Everything Must Change • 8

Read Everything Must Change • 7.

In continuing his theme of the societal machine, Brian McLaren illustrates how this machine is not disconnected from the rest of the world (the environment), but how it interacts with it. The machine takes in matter and energy, matter in the form of raw materials, and energy in the form of oil, nuclear, hydroelectric, etc. The machine produces products and waste. The waste is divided into garbage/sewage and energy, which would be in the form of heat or radiation. (60f)

Some resources are non-renewable. Others can be replenished, but even these can be used up faster than they can be replaced. (61)

If the machine is small in comparison to the ecosystem in which it is contained, everything goes along fine. However, if not stewarded adequately, the machine can grow to the point where resources cannot keep pace with demand, and excess wastes build to toxic levels. (62)

McLaren points out the great LIE: That, of course, could never happen to us. (63) Falling for that kind of denial is what eventuates the societal machine turning into a suicide machine. (64)

Does humanity’s mandate to exercise dominion over the earth give us license to exploit its resources without restraint? Or do we have a responsibility to steward the planet so that our grandchildren and great-grandchildren will be blessed by the legacy we leave behind? On the other hand, how does our belief about the end times influence our behavior toward the earth?

365: Exodus 13-15 (Day 21)

The Israelites were dressed for fighting when they left the land of Egypt. (Exodus 13:18 – NCV)

This verse sounds like the Hebrews marched out of Egypt with their shoulders back and their chests puffed out, like a conquering army, but the truth is in the context. The previous verse reads: When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” (Exodus 13:17)

The people were dressed for battle, but their mindset was that of slaves. They looked the part of conquerors, but inside they just weren't ready to fight.

I'm sure most of us have experienced the embarrassment of shrinking from a battle that God has gifted us and equipped us to win. It’s on those occasions we forget who and whose we are… like Peter seeing the waves and not seeing Jesus.

On the other hand, it takes more to be a soldier than to wear the uniform. Maybe the Hebrews were feeling a little too cocky, their pockets filled with their neighbors’ gold, and leaving the Egyptians reeling from God’s one-two plague punch. Maybe they were itching for a fight they weren't ready for. Perhaps their egos were writing a check their bodies couldn’t cash. Either way, God knew that if they tasted battle too soon, they would lose heart, turn tail and run back to Egypt.

Sometimes God sends us running into the battle; and sometimes God knows the better part of valor is in living to fight another day. Read the story of Josiah.

Have you ever felt bad about avoiding a battle, only to find out later fighting would have been the wrong answer?

Goodbye, Sir William

I was saddened yesterday to hear of Heath Ledger's untimely death. "A Knight's Tale" has to be one of my favorite movies of all time - and I love this scene (partly because of the great David Bowie song). In the movie, William (a peasant) assumed the identity of a nobleman in order to compete in the joust - the day's equivalent of NASCAR or NFL Football.

I'm not going to say more about the movie, because I don't want to spoil it for you. You've got to rent this film - soon! Believe me, watch it and you'll be singing "we will, we will ROCK YOU!"

You will be missed.

Everything Must Change • 7

I missed posting yesterday on Everything Must Change, Brian D. McLaren's newest book. In case you're joining us late, I am taking Tuesdays to post a chapter-by-chapter review of McLaren's book. I don't know enough about McLaren or his theology to give him or his book my stamp of approval (he'll be heartbroken about that), but his writings certainly make me think. That's a good thing. Catch my review of chapter six. Again, I encourage you to pick up a copy of Everything Must Change, and read along.

McLaren defines a machine as, a complex creation of human beings that harnesses energy to achieve a desire. (54) He identified three machines that, combined, make up society. These three machines are: 1) The Prosperity System – This machine is designed to make us happy by fulfilling our desires for comfort and fulfillment. It provides products for us to consume, for the purpose of making us happy. (55) However, having things which make us happy always brings with it the danger that someone else might try to take those things away, which necessitates the second subsystem:

2) The Security System – This machine is designed to protect our Prosperity System from those who would interfere with it. It involves police and military, weapons, personnel and training for those personnel. These systems are very expensive to maintain, partly because those who would interfere with our Prosperity System are constantly developing new ways to subvert the Security System. (55) Since this subsystem is so expensive, the costs of implementation and maintenance must be spread across the board so that no one person absorbs too much of the burden. This demands a third subsystem:

