Author Archive
Brian McLaren
Who Will Be Our Next Monster to Fear?
Tuesday, May 10th, 2011
On the death of Osama bin Laden, theologian Miroslav Volf expresses my sentiments when he writes:
“We are right to feel a sense of relief that a major source of evil has been removed. But we should reflect also on the flip side of that relief: the nature of our fears. As the King hearings and state-level anti-Sharia bills indicate, many people in our nation find themselves under a spell of a “green scare” analogous to the red scare of the 1950s. But fear is a foolish counselor, and our war in Iraq — unnecessary, unjust and counterproductive — is evidence of this.”
Violence in the Name of Faith
Saturday, April 30th, 2011
I received a question from a reader recently that asked: You write a lot about the plight of the Palestinians. Do you have anything to say about the murder of the Fogel family in Israel this past month, and the wider terror war Israel has endured for decades?
I am against all violence because I am a follower of Jesus. I believe Jesus was right when he said that those who live by the sword die by it — which means, in part, that violence leads to more violence. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. echoed Jesus when he stated, “You can murder a murderer, but you can’t murder murder.” The act of violence as a response to violence breeds more violence and creates systems of violence. Continue Reading »
Will ‘Love Wins’ Win? We’re Early in the First Inning …
Monday, March 28th, 2011
Because of my own experience as a writer, I’ve been anticipating the baptism in hot water (or worse) that Rob Bell was about to experience with the publication Love Wins. And because of the old saying that it’s not the attacks of your critics but the silence of your friends that hurts the most, I’ve been looking for an opportunity to speak up in Rob’s defense.
I couldn’t help but predict who would be first at bat with critique, what they would say, and how they would say it. A prominent Southern Baptist leader, Dr. Albert Mohler, put it well: “We Have Seen This All Before.” His response to Rob’s book, in an article under that title, will be judged by fans a veritable home-run of a response. It stirred up a few responses which I’d like to share.
Dr. Mohler rounded first base by articulating a claim that goes along these lines: “Our view is the biblical view, so all who oppose it oppose the Bible.” Here’s how he said it:
Continue Reading »
America’s Greatest Deficit is Spiritual, Not Merely Financial
Monday, March 14th, 2011
With all the angst about the economy, the deficit, and a looming government shut-down, I’m still concerned that we’re treating symptoms rather than diagnosing the underlying disease.
I know something about this. I spent a week in the hospital last year having loads of tests done — blood work, heart scans, stress tests, and sonograms. I was discharged without a diagnosis, merely with hopes that by treating the symptoms, whatever was wrong would go away. It didn’t. It turned out my real problem was a tick-born disease, and once it was diagnosed, a ten-dollar prescription of antibiotics cured me. Without that ten-dollar prescription to treat the real problem, I could have experienced life-long disability.
Budgets Are Still Moral Documents
Tuesday, March 1st, 2011
The What Would Jesus Cut? campaign, launched by Jim Wallis and the good people of Sojourners assumes that massive budget cuts are coming, but raises the question of where we start. As Shane Claiborne expounded on yesterday, there are many areas of our budget that could be cut while simultaneously helping our schools, health care, and world poverty.
If budget cuts are a fiscal necessity (more on that in a minute), asking what we cut is a moral necessity, hence the campaign’s title, intended to attract the attention – and stimulate the conscience – of American Christian voters. We all need to be reminded in the midst of what can become budget-frenzy that budgets are moral documents, and that the love of money can cause people to all sorts of evil things.
The Egyptian Revolution and Theological Reformation
Thursday, February 17th, 2011
It’s risky to make historical comparisons. If we say, “This event is exactly the same as that event,” our comparison blinds us to the uniqueness of a historical moment. But if we say, “This event is in some ways like that event,” our comparison can help us see meaningful resonances and patterns of historical, theological, and spiritual significance.
I’ve heard a few folks offer comparisons regarding the amazing events that have unfolded in Egypt over the last few weeks, including the Tea Party (the original one in Boston, that is), the fall of the Iron Curtain, and the struggle against Apartheid. But I’ve been especially interested in comparisons to the Protestant Reformation.
