Christianity, is interwoven with the related question, "What does salvation really mean?" If we draw the definition of salvation from theological debates in the 5th or 16th centuries, we will see our whole narrative differently than if we define salvation based on the primal Exodus narrative in the Bible.
Similarly, Secret Message of Jesus grapples with the meaning of Kingdom of God, and Everything Must Change with Son of God and Son of Man. This isn't simply weasel-y word play; this is part of the search for truth, wisdom, and understanding.
Insights from Tony Blair, on a recent trip to Australia ... here. Quotable:
The Israel-Palestine dispute is not the cause of extremism. But its resolution can be an essential part of consigning that affliction to the oblivion it deserves. I believed this before I became the Quartet Representative. I believe it even more strongly now. Peace between Israelis and Palestinians would release forces of modernisation across the region. It would pin back the forces of reaction.Religious extremism cannot be beaten by military means alone. It is as much the force of ideas as the force of arms that will secure our future. And the principal idea is that people of different faiths, cultures and creeds can live together peacefully.
During my time in office I became so convinced of the importance of this issue that after stepping down as British prime minister I set up my faith foundation. In office, I became convinced that we need education as a major component, not a minor effort, of foreign policy. Peaceful coexistence cannot take root unless we have strong alliances not only across nations but across faiths, too.
It's great when a worthy book begins to get the attention it deserves. Too few people have known about my friend Ian's wonderful book, Chasing Francis, but now, perhaps more will know because of this ringing endorsement:
“
I’ve now read it twice and found it equally compelling both times. It’s challenging, disarming and delightful, and the vision behind it is a serious one. It's a remarkable book.”
The Archbishop of Canterbury, The Most Rev. Dr. Rowan Williams
I'm sorry I've been absent from the blogosphere without any explanation ... Last Tuesday, while in SW Florida, I began feeling quite ill and extremely fatigued. I became especially concerned when I could tell my pulse was erratic - something I'd never experienced before. I went to a clinic and was sent directly to the emergency room. I ended up in the hospital the rest of the week. After four days of tests, I got some good news and some uncertain news.
The good news is that I didn't have a heart attack, and in fact, my heart is in great shape. (This last year I ate healthier than ever, got more exercise than I have in years, lost a lot of weight, etc., so it would have been a bummer to have a heart attack after all that lifestyle improvement!)
The uncertain news is that several of my blood levels are abnormal, which probably contributed to the irregular heartbeat and feeling of malaise. Test results aren't back yet to identify the cause - hepatitis, Lymes disease, or something else? Hopefully I'll know more by the end of the week.
All this has meant that I have to miss several speaking engagements - with the Metropolitan Community Church general conference (via skype) on Friday, with my friend Samuel Lee in Amsterdam, Netherlands, this weekend, and through the week ahead at the Slot Festival in Poland. I was looking forward to each of these connections - maybe we'll be able to reschedule another time in the future.
In the meantime, I'll be recuperating, awaiting test results, having follow-up appointments, and appreciating life, freedom, and health. Thanks for everyone's prayers. I am a blessed man, well-supported in every way.
BTW - if you want a great July 4 reflection, check out Shane Claiborne's beautiful piece here. It only takes a short time in a hospital to feel how interdependent we are ... and to cherish the skills, knowledge, kindness, and support of others.
Thanks to all who keep the Middle East in your thoughts and prayers. Let's keep praying for an outcome that is pro-peace, pro-justice, pro-Israeli, pro-Palestinian ... Here's an update from Palestine:
Ten families in the Jordan Valley region of the West Bank have received notices giving them 24 hours to evacuate their homes. In spite of documents proving their ownership of the land, the Israeli military claims that the homes of the Daraghmah and Al-Makahmreh families now sit in a “fire zone” that puts the residents “at risk.” If evicted, the families would join 600 other Palestinians made homeless in the past year by house demolitions in the West Bank. Lord, have mercy.
Municipal officials have announced their intentions to approve a “master plan” for East and West Jerusalem. Through zoning, taxation, and other legal measures, the plan will further stifle Palestinian development and expand existing Israeli settlements in occupied East Jerusalem. We pray that this far-reaching action will be stopped and that Jerusalem will one day be a city that is accessible to all people.
A reader writes:
I have to say that the evangelical world has really been doing a good job of dragging you through the mud. It seems the younger the evangelical, the more they are concerned about you. What I mean is... those fresh out of Bible School or the eager ones in their churches have been downloaded such incorrect information about you and emergent. It REALLY bothers me. And the worst part of it is that they read or listen to what you say with such STRONG presuppositions they don't even HEAR or READ what you are actually saying. Its maddening!But those that have never been to church, those who did not grow up in the segregated evangelical household, love what you have to say. They don't know you but they feel and experience what you are saying every day. And that is the hope. That they will discover a New Kind Of Christianity that will continue on for generations. It's just sad that those who seem so convinced can not see that change has always happened through history. And historicaly there have been people who have fought it. After all as Mark Twain once said, "the only one who likes change is a baby with a dirty diaper"!
This note prompts me to venture this humble request: If you're one of those Evangelicals - young or older - who have "been downloaded" negative information about me, but you've never read any of my books, how about opening your mind a bit this summer and picking up one of these:
If you want a gentle and short introduction to my work, try
More Ready Than You Realize or
Secret Message of Jesus
If you want a more challenging introduction, try
Everything Must Change or
A Generous Orthodoxy
If you prefer fiction for summer reading, then try this:
New Kind of Christian or one of its sequels
I don't recommend you try this one unless you like to jump in the deep end of the pool.
A New Kind of Christianity
And if you have a long drive, or like to jog or walk, or just hate to read - how about this podcast series - an overview of the Bible?
Jim Henderson and a few other friends are featured in this USA Today article on evangelism ...
The good people of Jesus Manifesto interviewed me for this podcast ... On peacemaking, nonviolence, the gospel, and related subjects.
Speaking of peace ... here's a site promoting the international day of prayer for peace- September 21, 2010.
Here's a song I wrote a while back - clenching fist, open hand.
This article points out some ways people's lives are affected by how we deal with the sex question. Here's a follow-up ... with a turn for the better, and a reminder about the source of the law in question.
And here's some recent data on changing attitudes to sexuality in the US.
The sex question isn't going away.
Here's the Q:
Can you point me to something you have written about the
Holy Spirit?
What role do you think the Holy Spirit should play in the church
and in the life of a Christian?
In what way and to what extent do you think you are being
led by the Holy Spirit?
R: As a trinitarian, anything I say about the character and work of God would have relevance to the Holy Spirit, of course. For specific places where I write about the Holy Spirit, here are a few places that quickly come to mind ...
A Generous Orthodoxy - Why I am Charismatic/Contemplative
Secret Message of Jesus - Chapter 13
A New Kind of Christianity - Chapter 20
Finding Our Way Again - throughout
The book I'm currently working on (title TBA) is about the spiritual life, and so it will emphasize our experience with and cooperation with the Spirit at every turn.
As for the role of the Holy Spirit in the church and the life of the individual Christian, where would I begin? The Holy Spirit is the breath and water of life, the wind in our sails, the presence of God in whom we live and move and have our being, the fire of purification and transformation, the Guide, the Comforter, the Convictor of sin, the unifier, the inspirer, the teacher ...
And as for the way and extent to which I think I'm being led by the Spirit, I address the tension and paradox of this in A New Kind of Christianity on pages 225-228. I conclude that section like this:
So although I've been shy about speaking of it, I must here emphasize that for me this quest has not simply been a result of thought and study, although I've done a lot of both. It has been equally a result of prayer, worship, devotional reading, fellowship, solitude, fasting, soul friendship, and other spiritual practices that render me porous and thirsty for the living, loving, holy, and present God. At various turns in this quest, I have stumbled into moments or even seasons of insight so moving that I can only use the word "ecstatic" to desribe them. I've felt my soul opening up, my mind being bathed in God's holy joy, my vision being transformed, so that everything looks fresh and new and rooted and ancient, all at the same time. "God, you are so wonderful!" I find myself praying again and again. "Your good news is even better than I've ever imagined! Why didn't I ever see it before!" Through many milestone experiences on this quest, then, I have become convinced that this quest is not simply an intellectual or theological one; it is also a personal and spiritual.
(The shyness I mention at the beginning of the quote refers to the problem of making claims about the Spirit's work ... see p. 225-226.)
More on this in response to the questions after the jump ...
Continue reading Q & R: Emerging Church and Signs and Wonders/Holy Spirit...
A reader responds:
Well Brian, I read one of your first books back when the "Post-Modern" Church was just starting and got along with it fairly well. It was certainly better then most books out there at the time. I am a little over half-way through your newest book (which I love!) and just wanted to write you a note that though you bring a little more academia to it (which is interesting) you boil it down to an understandable point.
My Father was a Fundamentalist "Non-denominational" Pastor (which looked and acted suspiciously like a Southern Baptist faith) and right around the time I started going to a local Community college (around 8 years or so ago) combined with some excellent reading from authors such as Hans Kung, Bonhoeffer, Akenson, Peterson, Tillich, and Matthew, more Matthew, even MORE Matthew, they really helped me to rethink the groundwork of everything to do with my faith. I ended up redefining many concepts starting from What prayer is, to Faith vs. Belief, to Am I actually saved?!, to Should I just pitch Christianity altogether? I have to say the hardest struggle for me was and IS STILL finding a church to call home. My resolution mostly has been that church for me has become wherever I am at that point in time there I am in church. In other words I am still free to be human and still continue to require God's love in my live. We both still have our role, God has his and I still have mine.
All THAT to say that after reading (most) of your book so far, it is a fresh breeze of contentment to know that I am not weird and out of place and alone in my reading of the Bible. I am glad God has given you the ability to think clearly and critically and with the ability to convey those thoughts in a way others can understand them.
Q;
I am a member of a small traditional church. I have the dubious distinction of being the sunday school teacher for the "youth," though at the moment we have no members under the age of about 30. I have been reading your "10 questions" book and have been slightly blown away by the essential eternal kindness in the biblical story when viewed in the way you suggest. If it should come to pass that we ever have another teenager pass through our doors, where do you suggest I begin to teach a wholesome theology?
R: Two things:
1. Stay tuned for information about a conference on children and youth that will address exactly this question.2. I wonder if we can get some other folks offering their responses to this important question. If you sign onto my facebook page, that's a good place for response ...
Companies like this one are springing up ... exploring alternatives to dirty energy in creative and needed ways.
http://www.columbian.com/news/2010/may/23/wind-turbine-novices-seek-toehold/
Here's a brief movie ...
http://www.impactmovie.com/skyron/
When we're overwhelmed with disgust about what's happening in the Gulf of Mexico, we have to imagine every roof of every home in America being a source of energy ... ... and consider not only the ecological benefits, but also the new business development, jobs, and other benefits that will come from this green revolution.
If you want to see what's being imagined for solar homes, check this out.
Here's a promising legislative option ... the best out there that I've found. It's simple, it gets the job done, it's bipartisan, and it's needed! It's well worth your two minutes to watch:
If we can properly price carbon, investment will flow into creative clean energy. Consider this for example.
If you don't know about the good work of Wiconi.org, you should. After the jump, a story worth reading ...
Continue reading Richard Twiss gets it right ... on a truth commission...
This Sunday, I'll be preaching a sermon at my home church in a series called God in the Movies, where we seek to draw theological insight at the intersection of contemporary cinema and biblical revelation. I'll be exploring themes in Avatar, and their eery imitation of today's news. Let me mention three connections.
First, all of us who fly in jets, use computers, and talk on cell phones are complicit in the plundering of one of earth's Pandoras - the Congo. My friend Tom Austin explains the connection on his blog. Quotable:
Of course the situation in Congo is not as simple as the theme in the wildly popular Avatar. But the similarities are striking. Congo has the second largest rain forest in the world, and in it live some exotic wildlife such as mountain gorillas.Congo also has its own little black rock called coltan. It's a critical ingredient in rockets, jet engines as well as as a wide array of consumer electronics -- from cell phones, to digital cameras and laptop computers. Congo possesses 80 percent of the world's coltan and also has abundant reserves of gold, copper and diamonds. The developed world, including the Chinese, want coltan.
What's more, foreign multi-national corporations have been deeply involved in the exploitation of Congo's coltan, gold and other minerals as has Congo's predatory neighbors Uganda and Rwanda. A witches' brew of outside interests, proxy militias, corrupt Congolese army, and ineffective UN peace keepers, have left villagers, particularly in the Eastern Congo vulnerable to attack and rape... More than 5 million Congolese are estimated dead because of the wars, related disease, and ongoing violence.
Second, closer to home, the extraction of unobtanium in Pandora mirrors our extraction of oil in the Gulf of Mexico. Pushed by greed, corporate elites repeatedly have transgressed legal, environmental, and moral limits, all the while shielded by their political protectors and apologists. Together they privatize profits but socialize costs - creating a big return for their big men and a big mess for the rest of us "small people."
And third, the machinery of the unobtanium industry evokes the deep structures of Wall Street - which remain largely unreformed even after Congress passed a so-called reform bill yesterday. An elite group of investors aided by supercomputers continues to privatize profits and socialize risk. They continue to build too-big-to fail entities that bulldoze and steamroll forward in their addictive quest for shareholder return. They trade in something more elusive than unobtanium: debt. And they extract not coltan and not oil, but fractions of a penny millions of times a day. In so doing, they seduce us all into in their clever Ponzi schemes, creating digital profit without adding real value, ultimately at the expense of the common good.
At the center of both Pandora and the biblical narrative, there is a tree - the tree of life. It tells us that what matters most is not profit, but a sacred connection ... connection to God, to one another, to all of creation. That's what I'll be exploring in my sermon this Sunday - our choice between an economy of extraction and an economy of connection.
Novelist Walker Percy suggested that descending into the darkness of a movie theater is like descending into Plato's cave, as on the wall, shadows trace the story of the world outside. I think he would agree that something similar happens in the sacred drama of worship week by week. Through the stories that unfold on the screen - and in the biblical narrative, we have a chance to see ourselves, come to ourselves, and turn in a new direction.
Through good art and good religion, our world's extractive, destructive, and violent economies can be exposed - for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear. As the credits roll and as the benediction is pronounced, we must walk out into the world imagining what may seem impossible: the creation of a new kind of economy - an ecologically regenerative, financially sustainable, socially responsible, and morally defensible economy of connection. That kind of economy will steer us away from rather than into Gandhi's seven deadly sins:
Wealth without Work
Pleasure without Conscience
Science without Humanity
Knowledge without Character
Politics without Principle
Commerce without Morality
Worship without Sacrifice
From David Korten to Jim Wallis to Bill McKibben to many others, more and more of our most thoughtful leaders are challenging us to imagine, create, and participate in this new kind of economy - and a different way of life. In that pursuit, moviegoers and churchgoers can become unlikely colleagues. May it be so.
A New Kind of Christianity is available in Italian - published by Newton Compton Editori, under the title Le Dieci Domande Che Cambieranno La Chiesa (The Ten Questions That Will Change the Church).
Take a few minutes and do this on behalf of the people of Sudan. 4.9 million Sudanese – nearly 1 in 8 – don't have a home to call their own, having been displaced by violence. You can add your voice to the call for action. It's one of those small actions that can help make a difference when enough of us speak up.
I've been hearing quite a few stories like this lately: young adults reading A New Kind of Christianand then sharing it with their parents, leading to some good dialogue.
...I have been especially thrilled lately to see my own father challenged by "A New Kind of Christianity." He was in ministry ... for over 20 years, and after leaving it for a career in business, the questions about his faith really started to pile up. He remained very committed to his faith in the process, but with an increasing amount of uneasiness. I told him about your new book and he was immediately intrigued. He had just finished Harvey Cox's "The Future of Faith" (also on my recommendation) and really resonated with it on many levels. After reading your book though, it is all he can talk about when he and I talk - he is excited about his faith in a way I have not seen him be in years. He said you addressed all the questions he has been dealing with for a very long time - and best of all, your attempts to offer some humble answers to those questions made a lot of sense to him. He is refreshed, encouraged, and challenged. He is now re-reading it with my mother so they can talk about it together. Once again - thank you so much for your boldness and fresh way of talking about our faith! You have not only changed my life, but my father's as well....
Here's a review of A New Kind of Christianity from the Beatitudes Society, an organization you should know about.
And here is a note from a Jewish reader: (reply after the jump)
Hi Mr. McLaren,
I have always thought that Christians have misunderstood everything
that Jesus said. I'm a Jew, so I have always read the NT like a Jew.
I've tried to discuss my ideas with my Christian friends only to get
responses and reactions similar to what you got, except that I also
get people saying that I should come to see things their way and be
converted. I get that from my Jehova Witnesses friends, from my
Pentacostal friends, from my Mexican friends (I think they might be
Catholics), and at a Bible church that I visited one Sunday (I like to
go to churches), a pastor told me "I will pray for you, because you
are going to hell."
I don't know about hell (I don't believe in it--would you burn off your
hand if it dropped something?), but I never went back to that church
again.
I finally decided that Christianity is a lie. It isn't the religion of Jesus.
That was Judaism. It isn't a Judaism for non Jews. If I were a
Christian, I would have wanted long ago to start a new religion--
maybe I would have called it Jesusism.
Oh, yes, my question. I do have one.
When I think of the pogroms, the Inquisitions, the Crusades, and
the missionaries that try so hard to convert Jews (I think that is so
disrespectful), the destruction of the Native American populations
in North, Central and South America, and the abuse of black people
as part of having slaves, I have to wonder in what ways Christianity
has blessed the world.
I know that great work is done in America now. But is it Christianity
that blesses the world or just good people?
I wish you all the best and thank you so much for sharing your ideas
in your book.
Reply after the jump.
Continue reading NKOCy review, and comments from a Jewish reader ......
If you're in the Amsterdam, Netherlands area, I'd love to see you ...
Saturday 3 July, sponsored by Foundation University & Emerging Netwerk in Nederland
www.foundationuniversity & www.emergingnetwerk.nl
The venue is ...
www.jcfchurch.com
Address: Verrijn Stuartweg 31
1112 AW Diemen
http://web.me.com/slwe/kerk-jcf/Address.html
Sunday 4 July
14 hrs to 17 hrs (2-5 pm) also at JCF church.
www.jcfchurch.com
A series of 51 twenty-minute podcasts are available here on the site - an overview of the Bible. They're really inexpensive and a lot of people have told me they're the most helpful resource I've ever made available.
Also - you can download some music I've written here.
A reader writes in response to an important theme (the narrative question) in ANKOCy:
I'm sure that you're seen this link or watched this already (I'm sure somebody has posted it to you) about Chimamanda Adichie's talk on the danger of the single story... see: http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story.htmlIt's an excellent perspective - and she talks a lot about Africa's
"single story" in the eyes of the Western world... but I have to
shamefully admit that I have also had a "single story" about the
issues of Palestine... and reading your most recent posts (and
clicking on the links too) has made me realise (even more) the extent
of my ignorance.On the one hand, I abhor war and violence... and can't stand the
fighting that's going on between Israel and Palestine... but I have to
admit, it had always been "sold" to me - and particularly when I lived
in America and worked in Ohio at a church (as a worship leader)...
that Palestinians were evil and that America had some kind of God-
given mandate to defend, protect and fight against the Palestinians on
behalf of the jews. I was quoted numerous scriptures of how America
was blessed because it 'was on the side of God's people - on the side
of Israel'... and they believed that America would, in a sense, be
cursed if they ever 'aligned themselves with the enemy' (being the
devil - but also the Palestinians... or Muslims in general).Now although this didn't make much sense to me at the time, and I
brushed it off... I must admit - I did buy in to the "single story"
of Palestinians being blood-thirsty, jihad-frenzied Muslims - hell-
bent on destroying Israel and eliminating all Jews from the place of
the planet. I never imagined that there was another story... the
footage I watched in the news - or the stories I heard told - all
seemed to support this fact. There was much imagery of marching and
rioting... and even more imagery of Palestinians burning the US
flag... and certainly loads of images and stories of suicide
bombers... and... and .... and...I am SO ashamed to admit - that I hadn't even realised that there were
such groups as Palestinian Christians!!?? (and I'm not implying that
it was okay to annihilate the Muslims - but now we should think twice
because there's Christians in the mix too)... no, I'm just saying that
I had bought so strongly into the "single story" that Chimamanda
Adichie speaks about - that it DEFINED my understanding of what
Palestine was and who Palestinians were! #$%@! Tragic!Needless to say - I've been doing much more reading up on the topic
(thanks for all the links posted in your blogs)... and trying to
educate myself on the matter. On the one hand, I feel angry and
brainwashed... like everything fed to me by my previous churches and
the mainstream media was all a lie! On the other hand, I feel deeply
ashamed for falling in to this trap... especially since I, as a white
South African, has often felt boxed into the single story of "racist
minority" when it came to our issues of apartheid in South Africa. If
I so hate being boxed by a 'single story' - then I, especially, have
no excuse for boxing others.