3) The Equity System – This machine works not only to fund the Security System, but to grow and develop the Prosperity System. The Equity System has four main tools: 1) It develops and enforces laws designed to keep people from encroaching on one another’s freedoms; 2) It levies taxes to pay for all three systems; 3) It establishes or protects the press and court systems to expose and address inequities; 4) Charities and NGO’s (non-governmental organizations) arise to alleviate suffering when the first three tools fail. (56)

These three systems work cooperatively and interdependently, and together comprise the societal machine. McLaren is careful to point out that the societal machine does not exist in isolation, but is part of a bigger system, and it is failing to understand that interdependence that causes the system to go suicidal. (58)

Can you relate to society described as three interdependent machines? If not, how would you describe it better?

How Not To

Matthew chapter six is Jesus' How Not To chapter: How not to give (vss. 1-4), how not to pray (vss. 5-15), how not to fast (vss. 16-18), how not to save (vss.19-24), and how not to worry (vss. 25-34).

Jesus didn't urge his audience to give, pray or fast. It was a given that they would, part of their cultural DNA. However, he did encourage them to consider why they were giving, praying and fasting. He wanted them to remember their audience and their motivation. If they were doing those things to be seen by people, to gain honor for themselves, then they were sadly missing the point. You mean if I give a thousand dollars to the church from wrong motives it won't do the church any good!? It will do the church a lot of good; it just won't do you any good. I know, in this passage, Jesus was talking about giving to the poor, not giving to the church, but I think the point holds.

In the next section Jesus talks about building wealth. He explains that putting one's trust in treasures that wear out, rust out, or can be stolen, is risky (and foolish) business. Jesus is in no way telling his followers not to make provision for the future, but teaching them there's more to life than Ferraris and stock portfolios.

The basic message of verses 25-34 is that if God has given us life, do we really think he'll shortchange us on the basics necessary to sustain life? If he takes care of the birds, will he not take even better care of us? If the flowers of the field, which bloom today and are gone tomorrow, are arrayed so beautifully, then are we not even more precious in his sight? Besides, worry does absolutely no good anyway. The trick is seeking first the kingdom, and living life one day at a time.

An interesting feature of this passage is a statement that at first take seems to contradict a statement from the previous chapter. 5:16 reads: In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. 6:1 says: Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

The first verse encourages us to engage in good behaviors so that God will be praised. The second warns us not to parade our good behaviors before people to gain that praise for ourselves.

The questions we've got to ask are: 1) Who is my audience? and, 2) What is my motivation?

I Have a Dream

A Cold Winter's Night

It's supposed to be cold tonight - 7°. Here in Pennsylvania we take such things in stride (even though I know my wife's car won't start when it's that cold), but all across the south land churches are cancelling (to be fair, not all of them are shutting their doors), because they might get 1-3 inches of snow. I'm just teasing; I know we've cancelled at times due to weather.


Several years ago, while I was pastoring in Georgia, a large asteroid came perilously close to the earth (within a million and a half miles). My first clue that something was amiss was when the Piggly Wiggly shelves were stripped of milk and toilet paper!

Shout Out Friday - Church for Men - Florida

About once a week I want to use The Masked Evangel to promote some other blogs of note.

And by the way, if you're not using an RSS (Really Simple Syndication - and no, I'm not kidding; that's what it stands for) feed to organize your blogs, you're wasting precious time. Internet Explorer has made subscribing to your favorite blogs super easy. If you're using IE, at the top right of your screen there is a small orange RSS icon in the tool bar. To subscribe to your favorite blog(s), connect to a blog, and then click on the RSS icon. After that just follow the on-screen instructions.

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When you have some time for reading your selected blogs, rather than going to the URL of each individual blog, just open your favorites list (on IE at least that icon is a yellow star at the top left of your screen). There should be three columns: favorites, feeds and history. Select feeds. The names of all your blog subscriptions will be displayed. Any that have new material since you last checked will be in bold print, which means you don't have to waste time checking blogs that haven't been updated.

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And if you do subscribe to some blogs, make sure you include The Masked Evangel on your list.

