Brian McLaren EMC

a book by a fellow evangelist

Doug Pagitt has written a new book on evangelism ...
http://www.amazon.com/Evangelism-Inventive-Age-Mission-Studies/dp/1451400942/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1328278354&sr=1-1

I just started it, and I love it. I would hope it would stand alongside my book More Ready than You Realize to suggest what "a new evangelism" might look like.

Hijacked

... is the title of a new book by some friends of mine. It addresses the misadventures of mis-identifying Christian faith and partisan politics. Check it out here:
http://www.amazon.com/Hijacked-Responding-Partisan-Church-Divide/dp/1426742363/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326940286&sr=8-1

The other prayer breakfast deserves attention too!

Read about the People's Prayer Breakfast, here:
http://ht.ly/8PLlF

On the President's Prayer Breakfast speech today ...

When I contrast the mature tone and rich content of this speech with the shallow, vituperative, and childish religious rhetoric that so often reverberates in the halls of public discourse (i.e. speaking of "Obama's war on religion," etc.) ... I'm glad that there's at least one grown-up in the room. In my opinion, this kind of mind and heart deserves a second term. The other kind doesn't deserve a first term.

Speaking of terms, I'm looking for one that would describe the philosophy of religious-political engagement evident in this speech. It isn't theocratic (faith rules politics or politics is collapsed into faith), nor is it exclusionary (politics banishes faith to the private sphere), nor is it co-optive (politics makes clever use of faith, or vice versa), nor is it anti-religious (politics demeans faith), nor is it isolationist (faith withdraws from public life). I'd say it's integrated and iterative - integrated in that it sees faith and politics as mutually enriching and enhancing and challenging, and iterative in that we must return to engage in a cyclical fashion with each in light of the other in a quest to improve both.

[The speech is included after the jump ...]

]]> THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release February 2, 2012

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
AT THE NATIONAL PRAYER BREAKFAST

Washington Hilton
Washington, D.C.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/02/02/remarks-president-national-prayer-breakfast

9:10 A.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Please, please, everybody have a seat. Well, good morning, everybody. It is good to be with so many friends united in prayer. And I begin by giving all praise and honor to God for bringing us together here today.

I want to thank our co-chairs Mark and Jeff; to my dear friend, the guy who always has my back, Vice President Biden. (Applause.) All the members of Congress –- Joe deserves a hand –- all the members of Congress and my Cabinet who are here today; all the distinguished guests who’ve traveled a long way to be part of this. I’m not going to be as funny as Eric -- (laughter) -- but I’m grateful that he shared his message with us. Michelle and I feel truly blessed to be here.

This is my third year coming to this prayer breakfast as President. As Jeff mentioned, before that, I came as senator. I have to say, it’s easier coming as President. (Laughter.) I don’t have to get here quite as early. But it’s always been an opportunity that I’ve cherished. And it’s a chance to step back for a moment, for us to come together as brothers and sisters and seek God’s face together. At a time when it’s easy to lose ourselves in the rush and clamor of our own lives, or get caught up in the noise and rancor that too often passes as politics today, these moments of prayer slow us down. They humble us. They remind us that no matter how much responsibility we have, how fancy our titles, how much power we think we hold, we are imperfect vessels. We can all benefit from turning to our Creator, listening to Him. Avoiding phony religiosity, listening to Him.

This is especially important right now, when we’re facing some big challenges as a nation. Our economy is making progress as we recover from the worst crisis in three generations, but far too many families are still struggling to find work or make the mortgage, pay for college, or, in some cases, even buy food. Our men and women in uniform have made us safer and more secure, and we were eternally grateful to them, but war and suffering and hardship still remain in too many corners of the globe. And a lot of those men and women who we celebrate on Veterans Day and Memorial Day come back and find that, when it comes to finding a job or getting the kind of care that they need, we’re not always there the way we need to be.