Anyway - just wanted to share that with you. As always, your books,
your blogs, your voice - it matters HUGELY!
Thank-you for shedding some light on this rocky road we're trying to
journey down.
Reply after the jump ...
Continue reading On the danger of a single story ... from a white South African...
A reader writes ...
Up until recently, I held out no hope for the Church and wondered if my own faith would survive the stagnation of being boxed-in and chained to a system of thinking that was exclusivist, dogmatic, and fear-driven. Then I started reading your books ‘A Generous Orthodoxy’ and ‘The Secret Message of Jesus.’ I couldn’t believe what I read. It was such a joy to be able to step out of the box and loose the strangulating chains of what had been my old way of believing.
Since your latest book isn’t widely available in Australia yet, I ordered a few copies from Amazon. I’ve read it and have really appreciated your perspective and courage to challenge the status quo in the Christian Church. I also really enjoyed hearing you when you visited Adelaide and was blessed and encouraged by the loving and gentle way you engaged with those who were quite vocal in their opposition.
A small group of us from the same church have been meeting regularly to engage in conversation about ANKOC and I have found this so enriching and refreshing.... Unfortunately this gathering has brought some severe criticism and accusations from other church members and the pastor ... This has only made more evident what you say towards the end of your book when you write about the spectrum of Christians who all have their own systems of understanding—and this also has given us a better understanding of how to work with such people without disregarding, demeaning or devaluing them or their perspectives. Truly the rainbow that makes up our Faith makes life in the Church interesting!
So ‘Thank you’ for challenging our way of thinking, for confronting our fears and helping us have the courage to believe again. You have opened doors to us that we never knew were there. We are not backing down, but are continuing our fantastic journey together—not in fear or pride, but in love and hope, looking forward to where this new kind of Christianity will take us. Thank you again for the part you and the gift that is your writings have played in our lives.
How will we react to the BP oil spill?
Not just the oil industry, and not just the US government, but we - all of us?
If we react sanely, as John Robbins points out, amazing things are possible. He recalls what happened in the living memory of my parents' generation:
Prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. resisted becoming engaged in World War II. But after the attack ... the country immediately began a massive restructuring of the economy in order to mobilize for the war effort. Less than a month after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt announced the goals, which included immediately producing massive numbers of tanks, planes, and anti-aircraft guns. He met with automobile industry leaders, including the heads of Chrysler, Ford and General Motors, and told them the country would need them to totally redirect their production facilities in order for the nation to reach these arms production objectives. Soon, the sale of private automobiles was banned. For nearly three years, no cars were produced in the United States, other than those for the army, navy, coast guard, and other military services. In addition, highway and residential construction was halted.
What would a similar response to the current catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico look like today? What would happen if we conducted a massive redirection of production capacity towards solar panels, plug-in cars, wind generators, home energy efficiency, and research and development in the most promising green technologies? Robbins continues:
When Roosevelt originally announced that the U.S. would need 60,000 planes, experts said it would be impossible to come anywhere close to that number. But as a result of the massive redirection of the country's productivity, the nation's needs for planes, tanks, and other military requirements were fully met, and greatly ahead of schedule. In the three years beginning with 1942, the U.S. far exceeded the initial goal, turning out 230,000 aircraft.
The effect of this mobilization is, as the saying goes, history. We will write history based on our response in the coming months. Robbins concludes:
The mobilization of resources that took place within a matter of months is a compelling demonstration that we can restructure the economy swiftly and effectively, if we are convinced of the need to do so. But so far, the prevailing response to the BP oil disaster has been about using safer drilling methods. This strikes me as equivalent to heroin addicts using clean needles. It's an improvement that does absolutely nothing to challenge the addiction itself.But what if we were to respond to the tragedy taking place in the Gulf of Mexico and the many other disastrous consequences of our addiction to oil with the same level of urgency and commitment our nation displayed in restructuring the economy during World War II?
That's the question we should all be asking on day 64 of the oil spill.
(If you're interested in some of the theological basis for this kind of response to the spill, check out my book Everything Must Change.)
Pastors are fascinating people. They have one of the hardest jobs on the planet (if they seek to do it well), and they are hardly the cartoon characters people often think of (Reverend Lovejoy anyone?). These two emails give you some sense of the dynamic of the pastor's soul ...
This from a pastor in the midwest ...
Have been reading ANKOC following the recent discussion on it at Jesuscreed. Have read 97 pages, and I think you are right on. Thanks for your work, and for taking the heat so graciously. I was surprised at the somewhat negative overall tone in the Jesuscreed comments; I chalk it up to folks not having read it. And Scot focused on a narrow slice of the book out of context and, I think, spun it inappropriately. But I love him for all the good stuff he does.Anyway, I've bought copies of the book for each of our kids, who no longer consider themselves Christians. But you are their favorite "heretic," and your comment in a footnote about reaching our children and grandchildren struck a chord with me.
From a former pastor ...
I am not the kind of person who usually emails a respected author, so having said that I just wanted you to know that I am doing something atypical. I was a missionary for four years and a pastor for three. Currently, I am just trying to be Christian and not give up hope on it all. My open-mindedness and sickened stomach propelled me out of the ministry at a fundamentalist church in my hometown. I grew increasingly tired of the secrecy, arrogance, and immaturity in the leadership in which I participated. I am not pointing fingers at the church because I was as much of the problem as any.
Since leaving the ministry, I have made my way through a series of churches – two notable mega churches – and I am very weary. I fear for the future of the Church corporate and I have little hope in things changing. But then I stumbled upon your website and your work. I commend you for being a “sacrificial lamb” in the Evangelical world and stating what we have been feeling for decades. I was recently grieved to discover a prominent Pentecostal leader removed his signature from the covenant of civility on sojo.net just because you signed. I long for a Christianity where Christ’s overwhelming compassion and love is primary and these political maneuvers cease.
My point is that I, too, have been longing for a new kind of Christianity. Thank you for being a voice in the “post-Evangelical wilderness” (to borrow the late Michael Spencer’s term). May God bless your work, your writing, your speaking and your loved ones. I can only imagine the criticism you endure. Please continue being a soldier for the new kind of Christianity. We all need it. We need the grace of Christ to sort out this mess that we have made of the gospel.
Here's the Q:
I have been an avid reader of your work (although I have fallen behind on my reading lately, so I need to catch up with you and apologize if my question has already been answered in a book I haven't yet read). The freshness of your ideas give me hope for this world. I just wonder if you happen to be vegan? I have been since December, and it has opened me up to being a more compassionate person every day. The movie Earthlings (you can get it from Netflix) is difficult to watch, but changed the lives of me and my family. I understand that you care deeply for the planet and the creatures living on it - and I believe being vegan can make an incredible positive impact on our planet. If you're not already vegan, would you consider watching Earthlings? Your voice would be heard by so many if you spoke out about the abuse of factory-farmed animals. It is no way to treat God's precious creatures.
Thanks so much for your time and consideration!
Reply after the jump ...
Continue reading Q & R: Are you a vegan?...
I'll be speaking this morning, this evening, and tomorrow evening at Aldersgate UMC. More information here ...
Next Sunday morning, I'll be speaking at my home church in MD.
It would be great to see you either place if you're in the DC - Baltimore area.
Yesterday I did a radio interview by someone who asked me about John 14:6, which brought to mind this note I received recently.
I stumbled upon your website while preparing for my Sunday morning adult Bible class. We’re studying the Gospel of John and your paper, “A Reading of John 14:6,” really challenged me to think deeper about this passage. It prompted in me one of those “eureka” moments, as I have wrestled with this verse for many years when thinking about my friends of different faiths. Good stuff. It reminds me of how remarkable and alive scripture is, day after day, as we grow and mature in faith.
Just wanted to say thanks, and that I look forward to reading more of your material.
That article was expanded, edited, and further developed into Chapter 19 of NKOCy ...
You comment about Scripture being "remarkable and alive ... day after day, as we grow and mature in faith." I've been feeling that so much in recent days as I've been re-reading, in research for my next book, every reference in the Bible to the Holy Spirit. All I can say is amen!
An encouraging and interesting note about NKOCy:
I don't even know how to begin this letter, but I think it should begin with, "Thank you." A friend of mine happened upon an article about your book, "A New Kind of Christianity," and passed the article on to me. I was curious, and bought the book, prepared for the worst, I think. Goes to show that God works in mysterious ways, and you certainly can't (pardon the terrible cliche!) judge a book by it's cover. Strangely enough, it was your story of the small bible study that formed in your home, eventually growing into a nondenominational church that really hooked me into the book (I will admit, I'm guilty of getting so bored with introductions that I have put down many good books in the first few pages, something I'm trying to go back and remedy!) because it's not so different than how my denomination started. I grew up in Metropolitan Community Churches, a new and growing denomination of Christian churches that began in a living room.
Continue reading A New Kind of Christianity, more on sex question...
Sanctuary Collective, co-founded by Simple Wayer Brian Murphy, is a network of folks who are concerned about the well-being of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, and queer folks in Christian communities. They're having their first Northeast Regional Conference July 24 at Marble Collegiate Church in Manhattan. Whether you are doing organizing yourself, or just want to learn more about humane and just relationships with LGBTQ people, you can participate in a day full of workshops about LGBTQ issues, justice and the Bible, and finding your place in this unique and growing collective.
Cost is a sliding scale $5 - $50, with a suggestion of $25. Folks can register online at http://www.sanctuarycollective.org/conference/registration
Here's a window into the mind and heart of a young leader:
Since my last email I've been feeling much better. You were right; I wasn't losing faith in God per say, but in the god of anger and judgment and dogma. Instead of clinging onto my beliefs white-knuckled, I hold them with open hands. I approach faith now as a student willing to learn, rather than a professor with every doctrine perfectly defined in hundreds of volumes on my shelf.Which leads me to something I've been thinking about lately, and it has to do with what you call the Authority Question. There are a lot of Christians debating whether or not the Bible is really infallible and inerrant. For example, on one hand there are those who swear that Genesis chapters 1 through 3 accurately describe how the world was made and how it got so screwed up. On the other hand, you have people who say that was just a metaphor. But what if it doesn't really matter whether the story of Eden is true or not? What if Christians have debated its literalism so much that they missed the point of the story? To me, it doesn't really matter whether or not there really was a Garden of Eden, or a talking snake, or forbidden fruit. The message of that story--how mankind walked away from God's way, and how God's grace prevails over our sinfulness--is what matters the most to me. Know what I mean?
I also wanted to comment on that one guy's nasty Amazon.com review. You never said you didn't believe that Jesus is the Son of God. In fact, I've heard you say many times that you believe in what the Creeds say, and they say that Jesus is the Son of God. I guess some people see what they want to see.
Anyway, take care.
Continue reading From a young leader...
I've had a wide variety of interviews about A New Kind of Christianity and related matters recently ... Here's a sampling:
With Steve Maraboli on A Better Today/Empowered Living ...
With The Drew Marshall show ... a Canadian natural resource.
The Moot podcast with Ian Mobsby ... which you can subscribe to here.
And I enjoyed my time with the affable religious skeptics of Reasonable Doubts.
When I was in Palestine earlier this year, I reconnected with Musalaha, whose work I have followed through the years. After the jump, you can read an an encouraging account of a recent gathering of Israelis and Palestinians. It's a story of tears, anger, pain ... and increased understanding too.
(Meanwhile, stories like this one continue.)
Continue reading Israel and Palestine: a conflict of narratives...
I was glad the President emphasized the need to break our addiction to oil in his speech last night, and I thought he did a good job of demonstrating commitment to the people of the Gulf region. But if President Obama doesn't specify the way forward by offering a legislative path, who will? Congress? Politicians whose re-election campaigns are heavily subsidized by the fossil fuel industries, and who depend on voting blocs mis-educated by corporate media?
I hope that last night was simply the opening volley in what will be a focused, determined, well-planned, energetic agenda to make a new clean and sustainable economy the legacy not only of the President, but of the government, and not only of the government, but of our generation as a whole.
As I've thought about the current Gulf oil catastrophe and the longer-term issue of switching from a carbon to a solar economy, I think we need to make some bold commitments.
1. We have to envision a new and better way of life. We have to imagine that thirty years from now, virtually every roof of every home and building will be an energy producing station. We have to imagine every window and every wall being replaced or upgraded for improved efficiency. We have to imagine new generations of transport, heating, air-conditioning, and lighting technologies. This will mean we will retool our manufacturing and home-building industries so they contribute to this new green economy. Doing so will stimulate the economy in the right way - creating needed jobs and making a lot of good money (as opposed to dirty money) for wise entrepreneurs and investors. I believe that it will prove more profitable in the long run (in the best sense of the word profit - not measured in dollars alone) to be the planet's wise stewards than to continue on as its reckless, short-sighted, and greedy plunderers.
2. We need to divert creativity, entrepreneurial energy, and money away from building new oil rigs and coal mines and from fighting wars in oil-producing areas. We need to decrease expenditures on weapons - which are non-productive assets. And why invest in nuclear plants - which take decades to build and are ripe for their own kinds of disasters - when that money could produce better and longer-term results when invested in the research and development of solar, wind, tidal, and biofuel (algae- and grass-based, not corn-based) technology?
3. We need to direct creativity and money and education towards a new solar-based economy. It will take an innovative government-business partnership (the kind the Japanese and Koreans pioneered in jump-starting their auto industries) to turn this thing around. We have to imagine a different America - a new American economy. To get us there, again, we need to make an unprecedented investment in research and development and we need to open-source the most promising breakthroughs so as many companies as possible can work with them.
4. All this will surely require a change in tax strategy. To fund #2, how about a tax on the automated and derivative trading industries that contributed to the Wall Street collapse in 2008? How about a tax on too-big-to-fail corporations, shifting the advantage to small and medium-sized businesses that demonstrate ethical and socially responsible business practices? (See, for example, the kinds of businesses supported by Balle.) How about a rising tax on fossil fuels that steadily raises their cost to match the cost of renewable alternatives, so 100% of that tax revenue can be invested in research, development, and dissemination? This kind of tax reform would have a host of opponents, but it would increase the pressure on all of us to move in the direction we need to move in, and it would provide resources to the great endeavor in which we all have a vested interest: the conversion of a dirty economy to a clean one.
Speaking of taxes, perhaps its time to stop taxing income so much and start taxing pollution a lot more. Let's make it cheaper to earn "clean energy" money in a clean economy and more expensive to harm the environment in the dirty economy. Let's make it harder to privatize profits while externalizing costs and dangers by taxing the things we don't want instead of the things we do want.
5. This will also require a new kind of transparency - for government and for business. We can't afford to have only two choices - between an ideological left that holds business accountable but not government, and an ideological right that holds government accountable but not business. Where can the needed kind of transparency come from? I think it will require an enlivened democracy for starters, a democracy that takes more seriously not only its voting power, but also its spending power. That will require, among other things, a fair trade/ethical buying movement that is supported by a simple, clear, impartial rating system ... the kind of thing being recommended and explored in various ways. (See, for example, the ESRA and Goodguide.)
6. These kinds of changes require something deeper than a shift in policy. They require a deep shift in values and vision, in faith and hope, in commitment and priorities. That means the faith community in its many varied forms needs to "get saved" ... saved and sanctified from serving as obsequious chaplains to the old, polarized, paralyzed, incompetent politics of the old dirty economy. Our churches, synagogues, and mosques need to heed the altar call to become the vanguard in the prophetic and pastoral task of creating the new, clean and green economy needed by our children and grandchildren, not to mention every creature on our planet. Those of us who know something about the entrenchment and change-aversion in many of our religious communities know that this deep shift will take a miracle. But if politics is the art of the possible, isn't faith the art of the impossible?
If the current administration has become overwhelmed by the horrible hand of cards it was dealt, that would be understandable. Perhaps it's time for some courageous leaders from the faith community to move to the pulpit and say to all who are discouraged, "With faith, all things are possible." Perhaps it's time to tell political and economic leaders who are tempted by "realism" to start compromising on the needed vision even before it's been fully articulated, "Don't settle for less. Reach higher." Perhaps somebody needs to pull the President aside and encourage him with some good news to counteract all the bad news that's gushing in, and maybe even whisper in his ear every day or so, "Yes, we can!"
If political, economic, social, and faith community leaders start articulating a bold vision for a new economy, and start demonstrating determined leadership in achieving it, I think they'll find growing numbers of us are fired up and ready to go.
One response to NKOCy:
I've just finished reading A New Kind of Christianity, and want to thank you for your refreshing thoughts and ideas. I have a new enthusiasm and hope as a follower of Jesus; a new courage to live out my faith- because it doesn't sound 'corny' in this understanding; and a new sense of belonging to a community that is rethinking and rediscovering what our faith really means. The questions were ones I have been asking for years. I struggled as a teacher of junior high catechism when I questioned the very things I was supposed to be teaching.
Thank you, thank you, for opening a new understanding (and affirming some of my own thoughts), for me and many others.
A response with a very different tone after the jump ...
Continue reading Both sides ......
You're about to be encouraged.
Check out the video available here.
They are the kind of "change agents" I wrote about in EMC and they exemplify the "new kind" in NKOCy.
In my travels, I've seldom met more resilient, fascinating, and creative people than the folks I've met from the Congo. Just a few weeks ago, I was in a little fishing boat on Lake Tanganyika, looking east over the beautiful mountains of Eastern Congo, thinking about the terrible violence that's been happening in the region in recent years - and thinking about my friends who live and serve there. My friend Lynne Hybels is working with World Relief to educate and motivate people about the Congo. If you'd invest just five minutes right now, you could learn what's going on there, and even make a small investment in the lives of the Congolese people. Here's the link.
This encouraging note came in last week ...
I just finished "A New Kind of Christianity" and thank you. I have never read the Bible. I have gone to some sunday school classes when I was a kid but don't remember anything about them. My Church attendance has been fleeting at best, maybe 30 visits over the course of my entire life (of all different religions/denominations). I have been afraid of "church", but in my heart I felt spiritual. Your book helped me to be able to verbalize and explain some things I've been feeling. It also helped to illustrate to me some differences that may be going on between myself and others.My mom is going to read it next. She already said she doesn't like the title, that it implies something is wrong. I laughed out loud as I read your last chapter and how you specifically address this. I believe I'm in a violet state-of-mind and Christianity may be a misnomer, all of it may be a misnomer and simply our human way of trying to title something new. Or maybe it's not new, maybe it's so simple "you can't see the forest for the trees", maybe it doesn't need a title, maybe it's just love.
Whatever it is, thanks for making me think about it.
Thanks for letting me know the book was helpful to you ... For folks who "never read the Bible" - you might enjoy the podcast series I put together. It's an overview of the Bible from a fresh perspective. Here's the link ...
Here's our first grandchild, Averie Jane McLaren. I promise I'll resist the urge to deluge the universe with photos after today ...
I'll be part of a public open-air rally at the White House, in Lafayette Park from 11:30 to 1:30 today. I'll be there with Rabbi Michael Lerner, Bill McKibben, Father John Dear, and many others.
Then at 2:15, I will speak at Lutheran Church of the Reformation at 212 E. Capitol St NE, near the Capitol Building. If you're in town, I hope you'll join us!
I'll be part of the Network of Spiritual Progressives activities in Washington, DC, this weekend, based at the Lutheran Church of the Reformation at 212 E. Capitol St., NE, a few blocks from the Capitol and the Supreme Court.
In particular, Sunday morning (11:30) I'll be part of a rally at the White House, and at 1 pm, a Memorial Service in Lafayette Park across from the White House.
Then at 2:15, I'll deliver an afternoon plenary address, "Spiritual Visions for Social Healing."
