The Secret Message of Jesus: Uncovering the Truth that Could Change Everything

By Brian D. Mclaren

When Brian McLaren began offering an alternative vision of Christian faith and life in books such as A New Kind of Christian and A Generous Orthodoxy, he ignited a firestorm of praise and condemnation that continues to spread across the religious landscape. To some religious conservatives, McLaren is a dangerous rebel without a doctrinally-correct cause. Some fundamentalist websites have even claimed he's in league with the devil and have consigned him to flames.

To others though, Brian is a fresh voice, a welcome antidote to the staleness, superficiality, and negativity of the religious status quo. A wide array of people from Evangelical, Catholic, and Mainline Protestant backgrounds claim that through his books they have begun to rediscover the faith they'd lost or rejected. And around the world, many readers say that he has helped them find-for the first time in their lives-a faith that makes sense and rings true. For many, he articulates the promise of what is being called "emerging Christianity."

In The Secret Message of Jesus you'll find what's at the center of Brian's critique of conventional Christianity, and what's at the heart of his expanding vision. In the process, you'll meet a Jesus who may be altogether new to you, a Jesus who is…

• Not the crusading conqueror of religious broadcasting;
• Not the religious mascot of partisan religion;
• Not heaven's ticket-checker, whose words have been commandeered by the church to include and exclude, judge and stigmatize, pacify and domesticate.

McLaren invites you to discover afresh the transforming message of Jesus-an open invitation to radical change, an enlightening revelation that exposes sham and ignites hope, an epic story that is good news for everyone, whatever their gender, race, class, politics, or religion.

 "Pastor and best-selling author McLaren revisits the gospel material from a fresh-and at times radical-perspective . . . He does an excellent job of capturing Jesus' quiet, revolutionary style."

--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Here McLaren shares his own ferocious journey in pondering the teachings and actions of Jesus. It is McLaren's lack of salesmanship or agenda that creates a refreshing picture of the man from Galilee who changed history."

--Donald Miller, Author of Blue Like Jazz

"In this critical book, Brian challenges us to ask what it would mean to truly live the message of Jesus today, and thus to risk turning everything upside down."

--Jim Wallis, Author of God's Politics and editor of Sojourners

"Compelling, crucial and liberating: a book for those who seek to experience the blessed heat of Christianity at its source."

--Anne Rice, Author of Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Release date: Apr 1, 2007
• ISBN: 9781418526740

Brian D. Mclaren

Brian D. McLaren, hailed as one of America's 25 most influential evangelicals by Time magazine, is a speaker, social justice activist, pastor, and the author of A New Kind of Christianity, A Generous Orthodoxy, A New Kind of Christian, and The Secret Message of Jesus. McLaren has appeared on Nightline and Larry King Live, and his work has been covered in The Washington Post, the New York Times, Christianity Today, and many other publications. McLaren and his wife, Grace, live in Florida and have four adult children.

Book preview

Endorsements for Brian McLaren’s

The Secret Message of Jesus

Pastor and best-selling author McLaren revisits the gospel material from a fresh—and at times radical—perspective. . . . He does an excellent job of capturing Jesus’ quiet, revolutionary style.

—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"In The Secret Message of Jesus Brian McLaren shares his own ferocious journey in pondering the teachings and actions of Jesus. As you read this terrific book, you may find yourself questioning Jesus, appreciating Jesus, admiring Jesus, and perhaps, in the end, feeling a sense of love and loyalty. What happens to you in the reading is not unlike what happened to the men and women who met Jesus thousands of years ago, and the millions who have claimed to have met him since. McLaren is surprisingly objective, and it is his lack of salesmanship or agenda that creates a refreshing picture of the man who claimed to be God."

— DONALD MILLER, Author of Blue Like Jazz

In this critical book, Brian challenges us to ask what it would mean to truly live the message of Jesus today, and thus to risk turning everything upside down.

— JIM WALLIS, Author of God’s Politics and editor of Sojourners

"Brian McLaren has given us an insightful, timely, and occasionally startling distillation of the message of Jesus. He is well aware of the many ways it has been distorted and debased by ourselves among others, but McLaren argues compellingly that it continues to be the best message we have—bringing clarity, guidance, and, above all, hope into our shadowed and floundering world."