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Let's give a shout to Church for Men - Florida. Church for Men (Daytona Beach, FL) just celebrated their one-year anniversary under the able leadership of brothers Louie and Frank Mercer, and their friend Mike Ellis. The guys meet once a month in a gym; there's no dress code, and they keep things simple to connect with men's attention spans. Their services last an hour, including a rock-band, a 15-minute message, and always free food. They decided, Let's try it for three months and see what happens. That was over a year ago.

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Their blog includes insightful oiginal content, and they often connect to other blogs for content that impacts men, including stuff that's thought-provoking, or sometimes just plain funny.

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Give Church for Men - Florida a try, and let's thank God for a group of guys who were willing to follow the Holy Spirit and try something new.

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God, we ask your presence and provision for the guys and ministry at Church for Men. May individual lives, families and communities be changed as a result of what you're doing among them. Amen.

365: Genesis 47-50 (Day 16)

Israel worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff. (Genesis 47:31 – NIV)

This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible. I can envision this old man (even though some might say he was young for 130), full of years and full of life, looking out over the land of Goshen, but not seeing the fields or the sheep. He was seeing the years of his life – conspiring with his mother to get his brother’s blessing, the 20 years of working for his Uncle Laban, wrestling with God (at this point he automatically and without thinking reaches down to massage his hip), his reunion with Esau, the death of his sweetheart Rachel, the loss of his son Joseph, Jacob—an accomplished deceiver—now deceived by his sons, the famine, his astonishment at hearing Joseph was alive, and then seeing his beloved son once again, second-in-command over all of Egypt!

What a life! There was good and there was bad. There were things that had brought him shame and things that had brought him honor. There were times God’s will was accomplished in his life not in cooperation with Jacob, but in spite of Jacob. It was like a tapestry being woven from the day of his birth, some of the threads beautiful, and some ugly. Only now, in looking back was he able to see the hand of his God—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and yes, the God of Jacob.

And these thoughts make me think of a day in the future—who knows how long it might be? I don’t have a walking stick yet—that I may have the opportunity to look back over the days and years of my life. Will I see God’s hand in the bad days as well as the good? No doubt. Frederick Buechner (pictured at left) wrote: I believe . . . all of us have not only the right to be happy no matter what but also a kind of sacred commission to be happy—in the sense of being free to breathe and move, in the sense of being able to bless our own lives, even the sad times of our own lives, because through all our times, if we keep our ears open, God speaks to us his saving word. Then by drawing on all those times we have had, we can sometimes even speak and live a saving word to the saving of others. [1]

It is a wondrous thing to see our lives from God’s vantage point, to bless both the good and the bad, and see God’s hand in every day.

Do you know what Buechner means when he writes about blessing both the good and the bad of your life?

[1] Frederick Buechner, Telling Secrets (San Francisco: Harper Collins, 1991), 102.

A Mildly Upset Cat

I first caught this video on Anne Jackson's blog. This is one disturbed kitty.

Talking Cat

Ok, it's not just that the cat can talk; it's the incredible wisdom in the cats words!

Everything Must Change • 6

This is a re-post of yesterday's post with a needed edit. In the first paragraph (beginning, McLaren acknowledges...) I did not mean to suggest McLaren was being derogative of Christianity, just the way some Westerners have used Christianity to oppress other people.

Read Everything Must Change • 5.

McLaren acknowledges a shift among Christians, from being hyperconfident of their superiority and dominance to understanding that perhaps Western culture and Western style Christianity may not be God’s gift to the world after all. (43f)

He says that postmodernism is only one side of a coin. Postmodernism facilitates discussions among the formerly excessively confident westerners. The other side of that coin is postcolonialism, which facilitate discussion among those people who have been formerly dominated and colonized by western culture. (44) He writes that the way ahead will only be achieved when the former colonizers and the former colonized examine both sides of the coin together. (45)

He quotes Archbishop Desmond Tutu: When the missionaries came to Africa they had the Bible and we had the land. They said, ‘Let us pray.’ We closed our eyes. When we opened them we had the Bible and they had the land. (45)

McLaren spurns the present obsession with end times prophecy: One might wish there were more books on averting the destruction of the earth than books amusing us while it proceeds. (46)

In identifying the world’s biggest problems, the author presents five lists from sources as diverse as Rick Warren to the United Nations. He finally presents a shortened list of three: 1) global poverty; 2) environmental destruction; and 3) increasing violence. (50)

What would you say are the biggest problems in the world today?