If you'd like to be part of this, you can find information here ... I hope to see you there!
Here's our son Brett, our daughter-in-law Breana, and their new little girl ...
And here we are, newly minted grandparents ...
Thanks be to God!
Today my parents celebrated their 60th anniversary ...
And today they became great-grandparents for the first time ... thanks to this lovely lady:
And today, we got to hold our first grandchild.
This encouraging note came in a while back ...
My name is XXX. We met at an emerging church convention in YYY in 200?. I was unkind to you and for that I apologize. At the time, I was a ... Christian with a fundamentalist understanding of the faith. I was frustrated with college and my sense of self-worth, and clung to a fanatical understanding of faith as a security blanket. I graduated college in August of 200? and have changed since then.
As my college career ended, I had sort of a spiritual awakening, in which I experienced God as a gracious and compassionate being instead of monarchical and condemning. This led to a change in my outlook on faith and now, one might say that I am "emergent" or "postmodern" in my theology. My favorite Christian writer is Marcus Borg and I now attend church at the Salvation Army, because of their charitable work and tolerance toward modern science and Biblical scholarship.
What I am basically saying is that in less than two years time, I've gone from being one of your blind opponents to one of your enlightened supporters. Thank you for the kindness you showed me.
Thanks for your note ... and your kindness.
Another encouraging note after the jump ...
Continue reading Change of Heart ......
Joanna Weiss asks the right question in a recent Boston Globe editorial:
The Exxon Valdez spill, 21 years ago, reminded us how much oil can hurt the environment. The gas price spike, two summers ago, made us pity anybody with an SUV. Neither of them stuck. Will pictures of birds and anger at Tony Hayward do the trick now? Or will we wait until — sooner or much, much later — the wells really do run dry?
In his important book Ecological Intelligence, Daniel Goleman points out how anger at Tony Hayward and BP can actually subvert the kind of change we really need.
Finding other people to blame has always been a favored ploy of the human psyche. Psychoanalysts call this "projection," the casting out of our own failings and pasting them on someone - or something - other than ourselves.... By imagining some disembodied power that has victimized us - "those greedy corporations" say - we avoid having to examine our own impacts. It's a convenient arrangement, one that lets us deflect our discomfort at facing the ways in which we add to the onsloaught against the natural world. (38-39)
The sad likelihood is that many of us will squander the teachable moment provided by the Gulf Oil Catastrophe. We will do so either by letting it fade away as the news cycle spins on to other "breaking news," or by projecting our anger on BP or the government or whatever rather than turning our attention to the whole carbon-based economy of which we are part, and which needs to be left behind much the way the slave-based economy of our past was left behind.
How can we let this ecological catastrophe become a personal and social epiphany? How can we let this disgusting mess affect us in ways that will lead to the deep and lasting change we need? Here are four suggestions.
1. Feel the pain ... and feel the love.
Pain is part of every substantial change process, and if we too quickly project it into anger against someone else, we will subvert our own conversion. So look at those photos of dead sea turtles and dying pelicans and dolphins. Listen to the stories of fishermen and hotel owners and restaurant workers whose lives and communities will be shattered by this catastrophe. Realize that they are casualties - not just of a greedy, careless, rapacious corporation, but of a greedy, careless, rapacious economic system of which both BP and you and me are part. Let your empathy arise until you feel sickened, disgusted, and determined to become part of the solution. Anger against injustice can be an important initial motivator, but in the long run, it's love that makes the difference ... saving love is the emotion that puts us into lifelong motion. We'll squander this moment if we don't feel the pain of love - saving love - love for sea turtles, pelicans and dolphins ... love for our neighbors in Louisiana and the whole Gulf Coast ... love for the whole web of life.
2. Learn more.
Maybe your summer reading should include a book that will deepen your understanding of the ecological crisis, like Ecological Intelligence. Or maybe David Quammen's masterful Song of the Dodo. Or how about one of David Carroll's humane and beautifully-written books - Following the Water or Swampwalker's Journal. Or maybe even my own Everything Must Change or excellent books by David Korten, Matthew Sleeth, Bill McKibbin, Scott Sabin, Jonathan Merritt, and others.
3. Get spiritual.
To really address the larger systemic issues of our unsustainable, dirty-energy economy, yes, we're going to need to change our light bulbs ... but we're going to need something far deeper too: to change our values. And changes in values are matters not just of the pocketbook, but of the heart. They tap into the faith traditions and personal and societal narratives by which we organize not just our lives but our civilizations. So yes, we need to improve our understanding of science, economics, and ecology ... but ultimately, without a spiritual shift - conversion is not too strong a word - we won't have the sustained and sustaining power we need to create a sustainable and regenerative economy. So if you're not part of a faith community that integrates a vibrant faith with a vital concern for creation, finding and getting involved with such a group could be one of the most important steps you take - not just this year, but in your whole life. There's a new kind of spirituality brewing out there, and it's going to be a catalyst for powerful social change.
4. Speak up.
The kind of profound societal conversion we need will require literally millions of small, interpersonal conversations - conversations where people like you and me take things a level deeper. So when you hear someone complaining about BP, agree with them: BP screwed up. But then add that it's people like us who keep corporations like BP in business because of our demand for their products. And when someone asks, "How are you?" or "How's it going?" - assume they really care, and tell them how much pain you feel about this catastrophe, and how you hope it will lead to a real change in our long-term values and behavior. And when you read something online that strikes you as helpful and worthwhile, forward it to a friend with a question, like, "What do you think about this?" And when you're sitting at a table eating a meal with family or friends, ask a provocative question, like, "How do you think we can really learn what needs to be learned from this catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico?" And if they brush off your question, come back, gently but persistently, "But what will be the consequences for our kids and grandkids if we brush off questions like these?"
For you, for me, will this catastrophe be another missed opportunity - or a life-changing epiphany?
As I just finished Brian's most excellent book (yes, I am one of those male readers who was brought to tears sometimes :-), I so much wanted my wife (who's native Chinese, although she speaks English, but her Chinese is much better) to read this book! I his book is truly, in the most sincere form of the word, important. I think more people should read this, and why not start with the "other two big languages"?
Thanks for these encouraging words! I hope it will be translated - but this isn't up to me. If a Chinese publisher (or publisher in any other language) is interested in translating and releasing A New Kind of Christianity, we'd love to hear from them. Here's a contact email ...
I just learned that Finding Our Way Again has been translated into German in Switzerland: Dem Leben Wider Tiefe Geben (Brunnen), and Everything Must Change has been translated into Chinese (Tien Dao).
A reader writes ...
I'm reading with great interest your recent book 'A new kind of Christianity' I'm finding it very helpful and challenging in thinking through my own Christian presumptions and beliefs.
One of your themes is 'challenge your preconceptions and received wisdom'; so I'm sure you're up for some of this yourself!
In chapter 17 of your book (Can we find a way to address sexuality without fighting about it?), in a paragraph questioning the constitutional reading of the Bible, you cite Calvin as having said/written 'who will venture to place the authority of Copernicus above that of the Holy Spirit?'. In fact, Calvin never wrote these words.
It was Bertrand Russell, in his History of Western Philosophy, who attributed this statement to Calvin. However, he did not cite his source, and no-one, not even Thomas Kuhn, has been able to find it in any of Calvin's writings. It does, however, appear in Andrew Dickson White'sHistory of the Warfare of Science with Theology in Christendom (1896), and although White referred to a specific work of Calvin, the words do not appear there.
... Your writings are a breath of fresh air to the church, so often entrenched in its preconceptions and unchallenged assumptions about God's truth. I would hate to think that an inaccuracy in your writings might give your detractors an excuse for ignoring what you say.
Thanks so much for pointing this out. Apparently the statement comes from Abraham Calovius, but was erroneously attributed to Calvin, and the erroneous attribution has been widely disseminated. I'll ask my publishers to remove the reference in future editions. As someone who is frequently misquoted - and whose misquotations are widely disseminated on the world-wide internets - I empathize with Calvin, regret the mistake, am grateful for your bringing it to my attention, and am glad for the chance to correct it here!
The Glen Beck kerfuffle a few months back probably strengthened the paranoia of some - for example, that "social justice" is a cover for "socialism" - but lots of the rest of us realized that we needed to speak up on the real meaning of social justice. Some friends in California produced an earlier spot to which I responded ... here's their more recent production:
Obviously, there are strong connections between this video and my new book, especially the Pluralism Question.
Speaking of pluralism, here's a beautiful tribute to Coach John Wooden's Christian example written by a Muslim ... (thanks Bob C!)
Frank Viola and Len Sweet have released The Jesus Manifesto and it's getting a huge amount of attention. I greatly appreciate that Len and Frank are steering people toward devotion to Christ - not simply ideas about Christ or ideologies that employ Christian vocabulary. My sense is that Frank and Len will be especially well received in the Evangelical context - I've often thought of Evangelical pillars like A. W. Tozer and Leonard Ravenill as I've been reading their book.
Across the pond, John Pritchard, the Anglican bishop of Oxford, recently released Living Jesus. John's work will be stretching for more conservative Evangelicals, but will appeal to a wide ecumenical readership. I hope it will become more readily available in the US.
Back here in the USA, Michael Hardin recently released The Jesus-Driven Life. Michael shows special sensitivity to the social and ethical implications of Jesus' life and teaching, and he writes with the same passion and commitment to Christ that the previous two books demonstrate.
Michael recently passed on this link to this cartoon:
These three new books - along with others - suggest why we need to get a fresh vision of Jesus, who can never be contained (or entombed) in man-made boxes.
Here's the Q:
I have just finished reading ‘A new kind of Christianity’ and as with your previous books I am very grateful for your insights and warm conversational style!
I am however left with a glaring question that troubles me and I wonder if you have any thoughts.
The main thrust of your argument is that we should not read the bible as a Constitution and we should avoid the Greco-Roman straight line world-view.
OK. I hear you, but in light of that, can we take any of the well loved passages of the bible as certain promises to us from God? Without a straight-line view, how can I find assurance that God is speaking to me without requiring much wiser interpretation than I myself can muster up? I fear that if its meaning is veiled beneath too much cultural baggage, I could never really feel qualified to discern God’s voice in it at all. Do you think it is possible to hear God’s voice through the bible speaking into our particular circumstances?
Oops sorry, that’s turned into more than one question!
R: The danger you're concerned about - of losing confidence in our ability to receive guidance and comfort from God, or in God's ability to get guidance and comfort through to us - is real. But as you know, dangers often come in two's. The opposite danger is real as well: of "claiming a promise" presumptively, treating the Bible as a kind of "magic 8 ball" (remember those?) or horoscope ...
Certainty, it turns out, can be about what's real to us, not what's real "out there" ... the person suffering from hallucinations is quite certain they're real, and before Copernicus, nearly everyone was "absolutely" certain that the sun earth around the earth. Believing something with certainty "in here" doesn't make it so "out there," although I'm sure there is a kind of emotional comfort in feeling certain ... In between (or above the line between) an excessive confidence and an insufficient confidence, there's a realm of proper confidence, and I think that's what we all are aiming for.
I should add that I think there's a mystical/experiential dimension to your question, and a more literary and interpretive dimension. On the mystical/experiential side, I think you would find assurance that God is speaking to you through the same processes of discernment you would use in any setting. This kind of spiritual discernment isn't based so much on textual knowledge about cultural background, narrative context, and other interpretive knowledge ... but (as I see it) it is based on humility, faith, openness to God, thirst for truth, desire for wisdom, and similar spiritual qualities. This kind of assurance carries with it, I think, a kind of self-correction - the same humility that is required to receive it makes you open to correction. Without that humility, you can easily move into self-delusion, wishful thinking, stubbornness, arrogance, and so on.
On the interpretive side, I think you're right that the approach I'm suggesting in the book doesn't lend itself to the "name it and claim it" approach to the Bible. But if I can speak personally, it has brought me deeper into the Bible and I believe deeper into fellowship with God than the approach I previously took. I suppose there are losses and gains in everything ... including when we move from less mature to more mature understandings of the Bible. But I think the gains outweigh the losses ... when we're ready to cross into new territory. These things can't be rushed, you know? (I'm thinking of Jesus telling the disciples in John's gospel that he had things to teach them that they weren't at that moment ready to bear ...)
If you'd like to get more experience with reading the Bible in the way I'm proposing in the book, you might be interested in the "Bible Overview" podcast series you can purchase at the store section on this website. It's only $19.95 for 51 podcasts ...
Tamara Park via the Noble Exchange show highlights the African concept of Ubuntu in this episode ... The term figures prominently in A New Kind of Christianity, Chapter 20.
The third segment covers the story of Liberate, who is involved with the same student and village projects among the Batwa with whom I've been involved in Burundi.
You've got to care about sprawl ... You can begin to get informed in less than ten minutes:
I'm a nature guy, smitten with a lifelong love for creation - mountains, rivers, beaches, forests, wetlands - and all the living creatures they contain. One of the most enjoyable and essential dimensions of my spiritual life is seeing and celebrating the fingerprints of the Creator in creation - especially in wildlife.
For example, for about twenty years, I've been watching this wood turtle and her sisters lay their eggs each spring. Robins sing exuberantly in the background - part of their own annual re-creative process - as this beautiful little animal quietly enters a primal ancient rhythm. First she selects a location and begins digging a flask-shaped hole with her hind legs, totally by feel since she can't see what she's doing at all. Then she deposits the eggs, gently arranging them in the chamber, again, all by feel. Then she carefully covers the eggs so that there's no trace of the treasure she's leaving behind - about a dozen grape-sized eggs that will hatch in about seventy days.
We human beings don't mean to destroy beautiful and fascinating creatures like this turtle. We build roads and shopping malls and oil rigs for other reasons, but the sad truth is, unless we change our values and habits and the fundamental beliefs that sustain them, we will push more and more creatures farther over the edge. The results of carelessness and greed can be every bit as devastating as the results of malice and cruelty, leading to this ...
If the current Gulf Catastrophe isn't our wake up call, what will be?
Here's the Q:
You mention the crisis going on between Arabs and Israelis in the Middle East as well as the Zionism that guides American political action quite a bit on your blog and in speeches. I'm very ignorant about the issue and the history of the situation. Is there a good book you can suggest for me to read to understand the issue more clearly?
There is no shortage of excellent books, but here are a few that I recommend for those new to the subject. They're listed from the most gentle to the most hard-hitting:
Elias Chacour - Blood Brothers
Naim Ateek - A Palestinian Christian Cry for Reconciliation
Mark Braverman - Fatal Embrace
Ben White - Israeli Apartheid
Marc Ellis - Judaism Does Not Equal Israel
Also - another reader sent this link for an analysis of the recent Gaza flotilla incident. Depressingly quotable ...
... Where knowledge is limited, and the desire to learn the complex reality doesn’t exist, public opinion can be shaped by whoever generates the most powerful symbols. And on a matter of only tangential interest, governments tend to follow their publics’ wishes, however they originate. There is little to be gained for governments in resisting public opinion and much to be gained by giving in. By shaping the battlefield of public perception, it is thus possible to get governments to change positions.... It was not the truth or falsehood of the narrative that mattered...
Also - here's my most recent Huffington Post blog ... on the impact of bad eschatology on world events.
Thanks to Ben Griffith for this ... inspired by EMC. (also included after the jump)
Continue reading The Ten Commandments of Theo-Capitalism...
In one of life's ironies, the IDF attack on a flotilla of ships in international waters off the Gaza coast coincides with the World Council of Churches' World Week for Peace in Palestine and Israel, which you can read about here.
The World Council of Churches issued this statement:
Public statement condemning the assault on a Gaza-bound vesselFor immediate release: 01 June 2010
It is with great distress that the World Council of Churches received the news that the Israeli naval forces stormed a Gaza-bound vessel carrying humanitarian aid in international waters before dawn on Monday, killing at least 10 civilians and injuring many more. We condemn the assault and killing of innocent people who were attempting to deliver humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza, who have been under a crippling Israeli blockade since 2007. We further condemn the flagrant violation of international law by Israel in attacking and boarding a humanitarian convoy in international waters. We pray for all those who are affected by the attack, especially the bereaved families.We urge the government of Israel to repatriate those detained by the Israeli army.. We call for an immediate release of the impounded ships, and an end to the economic blockade of Gaza. It is our considered opinion that the legitimate humanitarian needs of the people of Gaza be met in accordance with international humanitarian law. We further call the UN Security Council to mandate a full investigation into the assault.
The deplorable events which occurred yesterday off the coast of Gaza remind us yet again of the pressing need for an end to the Israeli military occupation of the Palestinian territories. The World Council of Churches reiterates its commitment to work for just and lasting peace in Palestine and Israel.Rev. Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit
WCC General Secretary
Another WCC press release is included after the jump, along with a Litany for Gaza from sabeel.com.
Continue reading The WCC and Sabeel on Gaza ......
Last weekend I was in Victoria, BC, working with master musician, songwriter, and storyteller Steve Bell. Here's a wonderful story about Steve from Al, a participant in the conference ...
Another participant, Chris, offers this insightful response to the conference:
As I think about the weekend with Brian McLaren, I am struck by a problem common to many presentations given by visiting experts who fly in from another context and present their insights relating to church or almost any area of human endeavour – it is easier to deconstruct than to construct, to criticize than to create.
He then adds ...
It is the job of those of us who do live here and who find ourselves encouraged by the general direction of Brian’s vision to seek the guidance of God’s Spirit in finding out how we are called to embody this vision in our own time and place.
He then follows up with some tremendous questions ... exactly the kinds of questions I would hope people would grapple with after being together.
More heartbreak. I'm sure you're already aware that it's very hard - especially for us in the US - to get unfiltered, unbiased, and even-handed reporting on Israel and Palestine. Having been to the region, having had in-depth dialogue with people there, and having done a lot of background reading, I can recommend these sources for background information and news in the region. I trust them to be fair, honest, and even-handed:
The Kairos Project
Sabeel
Just Peace for Palestine
Compare the tone of these three headlines from yesterday - and notice who's under attack:
From CNN ...
From Huffington Post ...
From Fox News ...
My heart goes out today to all those who have lost loved ones in war. And my heart also goes out to all those who have come home alive, but have been deeply scarred by their experience of war.
Diana Butler Bass posted an important excerpt from her excellent book A People's History of Christianity today. She quotes third-century theologian Cyprian ...
"The world is going mad in mutual bloodshed. And murder, which is considered a crime when people commit it singly, is transformed into a virtue when they do it en masse."
Her reflection hits me all the more because I'm reading (thanks to a recommendation by my friend down under Dave Andrews) a chilling, sobering book called On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society.
As well, I'm thinking about the important work of the Truth Commission on Conscience in War... Whatever our opinions on just war and pacifism, may we all join St. Francis today, praying to be made instruments of God's peace, doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with God, so there will be fewer casualties to memorialize in the future.
If you're looking for a good introduction to the conflict in Israel and Palestine, here it is:
http://www.justpeaceforpalestine.org/
Sadly, in spite of some nods towards peace, unjust harrassment and intimidation of Palestinians by the Israeli government continues on a daily basis. A few weeks ago, I got an email from a friend in East Jerusalem saying that he was watching young Palestinians being taken off a public bus in front of his office ... a "routine check" that lets Palestinians know that they are vulnerable at any moment to arrest with no explanation.
Another brutal technique of intimidation and harrassment is the use of house demolitions. A Christian leader in Palestine just sent out this alert:
Today at 2.00 pm in the afternoon, 2 officers from the Israeli Civil Administration guarded by Israeli soldiers came to our farm and gave us NINE demolishing orders for nine ( structures) we built in the last years without a building permit from the Israeli Military Authority. The demolishing orders are for: tents, animals shelters, metal roof in front of both old houses, the restrooms (Shelters) , a water cistern, a metal container and 2 underground renovated cave structures. One officer was writing the demolishing orders and the other was taking pictures with two cameras, Israeli soldiers were following them everywhere and pointing their guns on us. The demolishing orders were written in Hebrew and I refused to sign receiving them. We have 3 days only to react against those demolishing orders. The timing for delivering the demolishing orders was plant properly and purposely on Thursday, in order to make it difficult for us to try to stop those orders by the Israeli court within 3 days, because of the Jewish weekend (Friday and Saturday). The idea is to make it impossible for us to act quickly. I contacted our Lawyer and he will write an opposition and send it to the military court on Sunday morning. We hope to get a paper from the court through our Lawyer on Sunday morning to stop the demolishing orders.