— FREDERICK BUECHNER

"Here McLaren breaks new ground. The Secret Message of Jesus is his first decoding of the Gospel for those who are, or wish to be, ‘a new kind of Christian.’ More to the point, Christians of every kind, old or new, will receive energy and a renewal of their own commitment from reading these pages."

— PHYLLIS TICKLE, Religion editor (ret.) Publishers Weekly

and compiler of The Divine Hours

Brian McLaren insists gently that we recognize the message of Jesus as an ongoing revolution that may never come to an end in time. The Law of God doesn’t change, no, but our perception of it is never static; it does and must change as the centuries pass. New study, new insights, new metaphors and new acknowledgements of past limitations can bring us closer and closer to the living, breathing, and dynamic nature of Scripture as we seek to meet its radical demands. McLaren reminds us that we have been invited to transform ourselves through Christ. Lucid, compelling, crucial and liberating: a book for those who seek to experience the blessed heat of Christianity at its source.

— ANNE RICE, Author of Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt

"In The Secret Message of Jesus the religious fog begins to lift and the revolutionary life that Jesus lived and calls us to begins to take shape. Take a chance on this wise and thought-provoking book."

— ZACH LIND, Drummer, Jimmy Eat World

There is good reason that Brian McLaren is emerging as a prominent voice in the new shape of the church to come. His passion and gifts are fully articulated in this volume wherein he invites the reader back to the most urgent and elemental dimensions of Jesus. McLaren pushes beyond conventional church faith to the rawness of the text, there to be met by One who is revolutionary, subversive, and invitational in demanding and healing ways.

— WALTER BRUEGGEMANN, Professor, Columbia Theological

Seminary, and author of The Prophetic Imagination

"This is the real DaVinci Code—the lost message to the contemporary church. A powerful, eye-opening book that has me rethinking my own position on everything."

— JACK HAFER, Film producer, To End All Wars

"Over the last few years Brian McLaren has helped so many of us navigate the changing landscape of our emerging post-modern culture. While bringing insight and hope to so many of the hard questions of belief our new world brings, his books have enabled us to reimagine the nature and purpose of our faith and the church. In The Secret Message of Jesus, Brian helps us further on our journey, with probably his most important work to date."

— JASON CLARK, Coordinator, Emergent-UK

"As I finished reading The Secret Message of Jesus, the thought came to mind that this is the last Christian book I need to read. It is time to set down the books and start doing ."

— TIM BLAIR , Executive vice president, Parable Christian Stores

It’s amazing that the secret message of Jesus is also a secret to many Christians, but Brian McLaren courageously explains how and why this has happened. In this book, the good news sounds good again—to non-Christian and Christian alike.

— OTEIL BURBRIDGE, Bass player, The Allman Brothers Band

Brian is thoughtful and probing and edgy and restless. Kind of like the guy he’s writing about.

— JOHN ORTBERG, Best-selling author and teaching pastor,

Menlo Park Presbyterian Church

Brian explores Jesus and his ‘secret’ message imaginatively, invitingly, and in ways certain to provoke controversy and conversation, just like Jesus did.

— DICK STAUB, President of The Center for Faith and Culture,

broadcaster, and author of Christian Wisdom of the Jedi Masters

Brian McLaren has done it again! He has written a book that challenges traditional religiosity with a vital rediscovery of the central biblical truths.

— TONY CAMPOLO, Professor Emeritus, Eastern University,

and author of Speaking My Mind

"This book will make you uncomfortable. It might make you mad. Jesus has that affect on people, Brian McLaren reminds us with understated wisdom. The Secret Message of Jesus challenges us to put aside our sterile certainties about Christ and reconsider the imaginative world of Jesus’ stories, signs, and wonders."

— MARK MOSSA, S.J., Co-author of Just War, Lasting Peace:

What Christian Traditions Can Teach Us .

What Brian McLaren brings to the task of understanding and responding to the person, personality, and program of Jesus is an exceptional way of imagining. His gift is to bring together an intelligent reading of the gospels, an acute sensitivity to the beauty and brutality of humankind, and a compelling and far-reaching grasp of the possibilities inherent in Jesus’ message. This book should renew our hope.