It’s absolutely true that meeting these challenges requires sound decision-making, requires smart policies. We know that part of living in a pluralistic society means that our personal religious beliefs alone can’t dictate our response to every challenge we face.

But in my moments of prayer, I’m reminded that faith and values play an enormous role in motivating us to solve some of our most urgent problems, in keeping us going when we suffer setbacks, and opening our minds and our hearts to the needs of others.

We can’t leave our values at the door. If we leave our values at the door, we abandon much of the moral glue that has held our nation together for centuries, and allowed us to become somewhat more perfect a union. Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, Jane Addams, Martin Luther King, Jr., Dorothy Day, Abraham Heschel -- the majority of great reformers in American history did their work not just because it was sound policy, or they had done good analysis, or understood how to exercise good politics, but because their faith and their values dictated it, and called for bold action -- sometimes in the face of indifference, sometimes in the face of resistance.

This is no different today for millions of Americans, and it’s certainly not for me.

I wake up each morning and I say a brief prayer, and I spend a little time in scripture and devotion. And from time to time, friends of mine, some of who are here today, friends like Joel Hunter or T.D. Jakes, will come by the Oval Office or they’ll call on the phone or they’ll send me a email, and we’ll pray together, and they’ll pray for me and my family, and for our country.

But I don’t stop there. I’d be remiss if I stopped there; if my values were limited to personal moments of prayer or private conversations with pastors or friends. So instead, I must try -- imperfectly, but I must try -- to make sure those values motivate me as one leader of this great nation.

And so when I talk about our financial institutions playing by the same rules as folks on Main Street, when I talk about making sure insurance companies aren’t discriminating against those who are already sick, or making sure that unscrupulous lenders aren’t taking advantage of the most vulnerable among us, I do so because I genuinely believe it will make the economy stronger for everybody. But I also do it because I know that far too many neighbors in our country have been hurt and treated unfairly over the last few years, and I believe in God’s command to “love thy neighbor as thyself.” I know the version of that Golden Rule is found in every major religion and every set of beliefs -– from Hinduism to Islam to Judaism to the writings of Plato.

And when I talk about shared responsibility, it’s because I genuinely believe that in a time when many folks are struggling, at a time when we have enormous deficits, it’s hard for me to ask seniors on a fixed income, or young people with student loans, or middle-class families who can barely pay the bills to shoulder the burden alone. And I think to myself, if I’m willing to give something up as somebody who’s been extraordinarily blessed, and give up some of the tax breaks that I enjoy, I actually think that’s going to make economic sense.

But for me as a Christian, it also coincides with Jesus’s teaching that “for unto whom much is given, much shall be required.” It mirrors the Islamic belief that those who’ve been blessed have an obligation to use those blessings to help others, or the Jewish doctrine of moderation and consideration for others.

When I talk about giving every American a fair shot at opportunity, it’s because I believe that when a young person can afford a college education, or someone who’s been unemployed suddenly has a chance to retrain for a job and regain that sense of dignity and pride, and contributing to the community as well as supporting their families -- that helps us all prosper.

It means maybe that research lab on the cusp of a lifesaving discovery, or the company looking for skilled workers is going to do a little bit better, and we’ll all do better as a consequence. It makes economic sense. But part of that belief comes from my faith in the idea that I am my brother’s keeper and I am my sister’s keeper; that as a country, we rise and fall together. I’m not an island. I’m not alone in my success. I succeed because others succeed with me.

And when I decide to stand up for foreign aid, or prevent atrocities in places like Uganda, or take on issues like human trafficking, it’s not just about strengthening alliances, or promoting democratic values, or projecting American leadership around the world, although it does all those things and it will make us safer and more secure. It’s also about the biblical call to care for the least of these –- for the poor; for those at the margins of our society.

To answer the responsibility we’re given in Proverbs to “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.” And for others, it may reflect the Jewish belief that the highest form of charity is to do our part to help others stand on their own.