I Wish I'd Said That • 2

See I Wish I'd Said That • 1.

• History is a nightmare. There are more scandals, more acts of corruption, than are dreamed of in philosophy. It would be blasphemous to believe that what we witness is the end of God's creation [as good as God's creation gets]. – Abraham Heschel in The Prophets

• You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. – James 1:3-4 (The Message)



• When addressed by a Marine Lieutenant filled with anxiety because his platoon had never been on a submarine before: Rest easy; I have. – Rock Hudson as Commander James Ferraday in the film Ice Station Zebra (1968)



• Everything God wants to do through [you] this year begins with what he wants to do in you. Remember, God is more interested in you than in what you do. – David Foster



• I love it when I read Scripture. I love it even more when Scripture reads me. – Perry Noble as quoted by Tony Morgan



• [Faith] is a sure and steadfast knowledge of the love of God toward us, according as He declares in His gospel that He is our Father and Savior (through the mediation of Jesus Christ). – John Calvin in The Geneva Catechism



• The person who cares nothing about the approval or disapproval of people enjoys great peace of mind. – Thomas à Kempis in The Imitation of Christ

Righter than Right

Today was one of those days when I felt like my teaching could be summed up like this: good content but poor execution.

Our text was Matthew 5:17-20, which ends with Jesus' statement: For I tell you that unless your righteousess surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

The writer of Matthew carefully portrays Christ in parallel with Moses. At Moses' birth Pharaoh had the Hebrew baby boys killed. At Jesus' birth Herod ordered the infanticide of the baby boys of Bethlehem. Moses received the law on Mt. Sinai, while Jesus interpreted the law in the Sermon on the Mount (even though Luke assembles many of the same teachings in a sermon on the plain.

Jesus explained that it was not his intention to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. The law could mean the ten commandments, the books of Moses (Genesis-Deuteronomy), or the Law and the Prophets (basically the Old Testament), but the word's most common usage was in reference to the oral or scribal law. The scribes dedicated their lives to interpreting the law, detailing it to apply to any and every life situation. By the third century A.D., the scribal law filled an 800-page book. Whereas the scribes (the teachers of the law) dedicated their whole lives to the law's interpretation, the Pharisees dedicated their lives to living out the oral/scribal law. It was in this context that Jesus charged us saying our rightousness must surpass the teachers of the law and the Pharisees. How is that even possible? I for one, don't have time to dedicate my life to either explaining or living the scribal law and I'm a pastor! How could Jesus reasonably make that kind of demand?

Jesus summed up this higher righteousness when a scribe approached him as he was teaching. Read about it in Mark 12:28-31. The scribe asked Jesus about the most important commandment. In other words, he was asking, Teacher, you're familiar with the scribal law. What's the most important commandment? Jesus answered: Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength (Deuteronomy 6:4-5). Then Jesus coupled those verses called the Shema (Shema = hear) with Leviticus 19:18 - Love your neighbor as yourself.

The Mishnah (or scribal law in book form), and its later commentary (the Talmud - basically the size of the Encyclopedia Brittannica!) covered every life situation imaginable. If someone had a question about the lawful thing to do in any given circumstance, a scribe could point to chapter and verse to provide an answer. Jesus, however, freed us from the burden of the scribal law. If that's the case, how can we even attempt to live more righteously than the scribes and Pharisees?

When in doubt, don't ask, Where's the rule that covers this situation? Ask instead, Is this the best way I can show love for God? And is this the best way I can show love for people? If you can answer, Yes, to both of those questions, that's the way to make sure your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and the Pharisees. Then you'll be righter than right.

Everything Must Change • 5

My notes on chapter four can be found here.