— ANDREW PERRIMAN, Author of The Coming of the Son of Man

THE

SECRET

MESSAGE OF

JESUS

UNCOVERING THE TRUTH THAT COULD CHANGE EVERYTHING

BRIAN D. MCLAREN

00-01SecretMessageOfJesus_0005_001

THE SECRET MESSAGE OF JESUS

© 2006 Brian D. McLaren. All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Published by W Publishing Group, a Division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, Tennessee 37214.

Names and details have been changed to respect the privacy of people whose personal stories are shared in this book.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers. Other Scriptures are taken from the following: The King James Version of the Bible (KJV). Public domain. The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The New Revised Standard Version® (NRSV®). Copyright © 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The Holy Bible, Today’s New International Version™ (TNIV®). Copyright 2001, 2005 by International Bible Society®. All rights reserved worldwide.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

McLaren, Brian D., 1956–

   The secret message of Jesus : uncovering the truth that could change everything / Brian McLaren.

      p.cm.

   ISBN 0-8499-0000-X (HC)

   ISBN 0-8499-9143-9 (IE)

   1. Jesus Christ—Person and offices. I. Title.

BT203.M37 2006

232.9'54—dc22

2005033686

Printed in the United States of America

06 07 08 09 10 QW 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

This book is dedicated to all who work for peace among nations, races, classes, religions, ideologies, parties, families, and individuals, because these people are part of something bigger and more important than we fully understand.

CONTENTS

Introduction

PART 1

EXCAVATION: DIGGING BENEATH THE SURFACE TO UNCOVER JESUS’ MESSAGE

1. Troubling Questions about Jesus

2. The Political Message of Jesus

3. The Jewish Message of Jesus

4. The Revolutionary Message of Jesus

5. The Hidden Message of Jesus

PART 2

ENGAGEMENT: GRAPPLING WITH THE MEANING OF JESUS’ MESSAGE

6. The Medium of the Message

7. The Demonstration of the Message

8. The Scandal of the Message

9. You Can’t Keep a Secret

10. Secret Agents of the Secret Kingdom

11. The Open Secret

12. Hiding the Message in New Places

13. Getting It, Getting In

PART 3

IMAGINATION: EXPLORING HOW JESUS’ SECRET MESSAGE COULD CHANGE EVERYTHING

14. Kingdom Manifesto

15. Kingdom Ethics

16. The Language of the Kingdom

17. The Peaceable Kingdom

18. The Borders of the Kingdom

19. The Future of the Kingdom

20. The Harvest of the Kingdom

21. Seeing the Kingdom

Afterword

Appendix 1: Why Didn’t We Get It Sooner?

Appendix 2: Plotting Goodness

Acknowledgments

Notes

INTRODUCTION

Seek first . . .

—MATTHEW 6:33

For many years, I have been seeking something. You might call it a spiritual quest or maybe a personal obsession. The goal of my exploration is to understand Jesus—and, in particular, his message. No, I don’t think I can contain it in my little brain. It’s not so much that I’m trying to get his great big message into my little head; it’s more that I’m trying to get my little head fully into Jesus’ message.

Some people think that a spiritual quest of any kind is a colossal waste of time. For them, the only things that are real are those that can be proven and measured. They might think, Life boils down to earning and buying and selling . . . eating and drinking and having fun . . . respiration, digestion, elimination, ovulation, ejaculation, gestation, reproduction, antiquation, expiration. Why search for something that we can’t prove? Why don’t we just get real and get over it? Why waste energy on a spiritual quest? There’s nothing more than psychology and biology,which is nothing more than chemistry and electricity, which is nothing but physics, which boils down to mathematics. That’s all there is .

Others think my search is a waste of time for a different reason. They think they’ve got Jesus and his message figured out, reduced to their own kind of mathematics. It’s these three concepts or those four steps or this simple little five-part formula—no more sophisticated than an elementary equation, really. It’s 3 + 4 = 7. It’s 16 – 9 = 7. It’s –7 + 7 = 0. Why is Brian so misguided or difficult that he doesn’t just repeat them and get with the program?

