Ten questions that are
transforming the faith
By Brian D. McLaren
In his book, A New Kind of
Christianity, Brian D. McLaren lays out ten questions that a lot of people are
asking about Christianity. Questions about the gospel; why Jesus is so
important; sexuality; the church and the future.
The book lays open a space
where asking questions and talking about them is a good thing to do and with nothing
to fear
.
Brian is constantly returning
to the teaching of Jesus and that is really the core of this book, the life and
teaching of Jesus. It’s not about any new gospel or a new technique or some
kind of new program to lead people to Jesus, no, it’s about going back to what
Jesus said and who he was and what He did, and from that point of view, find
new ways to be a Christian.
I’d recommend everyone to read
it, whether you are a Christian or not, because it gives hope for the future
and a challenge to leave a state of “steady Christianity” behind in favor of a
passionate faith that helps us being part of the unfolding culture of the
twenty-first century.
Monica Alhbin
SWEDEN
2 comments:
"Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you— unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance … that Christ died for our sins… that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.” (1 Corinthians 15:1-5)
I listened to a radio program in which they spoke about a little town in the north of Sweden, whose main industry is mining. It was told that mining in the city had been taken to such a degree that it was no longer safe to live in the city on the surface above the mine. The excavations of the mountain have been so extensive that there was fear that large parts of the city would collapse. The foundation had been weakened. As a result, all the houses on the top must be moved.
Some parts of the Christian church are facing similar problems. Figuratively speaking, some people have tried to ’excavate’ massive chunks of the Bible’s message. And if the foundation of our faith – the Word of God is allowed to erode, in order to fit into the culture of our time, the Christian message provides a risky foothold.
Christ - the Rock does not change, but as the knowledge about him is being hollowed out there is a risk that whole congregations and Christian fellowships will collapse unless they are moved to firmer grounds.
Prayer
Lord help me to live my life on safe grounds – with Your holy, living Word as my foundation.
From Ruth Baronowsky's Daily Musings
Commissioner Railton wrote this:
"We are revolutionists. We know that we have passed from death unto life, and we insist on the necessity of the same sweeping change in every human being. With cries of 'Death unto sin' and 'Life unto righteousness,' we go on, determined to turn the world upside down. We are not philosophers or the theorists of revolution; but its agents. Merely to recommend revolution is contemptible. We must make it. Glad indeed would we be if any word of ours could go forth to slumbering Christians and slumbering churches, and awake them to the fight; but it is only what is done by direct personal effort that can be called sure work, in a revolution. (G.S.R., compiled by John D. Waldron. Originally appeared in the Christian Mission Magazine, January 1873)
Did you hear that bit in the middle? "Merely to recommend revolution is contemptible. We must make it."
Ouch. So, we're in tougher spots now we've read Brown than before. We've discussed it. We recommend it. And so far, it is merely contemptible. So, we've got to start it.
Let's start it then. How? Live the covenant. If you are a soldier, then live out the articles of war. That is as revolutionary as anything else in history. How does it look in practice? I don't know for sure yet, but here are some thoughts...
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