Treating others as you want to be treated. Requiring much from those who have been given so much. Living by the principle that we are our brother’s keeper. Caring for the poor and those in need. These values are old. They can be found in many denominations and many faiths, among many believers and among many non-believers. And they are values that have always made this country great -- when we live up to them; when we don’t just give lip service to them; when we don’t just talk about them one day a year. And they’re the ones that have defined my own faith journey.

And today, with as many challenges as we face, these are the values I believe we’re going to have to return to in the hopes that God will buttress our efforts.

Now, we can earnestly seek to see these values lived out in our politics and our policies, and we can earnestly disagree on the best way to achieve these values. In the words of C.S. Lewis, “Christianity has not, and does not profess to have a detailed political program. It is meant for all men at all times, and the particular program which suited one place or time would not suit another.”

Our goal should not be to declare our policies as biblical. It is God who is infallible, not us. Michelle reminds me of this often. (Laughter.) So instead, it is our hope that people of goodwill can pursue their values and common ground and the common good as best they know how, with respect for each other. And I have to say that sometimes we talk about respect, but we don’t act with respect towards each other during the course of these debates.

But each and every day, for many in this room, the biblical injunctions are not just words, they are also deeds. Every single day, in different ways, so many of you are living out your faith in service to others.

Just last month, it was inspiring to see thousands of young Christians filling the Georgia Dome at the Passion Conference, to worship the God who sets the captives free and work to end modern slavery. Since we’ve expanded and strengthened the White House faith-based initiative, we’ve partnered with Catholic Charities to help Americans who are struggling with poverty; worked with organizations like World Vision and American Jewish World Service and Islamic Relief to bring hope to those suffering around the world.

Colleges across the country have answered our Interfaith Campus Challenge, and students are joined together across religious lines in service to others. From promoting responsible fatherhood to strengthening adoption, from helping people find jobs to serving our veterans, we’re linking arms with faith-based groups all across the country.

I think we all understand that these values cannot truly find voice in our politics and our policies unless they find a place in our hearts. The Bible teaches us to “be doers of the word and not merely hearers.” We’re required to have a living, breathing, active faith in our own lives. And each of us is called on to give something of ourselves for the betterment of others -- and to live the truth of our faith not just with words, but with deeds.

So even as we join the great debates of our age -- how we best put people back to work, how we ensure opportunity for every child, the role of government in protecting this extraordinary planet that God has made for us, how we lessen the occasions of war -- even as we debate these great issues, we must be reminded of the difference that we can make each day in our small interactions, in our personal lives.

As a loving husband, or a supportive parent, or a good neighbor, or a helpful colleague -- in each of these roles, we help bring His kingdom to Earth. And as important as government policy may be in shaping our world, we are reminded that it’s the cumulative acts of kindness and courage and charity and love, it’s the respect we show each other and the generosity that we share with each other that in our everyday lives will somehow sustain us during these challenging times. John tells us that, “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.”

Mark read a letter from Billy Graham, and it took me back to one of the great honors of my life, which was visiting Reverend Graham at his mountaintop retreat in North Carolina, when I was on vacation with my family at a hotel not far away.

And I can still remember winding up the path up a mountain to his home. Ninety-one years old at the time, facing various health challenges, he welcomed me as he would welcome a family member or a close friend. This man who had prayed great prayers that inspired a nation, this man who seemed larger than life, greeted me and was as kind and as gentle as could be.

And we had a wonderful conversation. Before I left, Reverend Graham started praying for me, as he had prayed for so many Presidents before me. And when he finished praying, I felt the urge to pray for him. I didn’t really know what to say. What do you pray for when it comes to the man who has prayed for so many? But like that verse in Romans, the Holy Spirit interceded when I didn’t know quite what to say.

And so I prayed -- briefly, but I prayed from the heart. I don’t have the intellectual capacity or the lung capacity of some of my great preacher friends here that have prayed for a long time. (Laughter.) But I prayed. And we ended with an embrace and a warm goodbye.