But many people seem to share my hunch that neither a formulaic religious approach nor a materialistic secular approach has it all nailed down. Think of all the people who in recent years have read (or seen) The Da Vinci Code —not just as a popular page-turner but as an experience in shared frustration with the status-quo, male-dominated, power-oriented, cover-up-prone organized Christian religion. Why is the vision of Jesus hinted at in Dan Brown’s book more interesting, more attractive, and more intriguing to these people than the standard version of Jesus they hear about from churches? Why would they be disappointed to find that Brown’s version of Jesus has been largely discredited as fanciful and inaccurate, leaving only the church’s conventional version? Is it possible that even though Brown’s fictional version misleads in many ways, it at least serves to open up the possibility that the church’s conventional versions of Jesus may not do him justice?

Think about all the people who have explored the Gnostic gospels in recent years, hoping to get a better, more radical vision of Jesus and his message. What if the problem isn’t with our accepted stories of Jesus (the stories given us by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in contrast to these alternate accounts) but rather with our success at domesticating them and with our failure to see them in their native wildness and original vigor? What if, properly understood, the canonical (or accepted) Gospel of Matthew is far more radical and robust than the apocryphal Gospel of Thomas, or the canonical Gospel of John is far more visionary and transformative than the apocryphal Gospel of Peter—if only we had ears to hear, as Jesus says?

Think about all the people who read articles or watch documentaries about Jesus on educational media every chance they get, hoping to get a deeper glimpse into this singularly fascinating personality. And think about the people who are repulsed by the usual cast of religious spokespeople on the nightly news or talk shows, not to mention paid religious broadcasting. To what degree are these communicators and communications media representing or misrepresenting Jesus and his message?

Think about the people who have profound spiritual experiences that tell them there’s something more to life, something that can’t be reduced to the formulas or mechanisms of organized religion or reductionist science. Think about the people who—even though they’ve given up on organized religion due to bad or boring experiences with it—still have a high opinion of Jesus. Or maybe opinion isn’t the right word: what they have is a certain sense of possibility regarding Jesus, a sense that there might be more going on with him than most people realize, including perhaps many who call themselves Christians.

These unsatisfied people—and I’m one of them—have this unshakable intuition that both he and his message are better than anything they’ve heard or understood or figured out so far. They—I should say we—feel that there’s a missing puzzle piece without which the big picture won’t snap into place. There’s a hidden door somewhere behind a curtain or bookcase, and through that door there are rooms we’ve never imagined.

They—we—have this hunch that there’s a secret we don’t yet get.

I’m not talking about something silly. I’m not talking about some kind of crazy conspiracy theory or wild speculation. I don’t want to insult anybody, so I won’t mention anything specific, but you know what I mean: I’m not talking about Jesus being in league with aliens from the planet Zorcon-3 or anything like that.

The secret I’m thinking of is more like the kind of rush of insight that comes to you near the end of a really good movie: you’ve been confused about something since the very first scene, but suddenly it all comes together. For many of us, we feel we’ve been watching the movie attentively, but we haven’t gotten to that moment of clarity yet. We wish it would come.

I could tell you I’ve got it all figured out. But if I did, you probably wouldn’t believe me anyway. After all, there’s nothing more common than some religious kook claiming to have the final word!

No, I can’t tell you that I have it all figured out, but I can tell you I am confident that I’m on to something. After many years of searching, struggling, questioning, doubting, wondering, walking away frustrated, returning, rereading, and starting all over again, I’ve seen a few things that are making the pieces come together for me and many others. If I’m not at that point in the movie where the rush of insight happens, I’m right on the verge of it. Maybe as I write the pages you’re about to read, more will come clear and I’ll cross the threshold to a new degree of understanding.

I hope so. That’s why I’m writing. I assume that’s why you’re reading.

I’m envisioning three kinds of people as I write this book. First, you may never have heard of me or read any of my previous books. You’re reading this sentence because of the title or the topic or the cover art or the recommendation of a friend, not because of the author. I’m glad we can in some way become acquainted through this book, and I hope you’ll think some new thoughts and imagine new possibilities as you read. I hope the secret message of Jesus wins your heart as it has mine.

I’m especially hopeful that this book will be helpful to people who consider themselves spiritual but not religious, or interested in Jesus but not Christianity. Even though I’ve been a pastor for twenty-some years, I sympathize, as there is much in the religious establishment that repels me. That’s one of the reasons I have looked forward so much to writing this book: I believe the secret message of Jesus provides a clear alternative and a different direction than our religious establishments frequently take.

