I was looking over the last several posts and noticed that I have not posting anything serious in quite a while. So here's my serious post.
I purchased Brian McLaren's new book The Secret Message of Jesus the other day and have been thinking about its premise for quite some time. I am not one of those people that looks for the secret codes, etc. that are found in the Bible. Thus, when I saw the title of McLaren's book, I had to say that my first thought was, "oh no! They got McLaren!" Thankfully, the book is not a rendering of secret code language, but is an attempt to peel back the layers of what we have superimposed culturally upon the message of Christ. The freedom that comes from such a presupposition is very freeing to me. I have become more and more aware lately of the gaping differences between the Jesus of scripture and the Jesus of the Church. My heart breaks every time I see the way that we have watered down the message of Christ. Here's a good case in point.
I am constantly amazed by youth. I love working with youth, they will act like they don't care and don't know anything one moment, and then the next moment will give you a truth that you have never seen before. Last Sunday I was sitting in Sunday School and was facilitating a discussion on the call of the disciples. We were reading from Luke 5, where Jesus gets in the boat with Simon. One of the students noticed that Jesus waits until right after Simon began to catch fish before calling him to "fish for men." Here's a guy who makes his living by catching fish. He has caught nothing, and then finally gets what he is looking for, he finally has enough money to live for a while, and then Jesus calls him to leave it! What a rip off! Is this the way that God works? We work our whole life trying to get what we need to make it, and then, just when we think we have it, Jesus says, "ok, I've got something better. I know you worked hard and you've finally arrived, but, well...it doesn't really matter anymore! There's something bigger out there to which you can give your life!"
This is exactly how I feel right now. I have been liberated by the fact that I don't have to accept the culturally watered down version of Christ. Furthermore, I have been liberated because this revelation leads me to believe that there is no such thing as a utopian ideal out there. My life is not about what I can work towards, it is about what I give myself to. I know that there is another way of reading this above scripture. If there wasn't, then TBN would be off the air. I appreciate the fact that there are multiple readings of the scripture that constantly keep each of us in check. However, I also understand that the scriptures are all about a new way of life. I can't help but wander if we are simply just adding Christianity on to our idealized American Dreams. What if the call of God is bigger? What if the call of God is to abandon the American Dream and devote ourselves to something that is bigger? What if there is no Utopian Ideal? Then again, what if there is a utopian ideal that we refer to in passing as the Kingdom of God and what if we are completely missing it by not living in it?
Shalom.
4 comments:
That new McLaren book is awesome. I got it back in March, along with Velvet Elvis (I was a little late getting that one). I read Velvet Elvis first (as I was getting it late, and I actually thought I got McLaren's book before the publishing date... I got it in March, thought it wasn't supposed to come out until April... anyway)... i read Velvet Elvis first, which was really good, loved it. Then I started Secret Message... couldn't put it down. I enjoy his writing style so much. Anyway, if you haven't finished it, I won't give anything away. But I, like you, thought they got McLaren too. Its an awesome book that I'm sure you'll enjoy, possibly more than once or twice.
I haven't finished it yet. I am trying to get through with school work before really getting in to it. I have a growing list of books that I have bought and haven't had time to read yet. I haven't been able to resist however thumbing through it. Can't wait to see what all is there!
We are finishing a mutli-week study in Sunday School surrounding Velvet Elvis. We used it as our text book in the Sr High Sunday School class. Good stuff.
forgot to include this in the initial comment, but i've had similar thoughts about Jesus in the last few weeks. It hit me driving home one day... I dont think most of the folk I know would like Jesus if they were to be confronted with Jesus in his full "Jesus-ness". Honestly, I'm not too sure that I would enjoy the company... he's so radical and... well.... aggravating. This was one of the inspirations behind an earlier post of mind... getting the 'church' out of me. Todd Agnew has a great line in "My Jesus" that rings with this feeling... "my Jesus would never be accepted in my church... The blood and dirt on His feet would stain the carpet" Ouch... Maybe I wouldn't be offended if he stained the carpet, but i would get angry when he started getting it on my iBook!!!
Great point. Our associate pastor preached a message on Sunday that was very good. He asked the question: "If Jesus were to attend our church as a guest speaker, what would he have to say to our church?" I have to admit that I am not sure I would like what he would have to say but still, I desperately want to hear His sermon.
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