If you want to learn more about the brutal reality of house demolitions, here's a good source: http://www.icahd.org/eng/
We can all serve as witnesses, to tell the truth about what is going on, to refuse to remain silent and complacent when innocent people are mistreated ... please join me in praying for peace with justice in Palestine, and please stay alert.
If you're dreaming of starting a new faith community of some sort ... or if you've already jumped into the adventure ... you should consider linking up with the TransForm network. I had a chance to speak at their recent East Coast gathering.
I haven't blogged about the oil spill yet ... I've been out of the country for much of it, and have been staying informed from a distance, feeling the same dread and heartbreak you've probably felt. Like you, I'm sickened by the whole situation. I see obvious connections between "too big to fail" banks and "too big to be regulated properly" oil companies - and coal mines (recalling another recent disaster which is too quickly forgotten). I feel disgusted as I consider how much all of us are complicit in the sick "casino" financial system and the sick "cost-externalizing" energy system on which our society runs.
The best response I've seen so far to the catastrophe is that of Bishop Katharine Jefferts-Schori, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church. Quotable:
There is no place to go "away" from these consequences; there is no ultimate escape on this planet. The effects at a distance may seem minor or tolerable, but the cumulative effect is not. We are all connected, we will all suffer the consequences of this tragic disaster in the Gulf, and we must wake up and put a stop to the kind of robber baron behavior we supposedly regulated out of existence a hundred years ago. Our lives, and the liveliness of the entire planet, depend on it.
Her words recall the themes I addressed in Everything Must Change a few years ago, and more recently I argued for a new sense of narrative in A New Kind of Christianity. We need a narrative that orients us not toward a single bottom line of financial profit, but toward a high calling of creation, reconciliation, and liberation, because we are all connected in God's sacred ecosystem.
Dealing with symptoms - plugging leaks, putting out fires, bailing out failed banks - keeps us busy, so busy we can neglect to deal with our deep spiritual diseases 5000 feet beneath our societal symptoms. The race is on: will we bankrupt ourselves dealing with one surface symptom after another, or will we choose in time to deal with our deeper, hidden problem, a mile beneath the surface ... a spiritual problem of narrative, values, purpose, meaning, origin, and destiny.
And will our faith communities continue to obsess on their short-list of mobilizing (and often polarizing) issues, or will they turn to the deeper issues that underly them?
Greasy, slimy, toxic, deadly sludge is a fitting metaphor for what the Bible calls sin, foolishness, and injustice - which mean, at heart, violating our essential connectedness. True religion, true spirituality, authentic gospel, real communion - they're about recovering that sacred connection, at the deepest level.
I'll be speaking and Steve Bell will be giving a concert. If you're close by, I hope you'll come join us! Here's information ...
You can view all ten short videos about A New Kind of Christianity here....
If you decide to conduct a dialogue - in person or online - based on the book and videos, and you'd like to let others know about it, or let me know how it went, shoot me a message via facebook (info on the right). Thanks!
The last question from my new book ...
I just returned from an enjoyable weekend in Louisville, KY. Thanks to the good people of St. Matthew's Episcopal and Highland Baptist ... and thanks to the great crowd who came out Sunday night to start and continue important conversations about the way forward in faith. It was especially nice to have some students from Southern Seminary come and show real and respectful interest and openness of mind and heart.
I leave in a few hours for Cleveland, OH, and Victoria, BC. Hope to make many new friends and see some old ones this week.
This is one of the big ones from my new book - how should followers of Jesus relate to people of other faiths?
Last week, I was dually honored - with an honorary degree and with an invitation to address the VTS graduates at commencement. You can watch the address online, and I've included the text after the jump. I hope it will be of encouragement to church leaders both "new and used!" Here's the link: https://www.vts.edu/default.aspx
Continue reading Commencement Address ......
It has been a real joy for me to play a very small part in seeing this dream become a reality: a group of Twa people, landless and marginalized for hundreds of years, have been helped to acquire land which, with expert agricultural and agronomical guidance, they are developing themselves. Their pride is palpable and beautiful ... I had a chance to visit with them last week in Burundi.
You'll see the men making bricks, the women creating a new field. The children attend school nearby - also something new and wonderful.
They've cleared harmful Australian gum trees and created terraced farming space to prevent erosion. They're raising potatoes, beans, cassava (their staple), goats, rabbits, bananas, and other green vegetables. They've built basic houses and latrines, and they'll be improving their houses as time goes on. All of this has been supported by a community democracy they've implemented.
Thanks to Community for Burundi for their support in making this happen ... and special appreciation to the Twa community themselves for organizing and working together in such a beautiful way.
Here's the Q:
I have just finished reading your book, "Secret Message of Jesus", and was surprised that you understand the spreading of the Kingdom in the same way I do although I have never thought my idea was unusual or special.There are two problems that I have related to your book, though they are not new ones.
First, I have a huge problem with the Creation story. If God was in charge of creation, and created all things then that means he created Adam and Eve to sin and the Devil to make them do it. And the rest of the Old Testament tells the horrible stuff that ensues from that.
In addition, if God created, and he was all alone while doing it, who wrote Genesis? Who was there with God to be able to report on what was going on?
My other problem is the Lord's Prayer which is rightly fully understood as a prayer Jesus taught his disciples. But two thousand years have passed and how many bizillions of followers have prayed it yet the Kingdom does not come. And where is God's will being done because I don't recognize it anywhere. And if his will is being done on earth as it is in heaven, heaven isn't going to be a much better place than this is. Too many people go daily without their daily bread and most Christians are not willing to forgive their debtors so why would God forgive them.
I am a 77 year old woman who has spent 34 years in Lutheran ministry and these two things I've written about have bothered me since I can remember.
R after the jump ...
Continue reading Q & R: From a 77 year old woman ......
The good people of Community for Burundi, working with my friends Claude and Kelly Nikondeha and some leaders from the Twa community in Bujumbura, have developed a program for secondary education for over 30 students. I had the chance to visit the program - and see my Batwa friends Etienne Ndayishimiye and Evariste Ndikumana - when I was in Burundi last week.
One of the wise things they're doing is being sure that the move from village to city life doesn't mean losing traditional culture - dance, poetry, song. Every Friday they take time to practice and enjoy these important parts of their heritage ... which I had the chance to enjoy while present with them. Here's a quick sample ...
And here's a video about the need for the program, which shows song and dance in village life:
Batwa Education Project from David Shook on Vimeo.
Today I have the honor of delivering the commencement address and receiving an honorary doctorate at VTS. I've had the chance to get to know a lot of the students and faculty there, and so I savor this experience all the more. The celebration starts at 10 a.m. (Eastern time), and I understand it will be streamed live here.
Just a reminder: you can purchase and download 51 podcasts, each about 20 minutes long, that survey the whole Bible ... here. They follow the basic storyline I laid out in The Story We Find Ourselves In and A New Kind of Christianity:
Creation
Crisis
Calling
Conversation
Christ
Commissioned Community
Consummation/Celebration
The cost is $19.95, and the ordering process is simple.
PS - You can listen to the first three for free.
I'm back in the USA after a tremendous trip to Africa. As you can imagine, my inbox is overflowing ... In the coming weeks, I'll try to edit some of the video I shot and share some stories from the trip. In the meantime, Rachel Held Evans - a gifted young writer you should know about - posted an interview about A New Kind of Christianity. I responded to her questions while I was stuck for 10 hours in Heathrowe Airport on the way to Africa. She asks good questions ... and the comments are quite interesting as well. Here's the interview....
You can keep up with it here. Thank God for all these voices - here, and around the world - who are speaking up for God's sacred ecosystems! - Brian
Here are a few more questions on sex, relating to my new book:
Now, as you know it's really tough to talk about sexuality without getting into a big fight. Usually it's the hardcore anti-gay crowd that makes it hard to have a discussion, but sometimes I find it hard to have a discussion with the gay community. For example, I recently wrote a guest post on the website Queermergent about my gay uncle. In it I said I didn't want to get into the "Is it a sin?" question, and instead I focused on how Christians need to show the love of Christ to our gay neighbors. Well, one person left a comment and was pissed that I refused to outright say homosexuality isn't a sin. "People are literally dying because folks won't say, 'It is not a sin,'" he said.Darn, here I go trying to do something good and it blows up in my face!
I usually try to avoid the "Is it a sin?" discussion because, quite frankly, I'm still on the fence about it. When I read Leviticus 18:22, Romans 1:21-31, and 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (the "clobber passages," as [...a friend] would say) at face value, the Bible seems pretty clear that homosexuality is a sin. However, homosexuality is more than just two men or two women having sex. My uncle feels the same way about his partner as I feel about my fiancee . . . genuine love. Plus, as you mention in "A New Kind of Christianity," stuff we know now weren't always accepted by the Church in the past.
So to be honest I don't really know how I feel. I do know Christians need to show Christ's love better to the gay community, but I guess that's not enough for some people.What do you think, Brian? Does loving gay people mean having to decide for sure whether or not homosexuality is a sin? How should I respond to some one who wants me to make a definite decision?
R: I really appreciate your honest and humble attitude in this, brother. As you said, so many people turn this into a fight, and in the process of proving their position right, they prove their attitude or spirit wrong. I tried to be both forthright about my opinion and respectful of the opinions of others in "The Sex Question" in the book, and as you'll recall, I tried to make it clear that
a) I think we make a mistake to use the Bible as a constitution - a legal document - in an issue like this.
b) The contemporary psychological and medical understading of homosexuality as an unchosen, in-built orientation would have been as inconceivable to people in the ancient world as the concept of bipolar disorder or diabetes or asthma. They didn't have the categories of pyschological orientation, inheritance of genetic predispositions, and so on. So I would apply the "clobber passages" to this issue with the memory of how similar "clobber passages" (again, you'll remember this from the book) were used to defend slavery by Bible-quoting Christians in America - for decades after England had repented of that position.
I think we're all in process on this. You're far more open than many other people, but your gay friends don't feel you've gone far enough. I would remind them that you can't move any faster than your conscience will allow, and ask them to show you the same patience they would want to be shown, and remind them that when people are pushed too hard too fast, sometimes they overreact and entrench.
Maybe go back and reread my chapters on the Bible and sexuality, especially my reading of Acts 8, and see if that helps you see new light on the issue.
Another Q after the jump.
Continue reading Q & R: Sex and More Sex...
Cairo, Mexico City, Manila … a number of cities vie for most insane traffic and wildest drivers. After some long drives in Kenya last week, I’ve got my own nomination based on some hair-raising (if I had any to raise) tales.
But it isn’t the five-lanes-of-traffic-functioning-in-two-actual-lanes that stays with me now, nor is it the sudden swerving, constant lane-shifting, casual use of oncoming lanes or driving on pedestrian shoulders with pedestrians leaping out of the way. What stays with me is a small act of kindness along a gritty street in Mombasa.
Beside the road in the pot-holed gravel shoulder, a boy in orange flip-flops, maybe fifteen, was pulling a rough-made wooden cart, a smaller version of an ox cart. Headlights lit the dust rising around him and reflected from the dark potholes full from afternoon rains. The boy was hauling a large bunch of green bananas and five or six burlap bags of what appeared to be potatoes or maybe onions. Elbows up, head down, surrounded by pedestrians returning home in the dark from a long day’s work, he lacked the bulk in his own body to provide sufficient momentum for his cargo. And so when one of his tires splashed into a filthy puddle, forward motion stopped and his body angled a little farther forward, but still there was no movement.
At that moment, a gentleman dressed as nicely as anyone dresses in these situations put his hand on the back of the cart and gave a push and then leaned into a shove and the cart inched forward. Since foot traffic was moving faster than car traffic, I watched this gentleman stay behind the cart for another fifty yards or so, pushing the cart out of a few more potholes and helping the boy get through the merging traffic of a cross street. At the far corner, the gentleman went left, the boy straight, and no words were exchanged – just a small act of kindness from a man who perhaps remembered what it was like to pull a heavy load when he was a boy.
Many of our structures – political, religious, economic, social – are as gnarled and dysfunctional as Mombassa traffic. Many of us imagine how they can be improved – better laws, better doctrines, better policies, better protocols – and we dedicate ourselves to systemic change. But change nearly always comes slow, and sometimes, the snarled status quo is as good as things are going to get for quite a while. In those situations, thank God for the small acts of kindness that help people get through … a wave to let someone back in traffic, a kind and patient worker at the front desk of a sluggish bureaucracy, small change into a beggar’s hand, a thumbs-up to a weary worker, a push to get out of a pothole.
Here in Burundi, the electricity has been more off than on lately, so I haven't had a chance to blog about my experience here. We found electricity and an internet connection at a local restaurant ... so here's a slideshow from a gifted photographer about the Batwa people, with whom I spent last night and this morning. More later!
The Amahoro gathering in Africa came to an end Thursday. It's hard to imagine a more impressive and inspiring group of people - the East and South Africans, and the non-African guests who came as well.
Through the week, participant after participant shared stories of amazing creativity in embodying God's love and goodness in the African context. On Thursday afternoon, Tom Yaccino of La Red del Camino shared some parallel stories from the Latin American context. The cross pollination was wonderful to see ... and nobody can imagine where all of this could lead.
It was encouraging to find the same questions I address in my new book being raised by Africans in various ways ... A global conversation truly is emerging, as evidenced by profound interest in talking some deep theology at every meal, in dozens of walks, along with scheduled conversation sessions.
These last two days I've had the chance with a small group of new friends to enjoy some of the natural beauty of Kenya. Earlier today, as I looked over a sparkling African landscape, I thought of the theme of the gathering - Christ, Creation, and Community - and my soul felt the echo of God's original words about creation from Genesis: "And it was good." I think back over the sounds of the day ... wind, the songs of weaver birds and the call of a majestic fish eagle ... and as I write this post, an elephant is trumpeting in the darkness against the background music of crickets and tree frogs ... They all seem to be joining with the Creator in celebrating the original goodness and original blessing which are inherent to all things in God's good world.
Tomorrow and Monday will be travel days, landing me in Burundi. If you want to get an idea of what I'll be up to there (among other things), put "twa" in the search box here on my site. Hopefully I'll be able to post again in a couple of days. Thanks for your interest ...
I'm in Kenya with a group of about 150 emerging leaders from across East and South Africa. A brilliant and diverse group of clergy, social activists, aid workers, and others have come together to discuss the relation between Christian faith and care for the environment.
I can hardly speak as I write these words. I've spent all today in conversations about the environment with people who live and work in slums where you literally walk on human excrement ... in cities where the factories pour untreated waste into streams ... in villages along lakes whose waters would qualify as untreated sewage ... in slums that reek with the stench of mountains of garbage. For people here, global climate change isn't a theory: they can see the desert spreading year by year, and they're coping with the unrest and migration that happens when formerly fertile lands become dry and hard.
Today a man told me that he had never before thought of "the environment" as a sacred thing. He said, "Up until today, whenever I saw a bird, my only thought was whether I could eat it. But from today forward, I will look at the bird, want to know its name, and see it as one of God's miraculous creatures."
I was just listening to a young Congolese man who has created the first recycling center in his region. He employs 15 people to recycle garbage. He's turning a dirty way of life into a beautiful way of life.
Meanwhile, when I've snuck a few minutes online, I'm reading about the spread of the oil slick in the Gulf. Our problems differ - but perhaps they're the same: we've been living a dirty way of life. I'm sure the solution is the same: we need to see this world as God's sacred work of art, and we need to come together, from a small Ugandan village to the hallways of Washington to the Gulf of Mexico, joining with God to care for the precious world, the only one we have.
i'm participating in a gathering of Christian leaders grappling with ecology - caring for God's sacred creation. You might say our theme is creation versus exploitation, destruction, extinction, etc. But predictably, even here in east africa, someone brought up the issue of creation versus evolution. i was asked to make some comments on this last night ... Many folks here have been strongly influenced by fundamentalists in the US, so only know of two alternatives: young-earth-creationism - or evolution-atheism. I presented 5 ways of interpreting Genesis 1-2:
1. Literal theory - this is classic "young-earth creationism"
2. Gap theory - this is a modification of #1, saying that there's a gap that occurred "when the world was without form and void"
3. Day-age theory - that the "days" of Genesis 1 could have been a million or billion years
4. Contextual theory - that in their historical context, the creation narratives were never intended to provide a scientific account, so should be interpreted for meaning - literarily, not literally. In this view, there's no conflict between sound evolutionary theory and wise biblical interpretation.
5. Superstition theory - the Biblical accounts are just superstition of no value beyond showing the ignorance of ancient people.
I urged those present to recognize that Christians have 4 good options (1-4), and I urged them to do what I do: have your own position (mine being #4), but respect those who hold other positions.
Today we're being exposed to the environmental situation in Africa:
45% of Africa is experiencing deforestation
Nearly everyone sees examples of climate change
In Kenya, forest cover is 1.5%, down from 12%
In Ethiopia, forest cover is 3%, down from 40%
In Kenya, Lake Nawasha has become a lake of raw sewage
90% of the big fish in oceans are gone ...
Kenya lost 11 species of birds in the past 50 years
On the drive to our conference center from the airport, i looked over a bridge and saw a "stream" full of an unidentifiable liquid that was blue-black-oily-greenish-gray ... unearthly, disgusting. It ran through a neighborhood ... And meanwhile, I'm thinking about the oil spill back in the Gulf ...
I wish we could stop arguing about the origin of the earth in the past and start focusing on the survival of the earth's sacred ecosystems in the future!
The amahoro gathering in mombasa, kenya is off to a wonderful start. the caliber of people here is amazing and inspiring.
last night, claude and kelley nikondeha gave a brilliant presentation on Christ, Creation, and Community ... one of the best talks i've heard in ages, and far beyond most of what i hear in the u.s. in depth and insight.
this morning, i heard the story of a ugandan fellow who became a child soldier at 8 ... then just a few minutes ago, i was talking with a sudanese fellow who started training as a child soldier at 8 as well ... he has been a soldier for 27 years, but left the army recently, feeling God had something better for him. his brother, also a soldier, recently died, leaving 3 wives and 9 children in this young man's care - incredible pressure, as you can imagine.
in between, there have been fascinating conversations with young burundians seeking to start social enterprises ... congolese seeking to stop pollution and deforestation ... a south african engaging in politics to fight against corruption and incompetence ... church leaders seeking to embed a more holistic theology in their congregations and facing angry opposition ... young christians who see little in the church beyond self-seeking pastors and an institution preoccupied with its own prosperity ... people eager to expand their faith to engage with rather than escape from contemporary social, scientific, economic, and political realities ... and this is only the first day.
at every turn, i see how important the ten questions are that i raised in my newest book ... just as much here, if not more so, than back home.
as you can imagine, i feel incredibly blessed to be with these wonderful people, even as i miss friends and family at home. i am blessed indeed!
I'm writing from Heathrowe Airport, during an 11-hour layover. I'll be in Kenya and Burundi, perhaps with a brief visit to some neighboring countries. Although we have so far to go in addressing poverty-related problems in the two-thirds world, it's important to note when progress is happening.
If we overemphasize progress, people lose a sense of urgency - because there is still so far to go.
But if we don't report on progress, people lose a sense of hope - as if "nothing ever works."
So we need to live in this creative tension: we have a long way to go ... but if we focus our efforts wisely and well, we can make real progress. Here's a case in point.
I don't expect to be able to blog much over the next few weeks as I leave tonight for Kenya and Burundi.
In the meantime, I hope you'll check out the new store and maybe listen to the three free podcasts available there.
I'll have some good stories to share when I return.
(By the way ... I left my iphone in a taxi in Chicago the other day. The good news, it's been located. The bad news, if anyone has left me a message lately, I didn't get it, and won't for a few more weeks. Sorry about that!)
But it is important. Learn about poop management here.
While in Africa, I'll be working and learning with people who are grappling with issues like this.
A mother wrote ...
This song is beautiful-- reflects my heart at this time.
I am also reading your latest book.
I felt a deep affinity for your statement (p. 204) :
"To see Jesus as God's paradigm for judging or evaluating our lives means that it's not the powerful and dominant who will be deemed history's heros, but the humble and the poor in spirit, like Jesus. It's not the pleasure-satiated hedonists who grabbed for all of life's gusto who will be judged winners, but those who mourned the tragedy of injustice and who hungered and thirsted for a better day, like Jesus."