Second, you may have read one or more of my previous books and decided to take a risk on another. You may feel, as I do, that my previous books have been clearing the ground for something new—and you have a hunch this book might contain the seed of that something new.

Third, some people have considered my previous writings controversial (or worse), and some readers may come from their number. If this describes you, I hope you will find something of value here; I know you will find weaknesses to point out. For example, you may wish I had said more on particular dimensions of Jesus’ message or life that are of special importance to you.¹ I trust you will keep three things in mind. First, I didn’t feel a need to cover ground here that many other authors have already covered quite well. Second, I decided it would be better to write a shorter book that people might finish than a longer book that would scare them away. Third, my focus here is Jesus’ message— not how Jesus fits into this or that systematic theology, as important as that subject might be to some folk. Thoughtful critics will realize I’m aiming for a broad, nonscholarly, and in many cases nonreligious audience and sometimes have to take a path that’s not ideal for either the highly knowledgeable or the newly curious.²

Here’s what to expect in this book. In part 1, we’ll look at Jesus and his times. We’ll try to understand him against the backdrop of politics, religion, and the social dreams and pain of his day. In part 2, we’ll look more closely at Jesus’ message itself— first by taking seriously the various media that carried his message and then by immersing ourselves in his message. Finally, having gone back and saturated ourselves in Jesus’ message, in part 3, we’ll return to our own time, our own world with all its problems and challenges and opportunities, and we’ll try to see our world in a fresh light.

If we succeed in grasping even some fragment of Jesus’ secret message, if we take it in and manage not only to look at it but also to learn to look through it, our world and our lives will look different to us at the end of our exploration. And if that happens deeply enough for enough of us, everything could change.

PART 1

EXCAVATION:

DIGGING BENEATH THE SURFACE TO UNCOVER JESUS’ MESSAGE

CHAPTER 1

TROUBLING QUESTIONS ABOUT JESUS

Are you still so dull?

—MATTHEW 15:16

What if Jesus of Nazareth was right—more right, and right in different ways, than we have ever realized? What if Jesus had a message that truly could change the world, but we’re prone to miss the point of it?

What if we have developed a religion that makes reverent and honoring statements about Jesus but doesn’t teach what Jesus taught in the manner he taught it? What if the religion generally associated with Jesus neither expects nor trains its adherents to actually live in the way of Jesus?

What if the core message of Jesus has been unintentionally misunderstood or intentionally distorted? What if many have sincerely valued some aspects of Jesus’ message while missing or even suppressing other, more important dimensions? What if many have carried on a religion that faithfully celebrates Jesus in ritual and art, teaches about Jesus in sermons and books, sings about Jesus in songs and hymns, and theorizes about Jesus in seminaries and classrooms . . . but somewhere along the way missed rich and radical treasures hidden in the essential message of Jesus?

What if too many of today’s religious leaders—among whom I must be counted—are among the last to get the message of Jesus and the first to reduce, oppose, distort, or suppress it, just as they did in Jesus’ day?

What if Jesus had actually concealed his deepest message, not trying to make it overt and obvious but intentionally hiding it as a treasure one must seek in order to find? If that’s the case, why would Jesus ever do such a thing? How would we find his message if he had indeed hidden it?

What if Jesus’ secret message reveals a secret plan? What if he didn’t come to start a new religion—but rather came to start a political, social, religious, artistic, economic, intellectual, and spiritual revolution that would give birth to

Reviews for The Secret Message of Jesus

[Kofi Oghenerukevwe · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Directed to read this book, it opened my eyes to a new way of thinking about, living out and proclaiming the gospel.