And I thought about that moment all the way down the mountain, and I’ve thought about it in the many days since. Because I thought about my own spiritual journey –- growing up in a household that wasn’t particularly religious; going through my own period of doubt and confusion; finding Christ when I wasn’t even looking for him so many years ago; possessing so many shortcomings that have been overcome by the simple grace of God. And the fact that I would ever be on top of a mountain, saying a prayer for Billy Graham –- a man whose faith had changed the world and that had sustained him through triumphs and tragedies, and movements and milestones –- that simple fact humbled me to my core.

I have fallen on my knees with great regularity since that moment -- asking God for guidance not just in my personal life and my Christian walk, but in the life of this nation and in the values that hold us together and keep us strong. I know that He will guide us. He always has, and He always will. And I pray his richest blessings on each of you in the days ahead.

Thank you very much. (Applause.)

END 9:30 A.M. EST

Church Next Interview

I had a great time speaking recently with Chris Yaw at ChurchNext. You can hear the interview and read some excerpts here:
http://churchnext.tv/2012/02/01/brian-mclaren-churches-change-when-leaders-change/

Beloved Community vs. Beloved Economy

Here's my latest Patheos column:
http://www.patheos.com/Resources/Additional-Resources/Beloved-Community-vs-the-Beloved-Economy-Brian-McLaren-02-01-2012.html

Q & R: New book and Buddhist practices

Here's the Q from an old friend:

I've kind of evolved over the last couple of years toward a more Buddhist approach to the contemplative life. This doesn't create any kind of crisis for me, vis-a-vis my previous spiritual practices. There's no "throw-the-baby-out-with-the-bathwater" mentality for me, just because I'm evolving toward this other approach. I find there's much in common, and I suspect that's where you will go in the new book. At the same time I've more or less dropped theological positions. It's not that this was a conscious decision, per se. It's just that they don't seem to fit (at all) with what I am now discovering and exploring through meditation and studying the Buddhist and related concepts. I've been practicing daily meditation for about a year, in the Vipassana tradition, and it is slowly transforming my world. It is a healing practice in every sense and the depths of peace, love, acceptance, and compassion I have begun to access are truly profound. I wonder whether you have begun exploring this over the last few years and whether you will touch upon this in the new book. (I am in community now with some of the mindfulness/Vipassana practitioners here in DC and elsewhere.)

Here's the R:

]]> Great to hear from you. So many of us in our age range (entering the second half of life, to use my friend Richard Rohr's term for it) are augmenting our first-half-of-life spirituality with new explorations. I have a Jewish friend who is exploring the way of Jesus, and I have secular friends exploring Hinduism, and Christian friends learning a lot from Eastern traditions.

In the upcoming book (Why did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? Christian Identity in a Multi-Faith World)*, I'm especially focused on the issue of religious identity in general, Christian identity in particular. As a Christian, I think there are ways we can weaken or water down our Christian identity by borrowing from other traditions ... but I also think there are ways our Christian identity can actually be deepened, strengthened, expanded, and enriched.

Years ago, I read Chesterton's biography of Aquinas. He suggested that the Christian faith had become so overly Platonized that Aquinas tried to treat the imbalance with a strong dose of Aristotle. Perhaps we could say that the Christian faith today has become so Westernized that it needs to be treated with some Easternization to become more authentic to its origins ... as a Middle Eastern way of life, not simply a Western system of belief.

All this is intensified by the politicization of Christian faith and its chaplaincy to conservative extractive economics, pseudo-nativist social policy, and militarist politics. No wonder you - and many of us - are attracted by what you call "a healing practice" with a profound sense of "peace, love, acceptance, and compassion." My prayer is that someday, those words will describe Christian faith more than they do now ... and that's a major goal of the upcoming book.