I yearn for the day...when those of us who have raised children on the autism spectrum will see justice."Something is burning to be said; something is yearning to be done..."
Someone has to speak for those who cannot speak.
Any thoughts of other directions to go?
Thanks for all you do in urging the church to new ways of thinking!
I share this mother's concern - especially because of autism in my extended family and in the families of close friends. Parents of children with autism are among the most heroic people I've ever met. I hope all readers of this blog will become attentive to the concerns of these parents for their children - who are our brothers and sisters. Here's the song she was referring to:
Two related questions that I hear again and again:
I am a former pastor (charismatic background) who has been on a spiritual journey for several years. Your books have had a profound impact on me and my wife (I'm reading "A New Kind of Christianity" for the 3rd time!) We have not been involved with a church/faith community for some time, but wish to find one in [our] area that is moving in the same direction that we are "travelling" - along the lines you describe in your books.
Do you know of any in [this] area that you could recommend?
I'm so thankful for the breath of fresh air your writings have been in our lives.
I am moving to [a new state] and was wondering if there is any church close by there that has the same values that you do? I have read a couple of books and have similar views and beliefs. I have been attending a First Baptist Church here in [another state], but feel ostracized for divorcing my husband. I have decided to attend a new kind of church when I move forward with my new life. Thanks for your help.
I wish there were some sort of website I could point to that would help folks easily find churches that are open to and grappling with the opportunities and challenges I and others write about. I don't know of such a site yet, but maybe someday someone will create one?
Here.
Their insight on financial markets are, I think, tremendously important.
Here is one reason (among many) I think it's a big mistake to continue propping up the oil-based economy.
Here's one better place to focus our creative and financial investments ...
And here's another.
One of the highlights of 2010 so far came last weekend. I was invited to speak to the Episcopal Diocese of Easton - what a wonderful group of people - and if that weren't enough, they invited Ken Medema to be there as well.
If you don't know Ken, here's his site. Every time we're together, we say, "Wouldn't it be fun to go on tour together?" If you're interested in hosting something like that in late 2011 or beyond, let us know ... here and/or here.
A reader writes ...
Thanks for new book, ANKoC! Most of the questions you name have troubled me for years. I find hope in your fresh responses, knowing that you will continue to grow and change along with us.I have been following the conversations generated by your book with great interest. A common thread in these conversations makes me think there is also this vital, underlying question, "What is salvation?" I am hearing many different answers...
FROM hell TO heaven
FROM injustice TO justice
FROM racial division TO beloved community
FROM environmental collapse TO ecological, global healing
FROM sin (broken relationship between God/others) TO righteousness (right relationship between God/others)In your books I discern "salvation" as
FROM unsustainable use of the planet TO renewable use and stewardship of the planet
FROM structural injustice TO daily bread for all justice
FROM threat of global destruction through violence TO harmony among nations
FROM sick faith stories TO healing stories of faith rooted in Jesus
FROM Bible as "owner's manual" TO Bible as record of "surprising, in-breaking grace"
FROM trashing "those people" TO treasuring "all people"Am I reading you correctly? What is "salvation"? What do we need to be rescued FROM? What do we need to be rescued TO?
May the conversation continue!
I like the directions you're exploring here. Sadly, for many people, the from/to is preoccupied with hell/heaven. In the Old Testament, the primary saving was from slavery in Egypt to freedom in the Promised Land. But that flowers out into all the kinds of things you mention here. I might add, echoing language of the New Testament, FROM "this present evil age" to "participation in the kingdom - or dream, or sacred ecosystem, or dance, or beloved community - of God."
A provocative piece that references ANKoCy by Alex Wilhelm ...
Something I wrote about Ben Lowe, a fascinating young leader in Illinois ...
For a long time now, folks have been asking if they can acquire the Bible Overview podcast series I developed a few years ago for a podcast subscription service that has since gone out of business. Several people told me "That's the most helpful resource you've ever produced." With the help of some friends, we finally retrieved the series and have made it available here.
Each podcast is twenty minutes long. You can listen to the first three podcasts for free, you can buy individual podcasts for $1, and you can buy all 51 for $19.95. If you find these helpful, I hope you'll pass the link on to others. Might make a good birthday present for someone you know who listens to podcasts while walking, jogging, cooking, exercising, cleaning the house, or commuting.
A lot of people feel I've "gone too far" in my reappraisal of the biblical teaching on hell. Others, like this reader, don't think I've gone far enough. (after the jump)
Continue reading Q & R: More on hell...
I was struck, several months ago, by something Frank Schaeffer said. (BTW - if you want a great novel to read - try Portofino.) The one unforgivable sin in some religious communities, he suggested, is the failure to hate the group's enemies.
I've seen this pattern among religious liberals and conservatives - and even moderates. In many settings, if you "fraternize with the enemy," you're seen as a traitor. The words "liberal" or "conservative" become little more than epithets; those who use them often have little more than crude stereotypes of "the other." How ironic for Christians, since a requirement of discipleship is to love our enemies ... and to treat them as we would be treated.
Salim Munayer is a leader in seeking reconciliation in the Israel-Palestine conflict. I have respected his work for years, and had the chance to speak with him in Bethlehem a few months ago. He addresses this important issue in his most recent newsletter. (I've included it in its entirety after the jump) Quotable:
It is no sin to disagree on theological or political grounds. These disagreements will occur no matter how we may strive towards uniformity of belief. In fact, they represent the plurality of humankind’s understanding of God’s incomprehensible nature, each perspective adding richness and texture to the collective vision. However, as soon as we permit these differences and disagreements to stand in the way of fellowship, we are in opposition to God’s will and His commandment, to “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If there was ever any ambiguity concerning who our neighbor is, Jesus made it clear in His parable of the Good Samaritan. It is the outsider, the other, the enemy.We are commanded to break the taboo of meeting with, and of loving the other through fellowship.
For a great book on "the plurality of humankind’s understanding of God’s incomprehensible nature, each perspective adding richness and texture to the collective vision," check out John Franke's Manifold Witness.
You can learn more about Salim and Musalaha here. Thank God for leaders who are willing to cross "enemy lines" and have a meal together.
Continue reading Unforgivable ......
Peter says ...
This weekend the place to be is TransFORM. This impressive event is bringing together some of the most interesting and inspiring theological practitioners currently at work in the US. And I am not speaking primarily about the contributors. TransFORM seems to be creating a gravitational pull that is drawing in key people from across the US.And one of the most amazing things about it is that the event is totally free. This means that everyone organising and participating have given their time for nothing. I know that the people involved in this conference are not wealthy, and that many struggle to get by financially on a daily basis. Yet still everyone has committed their time and energy for free because they believe in the project at hand. Please consider taking a moment, looking at the schedule, and then reflecting upon how counter-Christendom that really is.
If you're anywhere around Washington, DC, such as in the Western Hemisphere, and you have any stirring in you about the need for new, inclusive, transformative faith communities, join Peter, me, and a bunch of other folks this weekend.
Continue reading Peter Rollins gets it right about this weekend in DC...
I had the honor of speaking at the National Cathedral on Sunday, celebrating Earth Day. You can listen to the recording here. The notes from my sermon (just notes, not an actual transcript) are included after the jump ...
I also participated in the Sunday Forum there. You can watch the video or listen to an MP3 of the forum here.
Yesterday afternoon, I had the chance to put into practice what I preached by taking a walk in the forest near my house. There - aptly, in light of the sermon - the Jack-in-the-Pulpits were in bloom, icons of the fact that all creation is preaching to us - about our common Creator, our proper "rangement" (as opposed to derangement), where we belong, what our duties are as stewards in and of creation.
Continue reading For the beauty of the earth ......
Following up on my recent post on emergent...
Bob Carlton (source of many amazing links) passed on this post and diagram on the general processes of emergence. I think it has relevance to the emergent conversation, and to the many different initiatives and movements many of us are involved with.
You can bring joy to your mother - and help to a mother in need somewhere around the world - by giving a gift from Trade as One.
I really appreciate it when folks feel free to say "I don't agree with you on everything" - but still can say that they gained something from my new book. That's how I feel when I read others' books: I never expect to agree with anyone on everything - I'm just glad when I can learn, be challenged, have my imagination stretched in some way.
I wanted to thank you for a New Kind of Christianity. Though I don't agree with you on everything, this book really encouraged me. I have taken many things to heart and used them recently in my own ministry and seen many lives changed while the conversation opened. Also, I have used many of your thoughts on yahoo answers and received incredible feedback on how well people like the answers. I guess because my name isn't Brian Mclaren the views are okay! (though I have been mass attacked by fundamentalists) Many people that are trying to find faith have been encouraged by what I have written and the credit goes all to you. Thanks again for writing this book. You have definitely impacted my life and ministry towards others.
Another reader writes:
I just want to tell you I appreciate the new book. I came out of the International Churches of Christ about seven years ago and you books have been a great help in my journey. Don’t let the negative stuff get you down. Many people don’t have the courage to say what they really believe. I believe you’re doing a good work.
The next writer overestimates how many emails I get ... but I'm always grateful to get emails like this:
I basically never comment on blogs or write to authors, or write letters to editors, etc., but I felt somewhat compelled to email you regarding your book A New Kind of Christianity, even though I figure you have to get multiple hundreds of emails a day.
I bought this book on the day it was released based upon the emergent church net buzz surrounding it. I anticipated a cogent and comprehensive discussion of “what’s next” for Christianity, having recently finished Phylis Tickle’s book The Great Emergence. However, to be frank, in the days leading up to its release and in the days immediately following, there were so many acrimonious posts going back and forth from all camps that I was a bit turned off to the whole scene. So, I let it sit on my desk, afraid to read it, worried that it would not be what I was hoping for, but instead that it would be mostly a rant against the religious establishment.
Early this week, I saw an acquaintance carrying the book around, so I decided to at least flip through it so I could intelligently discuss it with him. In short, I consumed the majority of the book in about 8 hours of reading over two days. I was delighted to see many of my big questions thrown out on the table for discussion without fear, and without accusation. I can imagine the current firestorm surrounding many of the topics, but I found nothing in the writing style that should set open minded people off, only those with dogma to deconstruct.
So, coming from a fundamentalist, discipleship, evangelical, spirit filled, dogmatic background, I say, kudos to you for trying to start a dialog. In the past several years I have deconstructed my entire theology and now I have all this stuff laying all over the floor so to speak, and I am trying to put it back together in some sort of order. I will have to say however, that as I read the book, cognizant of my own unique (and unabashedly sympathetic) perspective, I could see how many mainstream Christians will never make it past their dogma. 10 years or less ago, I would have burned the book and cried “heretic” myself.
The game changer in my life that has lead me away from fundamentalism was the grace filled realization that the Gospel, the Good News, was primarily and significantly that God loves us. Just as we are and not as we should be. And the entire Bible narrative, including the incarnation, is about God trying to tell us this. With this as a backdrop, when you ask the question, “is God violent”, in light of many of the old testament stories, you have to question the interpretation of those stories instead of assume that God by nature a) has enemies he hates; b) kicks their butt on a regular basis; and c) encourages us to do the same.
Hopefully I have provided some encouragement. Thanks for writing.
Yes, this does provide encouragement, and I am thankful to you for writing. Perhaps some of the sincere folks who are crying "heretic" and burning the book now will similarly feel differently in ten years. A hopeful thought!
The emergent conversation has been profoundly important in my life. It created (and creates) safe space for me to engage with questions that I've needed to engage with (the kinds of questions addressed in my latest book). It introduced me to Christians who have become dear and lifelong friends and learning partners. For me, the emergent conversation has been a life-giving, faith-enriching thing.
So I have read with some interest a number of recent analyses of where the conversation is and where it's going. I offered some of my own perspectives in a recent Relevant Magazine interview.
In my view, reports of the conversation's demise are greatly exaggerated. In some cases, they represent wishful thinking; in other cases, a limited frame of reference. From my perspective, Chapter 1 of the conversation may be ending, but there are many new and even better episodes to come. Or better put, what we call "the emergent conversation" may in fact be chapter 3 or 7 or 123 of a much longer storyline. That larger story is nowhere close to being over, and in fact, I don't think its most important work has even begun.
The real future, as I see it, isn't an intramural conversation among Evangelicals (as many think), or even among Western Christians (as others think), but rather an expanding conversation among progressive evangelicals, missional mainline Protestants, progressive Catholics, and postcolonial Christians from around the world. Its future may or may not still use words like emergent, emerging, etc., but the cat is out of the bag. Deep questions are being raised, and when that happens, you can take two predictions to the bank, one of them being that you can't get the questions back in the bag, and the second being that some people will try.
The latter will say, "I was OK when we were talking about making church more up-to-date, culturally relevant, and successful (i.e. large), but when we start asking deeper questions - about theology and justice, for example - I'm checking out." Now I've never been against making the church more up-to-date, culturally relevant, and effective, as beset as that project is with dangers, toils, and snares. (The obvious alternative - keeping the church out-of-date and culturally irrelevant and ineffective - has its problems too.) But I've repeatedly laid my cards on the table (for example, in EMC and NKoCy): I don't think the problems in the Christian religion are cosmetic. I think we have some deep issues to deal with - issues of theology, justice, narrative, and identity.
Lisa Sharon Harper gets it right in her recent open letter. She responds to important conversations being raised around Soong-Chan Rah's recent book and Sojo piece.
Some folks won't go there, but others of us, for conscience sake, have to grapple with the issue of Christendom and colonialism - and the inherent white-european-male-privilege with which Christendom has been historically and theologically complicit.
As Lisa explains, the Christians who have opened this discussion have been largely non-white and non-male. Sooner or later, white folks like me - especially the white males like me who have held the vast majority of the power in the Christian religion in all its main forms - have to decide if we are willing to become peers with our non-white non-male sisters and brothers. We have to decide - not just if we will give "them" a place at "our" table, but if we will go join "them" at "their" table - perhaps someday together forming new tables where "us" and "them" disappear into a larger "us."
Are we who have had the majority of power willing to learn to see the world from the perspective of the sub-altern (or marginal, non-privileged)? Are we willing - not simply to bring "the other" into our field of hegemony and homogeneity, enhancing our "diversity" (which can too easily simply be another form of colonization) - but to enter into the space created by those who have suffered under our hegemony and homogeneity? Are we willing to see margins as horizons?
Here's how I expressed the issue in the last chapter of NKoCy:
As we’ve seen, the term Christianity (like its cousin orthodoxy) has too often camouflaged something quite foreign to Christ and his message, something that is more the problem than the solution: a fusion of Greek philosophy and Roman power, alloyed or adorned with elements drawn from the Bible, which is interpreted and applied in ways that often betray Jesus’ life and teaching. Its defenders have unofficially mandated that when people try to modify that Greco-Roman orthodoxy, they must wear an adjective that brands them as aberrant, like a scarlet “A” sewn on their soul. For example, when theologians read the Bible through the lens of the Exodus narrative, they are called “liberation theologians,” but their counterparts who read it through the Greco-Roman narrative are never labeled “domination theologians” or “colonization theologians.” Similarly, we have “black theology” and “feminist theology,” but Greco-Roman orthodoxy is never called “white theology” or “male theology.” Having become utterly normative for most of us, it’s just “theology.” (p. 256)
I then acknowledge that even my book's clumsy modifier "a new kind of" can simply be a way of letting those in power tolerate diversity without addressing the deeper issues of violence, racism, colonialism, sexism, and imperialism that lie unacknowledged or hide undetected within hallowed words like Christianity, Evangelical, Mainline, Catholic, Orthodox, and so on.
So, thank God for Lisa Sharon Harper, Soong-Chan Rah, Tony Jones, Gabriel Salguero, and others who have waded into this profoundly and painfully important subject. The process is awkward and messy at times, but as my friend Randy Woodley says in The Justice Project, the key issue is to stay at the table when you're hurt and offended and misunderstood and made uncomfortable.
May we all - especially those of us who are white and/or male - come and stay at the table, pause to listen before we react, take a deep breath to expand before we contract, and prayerfully remain open before we shut down. Because now, I'd say, is when the emergent conversation (whatever it's called) could get more interesting and important than ever.
On a happy note, just as I was reading through this important thread of conversation, I received the announcement of this November's emergent village theological conversation. The topic and speakers - as well as the makeup of the emergent village council -
bring joy to my heart, and speak to a hopeful future. We all live in the creative tension of progress made and a long way yet to go.
Criticism can destroy us in so many ways.
First, it can overwhelm us. We can side with the criticism and let it fuel a kind of self-hatred in us. A house divided against itself can't stand, and when we let criticism turn us into our own enemies, we will soon become discouraged, depressed, and paralyzed.
Second, it can harden us. We can respond to it with defensiveness and in so doing become arrogant, mean-spirited, reactive, and closed to needed correction.
Third, it can sour us. We can respond to criticism with criticism, becoming aggressive rather than defensive, and soon we're doing to others exactly as they have done to us. That's not the Golden Rule!
Fourth, it can frighten us. We stop taking risks. We start playing to "the fear of man," which, the Proverb says, "brings a snare."
Criticism can also mature us in so many ways.
First, it can correct us. There's often truth in what the critic sees about us or our work, even though he or she may express it crudely. We're wise indeed if we can let the harsh chaff go, and still receive the grain of truth.
Second, even where it's unfair and inaccurate, criticism can teach us. It can help us understand the fears, biases, assumptions, and issues that animate our critics. If we want to get our message through in the future, we'll need to better understand those with whom we seek to communicate.
Third, it can sweeten us rather than sour us. We can grow to a place where we actually love our enemies, where we see behind the fault to a need, and we can seek to meet the need rather than focus on the fault. In short, we can become more Christ-like, since Jesus, "when he was reviled, did not revile in return."
There's much more that could be said, but I think you'll see it all for yourself in this powerful prayer by a Serbian Orthodox bishop. This resource has helped me more than any other single thing to hold criticism "up to the light" and process it in God's presence. Each time a new book comes out and I begin to prepare myself for a new round of critical response, this prayer becomes important to me in new and deeper ways. I've heard from some discouraged friends lately, so it seemed good to share it again. (after the jump)
Continue reading If you're getting criticized ......
I just saw Julie Clawson et al's excellent synchro-blog on the subject - here. By the way, Earth Day is a great day to invest in a book on eco-justice. Julie's book is a winner, and you can download a free kindle version of it at her site!
I'll be delivering a public lecture at Montgomery College.
Press Release after the jump ...
Continue reading In Rockville, Maryland - Tuesday night, April 27...
A beautiful initiative from Eugene Cho ...
The Movement of One Day's Wages from One Day's Wages on Vimeo.
This Wednesday, my friends Mark Yaconelli and Robin Fillmore are involved with this event about getting past partisan gridlock ... I wish I could be there!
This Friday and Saturday, I'll be speaking on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Information here.
This Sunday, April 25, I'll be at the National Cathedral in DC. Information here.
And then I'll be reading from my new book and responding to questions at Montgomery College in Rockville on the 27th at 7:00 p.m. Information here.
Finally, if you haven't heard about the Transform Network, please consider joining us at Wesley Seminary April 30 - May 1. Info here.
I'm impressed again and again in the emails I receive how people articulate what's not working in their religious lives ... I think this sense of a split personality will resonate with a lot of readers.
i will admit when i got your first book i could not read it. (adventures in missing the point). my heart pounding and fearful of being deceived...i was too afraid to embrace this new "emerging" thought. but...there was a "something" in it that kept me coming back. i had to let go of the false ideas first...those ingrained things that really are not supported by Scripture but are simply traditions of men
and now...
now that i have all of your books here...and all the sermons and talks i could find on Itunes and YouTube, I am seriously thanking God Almighty for your courage to step out and start conversations that have made so many stop and research it out for themselves so that they may truly KNOW Him.
It has been thru the last few of your books that I feel the Light is coming back onto "the Good News" as the old religion had dimmed it significantly for me. the "split personality" feeling about God and my own thought life is gone.
your ability to be honest and wrestle with the traditions and "doctrines" and the ability to point to the (now) obvious holes is a gift. thank you for using your gift to expose a Father God who loves, and a Son who forgives.....all of us. I look forward to hearing more from you in the next years....