[gdill-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Brian McLaren is one of my favorite Christian authors. I have read three other books written by him. "The Secret Message of Jesus" is the fourth one. This one seems to be quite different than others written by him. In his other works he seems to offer new insight, a new paradigm, even a new hermeneutic. Whereas, in "The Secret Message of Jesus" he merely expounds upon an existing theme. This theme, which McLaren calls the secret message of Jesus is really no secret. It is the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is here... now in our midst. For, the kingdom of God is within you. McLaren spends a majority of the book describing what this looks like in everyday life. Although I thoroughly agree with McLaren's views, I give this a 3-star rating simply for the fact that there doesn't seem to be any new or fresh insight that is typical of McLaren's works. Nevertheless, it McLaren type fashion, there are many wonderful quotes worth mentioning. Here are a few:"Believing untrue things, however sincerely, can have it's own unintended consequences.""This carpenter's son from Galilee challenges every existing political movement to a radical rethinking and dares everyone to imagine and consider his revolutionary alternative.""So here, "eternal life" means knowing, and knowing means an interactive relationship with the only true God and with Jesus Christ, his messenger.""Kingdom of God... Let's render it simply an extraordinary life to the full centered in a relationship with God.""A parable renders its hearers not as experts, not as know-it-alls, not as scholars... but as children.""We will understand neither signs and wonders in particular nor the idea of the kingdom of God in general if we try to shrink them into our restrictive universe. We have to meet these phenomena in their natural habitat.""God, the good King, is present, working from the inside. The King is in the kingdom, and the kingdom is among us here and now... for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear. The King is present in the mess and chaos of everyday life on earth, bringing healing, sight, perception, liberation, wholeness, wholesomeness, movement, health, fullness, nourishment, sanity, and balance. The incursion of the kingdom of God has begun. We are under a gentle, compassionate assault by a kingdom of peace and healing and forgiveness and life.""For Jesus' secret message of the kingdom to be realized, it must first expose the evil of all alternative kingdoms or regimes or systems of ideologies. And, for that evil to be exposed, it must be drawn out of the shadows, where it hides in secret.""When Christianity sees itself more as a belief system or set of rituals for the select few and less as a way of daily life available to all, it loses the "magic" of the kingdom."

[landloper_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very thought provoking. This book isn't written to direct or convert, but to encourage thoughtful consideration of our concept of Jesus' message.