*to be released September 11, 2012

Response from a non-theistic reader

A reader writes:

I really enjoyed your book. Thankyou. I would love to see more of your kind of Christianity. I have two problems, 1) that you still assume a belief in the reality of a God, which I can no longer affirm. Your analysis of the mistake of the Graeco-Roman version of Christianity and its basis of 'salvation' is spot on. But it still assumes a God. I seek to be a follower of Jesus of Nazareth and his vision of the kingdom on earth, what I have called in my own little books 'humanist spirituality' (www.ypd-books.com). 2) You are still, to me at least, too wedded to the Bible text as evidence for the words of Jesus, in John's gospel in particular. Don't we need to take more account of Biblical criticism?

But it's a brilliant book and I am encouraging all my Christian friends to to read it.

Thanks for your encouraging note. On the existence of God, it would be interesting to hear more about what you mean by the God you can no longer affirm, and then to explore what you do affirm, and then we could talk about the God I do affirm and notice the similarities and differences. Is there a sense of meaning or sacredness in life for you? Is there some animating telos or hope or possibility that you believe invites creation towards growth, diversity, harmony, beauty? I think there are other ways to affirm God's existence without defining God in an overly anthropomorphized/patriarchal (old man with a white beard) way. (I am a big fan of Richard Kearney's work in this regard.) On the Biblical text, I don't discount Biblical criticism, but I don't dwell on it either. I try to approach the text in a post-critical way, aspiring toward the second naiveté described by Paul Ricouer and others.

Of course, in the end, we may simply disagree on these matters, which makes your affirmation of the book all the more gracious - and appreciated. Thanks again.

We are connected ...

to honeybees, dependent on them even. That's why this report is so important:
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/01/30-9
Quotable:

So, let’s get this straight. The chief scientist at the top U.S. government bee-science institute completed research two years ago implicating a widely used, EPA-approved pesticide in what can plausibly be called an ecological catastrophe — the possible extinction of honeybees, which pollinate a huge portion of U.S. crops. Why are we just now hearing about this — and why are we only hearing about it through an obscure documentary filtered through a British newspaper?

Q & R: Praying for me ...

Here's the (implied) Q:

Dear Mr. McLaren!
I just watched this presentation on the topic of "Christian Palistinianism".
I am reaching out to you my dear brother in Christ!
I invite you to please watch this and see if the Lord is asking you to repent of this false doctrine you and some others in "the Church" are promoting.
This is a very unbiblical and dangerous way of representing who God is and His clearly laid out plans to redeem His Chosen people.
I pray that the Holy Spirit will speak the Truth to you and will open your eyes and ears to the Word of God and the Truths written therein!

Here's the R:

]]> Thanks for your concern and for praying for me. I am always eager to have the Holy Spirit speak the truth to me, open my eyes and ears to God's Word and God's truth, so I appreciate this prayer a great deal.

I have never heard of Christian Palestinianism and haven't seen the presentation you refer to. Whatever it is, I am quite sure I wouldn't support it, because my belief is that God loves all people (Israelis, Palestinians, Congolese, Darfurians, Muslims, Christians, Atheists, Americans, gay, straight, liberal, conservative). My belief is that God is not a respecter of persons, God does not show favoritism, God loves "the least of these."

I believe that God has a special concern for the downtrodden and vulnerable - which applies to Israelis and Palestinians in various situations. I also believe God opposes the violent and oppressors - which also applies to Israelis and Palestinians in some situations. (As well as Americans, etc.)

It's always important to remember how Jewish people suffered terribly, obscenely, and inexcusably under Christian anti-semitism for centuries. For centuries, Christians used the Bible to defend their anti-Jewish prejudice - some still do! Now more and more Christians see how terrible that was. But if they now use the Bible to disfavor Palestinians (or, like a prominent Republican politician who is beloved by my Christians, to claim they don't exist!), we are trying to make a right out of two wrongs ... hardly a great idea.

My belief is that it is bad for Israelis to mistreat Palestinians, just as it is bad for Palestinians to treat Israelis. Equally, it is bad for Christians to take sides with one group against the other. We should always remember that when governments or leaders on either side do bad things, the people shouldn't be blamed for it.