If you're unfamiliar with Centurion's Guild and their important work, you'll find information here. I'd encourage you to sign up for their newsletter. You can read a report about the recent Truth Commission ... after the jump. Included are some important links.
Continue reading A report on the Truth Commission ......
Interesting thoughts from someone about to read my new book ...
Dear Mr. McLaren,I'll be honest right from the beginning - the train, for me, has left the station and I won't be returning to organized religion any time soon.
More so, I tend to be pretty outspoken against it whenever the setting seems appropriate. I don't consider myself an atheist and, at the same time, dislike the term agnostic because it seems so indecisive. I have a (to me) clear and distinct, if eclectic, faith. Jesus is even still a part of it. That said, I wouldn't find a home in any church I've ever heard of even if I was so inclined.
But my Mom and Dad still believe hard. I may wish that they were 'free' enough to escape what I see as the manipulation of formal religion, but I don't hold their faith against them because, well, that would just be hypocritical wouldn't it? That's why I appreciate the idea of your book (I say 'idea' because I haven't yet read it - I start in a few days though): from what I have read you are creating space for faith to evolve. And I respect that.
One of my largest problems with religions and formal systems of belief, all of them, has been the hubris involved in thinking that we know it all. The concept of god I believe makes it ridiculously foolish to think we will ever know much; that it's a journey that we can start but never finish nor get very far along in the space of a human lifetime. Organized religion, on the other hand, seems to hoist itself onto a podium as the sole arbiter of access to god. I find this ridiculous and arrogant, on a scale similar to believing that a person could learn everything there is to know about the universe by looking up at the night sky once or twice and watching a show on Discovery. Personally, I don't want to know a god that can be explained to me by someone who thinks that small.
But books like yours expand the possibilities and make it permissible for religion, religious leaders and believers, one and all, to keep looking for more to the story. They make exploration a present possibility instead of something that people did in the past. They make it okay to still want to aspire, and that is a step in the right direction.
Thanks for thinking and not settling.
An encouraging note that came in a few weeks ago.
Hi Brian, I just wanted to try and drop you a note to let you know that I believe (and hope) that your book: "A New Kind of Christianity: Ten Questions That Are Transforming the Faith" has changed my life forever.I told my wife earlier today that I thought so. I told her that I was reading a book that had "resolved my problems with the bible." She said: "so, are you throwing it out" (meaning the bible; she was serious I think). I laughed and said, "Oh no, quite the contrary."
So, that exchange probably tells you a lot about where I've been and hopefully where I'm going.
I still haven't finished it; I really liked the early chapters, and especially the one on how you think we should understand the bible better (constitution versus library). That was a wonderful way to look at it and wiped away so, so, so many problems I have had with inerrency. Those problems alone nearly drove me entirely away from my Christian faith.
But, I was still afraid you wouldn't really be able to effectively address the conflicts I've struggled with in grappling with the apparent conflict between a just God that seems true and a vindictive God that doesn't really make sense (which is the God that church doctrine forces on us -- well me anyway).
Your explanation of how God became Jesus and therefore Jesus is the best interpretation and understanding we have of God was terrific as that is true, biblical and washes away so many problems.
Then I got to the chapter on "What is the Gospel" and I was so excited to find your explanation for how the bible actually supports a gospel that makes sense, rings true and is something I can truly believe in. Pages 140 - 141 in particular have many many underlines, circles, stars, etc on them :)
I can't wait to read the rest, (though I must confess I have jumped ahead and skimmed a bit to try to find your "answers" to various other questions) but did want to get this off to you today, since it's still March 5, 2010 which will be a day I'll remember and talk about for the rest of my life.
Thanks so much for doing what you do. It also is important that you have clearly articulated an emergent theology that is comprehensive and defensible. (I have been searching for this and arguing in various emergent type forums that we need it -- and usually I am told forget it -- there is no emergent theology ...) But what you have articulated is even biblical!! Wow, I can quit attacking the bible. Imagine that. Certainly will be a "new kind of christianity" for me anyway.
Please don't let your critics get you down. Just keep smiling and telling them you love them no matter what. Even if they don't love you. I think that grace, beauty and truth will shine through. (I need to follow your example there as I tend to get rather hot-headed in religious debates.)
Well, know that God is using you to work in -- well, at least one life for sure :)
Thanks again,
Here's the Q:
My name is xx. I'm [in my 30's], a product of Catholic School and a Methodist upbringing. I am a published poet and currently work at the Job Corps in Pittsburgh.
I just finished your book "Everything Must Change." It was one of the best books I've read in a long time. Over the past ten years or so I've volunteered with soup kitchens and homeless organizations in ... NY, NYC, and ... Pittsburgh. I am very impressed by the courage you show in your writing. The world would be so much better for so many people, if there was more empathy, instead of consumer induced apathy. There seem to be many who want our government to do all, which I feel that over the last ten years it has not done nearly enough. I was against both the war in Iraq and Afghanistan and participated in protests in NYC and Washington, DC. It is staggering the amount we are willing to spend on bombing people, yet we put up such a fight when asked to put up a much smaller amount to feed them, or help prevent diseases, or for that matter, when we are asked to pay a little more in taxes so our fellow citizens will have access to afordable healthcare.
Anyway, I'm rambling, but thanks for your book and insight. What else can I do as an ordinary citizen to help?
Reply after the jump ...
Continue reading Q & R: empathy or apathy?...
A pastor writes:
In your post Is God Violent? How about Jesus? How about. . .? you do a good job of explaining your view that Jesus is not violent, even in his second coming. But, what about God in the OT? He kills people, whole nations, women and children, etc. If Jesus is the full revelation of God, how do you reconcile this killing with a vonviolent version of Jesus?
This is such an important question. I've been a little surprised to see many Christians answer by saying, basically, "Yes, God is violent. What's the problem with that?"
As you know, I don't find that a satisfactory answer. The first four sections in my new book together try to find a more credible and ethical response.
The narrative question - what's the big storyline of the Bible?
The authority question - how does the Bible have authority? what kind of authority?
The God question - is God violent, and if not, how do we deal with all the violent Bible passages?
The Jesus question - who is Jesus and why is he important?
There's been an interesting dialogue going on at Scot McKnight's blog over one of the ten questions from my new book. If you don't want to read all of the comments, I'd recommend you start at #60. My responses are #64 and #71.
Here's a great conference - A Sustainable Faith - happening in Florida April 23-24. Although I can't be there, this is a subject close to my heart.
And the Transform Network gathers in DC the following weekend, April 29-May 1. Info here and the whole schedule here. The purpose of the gathering is ...
"to bring together men and women who are on the verge of starting new communities or are already cultivating new communities and to give them the encouragement and resources they need to get started and be sustainable."
Here's the Q:
I am reading the 10 Questions book. I am struck by your directness that certainly does challenge/raise concerns/give hope.
In your chapter about Jesus, where you discuss Revelation, you quote [a well known critic of yours]. Yet, you do not call him by name. Given that you are strong in your critique of his perspective, why not call him by name? You can still be respectful (as I think you are). But it feels awkward. You quote him, but do not cite the quote.
Then you do the same thing again in the next chapter (though you refer to a youtube video). Again, why not call the person by name?
I find myself agreeing with much of what you say, and then wondering how I am to share it with others. The setting aside fo the 6 point narrative (one so beloved to many) - I wonder what that means for me?
Blessings to you and those in your care. Thank you for sharing things so definitely, because it gets us thinking.
Reply after the jump.
Continue reading Q & R: A new Kind of Christianity: anonymity?...
I'll be speaking at the Episcopal Diocese on the Maryland Eastern Shore April 23-24. Info here.
Then I'll be at the National Cathedral in DC on the 25th. Info here.
I'll be reading from my new book and answering questions at Montgomery College in Rockville, MD (where I grew up) on Tuesday evening, April 27. Info here.
And then at Wesley Seminary, April 30-May 1, I'll be with the Transform Network. Info here.
This from a former church planter and pastor:
I just wanted to say thank you for your wonderful gift of ANKoC. ... these past few years have been challenging ones. In some ways perhaps a wilderness. Reading ANKoC has been such an encouragement! It has reminded me how important this Quest is and given me renewed focus. Your words and insight provide so much for thought, reflection and consideration. I have always believed that the way of Jesus is not as complicated as so many would want to make it and your ability to provide a macro view in the way you do is so helpful. I want to especially thank you for CH 20. I decided long ago on this quest, that whatever the way forward I did not want to burn every bridge behind me. Your spectrum metaphor has given me, I believe, a way of helping others to consider inclusion. May the Lord grant you wisdom and understanding as you continue in the way he leads you.
Another encouraging note after the jump:
Continue reading A new Kind of Christianity: more responses...
I'm one of the original signers of this Civility Covenant. I hope you will be too.
Continue reading Pro-Civility...
I just received this:
I am emailing from UKCMC, we are a British Christian Music TV Programme, which broadcasts on a weekly basis on UCB TV (SKY 586) and simultaneously online at www.ucb.co.uk. We broadcast a cross range of British Christian Artistes and Music videos from the UK and abroad and we include a weekly top 5 book chart countdown courtesy of Eden.co.uk.Our 3rd Series began broadcasting on Saturday 3rd April 2010 at 10am, with repeats tomorrow (Wednesday) at 5.30pm and 12.30am and Friday 9 April at 5.30pm.
We are pleased to inform you that your brilliant book 'A New Kind of Christianity' is a new entry at Number 4 in the UKCMC BookCharts compiled by Eden.co.uk and will be broadcast this Sat 10 April at 10am.
Continue reading Friends in the UK...
... please pray for peaceful elections leading to a new day for Africa's largest nation, Sudan.
Salam Sudan from World Relief NEXT on Vimeo.
Provocative reflections on what Glenn Beck's popularity means ... from Friends of Justice.
From an honest Baptist pastor ...
I have enjoyed reading Generous Orthodoxy and I am still working on Everything Must Change. I just can't read your stuff very fast - too much to think about. I go to coffee, read a chapter and think for days on it.
One issue that keeps coming up in my own struggle with understanding God is the wrathfulness and killing I see in the Old Testament and Revelation. This does not seem to be the same character I see in Jesus, unless the crucifixion is necessary for a blood-thirsty God to be satisfied. I have a great deal of difficulty with this, but it is in the bible. Specifically as Passover is coming up and I read through the account of the plagues and the fleeing of the Hebrews into the desert, I see God as a Being that has to assert its will upon the people in war-like, destructive ways to show that it is really God: Exodus 7-14. This happens in many other places, to the point that winning war is because God is with us and losing is because God is not. In Revelation we have destruction that seems to be led by God - destruction of people, land, sun, moon and stars.
Being in even a moderate Baptist church, I feel like people get tired of me teaching just about the "Jesus-God", some of them still want the controling/wrathful God. I just have a very difficult time going there. How do we deal with the apparent dichotomy in the biblical witness of this vengeful/wrathful/killing God and the God revealed in Emmanuel, God with us, Jesus? Thanks!
R: This question is so important. And it's not going away. It's a major theme of my new book, A New Kind of Christianity, which is built around ten important questions that I believe are transforming the faith. The Narrative Question, the Authority Question, the Bible Question, the Jesus Question, and the Future Question in the book are all related to various facets of your question here. So I hope that when you finish EMC, you'll find this helpful.
One quick thought here - the language in Revelation about the sun, moon, and stars being destroyed is still taken literally by a lot of Bible readers. But now it's widely accepted among our best scholars that this was common apocalyptic language in Jesus' era ... it was a way of saying, "There will be a revolutionary shake-up in high places." Today we might say, "Those were earth-shattering election results" today, or "The Senate is going to choose the nuclear option" - not referring to dropping literal bombs.
Your sentence, "Some of them still want the controlling/wrathful God" is fascinating, and disturbing. It's worthwhile, I think, for all of us to reflect on what is desirable to people in this image of God - what do they get out of it, what does it do for them, how does it "help" them. This is an issue not just in Christianity, but also in Islam, Judaism, and other religions too.
This note expresses sentiments that I believe are more common than many people realize:
Hi. I'm listening to the audiobook "A Generous Orthodoxy" --checked out from my library. I feel so encouraged by a lot of what's been said there about faith. I'm not finished but I do want to pause and say that though I have been an agnostic theist for years hiding in the religion I was raised in, in Southern Baptist congregations, the words I'm hearing give me hope that maybe there really is a place for faith, hope and the greatest which is love. I've been thinking quite a lot lately about Christianity for all practical purposes being largely atheistic rather than faithful because so much of believing seems about beliefs, avowals and logic rather than knowing God, being with God, and knowing our own being.Thanks, Brian, for sharing your own journey with us and for talking with clarity about many things I somehow didn't dare to say to myself or question.
Here's a book I contributed to that I hope you'll read and encourage others to read ...
Ancient Faith, Future Mission ...
And Methodists, Lutherans, Catholics, Pentecostals, and Southern Baptists can read it too!
Barnes & Noble
http://productsearch.barnesandnoble.com/search/results.aspx?store=BOOK&WRD=ancient+faith+future+mission
My most recent Nick and Josh podcast appearance was a conversation with Phyllis Tickle and John Shelby Spong. Interesting!
The NPR piece on A New Kind of Christianity created a lot of response, like this:
Heard your interview on NPR this morning and thought it was great. I know you are getting intense criticism from the “brethren” but don’t lose heart! I was just having a conversation with a group of friends that have “left the evangelical church” and they are finding great encouragement knowing they don’t have to walk away from faith and you are inspiring many of them (BTW - all ages not just young adults).
More after the jump, especially from Baptists.
Continue reading A New Kind of Christianity: response to public attention...
A reader writes:
Thank you for "A New Kind of Christianity." Thank you so much. I cannot begin to describe how it has manumitted me from my imprisoned conceptions of God, Jesus and the Bible. Thank you!Came across a quote I thought you might enjoy. You spoke of the Gospels as central in Scripture (to briefly summarize). In Origen's commentary on John, he writes, "The Gospels are the first fruits of all the Scriptures." That really resonated with some of your thoughts on the centrality of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John's testimonies of Jesus.
Thanks for the note. Origen seems to be saying something similar to Luther's comment that the Bible is the manger, presenting Jesus to the world. (more after the jump)
Continue reading A New Kind of Christianity: Jesus and the Bible...
Here.
Kudos to CT for carrying this, and to Chuck for writing it. An important stand.
PS: Another wrinkle in this story here.
Almost every week, I receive questions like this one (and a related one after the jump):
I have what might just end up being a rhetorical question. One of the main reasons I’m seriously considering [doing PhD work] is because I think it will open doors for writing and teaching. At the same time, I would love to be a part of one of these new faith communities you talk about... Trouble is, it’s hard to make a career out of this!I already know some of what I want to write about though, and I’m not sure I need a PhD to do it considering I’m mostly interested in a popular audience.... But finally, I come to my question. Do you think it’s worth going to the trouble of getting a PhD if I’m not really aspiring to be an “academic” in the traditional sense? Tony Jones would probably be a good person to ask too since he’s ABD . . . It’s not that I wouldn’t be interested in a professorship. I just wouldn’t want to be bogged down by all the tenure and journal-publishing pressures. Anyway, I understand if you are unable to respond promptly or even at all, so take your time and no pressure of course! My career crisis at the end of the day is an incredibly insignificant thing compared to all of the “real” issues we should be dealing with.
We all know that for the person in it, a career crisis is major ... and many people share this struggle ... so this question and the related one (after the jump) really matter. Since this email references Tony, I'm wondering if he'd be willing to offer his comments on this subject on his blog - and entertain the comments of others?
Continue reading Seminary, Bible College, other educational opportunities - to go or not to go?...
Here's the NPR link to the piece regarding my new book, and you'll find the response after the jump ...
Continue reading An Atheist Responds to NPR piece ......
... in this history of the human race: here.
As a supporter of nuclear weapons abolition and The Two Futures Project, I'm thrilled to see the major step forward that our nation took yesterday, described here.
In Chapter 20 of A New Kind of Christianity, I sketch out a seven-zone quest to describe various ways human beings and societies grow and develop. It draws from the work of Clare Graves and others.
Here's another macrohistorical schema ...
I think we need a variety of ways of trying to grasp the big picture ... so I see the various schemas as complementary, not contradictory. Al Mozingo sent this summary Chapter 20.
The quest for a higher level of spirituality. Most historians when looking at the stages of human development and spirituality will come up with something like this: #1 – Our quest for survival. A need for food, water, and shelter. We asked for help from God. #2 – Our quest for security. As we developed into clans and tribes we farmed our own land. Our neighbors attacked us and crops fail. We became warriors and our protector and provider was God. #3 – Our quest for power. We found a world of competing cities and states with powerful warlords. Each group looking for a competitive advantage. We saw God as our king. #4 – Our quest for independence. In an age of powerful kings, they tend to be corrupt; they exploited us, and became a threat to us. We studied Theology – we studied God. #5 – Our quest for individuality. The world became a rational machine, operating according to physical, biological, social, moral, and spiritual laws. We were free to discover and express ourselves; exercising our personal freedom through competition for goods and services. Personal success was a key element. We found self-help at Mega Churches with “personal spirituality” with “personal salvation.” #6 – Our quest for honesty. In our enlightenment as we were plundering the planet, we saw a world of extinction with our actions, and atomic bombs that could destroy the planet. Our Western “civilized” military-industrial complex and our capitalist system did not seem like the ultimate answer to everything. We probably actually move not only toward honesty, but also perhaps even humility. #7 – Our quest for ? It looks like we could name this healing, unifying, peace, and love. From a word, from Africa, with a rich meaning ubuntu – one-another-ness, interconnectedness, joined-in-the-common-good-ness, and profound commitment to the well-being of all. A quest for sacredness, a desire to live in a growing conscious awareness of the presence of God and the goodness of God reflected in all things. Will a new spirituality emerge?
Ah, paying taxes. In our family, I handled the taxes for a year or two but I was so inept at it that Grace has been our tax expert ever since. It says a lot about our relative strengths in mathematics - and patience.
You're probably working on your tax forms too. Can there be a spiritual dimension to paying taxes? Bread for the World says yes, and they provide resources to make it so here. They even offer resources you might want to use at your church this Sunday. Worth checking out!
A reader writes:
Hi Brian,I'm looking forward to reading ANKoC soon. After watching your discussion of library vs. Constitution on the narrative question, I
wanted to share a similar metaphor that has been especially helpful
for me in searching for a new mode of interpretation that also
maintains a level of sacredness: The Bible as a Family album.Every family I've ever known has its beloved matriarchs and
patriarchs... and always a crazy uncle or two that you may not be
proud of. Bu they're still family and you absolutely keep them in the
family album. Not because you want their behavior to be exemplary for
coming generations, but because all of us need to know where we came
from in order to know who we are. Not every page has to be proscriptive.And a family album is sacred. Even with the embarrassing uncle...
perhaps because of the embarrassing uncle. It is sacred because it is
the only one you've got. It is sacred because it is a part of you and
you a part if it.I originally got this metaphor from Eugene Boring, who is a biblical
scholar in the Stone Campbell Movement. Maybe it's helpful to you.Thank you for asking so many good questions.
Thanks for this note. It's an excellent metaphor!
A great question ...
You teach on welcoming those with different beliefs than your own. I was wondering then if you could publicly write a statement that says something positive to those who don't have a similar theological understand as you. For eg., could you perhaps say something positive about a literal rapture eschatology? I have several charismatic friends who strongly espouse this belief. For eg., can the belief in a literal rapture be reconciled with advocating a healthy environment. Also, for those who believe in a literal hell or penal substution be all that bad? Dr. Tim Keller is one who is able to reconcile these doctrines to help better shape society.
Continue reading Q & R: Could you say something positive?...
Here's the Q:
I’m a distant UK friend who has been much encouraged by your words over the last couple of years – thank you. Recently I’ve been examining my own faith (of about 18 years now), thinking about what it is I believe, what I think being a disciple of Jesus means. I’ve been amazed at how easy it has been to drift along and fall into the familiar grooves of this well trod path.Only when I was challenged by a friend that stopped believing and pointed out a lot of the problems with faith, did I really look at what I was doing. By then, after many years of not thinking hard enough I found I couldn’t see the wood for trees (hope you know that saying). Even the most basic questions seem unfathomable – like, ‘What is the good news’. What is the good news that Jesus came to tell us?
I know it’s such a basic question that it may seem crazy to ask, but I’d really appreciate the shortest of answers from your perspective.
