After all, the title itself was brilliantly loaded with a provocative assumption that guaranteed wide appeal and great book sales, while generating heated debate, especially among religious conservatives. And with its counter-culture appeal, I was expecting to embrace the book along with many people I admired who endorsed it:
Tony Campolo, for example said, "Brian McLaren has done it again! He has written a book that challenges traditional religiosity with a vital rediscovery of the central biblical truths."
Then the blog of a local Toledo pastor said, "If you read no other book any time soon about being a follower of Christ, please read this one."
Also, John Ortberg, former teaching pastor at Willow Creek and now at Menlo Park Presbyterian, wrote, "Brian is thoughtful and probing and edgy and restless. Kind of like the guy he's writing about."
As the dazzling endorsements in the book's first three pages reminded me that I was about to join a great company of fans, I got more excited about the treasure I was about to uncover. So, I put on my thinking cap, grabbed my marking pen, and settled in, for a good hunt, a brilliant read, and a great stretch.
I have to confess that in my unashamedly biased opinion, I found McLaren's ideas incredibly provocative, attractive, bold, radical, exciting, controversial, challenging and absolutely refreshing. Although the book pushed me out of my comfort zone, I could see why many people find his ideas to be an attractive alternative to the "staleness, superficiality and negativity of the religious status quo." No question McLaren is pushing the edges with a radical challenge.
In my book, however, I did not find McLaren's ideas or assertions to be initially convincing. But it will take me several more reads to better understand what he is saying.
What about you? What do you think?
Posts
5 comments:
Help me out here. I know we live in an environment where it is possible to get the impression that Barnes and Noble and Amazon are where streams of truth are released, and that bloggers, websites, Christian book stores, publishers, and avid book readers are in eager pursuit of truth, and that it is easy to accept a best seller as necessarily brimming with truths. So, in trying to see past the marketing hype, I have three comments initially.
First, I read The Secret Message. And I affirm Brian McLaren for posing the key questions and raising the issues. That took guts.
Second, I am naturally suspiciousm, however, of the premise of the title and subtitle. I am suspicious of claims to have discovered or uncovered secret Bible truths thousands of years after the "truths" were uttered, conveyed or written. While the reasons McLaren lists of why Christians may have missed the boat until now may make sense as a general proposition, that line of discussion begs the core question as to what the Holy Spirit, Jesus and God have been doing all these years in Christian churches. And what the churches (with all their imperfections, and evils) and congregations been doing for 2000 years?
Third, it's no secret that Sermon on the Mount and Matthew 5 truths are radical challenges from Jesus that disrupts our comfortable ways, and turns everything upside down. That has been understood for a long time, perhaps since they were uttered, then written. The problem, I believe, is that most of us hearers of Jesus words and principles have failed to follow their clear implications and directives in applying it to the "kingdom" today or whenever we lived. In my view, it is more a function of the hearers/our failure to apply the truths, not the truths themselves just being uncovered.
So, in the spirit of McLaren, I ask a "what if" question:
What if a church or gathering were to apply Matthew 5 truths. What would it look like in terms of---
-- the church in Acts and the purposes of a church defined therein? Where does it fit, in say, a teaching church?
-- profile and composition of church members and attenders?
-- budget and activities? How much of a church's budget would be spent on services for "least of these"? Where would revenue come from?
-- would the Matthew 5 principles become the doctrines or dogma of such church or gathering? What would happen to the core sets of beliefs?
-- would members of such Matthew 5 churches be bound to be political activists lobbying Congress, White House and Supreme Court to have Matthew 5 as their frame of reference for social and political programs? What about if they lived under dictatorial governments and countries without religious or political freedom?
-- would the term and principles of "inclusiveness" be extended to those who disagree with the definitions and directions?
Love to get all or anyone's thoughts on these questions...
Anonymous,
I agree that MacLaren's message is not completely new or secret, but he does do a good job of expressing a view that if folowed would lead to very different lives and churches. Lives and churches that are more inclusive instead of judgemental, judgements that I belieave are often based on non Christlike ideas. For example what people eat. People would be more concerned about their fellow man and less concerned with money and material accumalation. Yes, that would involve them in politics and changing the priorities of our society.
In other words, I do not think that Jesus would be favorably impressed with many of today's churches.
ld
Good morning All,
After our stretching get together yesterday, I want to remind us what we decided upon as far as tasks are concerned. This will be our part of the Secrect Message of Jesus.
1. At least once a day, find someone to give an authentic, appreciative compliment. This should be a heart felt compliment.
2. Before our next get together on June 14, 2009, find at least 1 person with whom we have a conflict, and lets wage peace with that person.
These two items came about from our discussion of different potential experiments which are listed on page 231 of the book The Secret Message of Jesus.
I know, if we do take this message to heart, it will make a difference in us.
Cowboy
Hello Stretchers,
How are we doing with these questions we decided to be accountable for several books ago?
Discouragingly, I find it so much easier to wage war than to wage peace. Lots more room for the Holy Spirit here to work aggressively with me. I pray for a huge injection of a spirit of grace and peace into my flesh which seems eager to wage war.
If the Beatitudes are the "new norm" Jesus introduced, then the blessings that flow to a peacemaker have escaped me thus far.
What about you?
How about we pray for each other on these questions so God can help us strengthen each other? Or how about we even email each other for support here?
Saw this book on your blog, and decided to comment. Not to disagree...but guess my read was different. Much different.
Found exciting ideas, smartly repackaged, well written, peer reviewed, but light on substance. Nothing new. Writes in sound bytes of appealing yet vague generalities. Claim of Jesus the Messiah having a secret message made poor sense historically or spiritually, especially in macro view of the Bible and God’s plan. Subtitle: "Uncovering the truth that could change everything" is dramatic copy that sells. Claim is assumed, not proven or well reasoned. Accomplished, best selling author who preaches non-partisanship, but is inherently partisan with large following. That's my read.
Post a Comment