My prayer and desire is for us all to work and pray for solutions in the Middle East that are pro-Israeli, pro-Palestinian, pro-peace, and pro-justice ... and nothing less.

If that's what the documentary says I am for, it was accurate. If it says anything else, it is not honest, accurate, fair, or balanced. Sadly, there's a lot of information out there in the latter category these days! So I suppose we all need your prayer - for the Holy Spirit to guide us into truth. Amen?

If you would be willing to read two or three books on the subject, here's what I'd recommend:
Blood Brothers, by Elias Chacour
Fatal Embrace, by Mark Braverman
Deadly Misunderstanding, by Mark Siljander

God bless you! And again, thanks for caring enough to write.

A great story ...

In response to the recent announcement about my upcoming book, Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road (September 11, 2012, Jericho), a reader in Australia shares this beautiful story about what he learned about Jesus, hell, life, and joy from a Muslim teacher. Thanks, Doug!

Mr Aziz was an iman (religious teacher) at our favourite mosque. He was a jovial forty something and slightly heavier than the average Asian man. In this community, where absolutely everyone knows you really can judge a book by its cover, Aziz was easily recognised as a godly man because of his distinctly Arab clothes and turban. However, his spirituality was far deeper than his attire. Unlike nearly all other local men, he was not ashamed to have marry a handicapped woman. Aziz’s wife was blind. Most men would find this embarrassing, but Aziz spoke of her with pride and joy. And this was not the only counter-cultural anomaly in his life. In this culture there is a saying, “The nail that sticks out will be hammered back down”. It takes real character to live according to your conscience if your convictions should result in you, ‘sticking out’ from those around you. Aziz happily stuck out in the most wonderful way. About once a month I would have coffee with Aziz at the training centre that had grown up around his mosque. On my first visit six months earlier, I had not been sure what to expect upon entering the heart of “them” country. To be honest, it was disturbing to see how similar (and friendly) the mosque was to my old Bible college. But the most striking thing about this community was their compassion for the disabled. Their kindness toward these social outcasts went beyond anything I had seen in my Christian experience. Forty percent of their large staff were physically handicapped. This particular day I sat waiting in the Centre's coffee shop for Aziz to arrive. On all the previous occasions when we got together he presented himself very smoothly - kind and unusually wise, a spiritual sage at peace within himself. I was however suspicious of this image Aziz projected. To me it seemed like a professional persona, polished and well practiced. He reminded me of an insecure pastor I knew back home who always tried to present a ‘victorious Christian’ image that never matched his reality. Today however, I would challenge Aziz and see what his heart was really made of. Our relationship was now strong enough for me to put before him the claims of the Gospel and see how he responded. Today I meant business. Then I saw Aziz, still some distance away, in an alley between two buildings. He was not aware I could see him and the only other people around were two garbage men collecting bins. I suppose because he was late he walked briskly, but when he reached the two men he stopped. He greeted both with a smile, shook their hands and bowed slightly, a gesture of respect. I was shocked. In this country everyone is keenly aware of their place in society’s pecking order. These men were far beneath his high and lofty station. The average poor slum dweller would look down their nose at those who collect the garbage. God knows I wouldn’t bother to stop and greet them. Yet Aziz, a highly respected iman in perhaps the most famous mosque in the biggest Muslim country in the world just bowed to them, apparently with God his only audience. It is hard for a Westerner to appreciate how radical this is. I had lived in the East long enough to be both shocked and impressed. I had no idea the best was yet to come. Minutes later he arrived. We ordered drinks and after I felt the conversation had sufficiently warmed, I steered the topic toward my mission with the question, “Aziz, if you died today do you think you would go to Heaven?” Aziz looked me in the eye and smiled graciously. “That is a very Western question” he replied. “You want me to give you a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer. So I will say ‘yes’, because that’s what you want. But, you don’t realise you’re asking me the wrong question.”