Chapter 5 begins by addressing the issue of millions of young people leaving the church, millions of young people for whom Christianity appears to be a failed religion. The consensus for many is, It has specialized in people's destination in the afterlife but has failed to address significant social injustices in this life. It has focused on "me" and "my soul" and "my spiritual life" and "my eternal destiny," but it has failed to address the dominant societal and global realities of their lifetime: systemic injustice, systemic poverty, systemic ecological crisis, systemic dysfuntions of many kinds. [1]

McLaren points out that when young Christian people become disillusioned with the church, they may or may not continue practicing it, but they will most definitely be less enthusiastic about sharing their faith with friends. [2] He then gives a thorough and understandable explanation for the origins and meaning of the word postmodern. Come to find out, it's not a dirty word after all! I'm not going to recount his explanation--you need to buy the book.

He also connects the word postmodern to postcolonialism. He writes of excessive confidence, which has caused western Christians to mistakenly think they had a mandate from God to conquer the world, no matter what tactics were required. He writes about the framing stories that reinforce our destructive tendencies.

Finally he goes back to his two original questions and asks: Is it possible that at the heart of the life and message of Jesus was an attempt to expose, challenge, confront, transform and replace the unhealthy framing stories of his day? And could there be a resonance between the unhealthy framing stories of his day and their counterparts in our day? [3]

[1] Brian D. McLaren, Everything Must Change (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2007), 33.

[2] Ibid., 34.

[3] Ibid., 39.

365: Day 9 (Genesis 25-27)

He moved from there and dug another well. (Genesis 26:22)

Ever notice there's a lot of biblical material about Abraham and Jacob, but not that much about Isaac? Most of the Isaac accounts have Isaac being pretty passive while things happen to him, like for instance, when his father lays him out on the altar of sacrifice, or when his wife and child conspire to trick him into blessing the wrong son.

Genesis 26 is the story of Isaac living among the Philistines. Because they were envious of his riches and nervous about his family's strength, the Philistines filled up all his wells. He dug a new well, and the Philistines filled it up and it sunk into the swamp. So he dug another well,... and that one burned down, fell over and sunk into the swamp. So he dug another well,... and finally the Philistines left that one alone and it was the finest well in all the land. (For those who didn't notice there is a small amount of paraphrasing included in this account.)

Isaac is to be commended for his response. I would have probably had a few other responses in mind: 1) throw a tantrum; 2) quit and go home; or 3) beat the daylights out of the Philistines.

Isaac didn't do any of those things. After they filled in all his wells, and then two additional wells he dug after that, Isaac just moved down the road, dug another well, and waited to see what would happen. That time, the Philistines left him and his well alone, he breathed a sigh of relief, and went on with his life.

What would you do? What can we learn from Isaac?

Everything Must Change • 4

Click here for Everything Must Change • 3.

Chapter 4 poses the question: Is the church today what Jesus intended it to be? Is the church marching against the gates of hell, or have we gotten bogged down in trivial matters that don't really matter in the eternal scope of things?

Let me just point to one quote from McLaren: [The church] can become a benign and passive chaplaincy to a failing and dysfunctional culture, the religious public relations department for an inadequate and destructive ideology. It can forego being a force of liberation and transformation and instead become a source of domestication, resignation, pacification and distraction. [1]

[1] Brian D. McLaren, Everything Must Change (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2007), 29.

Everything Must Change • 3

Catch post #2 from this series here.

In Burundi, a war torn nation in East Africa, McLaren encounters Claude Nikondeha, who jokes with his fellow Christians that in spite of growing up in the church, he only ever heard one sermon, and it went like this: You are a sinner and you are going to hell. You need to repent and believe in Jesus. Jesus might come back today, and if he does and you are not ready, you will burn forever in hell. Claude went on to say, They told us how to go to heaven . . . They didn't tell us how the will of God could be done on earth. [1]

Come to think of it, that sounds a lot like the only sermon I heard growing up, too. I guess the question is, Does Jesus in my life make a difference to my life and to the world around me? Or is it just an initiation now for eternal life later?

After Claude's sermon, McLaren met a young lady overwhelmed with what she had just heard: Today, for the first time, I see what Jesus meant by the kingdom of God. I see that it's about changing this world, not just escaping it and retreating to our churches. [2]

[1] Brian McLaren, Everything Must Change (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2007), 18ff.

[2] Ibid., 23.

This Guy's Got it Right

Mike Ellis, from Church for Men - Florida, sent me a short note regarding my Eye Contact post. Check this out.

