I wish more people would read Brian McLaren's books. I genuinely think he's onto something. This is the third one of his that I've read, and I think it's the best so far. In all of his books he advocates for a new spirit in Christianity, a spirit that is more focused on being like Jesus than on Old Testament moral codes and whatever conservative political cause happens to be raging at the moment.
The heart of this book is daring to ask, and answer, a simple question: What if Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and the Prophet Mohammed were to meet? What would happen if they all bumped into each other at the local diner? If you take these four great men at their word, it's hard to believe that they would get into an argument over who was right or whose followers were on the right path. What you might actually envision is a very hospitable meeting where ideas are exchanged and love is given.
So why are the followers of these great men so different? McLaren seeks to answer that throughout the book, at least as far as Christians go. Along the way he ruffles a lot of feathers. If you're a more traditional Christian, this book will challenge you to think about your deeply held religious beliefs, and that's a good thing. People like me, who think that the Christianity has gone off the rails, welcome this process and the results can be life changing for the better.
The first set of assumptions that McLaren challenges have to do with doctrine, and I think it's here that he probably angers the most people. He tackles Creation, Original Sin, Election, the Trinity, Christology, and the Holy Spirit. All through these reformulations he is asking the question: How can we view these doctrines in a way that makes us benevolent people without watering down the Christian faith?
If making you think about doctrine wasn't enough, next McLaren tackles liturgy, which has long been an interest of mine as I've taken part in various Protestant and Catholic liturgies. First McLaren looks at how to re-imagine the church year to help foster his Strong-Benevolent Christian identity. This includes sections on Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, and Ordinary Time. The he goes on to talk about baptism, music, Bible reading, and concludes with a beautifully written chapter on Communion.
Finally McLaren talks about how to take his Strong-Benevolent Christian Identity out into the world, getting into the nuts and bolts of dealing with people from other faiths or people with no religion. He doesn't advocate seeing people as "conversion targets." He advocates being nice and Christlike to people form other religions or people with no religion. He argues that we should respectfully learn about their beliefs and traditions and see the good in everyone. After all, Christians believe that humans were made in the image of God, so we can see God in Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, atheists...it doesn't matter. He draws on his own experiences with people from other traditions to hope that if Christians can set a Christlike example and lead the way, then perhaps others will join us in making the world a better place.
This book will make you think about things, whether you're a Christian or not. I encourage folks to read it. Obviously it will challenge you if you call yourself a Christian, but it can also challenge non Christians or lapsed Christians to see the faith in a new light and know that not every Christian wishes to be hostile to everyone else.
I'm not done with this book. Well, I finished it, but it's impossible to not have other thoughts and feelings about the things he says here. Look for other entries in the future on various aspects of this Strong-Benevolent Christian identity.
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