[devandecicco · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

McLaren prefers in many parts of his book to set up this dichotomy: "traditional" Christians (who prefer traditional doctrine and ethics) and "New" Christians (who are engaged in conversations about new ways of understanding the bible, Jesus, and are concerned with social justice).Like arguments against any straw man, I think McLaren makes some good points and some bad ones. I've read some of his articles and blog posts, and after reading this book, I realized the struggle I have with reading McLaren: I don't know what Christians he is talking about. Certainly, each Christian has a little bit of a legalist in them, each is guilty of not welcoming with love all those who are in need of Christ. There are some who take traditional doctrine to un-Christian and unbiblical ends. Christians are always seduced by non-engagement with the culture (particularly when the culture generally doesn't invite us to engage). Yet, when I read McLaren's works, I don't get the feeling that he has much grace toward Christians (at least, Anglo-American Christians, toward whom his critique is targeted) and that he is reacting against conservative, legalistic, fundamentalist Christian tendencies rather than soberly responding to them. As a result, what comes across is a need to re-invent Christian doctrine to facilitate the kind of Christian he wants to see. That is the goal of this book.So what does the book say? Well, first of all, McLaren posits that we have been missing the real message of the Gospel for 2,000 years (and, guess what?, a guy in Baltimore just figured it out!). He states that the real message of the Gospel is that of the Kingdom. He defines the kingdom as: ...a life that is full and overflowing, a higher life that is centered in an interactive relationship with God and with Jesus. Let's render it simply 'an extraordinary life to the full centered in a relationship with God.' (By the way, I don't expect you to be satisfied with this as a full definition of the kingdom of God. I'm not satisfied with it myself. But it's one angle, one dimension, one facet.(p. 37)This is the closest thing to a thesis statement that one is going to find in the book. Well, at least its part of his thesis: if Jesus's secret message is the kingdom of God, then this is his definition of the kingdom. Unfortunately, I don't know how to proceed with his work when his very definition of the thing he is talking about is shoddy.McLaren goes on to explain that we are secret agents of this kingdom. He says that Christians can imagine "seeing everyone as potential agents of the kingdom". Once again, McLaren doesn't clearly define his terms for me. As such, this statement could be taken to mean one of two things:1) that Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, Ba'Hai, and other religions are just as legitimate claims to salvation as Christianity and that those who follow these religions are working toward building the kingdom of God.2) that everyone in the world is capable of responding to the call of Christ, repenting, and becoming faithful followers of Jesus.I'd like to think that McLaren believes in option #2. It would seem, however, that he's speaking more to option #1.He then goes on to describe how Christianity is a religion against state violence (chapter 17 "The Peaceable Kingdom"). I think he does a good job of synthesizing some of the work of John Howard Yoder and Stanley Hauerwas here. However, one gets the impression from his sweeping view of Church history that Christianity had nothing to contribute but violence and death from the time of Constantine until modern times (p. 153-154). Surely, the Church contributed more to art, culture, music, social cohesion, etc., and didn't just go around hacking up non-Christians through the Crusades? Of course, the Crusades were horrible and a sin we should repent of and never commit again. However, it isn't our only history.I was loving Chapter 18 ("The Borders of the Kingdom"). McLaren's discussion is of how naive inclusiveness allows people into the church who are divisive. He claims that exclusiveness was against Jesus's Commission, so that's not the alternative. Then, he argues for a third way: "to be truly inclusive, the kingdom must exclude exclusive people (p. 169)." I try to say this in the most charitable way possible: this is nonsense. How do I determine exclusiveness? Apparently, there is a presupposition about what "exclusiveness" means for his reader - or rather he chooses to not define exclusiveness so that his reader can do so (which, to me, is more confusing than it is freeing). Excluding exclusive people would exclude those who are excluding exclusive people because they are also being exclusive. See how this gets confusing? I think the church should define who it excludes: those who teach false doctrine (i.e., Jesus wasn't resurrected, didn't live, the Trinity is false, all will be saved regardless of faith, etc.), those who are religious hypocrites (who judged salvation based on works rather than faith), and those who persist in sin despite frequent counsel (1 Titus 5:20).McLaren avoids - at all junctures in his exegesis - the references Jesus makes to personal sin. These ideas are rather cast as commands toward social justice. The closest he gets to addressing personal sin and regeneration of the heart is in Chapter 17: ...we need to realize that both our enemies and we ourselves have a common enemy: the very internal darkness Jesus' secret message addresses - the dark drives of lust, greed, anger, and hate that thrust us into conflict and war...the secret message of Jesus, by dealing with the root cause of war in this way, does not promise the easiest, fastest, safest and msot convenient method of ending violent conflict - but offers, I believe, the only sure one. (p156)Here, McLaren completely overlooks the need for repentance of sin for salvation and instead demonstrates that it's about improving social conditions. Now, surely, one of the effects of a regenerate heart is love towards ones brothers and sisters and - hopefully - living peaceably with all (Rom 12:18). But is that all that repentance is about? Surely, God saves us from eternal death! And I think it is because we can see ourselves as sinners in need of a God who will forgive us, we are then able to forgive the small errors of our brothers and sisters and live peaceably with them. Because Christ forgave his oppressors who nailed him to a cross, we can forgive others as well.But McLaren seems to side-step salvation altogether. Here's one quote where he actually speaks of salvation: What would it mean if, at this moment, many readers actually began to believe that another world is possible, that Jesus may in fact have been right, that the secret message of the kingdom of God - though radical, though unprecedented in its vision, though requiring immense faith to believe it is possible - may in fact be the only authentically saving message we have? (p. 128) These are his concluding remarks from his Chapter on forgiving enemies. If McLaren believes that our forgiveness of our enemies is the only "authentically saving message" that we have, then he has abandoned the Gospel. I can't think he actually believes what he is saying there. If Christianity is only about forgiving our enemies in this life, then Christ didn't need to be nailed to a cross for our sins and - by allowing it to happen - God's work was unnecessary and disgustingly unjust because he allowed his Son to be tortured and killed for no good reason at all. I can't believe in that God.McLaren concludes his work with this comment on his own view on the book: If this reading of the Gospels is accurate, why didn't scholars see it a hundred or five hundred or eigtheen hundred years ago? Critics might reply that the answer is obvious: this reading isn't rooted in the text of the Gospels at all; it's like a smudge on the glasses of recent scholars , saying more about our contemporary perspetive than about Jesus himself.... I don't believe this criticism is legitimate...[t:]his reading of the biblical text - that at the heart of Jesus's message is this rich and radical idea of the kingdom of God being "at hand" and "coming down" here and now - accounts for far more of the biblical text than any other I've seen. Traditional readings, which assume Jesus has come primarily to solve the timeless problem of original sin so we can go "up" to a timeless heaven "by and by" after we die, do indeed acount for some of Jesus' words and actions, but not with the intensity and resoance of this reading....in my opinion, [this study:] brings the text together and makes sense of its details as no other reading I've ever come across. (pp. 210-211). I don't agree. I think this reading accounts for some of the biblical text but certainly not far more than other readings I've read. I think Augustine's treatise on the Trinity accounts for more. I think Aquinas's Summa accounts for more. I think Calvin's Institutes, Luther's Catechism, St. Basil's treatise on the Holy Spirit, and the works of the Church Fathers and Doctors account for much more of the Bible and stay faithful to it. Innovative doesn't mean correct.Unfortunately, much of McLaren's reading is reductionism gone wild. He feels the need to downplay or silence traditional doctrine because it does not fit with the paradigm he has. I think you can argue many (though certainly not all) of his same conclusions in and through the Biblical text and traditional doctrine while staying orthodox. I don't know why he feels he needs to work outside of that mold but he does.And, in the epilogue, he talks about how fresh and new and original his approach to the Gospel is. Cute. Please pat yourself on the back later.