R: This simple question is so important and powerful. In many ways, it has been the focus of my recent books, especially A New Kind of Christianity, Everything Must Change, and the Secret Message of Jesus. Here's how I'd say it in a sentence (after the jump):
Continue reading Q & R: What is the Gospel?...
Fr. Richard Rohr celebrates the holy resurrection of the Lord like this:
Christ Crucified is all of the hidden, private, tragic pain of history made public and given over to God. Christ Resurrected is all of that private, ungrieved, unnoted suffering received, loved, and transformed by an All-Caring God. How else could we believe in God at all? How else could we have any kind of cosmic hope? How else would we not die of sadness for what humanity has done to itself and to one another?Jesus is the blueprint, the plan, the pattern revealed in one body and moment of history to reveal the meaning of all of history and each of our lives. The cross is the banner of what we do to one another and to God. The resurrection is the banner of what God does to us in return.
Easter is the announcement of God’s perfect and final victory.
A number of bloggers share their reflections on resurrection ... here.
A prayer:
Living God, the risen Christ is on the move among us, but often we don't recognize him. Like Mary Magdalene, we weep by the tomb, interpreting events in their worst possible light, until we hear the risen one call our name. Like the men walking to Emmaus, we think the bad guys have one, until we see Jesus alive in the breaking of the bread. Like the disciples on the beach, we go back to our old lives of fishing, while the risen Christ is on the beach making a fire for a breakfast we're about to catch. Like Saul of Tarsus, we blindly surge forward doing our religious duty - even when it includes religious violence - until an unrecognized voice arrests us on the road, and when we ask, "Who are you, Lord?" we hear the answer: "Jesus, the one you are persecuting."So now, where we face disappointment, discouragement, lack of faith or hope, or lack of conscience ... we open ourselves this Easter morning to discover that you are already here, unrecognized. Today, may we once again hear our name, recognize Christ in the breaking of bread, cast our nets again, and know the good news that the Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!"
Here's a new podcast interview up - from Travis Mamone.
This in from an ex-evangelical reader ...
i just finished your new book, 'a new kind of christianity.' i'd only read one other before that, 'the secret message of jesus.' i want to THANK YOU for being so brave in writing this book. it is DEEPLY NECESSARY..... in fact, it gives me a good dose of hope that such a prolific christian writer, such as yourself, is saying these things. i'm right with you...... in the last year or so, i've dabbled with agnosticism and i'm still not sure i can even believe in god anymore, let alone the evangelical christian one i was raised on. your book makes the christian path more plausible to me once again. for all the crap you may be getting about saying what you have in your new book, i am not in doubt that i represent many voices who are saying "yes yes yes!" keep on this brave path brian. keep on!
Good Friday.
Here in Maryland, it's a beautiful spring day ... bursting with life. But only a few months ago, the area was buried under nearly three feet of snow.
Wherever there is death ... wherever hope is buried ... wherever evil triumphs over law, and wherever law triumphs over grace ... wherever injustice, unkindness, and arrogance are winning ... just wait. It's not over yet.
While I've been focused on my new book, I continue to hear good reports about previous books, like this:
I just finished reading a "Generous Orthodoxy" and found it to be one of the most enlightening and interesting books I have read. We also have a small group of Methodists and Episcopalians reading, "everything must change". It is also a great read... Please keep writing and we will keep reading.
Here's another:
I've just finished; Everything Must Change, and I wish all my Christian friends would read your profound words about when the world's biggest problems and Jesus' Good News collide. In my opinion you've "hit the nail on the head" ,and your refreshing thoughts and ideas are very exciting. I try to reflect the Light of Christ into the darkness of our world, and your book has encouraged me to continue without ceasing. We know it's so easy to get discouraged and follow along with the suicide machine, but with God's help and other Christians like yourself, we feel God's love and praise Him for the life we're given. In closing, I hope you're having a blessed Holy Week and will have a most Joyful Easter.
And on NKoCy:
I think A New Kind of Christianity is just terrific. I identified with a lot of the questions. As a formerly Southern but still Baptist, and at the risk of being uncivil, any book that Al Mohler dislikes so much has got to be great!
I wonder if this first Palm Sunday in Jerusalem was in any way like this one - just five days ago.
Some people I met in Palestine recently were among those arrested in the Palm Sunday demonstration, and I understand two of them still haven't been released.
Have you ever considered the original Palm Sunday as a kind of demonstration - guerrilla theatre - performance art? The whole week was full of this kind of thing - riding the donkey into Jerusalem, letting his followers make a lot of noise, cursing the fig tree (as we've seen), cleansing the temple, and so on.
That first holy week was full of danger. There was defiance of the authorities, threats of arrest, criticism by those who thought Jesus and his group were going too far too fast. Danger. Controversy. Fear. Courage.
When was the last time you and I took risks for God's mission in the world? What would it look like today if we had Jesus' courage, determination, and wisdom?
Lord, we don't want to be foolhardy. We don't want to be unwise. But neither do we want to be overly comfortable and cowardly. Help us to make all our weeks more holy by seeking to take wise and courageous risks each week, as your Holy Son did - risks of love, risks of honesty, risks of service, risks of generosity, risks for justice. And so let us be instruments of your peace, in the way of Jesus, by the power of your Spirit. Amen.
Here are my posts on the subject at Sojo (shorter version) and Huffington Post (longer version).
The St. Gregory's blog has been posting a detailed series of reflections on my book Everything Must Change. The last post references this quote in my endnotes from Bonhoeffer:
(Footnote 6 on page 327) “In a sermon on 2 Corinthians 12:9, Dietrich Bonhoeffer spoke of the need for more public action against injustice: ‘Christianity stands or falls with its revolutionary protest against violence, arbitrariness and pride of power and with its plea for the weak Christians are doing too little to make these points clear rather than too much. Christendom adjusts itself far too easily to the worship of power. Christians should give more offense, shock the world far more, than they are doing now. Christians should take a stronger stand in favor of the weak rather than considering first the possible right of the strong.’
Two kinds of offense these days - one typified by so-called Christian militias, and another by those who speak out against violence, especially when it's promoted in the name of God.
Here's a great way to help people understand our stewardship responsibility. (Thanks, Joe Carson!)
http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/25/new-ways-to-gauge-the-finite-atmosphere/
In the mystery of incarnation, we Christians believe that God bonds forever with humanity. God doesn't simply enter humanity when Jesus is born and then depart when he ascends: God takes humanity into God's self in an indissoluble union. So during Holy Week, as we consider the sufferings of God in Christ nearly 2000 years ago, it is appropriate to ask where humanity is being beaten and bloodied today ... because these assaults are assaults on the God who is forever bonded with humanity in suffering.
One such place is Eastern Congo. Congo Peace and Enough provide a good introduction to the ongoing atrocities continuing there ... millions dead, mass rapes, complicit neighboring and distant governments, corporate corruption, environmental destruction, exploitation of resources, heartbreak on a scale that's hard to imagine. Fifteen hundred people died yesterday due to violence and displacement, and fifteen hundred more will die today. And tomorrow, unless ...
And so this prayer ...
God our Creator, of all your masterpieces of creation, Africa is among the most wonderful. Forests, plains, rivers, mountains ... elephants, giraffes, gazelles, lions ... weaver finches, acacias, banyans, chimpanzees ... and living among them since the dawn of humanity, tribes of beautiful, creative, resilient people ... from the Twa in the central rainforests to the Khoisan and Fulani in the deserts to the South and North. And there in the heart of Africa, a fertile jewel called the Congo.Our hearts ache for what is happening there. Can it be, Living God, that in every rape, you are being raped? That in every killing, you are being killed? That in every dirty diamond and coltan mine, you are being exploited? That in every child soldier being kidnapped and forced to kill, your future is being stolen? That as the international community turns a blind eye and falls asleep, your beloved Son is being - again, as in that first holy week - abandoned by his friends to weep alone and be betrayed into the hands of those who only want him to exploit him?
Living God, with us in our suffering and dying, rouse us from our sleep so we may stand by Africa, and especially the wound in its heart in Eastern Congo. Begin by moving us to learn what is happening there, and having learned, to care, and caring, to advocate, and advocating, to persist until change comes. May resurrection come to the people of Eastern Congo, and to all those who suffer in Africa. And may resurrection come to the rest of us, so that we realize that if you are bound to those who suffer, so are we. In injustice and suffering we are bound to one another, and you to us, Most Merciful God. May we be instruments of your peace, through the Prince of Peace. Amen.
[For my previous posts on the Congo, go here.]
Andrew Perriman offers a question-by-question series of reviews here ...
This response from a reader in Texas - especially interesting are his reflections on the recent SBTS panel:
Probably like many others, I felt compelled to read your new book simply because of all the intense debate. I have read about six of your other books, so I was not a stranger to your approach to the gospel.
Continue reading A New Kind of Christianity: More reviews and responses...
Another thoughtful set of questions about the new book at Patheos ...
Here.
My sense is that "what is trying to be born" in the pregnant Christian faith will involve a convergence of Roman Catholic, Evangelical/Charismatic, and Mainline Protestant Christians (along with, I hope, some Eastern Orthodox as well). That's why I pay special attention to notes like this one ...
As usual, I remove names for anonymity.
I am a retired Catholic priest and I never thought I had much in common with Evangelicals, except perhaps Jesus, and that briefly! Then, while I was driving this morning, I heard the report on your book on NPR for March 26, along with some of the rather strident theological opposition, and immediately my ears pricked up and I found myself thinking, this guy is onto something.
Continue reading A New Kind of Christianity: A Catholic convergence...
One of the strangest events of holy week is the cursing of the fig tree (Matthew 21, Mark 11).
F. F. Bruce offered this explanation (from Hard Sayings of the Bible):
Was it not unreasonable to curse the tree for being fruitless when, as Mark expressly says, "it was not the season for figs"? The problem is most satisfactorily cleared up in a discussion called "The Barren Fig Tree" published many years ago by W. M. Christie, a Church of Scotland minister in Palestine under the British mandatory regime. He pointed out first the time of year at which the incident is said to have occurred (if, as is probable, Jesus was crucified on April 6th, A.D. 30, the incident occurred during the first days of April). "Now," wrote Christie, "the facts connected with the fig tree are these. Toward the end of March the leaves begin to appear, and in about a week the foliage coating is complete. Coincident with [this], and sometimes even before, there appears quite a crop of small knobs, not the real figs, but a kind of early forerunner. They grown to the size of green almonds, in which condition they are eaten by peasants and others when hungry. When they come to their own indefinite maturity they drop off." These precursors of the true fig are called taqsh in Palestinian Arabic. Their appearance is a harbinger of the fully formed appearance of the true fig some six weeks later. So, as Mark says, the time for figs had not yet come. But if the leaves appear without any taqsh, that is a sign that there will be no figs. Since Jesus found "nothing but leaves" - leaves without any taqsh- he knew that "it was an absolutely hopeless, fruitless fig tree" and said as much.
In this sense, the parable becomes a dramatic enactment of Jesus' parable of the fig tree (Luke 13:6 ff), and reinforces his similar agricultural metaphor from John 15. The point? I don't like boiling down a parable or story into a point - but one dimension of it, I think, is this: if a tree doesn't produce good fruit, after enough second chances and heroic efforts at renewing it, something more fruitful will take its place.
So in economics, capitalism proved more fruitful than feudalism; then communism tried to improve upon capitalism but eventually proved less fruitful. Now, capitalism itself is struggling to correct itself and the question is open whether it can adapt to environmental limits and the corruptions of unaccountable power - or whether it will self-destruct by producing good fruit for too few and bad fruit for too many. In terms of government, warlords and monarchies came and (largely) went, as did segregation and apartheid, giving way to more just, intelligent, and fruitful ways of organizing ourselves. In religion, indulgences came and went; crusades and conquistadores and colonizers came and went; the defense of slavery and racism came and went, and so on. But the forms that remain today, the fig tree tells us, must pass the fruit test, or they too will pass away.
Lord, help us to affirm our loyalty, not to this or that tree, but to the fruit they are to bear ... not to this or that wineskin, but to the wine they are to carry ... Help us not mistake style and appearance for substance and essence, activity (like growing leaves and branches) for fruitfulness (producing fruit).And as individuals, Lord, even now, we yield ourselves to you, to be tended and watered in our souls, to be pruned in our character for greater strength, so that we can bear good fruit in season. We know this holy week that a grain of wheat must fall into the ground and die in order to produce a crop; help us to willingly accept the cutbacks, defeats, critiques and setbacks that are necessary for us to be ever more fruitful in your resurrecting grace.
What fruit are you looking for in humanity, Lord? We hear your Spirit's reply - that you have shown us what is good, what you require:
That we do justice.
That we love kindness.
That we walk in meekness before you.So let our lives be like fruitful trees, Lord, each branch heavy with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. We don't just want to take up space in your garden. We want to bear good fruit, bearing witness to your gracious goodness. Amen.
Several years ago at my home church, we developed a very moving Stations of the Cross experience for use on Good Friday. At one of the stations, I read these words from Luke's gospel (23:28):
Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.
I thought, "Even as he is walking toward his crucifixion, Jesus isn't asking us to weep for him. He is concerned for others ... for women, for children, who will soon be threatened by a flood of violence." Then the natural question presented itself: "For whom would Jesus have us weep today?"
That's a question I'd encourage you to consider this holy week. If Jesus identifies himself with the last, the lost, and the least ... with the sick, the prisoners, the homeless, the naked ... for whom should we be weeping this week, not instead of weeping for him, but because of our love for him, and because of our desire to join with him in compassion?
That Good Friday several years ago, I thought of Darfur ... Jesus would have me weep for Darfur, I felt. And now, years later, too little has changed there.
Compassionate God, as we consider the sufferings of your servant Jesus, in whose face we see your glory and love, our hearts are moved in compassion. As we weep for him and his sufferings, we also weep for those who suffer in our world today. Especially for ... the people of Darfur. The world has seen their suffering, but it goes on. Presidents have called their suffering genocide. But it goes on. The government that permits and promotes their suffering has been accused of the highest crimes, but their suffering continues. And we have worked and prayed from a distance for change, but change has not yet come. When, Lord?God of justice and compassion, we unite our hearts in persistent prayer for the people of Darfur. Bring shame and regret upon those who oppress them. Press the oppressors to change their hard hearts and their bitter policies. Move the leaders of other nations to take the bold actions that would add to the pressure for change. Move our President to join others as a courageous leader in this international process. And Lord, please inspire more leaders among the Darfuris who will be responsible heroes of peace, and help each of us as well, to find ways to be instruments of your peace. As participants in your mission to heal the world we pray. Amen.
If you'd like to learn more about the situation in Darfur, in addition to the link above, check out the Save Darfur campaign.
Some great questions in this interview about A New Kind of Christianity ...
here.
A fair and balanced report on the recent SBC response to my new book that lets each side speak for itself ... here.
I had the chance to discuss my new book on Doug Pagitt Radio yesterday. Here's the link.
One of the most important subjects addressed in my recent book A New Kind of Christianity is the question of whether we believe God is violent. There is no question that Christians, Muslims, Jews, and others have been violent in God's name (although, happily, there are a few denominations and movements in each religion that oppose violence as a tenet of faith). The question is whether we believe violence is inherent to the character of God. A nonviolent God cannot be enlisted to sanction aggression, but a violent one is handy for that purpose.
The potential consequences of a violent image of God are illustrated by today's news story about so-called Christian militia.
It's strange and sad that this subject would come up during Holy Week.
This is the week we recall that Jesus was willing to be killed, but not to kill ... to be tortured, but not to torture. This is the week he told Peter to put away his sword, saying, "Those who live by the sword will die by the sword" (Matthew 26:52). This is the week he contrasted his kingdom in this world with the kingdoms of this world by their opposite responses to the violence question (John 18:36 ff). (The prepositions in and not of are important.) Many of us believe that Jesus embodies the image of a nonviolent God, an image intended to transcend and correct violent images.
But others portray Jesus as a violent avenger with "a commitment to make someone bleed," reinforcing rather than overturning a violent image of God. To do so, groups like the militia group in today's news point to an anticipated second-coming Jesus, especially as portrayed in Revelation 19:11 ff. There, they suggest, Jesus is described with a sword, so even though he wasn't violent in his first coming, he will be violent when he returns. They fail to note one small detail in the text: that the sword is in Jesus' mouth (!), not his hand. Might this not be unveiling* for us a deeper truth ... that the Jesus who rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday upon a humble donkey with tears falling from his eyes and with a word of peace on his lips was in fact more powerful than Caesar, Herod, Pilate, and their violent colleagues - who would ride proudly into town on chariots and white stallions, with one fist raised triumphantly in the air, and with the other holding a sword of violence? Might Revelation 19 be restating and reaffirming rather than contradicting and supplanting the Jesus of the gospels?
Here's how I say it in A New Kind of Christianity ... (after the jump):
Continue reading Is God Violent? How about Jesus? How about ...?...
Palm Sunday. On the first Palm Sunday, Jesus rode down the Mount of Olives on a donkey and seeing Jerusalem, began to weep. "If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace!" he said. "But now they are hidden from your eyes." (Luke 19:41 ff)
For whom might Jesus weep today?
For Jerusalem? A city that still seeks peace through domination rather than reconciliation, through separation rather than integration, through check-points and guns rather than through community gatherings and songs? A city where religion generally divides rather than unites, where God is used as a trump-card to deny equal human rights to human beings of other religions?
For Washington? A city that hasn't learned - whichever party is in power - to reign in the military-industrial complex about which Eisenhower said in 1960:
In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the militaryindustrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.
For Tehran, Baghdad, Kabul? For your city, wherever you live?
This week, I'll post prayers for Holy Week 2010.
Compassionate God, as we consider the sufferings of your servant Jesus, in whose face we see your glory and love, our hearts are moved in compassion. As we weep with him for Jerusalem, for Israelis and Palestinians who are alike your beloved children, we also weep for those who suffer in our cities and towns around the world.We pray for drug dealers and criminals for whom deadly weapons are the tools of their trade. We pray for weapons merchants and aggressive politicians who think deadly weapons can achieve peace. We pray for crooked police officers and city officials, whose corruption fuels violence. We pray for racists and hate-mongers who think their security is enhanced by reducing the security of others. We pray for people plotting terrorism, thinking that terror can cure terror. We pray for all those who live by the gun, the bomb, the knife, the threat, the insult, the epithet. Help them see that these things do not make for peace.
We pray for unemployment, for the complex economic currents that we theorize about but don't fully understand. We know that violence is often a twin-brother of unemployment, and so we pray for business leaders who can seek to maximize employment for many, not only profit for a few.
Turn our cities, we pray, to your way of reconciliation, forgiveness, grace, compassion, and love. Help them see the futility of any path to peace that violates peace in its means. Help them see that there is no way to peace, but that peace itself is the way. Raise up prophets for peace - leaders in every city who pray, preach, and work for peace.
And help each of us as well, to find ways to be instruments of your peace. As participants in your mission to heal the world we pray. Amen.
I was on Steve's most recent show and I mentioned this clip from one of my favorite movies of all times:
I wish I could have embedded this clip on pages 119-126 of A New Kind of Christianity as a theological commentary on how a violent (mis)interpretation of "the second-coming Jesus" commonly subverts the actual nonviolent Jesus of the four gospels.
Veteran NPR reporter Barbara Bradley Hagerty interviewed me for a piece that airs today on All Things Considered. You can read a report here. Audio will be available soon at the same site.
The story refers to a recent panel of Southern Baptist leaders where my book, A New Kind of Christianity, was evaluated as dangerous and worthless and worse. You can read a summary and watch the panel here.
The SBTS panel does a great job of reflecting the views of SBTS. The NPR story does a much better job of conveying my actual views by including a lengthy excerpt from the book. I'll probably have more to say about all this down the road a bit, but for now ... I hope you'll enjoy the book, the NPR piece, and the excerpt!
A highlight of Christiane Amanpour's recent report on Nigeria is her talk with Desmond and Mpho Tutu at the end of this segment. Quotable:
Evil systems don't last forever. They bite the dust!
I developed the hide of a rhinoceros.
God is waiting for human collaborators.
Travis Mamone has been blogging through the ten questions in my new book. You can read his posts here.