Eye Contact

In D.C. last weekend, I was surprised to encounter so many homeless. Other than a one-day quick visit, we hadn't been there in several years. On a cold and rainy Sunday morning there were large numbers of impoverished people bundled in dirty blankets sheltered against the elements. At least three people came up to us asking for money, and that's not counting the street musicians, some of whom were very good. I found myself very uncomfortable and avoiding eye contact, as if that made me less responsible to help my fellow man.

Jesus charged us to be salt and light to the world around us. We all know salt doesn't do any good shut up in the shaker, and light doesn't do any good hidden under a basket. In short, the church was not intended to be passive, waiting for the world to come knock its doors down, but to actively engage its culture. The church is you.

In my 365 reading this week, I came across the account of Cain and Abel. The NCV quoted Cain like this: Is it my job to take care of my brother? In avoiding eye contact with the homeless in Washington, I was silently asking the same question: Is it my job to take care of my brother? What I was seeking is plausible deniability. As if by not seeing, I was absolved of my responsibility to render aid.

In Matthew 25:42-44 the King speaks to those on his left: ...I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.

They respond: Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you? We intentionally avoided eye contact to limit our liability! Okay, I added that last part... but you get the point, right?

And it isn't necessarily going to be someone hungry for food. It might be someone hungry for a kind word, or thirsty for a caring smile. It doesn't have to be dramatic to make an impact.

In the coming days you will find yourself in a situation where you're given a choice: you will choose to either 1) avoid eye contact, or 2) intentionally connect with one of God's precious children. Will you go for plausible deniability? Or will you let God touch someone through you? It might happen in church, at Wal-Mart, or out on the street. When it happens, you'll remember this post, and I hope you do the right thing. I hope you do better than I did in D.C. No doubt I'll have another opportunity, too. I hope I do better this time.

Send me a good report of the blessing you receive by simply connecting with one of God's children.

365: Genesis 10-12 (Day 4)

Once again, it does a wonderful thing for my perspective to read the Bible from a fresh translation. I have also determined to read the Bible as early in the day as possible this year, and to select one verse for a daily meditation. This is a practice I picked up from Dave Ferguson who pastors Community Christian Church in the Chicago area.

As I was reading yesterday's assignment from The Bible in 365 (I'm using the New Century Version this year), one verse caught me: They [Abram's father Terah and his entire family, including Abram and Sarai] had planned to go to the land of Canaan, but when they reached the city of Haran, they settled there (Genesis 11:31).


Terah wanted to take his family to Canaan. It was a long journey (see map with Haran labeled Charan). ...when they reached the city of Haran, they settled there. I have two observations about that sentence.

1. I can't get past the word settled. How often do we have a God-given goal in mind, yet stop half-way, settling for something less than God intended? Is that what happened to Terah? Or...


2. ...sometimes the journey to where God is leading us takes more than just one generation. Sometimes we are blessed to take our families all the way; sometimes our kids or even our grandkids will finish the journey we began.

What's God been saying to you through your Bible reading in this new year?

Everything Must Change • 2

To read the first post in this series, check this out: EMC • 1.

In chapter 2 Brian McLaren poses two questions:

1. What are the biggest problems in the world? [1]
2. What do the life and teachings of Jesus have to say about the most critical global problems in our world today? [2]

These are fundamental questions, and they bring up two more: Why hasn't the Christian religion made more of a difference in regard to these issues? And, how could we make a positive difference? [3]

How would you answer question #1? Do the life and teachings of Jesus address these concerns? If so, how?

[1] Brian McLaren, Everything Must Change (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2007), 11.

[2] Ibid., 12.

[3] Ibid.

Everything Must Change • 1

I am not really sure I'm the right guy to be reviewing Brian McLaren's Everything Must Change (2007), even though I was positively stretched by his Reinventing Your Church (1998). I have not read his most important titles, such as A Generous Orthodoxy, A New Kind of Christian, or The Secret Message of Jesus. I'm sure I'll get to those as McLaren has proven himself to be one of the most dangerous (in a good way) Christian thinkers today.

I'm just going to take his book chapter by chapter, and share some of the main points as I see them. I don't want to cover it so completely that you'll feel you don't need to read it yourself; I'm really hoping you'll want to pick up your own copy, and maybe some of McLaren's other titles. It would be really cool to have an informed conversation about these topics.