[stephenbarkley · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

One of two things has happened: 1. Brian McLaren has toned down the controversial aspects of his writing. 2. I’ve grown more comfortable with the controversy.Maybe it’s a mixture of both. I started reading McLaren’s New Kind of Christian books and was challenged, outraged, and enlightened. Now that he’s transplanted his theology from the world of fiction into the land of teaching he’s lost a bit of his zip.This book is full of good material about Jesus and his agenda. McLaren situates Jesus in his culture, painting him as a Jewish revolutionary. If you’re new to this way of understanding Jesus, McLaren’s book serves as a quick introduction to some of the major ideas.If, on the other hand, you’ve read N. T. Wright, Walter Brueggemann, and Dallas Willard, you’ll find nothing new here: just a popularizing of their ideas.[One last thought: does the socially-conscious Protestant church really need to venerate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. the way the Roman church venerates Mary?]

[jstamp26 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

McLaren presents the secret underlying message of Jesus that the Kingdom of God is here and now. This message has not received the attention that it deserves throughout the centuries for a variety of reasons. Those who accept this message will find that they will need to alter their lives in radical ways to be citizens of this Kingdom. As expected, the book is highly readable, and McLaren draws his readers into his ideas. However, there is much to dislike. First, his idea of the Kingdom is wrong. He draws some conclusions based on poor Greek exegesis and proceeds to the next argument. Unfortunately, when the foundation is flawed, so is the building. Second, the idea of Kingdom is much bigger than McLaren understands. In his rush to emphasize the "now," he has neglected the "later." The New Testament has much to say about the Kingdom in the future tense. Third, McLaren's ethical implications of the whole matter are simplistic like so many others of a center-left political bent. On one hand, he mentions two world wars as evidence of the failure of Christianity to live the Kingdom life. On the other, he tells how his group participates in a gathering for justice on behalf of those in Darfur. How does he expect justice and mercy to reign if not through the sword of the righteous. Finally, McLaren ignores the role of personal salvation in Kingdom living. Without this, who is in the Kingdom? How are people empowered to live this Kingdom ethic? As usual, McLaren is thought provoking and interesting. However, in his quest to find the secret message of Jesus, he has missed the real message of Jesus.

[kungfuquaker · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When I first read this book I found it to be so interesting I immediately read it again. An older lady at my church asked to borrow it and after she finished it she mentioned that you would have to read it again. Because of that I decided to teach a Sunday school class using it. It presented information about Jesus and his culture in ways that I hadn't encountered before. I will probably use it in future classes as well.

[debs4jc · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A bit dry and not very memorable, had a good message.

[rybeewoods · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

We tried using this book as a guide for our Home Community. It didn't work. To many lists and run on sentences. We only got halfway through but up to that point I hadn't heard anything that seemed to shocking or whatever. (I sound skeptical don't I?!)

[beanbooks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good book. Unfortunate title. I think you could plant churches with this book.