I put up most of my presentations at slideshare.net. You can make use of them by going here:
http://www.slideshare.net/brianmclaren
A popular Fox TV News commentator and talk radio personality named Glenn Beck is targeting Jim Wallis with his "hammer." You can read Jim's first response here.
As a friend and colleague of Jim's, of course, I empathize and wish he didn't have to go through this kind of thing. It's draining and unpleasant, and no matter how thick your skin is, it hurts to have your words twisted out of context and mocked. But my suspicion is that in the coming days, this interchange will give Jim and others of us the chance to explain our views more clearly. Hopefully, we can do so without responding to fire with fire, hammers with hammers, mockery with mockery, and so on, as Don Miller recently said so well.
Here are two Scripture passages that should be crucial to our thinking about the relation between Jesus, the gospel, and social justice:
And Mary said,
My soul magnifies the Lord
And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
For he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely from now on all generations will call me blessed;
For the Mighty One has done great things for me,
And holy is his name.
His mercy is on those who fear him from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
And lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
And sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
In remembrance of his mercy,
According to the promise he made to our ancestors,
To Abraham and his descendants forever. (Luke 1:46-55)
Mary's words could be turned into a powerful sound-bite on talk radio, don't you think? (Sounds kind of like the Marxist principle of redistribution of wealth....) Jesus could also be quite effectively skewered by the right talk-radio personality for saying,
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, Because he has anointed me To bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To let the oppressed go free, To proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. (Luke 4:17-19)
It gets worse in the following paragraphs (Luke 4:20-30) when Jesus affirms God's preferential option not only for the poor but even for people of other religions. It gets worse still when Luke, the author of these episodes, celebrates values even higher than private ownership among the early Christians (Acts 4:32 ff.). Imagine how this could be fodder for the right sound-bite artist on cable TV or talk radio.
It's a fascinating time to be alive. The story of Jesus, his revolutionary message, and his transformative work continue to unfold in and through all of us. Today as then, some are inspired and some are infuriated ... and perhaps others will be made curious to learn more.
In a fascinating discussion with some Baylor University faculty the other night, the term Christian Humanism came up. I hadn't heard the term used in years. For me, it evoked the example of Desiderius Erasmus from the fifteenth-sixteenth century, so it was interesting to hear some faculty describe themselves as contemporary Christian Humanists.
Then this morning I received an email from my friend Sivin Kit, recommending this post on ... Christian humanism. Stephen Martin summarizes a lecture by South African theologian John de Gruchy. Several fascinating concepts are noted- all with special interest to me for their connection to A New Kind of Christianity. For example ...
The idea of “Transforming Traditions" -
Tradition, de Gruchy began, is both outside us and given to us. Tradition shapes our Christian identity. But tradition is also dynamic, and constantly rediscovering itself. The new always grows out of the old; tradition constantly quests after new wineskins. This is an outworking of the Johannine idea that the Spirit is guide into truth. Tradition—and traditions—grow organically in continuity with the past. But they are also contested in the present, and especially contested within the church. De Gruchy signalled toward Alisdair MacIntyre’s idea of traditions as “continuities of conflict.” Christians are participants in historic debates.
Tradition isn't, in this sense, opposed to innovation, but rather sees engagement with today's world - including people of other religions, both inside and outside the academy - as an aspect of faithfulness:
But we also negotiate the boundaries of tradition by engaging those outside the broad Christian tradition as conversation partners. These might include academic critics of Christianity (Nietzsche comes especially to mind). But theology is not simply a dialogue within the academy, nor is it a conversation about written texts alone. The locus for theological reflection and Christian conversation is—as it has always been—the contemporary world.
Martin concludes with a list of characteristics of Christian humanism:
1. Christian humanism is inclusive. “Being human” names our primary identity.2. Christian humanism affirms dignity and responsibility.
3. Christian humanism is open to insight into our common human condition wherever it is to be found.
4. Christian humanism claims that the love of God is inseparable from the love of others.
5. Christian humanism heralds a justice that transcends material and sectional well-being.
6. Christian humanism insists that goodness, truth, and beauty are inseparable.
I imagine that many others will see this articulation of contemporary Christian humanism as hospitable space for our quest for a new kind of Christian faith.
I just returned home from some good days at Baylor University and Truett Seminary in Texas. What good people - both staff and students.
We were having website problems for a couple days, which explains why I haven't been able to blog. I have a few important ones ready to post over the next few days. Thanks for your patience -
What can each of us be inspired to do for the planet, for poverty, for peace ... and for our Creator? If you're in church today (or wherever you are), listen for the voice of the Holy Spirit to give you a vision for the corner of the world for which you have been called to care.
People often ask how I handle the controversy around my work. For every negative review on Amazon.com or wherever, I receive several notes like this. As you can imagine, they mean a lot ...
I just finished reading your new book. I will take the time to write a detailed response when I’ve had time to process the info.
For now, I just want to thank you and encourage you. I have read three of your books, and you’ve helped me stay in the faith, keep searching, and keep knocking.
I am one of those (I am sure thousands) of genuine Christians (45 years old) who can no longer exist in the status-quo. I am not an intellectual, I am a thinker. I am amazed at your ability to echo my questions and concerns. Please keep it up. Your vision is so important, and your leadership is so desperately needed in this time.
From Fr. Richard Rohr ...
How can gazing upon the crucified God transform us?This deep gazing upon the mystery of divine and human suffering is found in the prophet Zechariah in a very telling text that became a prophecy for the transformative power of the victims of history, and for those who identify with them.
He calls Israel to “Look upon the pierced one and to mourn over him as for an only son,” and “weep for him as for a firstborn child,” and then “from that mourning” (five times repeated) will flow “a spirit of kindness and prayer” (Zechariah 12:10) and “a fountain of water” (Zechariah 13:1; 14:8).
I believe we are invited to gaze upon the image of the crucified to soften our hearts toward God, and to know that God’s heart has always been softened toward us, even and most especially in our suffering. This softens us toward ourselves and all others who suffer.
Today we experience it in grief. Grief, like few other things, allows us to open our hearts to the pain of others, and even to our own deep pain. Almost like nothing else. Grief is often God’s medicine for people who are otherwise closed down.
Adapted from Things Hidden: Scripture as Spirituality, p. 192
Since my return from Israel and Palestine in January, my travel schedule has been very full but very encouraging and fruitful. In February, I was in Boston at Andover-Newton Seminary, in San Diego with the Episcopal Diocese, in London, England with Oasis Trust, in Denver with Presbyterians and Methodists along with a new nondenominational church, in Bethlehem, PA at the Moravian Seminary and in Baltimore at the Ecumenical Institute.
Tomorrow I leave for Texas where I'll be at Baylor University and Truett Seminary. Then I'll get several days to catch my breath before heading to Albuquerque to be with Fr. Richard Rohr (April 9-11), then to Minnesota for an MPR lecture, then to Chicago (17-19), then back to Maryland and Washington DC before going to Kenya and Burundi in May. I'm not bored! In all these travels, just as we see signs of spring around us, I see signs of hope for needed change - and examples of people doing wonderful things for God, neighbor, and creation.
Follow @centurionsguild to catch live coverage of the #TruthCommission on #ConscienceInWar this Sunday - http://bit.ly/cIl4uH
Read his piece here. Quotable -
The world's military powers have it backward. Right equals might. Any government that routinely oppresses and intimidates a people sows perpetual discord. And any government that relies on billions of dollars every year of American taxpayer money in order to oppress and intimidate others does it with U.S. sanction. (And you wonder why they hate us?) To then behave as if Washington has no say in Israel's abusive tactics is ludicrous.
I'm working on an important series of posts on the subject ... hopefully they'll be ready to share in the next week or two.
If you've never heard the Nick and Josh podcast ... I'm their guest this month.
http://thenickandjoshpodcast.com/2010/03/16/ep-143-brian-mclaren-a-new-kind-of-christianity/
If you'd like to download the MP3 - http://media.libsyn.com/media/nicholasfiedler/ep_143_-_Brian_Mclaren_A_New_Kind_of_Christianity.mp3
I think you'll enjoy the podcast ... and you'll also enjoy host Nick Fiedler's honest new book, The Hopeful Skeptic: Revisiting Christianity from the Outside.
It's great to have a church historian like Diana in the neighborhood ... in her recent book, as in this new post. Thank God for the other side of the story!
http://putmeinabox.com/2010/03/a-new-kind-of-christianity/
This one is from Christian Post, along with this interview.
I've been told that the new book will be available at Koorong Bookstores starting next week. Be sure to thank the bookstore manager for carrying it!
This weekend, a group of combat veterans, scholars, and clergy will testify at the "Truth Commission On Conscience In War." If not for a previous commitment, I would be there. I will be following what happens, because I think this could be a truly historic moment.
On the 7th anniversary of the Iraq War, a Truth Commission will investigate moral conscience in war at The Riverside Church, where The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his historic "Beyond Vietnam" speech.
Five veterans - including two who just returned from visiting the countries where they fought - will reveal what they felt, witnessed, and came to understand about fighting in war. They will be joined by a group of experts, including nationally recognized scholars and clergy. Press release is below and at Website.
WHO:
Testifiers Include:
Tyler Boudreau, former US Marine Captain, Iraq War veteran, and author of Packing Inferno: The Unmaking of a Marine.
Joshua Casteel, former US Army Interrogator at Abu Ghraib, attended West Point, featured in the documentary, Soldiers of Conscience.
Jacob C. Diliberto, OEF and OIF US Marine veteran, Founder of Veterans for Rethinking Afghanistan, M.Div. Fuller Theological Seminary. Recently returned from trip to Afghanistan as a civilian.
Logan Mehl-Laituri, US Army veteran with service in Iraq during OIF II, and co-founder of Centurion's Guild. Recently returned from trip to Iraq as a civilian.
Camilo Mejia, US Army veteran and first service member to publicly refuse to return to Iraq, author of Road from Ar Ramadi, featured in the documentary, Soldiers of Conscience.
Plus eight experts, including:
Dr. Jonathan Shay, VA clinical psychiatrist, national PTSD expert, Macarthur "Genius" winner, and author of Achilles in Vietnam and Odysseus in America.
Chris Hedges, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, former foreign correspondent for the New York Times, and author of War Is a Force that Gives Us Meaning.
Chaplain Herman Keizer, Jr., Colonel, U. S. Army (retired), Vietnam veteran with 34 years of military service, and former chair of the National Conference on Ministry to the Armed Forces America.
WHAT: Truth Commission on Conscience in War brings together veterans and over 80 national religious, academic, and advocacy leaders to honor and protect freedom of conscience in the military. It features testimony from recent veterans and national experts on moral, psychological, and legal dimensions of conscience and war.
The event is free and open to the public.
WHEN: Sunday, March 21, 2010, 4:00-8:00 p.m.
WHERE: The Riverside Church, 490 Riverside Dr., New York, NY
The Truth Commission on Conscience in War is co-sponsored by a diverse coalition of over 50 religious, academic, advocacy and veterans groups.
The March 21st public hearing will launch the Commission's eight-month campaign to bring national attention to decisions of moral and religious conscience facing American service members, culminating with the Veterans Day release of the Commission's Final Report.
For details, including a complete list of testifiers and commissioners (including bios), and co-sponsors, visit www.conscienceinwar.org.
The Commission is organized by Faith Voices for the Common Good, Luna Productions, The Mission and Social Justice Commission of The Riverside Church, Starr King School for the Ministry, and Union Theological Seminary.
Here's a two-minute video introducing the event. If you're a media professional, please be sure this event gets the attention it deserves ...
A reader writes:
I really enjoyed reading McKnight's review of ANKOC and your response. I think its the kind of debate that we see so little of in Christianity today; opposite viewpoints which are nonetheless capable of engaging each other with civility. What struck me about McKnight's review is he goes back to orthodoxy as the focal point for evangelicalism. Fair enough, but there's something I've always found strange about the evangelical emphasis on orthodoxy as a fixed truth throughout the ages. Obviously, evangelicalism is itself an offshoot of the Protestant Reformation of the 1500's. The Reformation wasn't just about problems with the Catholic Church, but about a new way of understanding our relationship with God. Luther's true radicalism wasn't his break with the Catholic Church but his revolutionary teachings about grace and our relationship with God. When evangelicals talk about "a personal relationship with Jesus" they owe this to the spirit of revolution and upheaval of the Reformation. The Reformation shook the orthodoxy of the previous 1400 years in the same kind of way the "emerging" church is currently doing. So it strikes me that evangelicals can't talk about a consistent orthodoxy, because what Christians consider "orthodox" is always changing and evolving, and they themselves are a part of that.
If you're anywhere near Baltimore, please come to the Ecumenical Institute in Baltimore for a free public lecture at 7:30 p.m. ...
A reader from New Zealand writes:
I just wanted to say a big thanks for A Generous Orthodoxy, Everything Must Change, and A New Kind of Christianity (the three books you have written which I own and have read). Thanks for being brave enough and passionate enough to stand in the face of criticism, cynicism, and all sorts of opposition and writing and teaching and inviting into conversation as you do. I appreciate it immensely and always find your work full of grace, life and hope. I don't agree with everything you write about but I certainly don't disagree with everything you write.
Without a shadow of a doubt the issues you raise are indeed issues that need serious conversation. Having grown up in a Pentecostal environment (which to me is praxis heavy but theologically light) many of these issues have never been discussed. As the answer to these questions ground praxis though the conversations are essential although not easy at times, welcome, or appreciated. Thanks for getting the conversation started for us though.
If you have time to answer one question I'd appreciate it. Living in NZ I am not terribly familiar with Reformed churches. It seems to me though that the two sides of most arguments going on (involving the 'emergent' church) in the 'blogosphere' are between the Reformed thinkers on one side and Emergent thinkers on the other. Most everyone else seems to kind of sit in the middle. Is this simplified conclusion accurate? Not really the case at all? Only true in some cases?
Great question. Here in the US, the term Reformed covers a wide span of understandings - from people who appreciate Karl Barth to people who can't stand him, from people who believe wholeheartedly in five-point double-predestinarian Calvinism to people who don't but who emphasize the Lordship of Christ over all areas of life, from the "Truly Reformed" who hold strictly to traditional formulations to the always-reforming who see the need to question those formulations at times. To complicate matters, there are also Reformed Pentecostals, so categories overlap. Many on the conservative end of the Reformed spectrum tend to critical of the work my friends and I are involved in, as they often are of Pentecostalism. More moderate and progressive Reformed folk are active and engaged conversation partners.
I'm encouraged to see dialogue among folks in the emergent conversation and Pentecostals ... which Tony Jones has been blogging about for several days, most recently here. Worth checking out! Also worth checking out - Sam Lee's blog.
My life these days has a lot of what I call emotional whiplash. Day by day more emotional emails come in from from readers saying how this or that book - especially the new one - has helped save their faith, kept them in ministry, brought them to faith, and so on. As I read them, I'm so deeply touched and encouraged. I realize how blessed I am to be able to write, to be able to connect with people and in some way be of help to them, and to receive encouragement back from them. Then - lest my head become swelled or my heart complacent - the next email will be scented with fire and sulphur, expressing disdain and sometimes fury. It's pretty strange.
A lot of friends are asking how I'm dealing with this kind of whiplash. I tell them I'd hate to have one kind of response - whether negative or positive - without the other, because either way it would be dangerous for the soul. But handling them both together has its own challenges too.
One of the keys to survival for me is solitude ... having time to be alone with God, to escape from the swirl of human praise and blame and seek to still and quiet my soul in the presence of God. Sometimes that solitude comes on an airplane, of all places, or sitting in an airport. Far better when it comes walking along a beach or along a trail under trees. This morning it has come in a few quiet hours reading, and soon, in going to church. Of course it will be great to experience fellowship and be among friends, but these days, it's the quietness and stillness, the slowness and intentionality of public worship that means more to me than anything. In the presence of God, we can rise to a higher perspective, see things from a new altitude and in a new light, rest in God's gracious and holy presence, and so the soul is restored. Whatever you're going through, may that be your experience today.
Often in my travels, I'm asked by non-Pentecostals my opinion about Pentecostalism. I share that I spent several years in charismatic/pentecostal circles, and there is much that I love and respect about this historic and globally important movement.
My friend Tony Jones recently posted about his experience at a recent gathering of Pentecostal theologians.
And another friend, Samuel Lee, shares his unique insider perspective on the movement in a recent blog post ... For those who are critical of Pentecostalism whether as insiders or outsiders, listen to Sam Lee. If voices like his gain a hearing, the movement will be even more vibrant in its second century than it was in its first.
Check out Mike Todd's recent post, responding to my sojo post on immigration ... here.
Faithful Reader reviews ANKoCy here.
Mike Clawson's last installment of our interview is available here. I'll reply to a follow-up question about Plato and Aristotle after the jump.
The Jazztheologian offers an interview about the book here, and here.
Bishop Alan Wilson from England reviews the book here.
Nic Paton from South Africa focuses on the issue of "the fall."
More after the jump ...
Continue reading Reviews and interviews: A New Kind of Christianity ... round-up...
Things have been heating up lately. More on this in a few days. For now, thanks to VP Biden for speaking out against expanding settlements. Much more action is needed.
I had a too-brief chat with a fellow who had just returned from several years of mission work in India ... his continuation of that conversation after the jump.
Continue reading A conversation that began in England ......
In my response to a recent review, I said that I hoped people wouldn't problematize me and NKCy and in so doing avoid dealing with the questions raised in the book, because they're being raised all over, by thousands of people. Here's still more evidence of how widespread and intense the struggle feels for many people. (after the jump)
Continue reading Responses: A New Kind of Christianity ... from Europe...
If you haven't heard about Glenn Beck's advice on leaving churches, here's a Catholic response.
Here's a general overview.
And another response here.
This video will take you about six minutes to watch. It will disturb you. But it will also enlarge your understanding, if you let it, and may impact you in ways that last for the rest of your life. I hope you will watch it.
It highlights the importance of a gathering that will take place March 21-22, in New York City. You can learn more about it here.
The gathering will address a question articulated forcefully by Rita Nakashima Brock in a recent article:
How many of us know that, of the 30,000 suicides every year in the U.S., twenty percent are veterans? About 18 a day kill themselves, and from 2005-2007, the rate among younger vets rose 26 percent. None of these many thousands of deaths is counted among the casualties of our current wars. Some of these deaths, perhaps a substantial number of them, occur because people are forced to fight wars they know are morally wrong.
The conscience of soldiers and the conscience of the citizens they represent are inseparably connected. These matters touch us all.
Continued from Part 1
Part 2:
In A New Kind of Christianity, I raise ten questions that I believe Christians in all our traditions need to hear, ponder, and engage in respectful conversation. I explain why these questions need to be raised, sketch out some of the responses that they are eliciting from me and others, and emphasize the need for positive ongoing engagement with them.
When the evangelical flagship magazine CT reviewed the book, I expected the review to be less than enthusiastic, and I imagined most of the online responses to the review would be of a similar tone, since most of the people who would feel the need for this kind of project wouldn’t be among its core readership.
I’ve had the chance to spend a few hours now reading through a couple hundred responses to the review ... (continued after the jump)
Continue reading Reviews: A New Kind of Christianity ... Christianity Today, Part 2...
Helen Mildenhall summarizes her religious story like this:
My beliefs/doubts: I was a committed Bible-believing Christian from young adulthood until recently (about 17 years). I began to have serious doubts about my faith about six years ago. As a result I’m not currently actively involved in any church or Bible study groups. You can read more about this at various links on the page Why I don’t go to Church Anymore.
She reviews A New Kind of Christianity with her characteristic thoughtfulness here.
I'll miss attending church today, as I'll be on airplanes returning home from an excellent weekend in Denver. But while on the plane, along with doing some writing, I'll be meditating on a few Scriptures that have been on my mind in recent days.
On believing in Jesus and suffering for his sake, Philippians 1:29.
On believing in Jesus and loving him even though we haven't seen him, 1 Peter 1:8.
You'll find a very personal response to the book here. (Be sure to read the McLuhan quote at the top of the blog too.)
John Sylvest puts A New Kind of Christianity in a context that makes sense to its author... here.
I picked up a term from Kester Brewin's upcoming book (excellent!), which was picked up and expanded beautifully by Reverend Mom here. I love her term "God's neighborhood."
Consider reading this statement ... and signing if you agree.
Thanks!