In chapter one, McLaren challenges the notion that Christianity is just about the afterlife: ...the versions of Christianity we inherited are largely flattened, watered down, tamed . . . offering us a ticket to heaven after death, but not challenging us to address the issues that threaten life on this earth. [1]

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McLaren points out four global dysfunctions:

1. the prosperity crisis - great wealth is produced for one third of the world's population, but is both unsustainable and causing environmental breakdown


2. the equity crisis - the growing gap between the very poor and the very rich, and the resulting resentment by the poor and fear by the rich


3. the security crisis - the danger of war arising from said resentment and fear among groups at the opposite ends of the economic spectrum


4. the spirituality crisis - the failure of the world's religions (Christianity and Islam make up 54% of the world's population) to heal the three previous crises [2]

In the author's own words: This book is a first visit to a new way of seeing the world and hearing the message of Jesus. [3]

[1] Brian McLaren, Everything Must Change (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2007), 3.

[2] Ibid., 5.

[3] Ibid., 7.

Morris West's Papal Trilogy

I don't read much fiction; in fact, the only fiction I read in 2007 was a papal trilogy from Morris West (1916-1999). The three books, which examined the lives and ministries of three popes, are titled: 1) The Shoes of the Fisherman (1963) 2) The Clowns of God (1981); and 3) Lazarus (1990). I first picked up The Clowns of God over twenty years ago, and have enjoyed West's writings ever since. Don't feel bad if you've never heard of him, even though he's published nearly thirty books.

The Shoes of the Fisherman details the early reign of Pope Kyril I, whose body and psyche bear the scars of torture and imprisonment under the Soviets. Kyril finds the confinement of the See of Peter reminiscent of his days in Siberian exile. Hemmed in by protocol and tradition, he learns once again to submit his will to the will of God. At the same time he befriends an ailing priest and academic, Father Jean Télémond, whose writings were censured by the Church twenty years earlier, and who has been forbidden to teach or publish his research. He has returned to Rome for another chance to defend his work. The quote I took with me from this novel was: If we die to ourselves, in the end we come to live in God. But it is a long, slow dying.

The Clowns of God is set against the backdrop of Cold War, with pending hostilities haunting everyone's thoughts. Pope Jean Marie Barette has a private vision of a nuclear Armageddon, but is forced to abdicate before he can make his revelation public. His fellow Cardinals fear his vision could instigate widespread panic. In examining what his vision means for the future of the church, Jean Marie Lately a Pope wrestles with what faith means for regular people, and whether the rules, constraints and minutiae of Catholicism are not the burdens lain on people's backs from Luke 11:46. In short, he is searching for the lowest common denominator of the Christian faith, and defining the difference between holiness and legalism. Jean Marie's conflict is not confined to the College of Cardinals, but he contends with God, as well as his own will.

Finally, Lazarus is about rigorist Pope Leo XIV, elected to replace Jean Marie Barette. After undergoing open heart bypass surgery, Leo experiences a different kind of change of heart. This softer, gentler Pope realizes late in life how much he has missed by isolating himself within ministry and the church. Sub-plots are provided by two priests, one who discovers he is an unbeliever, and the other battling addiction to alcohol. They must decide if redemption can best be found inside or outside of ministry. Stalked by a radical Islamic assassin, Leo XIV must now decide if he should save himself by hiding himself within the safety of the Vatican, or risk his newfound life by touching and being touched by the people Christ has called him to shepherd.

We saw a quote while we were in Washington this weekend. It read: A home without books is like a room without windows. Morris West is gone, but his books survive. He wrote in many different genres, from religion to romance to spy thriller, and he did them all good.

It's a new year. Why not make a resolution to read some good books? It could change your life for the better.

Any good titles you would recommend to me?

Why We Love D.C. (2 of 2)

Washington Monument (in distance)
Location of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s I Have a Dream Speech
Lincoln Memorial
Reflecting Pool from Lincoln Memorial

Our Family at Vietnam War Wall
Korean War Memorial
World War II Memorial

Why We Love D.C. (1 of 2)

Union Station
Metro (Subway)
Ebenezer's Coffee House
(Home of National Community Church and Lead Pastor Mark Batterson)
Smithsonian Air & Space Museum
Archives Building
White House