(more after the jump) ]]> With this last comment Aziz turned in his chair and swept his arm around, pointing out the various buildings and places of ministry around us. One of those places was a kind of mini-mart that employed handicapped people. Inside there was a guy packing shelves. He had no legs and manoeuvred himself around on something like a skate board – actually a piece of floor board with steel ball bearings for wheels. Normally this guy’s life would be Hell on earth – reduced to begging around the slums. The prevailing community attitude towards such people is, “Who sinned that he should be born this way, him or his father?” But today he wore a spotless white shirt, neatly pressed, and a matching big white smile. Aziz and his Muslim brothers had not only given ‘the least of these’ a job, they also gave him dignity. Aziz continued, “To me, serving Allah here is Heaven.” As Aziz turned back to me I couldn't help but think of Jesus words about God's Kingdom and felt a twinge of guilt arise from somewhere in the deep. I had memorised those Kingdom verses but Aziz and his friends were living them. Hmmm. My evangelical plan, so polished and well practiced, began to feel like a clever answer to the wrong question. And yet... the cross... the sinner’s prayer... These thoughts soon vanished as Aziz made eye contact again and continued. “If Allah should choose to put me in Hell, and if I can serve Him better there, I’ll be happy with that”. At that moment I knew I had lost the moral high ground. I was clearly facing my spiritual superior. Never mind the sinner’s prayer, the four spiritual laws or ‘seeing the light’ - here was a Muslim man, more Christ-like than this Baptist missionary on the other side of the coffee table. I thought to myself, “When I grow up I wanna be like Aziz”. I arrived that day full of answers. I left humbled, and filled with questions. I also suspected if I were to deal with these questions honestly it would require a serious realigning of my protestant compass. Looking back now several years later, I am thankful to my teacher Aziz. I have learned that answers are over rated. There is more Life, more God if you will, to be found in the honesty of a difficult question, than in the surest, air-tight set of answers. For the next two years Aziz’s words haunted my conscience and provoked me to only read the words of Jesus. I was surprised how difficult it was to find my tidy protestant package among the words in red. So what was Christ really on about? It seems Aziz ‘got it’ before I did. I’d spent the last 27 years of my life trying to save people from a future Hell. Meanwhile, Aziz spent his years trying to bring Heaven to broken people here and now. Despite my failed attempts to convert Aziz to Western Christianity, I can see now I need not have been so anxious. The message Jesus taught had already made itself a home within his fertile heart. I guess Christ was right all along. Perhaps He really does have, “other sheep who are not of this flock.”

But I could be wrong!

Frank Schaeffer gets it right on the sanctifying power of potentially being wrong, here:
http://frank-schaeffer.blogspot.com/2012/01/gods-politics-not-so-much-so-lets-wild.html

Peace through photography ...

Learn how you can be involved - here:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/vitalvisuals/help-fund-a-photo-exhibit-on-the-israeli-security

and here:
http://www.newevangelicalpartnership.org/?q=node/147

Fellow Apple Users ...

Word is out that we all would be disgusted if we knew the working conditions for the people making Apple products. Here's where you can sign a petition telling Apple to clean up its act ...
http://www.change.org/petitions/apple-ceo-tim-cook-protect-workers-making-iphones-in-chinese-factories?utm_medium=email&utm_source=action_alert
... just as many of us are trying to do with Publix and Trader Joe's for farm workers. More info here:
http://ciw-online.org/

Another Major Announcement

In addition to recent news about my new partnership with Life in the Trinity Ministry, I want to let everyone know about the final title and release date for my upcoming book.

The title will be ...

Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road?
Christian Identity in a Multi-Faith World

The release date will be September 11, 2012.

We've had a number of advance readers respond to the book, and comments have ranged from "this is Brian's most important book yet" to "this is the book we have been waiting for." Stay tuned for pre-order information.