Red Letter Christians

Two Roads Diverged in the Evangelical Wood

by Brian McLaren Wednesday, September 7th, 2011

When I was a young Evangelical Christian coming of age back in the early 1970s, I remember feeling that there were two paths before me. One was legalistic, anti-intellectual, combative and rigid. The other was missional rather than legalistic, reflective rather than anti-intellectual, communicative rather than combative, and supple rather than rigid.

I chose the latter path, represented by an array of figures (from C.S. Lewis to Francis Schaeffer to John Stott) and organizations (from InterVarsity Christian Fellowship to the Jesus Movement to Evangelicals for Social Action to Sojourners).

In the decades since then, those paths have criss-crossed and split and converged and re-diverged in more ways than I could have imagined. The choices have changed, but the need to choose has not.

One popular contemporary path has a lot to recommend it and many young evangelicals are choosing it. Travelers on this path are sure of themselves, uninhibited and uncompromising. They know what they believe and they let their true colors shine. They employ creative and bold rhetoric (something I approve of and often fall short of). Whenever creative and bold rhetoric fails them, folks on this path don’t back down. Instead, they often put their outspokenness on steroids, amping it up with mockery and misrepresentation when necessary (something I occasionally indulge in and always feel ashamed of the morning after).

People on the other path are not, as you might expect, the opposite of the first. They are not timid and retiring. They are not hesitant and unsure. They are no less passionate and articulate than those on the first path. But there is a key difference.

The difference is exemplified by a young Evangelical communicator named Rachel Held Evans. In her book and blog posts, she excels as a creative, bold communicator. But she rejects and opposes the more excessive rhetoric of her counterparts. In fact, she has a name for that rhetoric: bullying. She doesn’t engage in bullying; she stands up to it, and urges others to do so as well.

I know that most folks like to divide Evangelicals along a political spectrum that runs from left to right, or along a theological spectrum that runs from conservative to progressive. But I think the more significant divide is between those who bully and those who stand up on behalf of the bullied.

I’m not sure which road is broader and which is narrower. I suppose it depends on how you define broad and narrow. But I know which road I’d rather be on. The choice made by this generation of young evangelicals will make all the difference, for them and for the shared future we are creating now.

—-
Brian McLaren is an author and speaker who’s new book is Naked Spirituality: A Life With God in 12 Simple Words



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  • http://bytheirstrangefruit.com StrngeFruit

    Great post! Thank you! Will definitely be checking out Rachel Held Evans!

  • http://twitter.com/Skottee Scott Roe

    I have always struggled with the ‘strong language’ I have seen, not just thrown, but hurled at fellow believers within my camp of evangelicals.  I think the word ‘bullying’ is an accurate term.  I myself have chosen the other road, because the older I get the more I realize that I don’t fully understand or know the ins and outs of God.  What I rest in is the fact that I am known and loved by him. 

  • Benmanben

    EXCUSE ME! I am almost CERTAIN based on what I have read of his that C.S. Lewis was NOT a socialist, and that he did not hold views that this site holds. I think this site holds a socialist view and pushes to look at homosexuality as being acceptable for Christians, and not sinful. I believe C.S. Lewis held quite the opposite views!
    I believe it is his essay that is titled “Willing Slaves of the Welfare State” that discusses a dislike of socialism. http://cslewisjrrtolkien.classicalautographs.com/cslewis/bookexcerpts/willingslaveswelfarestate.html
    And I also recall him saying once in a letter that he was certain homosexuality was sinful; http://collegejay.blogspot.com/2008/10/lewis-on-homosexuality.html
    I believe a letter about the issue is somewhere in the post linked to above.

    And do you have ANY reason to associate him with this website? ANY??? I am sick and tired of looking on this site and seeing rant after rant of silly ideas and then the idea that JESUS or C.S. LEWIS have stated the same beliefs, (though it seems quotes in full context just won’t do.)

    Why don’t you just shut this site down?
    This is disgusting!

    -Benjamin

  • Shane F

    What on earth are you talking about? 

    (a) This site does NOT hold a ‘socialist’ view, and 

    (b) Though a number of people who contribute to this site may see homosexuality as being ‘acceptable for Christians’, may I point out that Tony Campolo himself holds to a ‘conservative’ view of homosexuality. That is, homosexual behaviour is a sin. 

    What this site DOES do is encourage us to take a more compassionate, loving view towards the GLBT communities (as Christ would), and to be thinking about what our faith – and being a part of the Kingdom – means in a world that is filled with so much hurt, poverty, and suffering. 

    And yes, there are many reasons why people such as C.S. Lewis can be associated with this website. If you actually looked a little more into his reading, you’ll find that many beliefs that he held too weren’t necessarily within ‘orthodoxy’.  

    So in ending, I’d like to quote a few words from Jesus; words which I believe this site is trying to encourage us to take seriously. 

    “They will answer, ‘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?’. ‘He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for the least of these, you did not do for me.’ 

  • http://www.facebook.com/jimmyspencerjr Jimmy Spencer Jr

    Sadly, this is Exhibit A to my friend Brians point.

  • Benjamin

    Oh for goodness sakes! Are you talking about the PSALMS!!?? That’s it? I mean, I figured that is why you didn’t tell me any of his things which weren’t “orthodoxy”.
    Seems rather small compared to what I see suggested on this site!
    Please be specific as to what you think C.S. Lewis said that wasn’t in the conservative  ”orthodoxy”, using quotes if you will. 
    As for the bible quote I understand that you and Tony seem to like to play the game “there’s only a few verses in the entire Bible,” and I’m sure it helps him stay popular and all, but I’m not sure what it has to do with what I said, as I never suggested we shouldn’t help the poor.

  • Benmanben

    Also, I believe that the quote from Jesus does not suggest political socialism at all.
    It implies we should give charitably.

  • Benmanben

    This is ridiculous! So I suppose you’re suggesting I’m doing evil because I disagree with the ideas he suggested?

  • benmanben

    Why are you speaking against them online? Is that ‘bullying’?

  • steven rozzi

    I think I see the same dichotomy that McLaren describes in this article. In my experience, there does seem to be two “camps” within Evangelical Christianity, with some nebulous boundaries. But, I think, that both camps, if you want to think of it that way, desire to follow Jesus and make Him known around the world. I don’t think we do that very well when we attack each other for holding “socialist” or “conservative,” “anti-gay” or “pro-gay” convictions. I think what will define us as people who claim to follow Christ is how we deal with people who hold views in opposition to ours – people we define as socially, culturally, economically, religiously “other” from us. I like to see this played out in how Jesus interacts with the woman at the well in John 4.

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