Anyone Read Brian McClaren's Book 'Everything Must Change'? Your Thoughts?

[J Fowler]

I'm reading Brian McClaren's book 'Everything Must Change' and am wondering what thoughts you guys have about the book. I'm not done with it, but it is really challenging me to reconsider how I live out and understand my faith in light of this whole 'empire' concept.

Thoughts about the book?

[Scott Peterson]

I am with you on the salvation issue. American evangelicalism has trimmed the gospel down to something that is not in sync with scripture. Salvation is an issue of "rescue." This is far more than just a future, spiritual event. It is one which transforms our whole life and world.

[J Fowler]

Well said Scott. It's time to let the Gospel & GOD's Kingdom out of the cage we've put them in.

[James Townsend]

I've read close to all of McLaren's books, except for "Everything Must Change" and his more statistical "church-starting" books - I think there are a few of those.

Right now I'm in the middle of "Finding Our Way Again." I'm reaching that "extremely disappointed" stage. What struck me the most about Finding Our Way Again is that it focused a whole lot on the "Abrahamic faith traditions," and was trying to convince the reader that being a Christian did not mean being bigoted and exclusive. I dig that, but because of that, it really took away from the depth of the book for me.

I'm planning on reading Everything Must Change, but I'm hoping (against hope?) that there's more depth to it than I've found in his more recent books.

To me, the books that had the most impact of his were the "New Kind of Christian" trilogy and "A Generous Orthodoxy."

After that, everything must've changed.

(The gentleman apologizes for the pun. He just had to do it.)

[J Fowler]

Hah! Funny one James...everything changed, but is it 'change you can believe in'? His book Everything Must Change is very 'meaty' but also has lots of bones in my opinion. Well worth reading.

[Steven McDade]

What changed for me when I started reading EMC, is that I already knew most of this idea of empire over the Kingdom of God mentality. I had read a book by Frank Viola, before it was edited and made smaller by George Barna, called "Pagen Chrisitanity". That opened my soul to the fact that most of the church has acted like the Constitine model of "church".

There is truth behind what Brain writes. I just take all this in and start to live life as I hear Father saying to live.

I'm new to this community, but I hang a SimpleChurch.com most of the time.

[James Townsend]

I just recently read "God and Empire" by John Dominic Crossan, and thought it was one of the best books I've read in a while. Couple that with "Jesus for President" by Shane Claiborne, and I suppose I was given a decent introduction to all of that. I've been wanting to read "Pagan Christianity." I guess I'll have to check that out soon. I'm reading "The Heart of Christianity" by Marcus Borg and "Jesus Wants to Save Christians" by Rob Bell. I'll dig into EMC and Pagan Christianity soon enough, though!

This shift back to a communal way of seeing things, to making our faith more than just a "Jesus is my personal Savior" kind of deal is really comforting and encouraging to me.

[Mike Morrell]

Loved it. I enjoy any book that makes a serious good-faith attempt to apply both systems thinking & the message of Jesus to today's problems. Though I get what MVS is saying about its non-ecclessial nature.

[Andrew Cornelius]

I read "Jesus for President" as well-- great book, and I'm currently delving into "God and Empire." Thusfar, it is truly fantastic. I read those other books you mentioned too. We must be drawn to the same type of literature! ;)

[Brandon Rhodes]

I just finished it a couple days ago -- and yeah, it feels like McLaren's biggest "missing piece" was any degree of ecclesiology. Still a good book, though.

[Ronnie McBrayer]

I could not agree with Dawn more. "A New Kind of Christian" was incredibly meaningful to me as I read it at a time whne I really needed it. For me, and I am a McLaren "fan," I have not found him to be as challenging since then. My frustration with him is more political. I'm committed more to church as alternative society than I am to the endorsement of any political candidate.

[Ronnie McBrayer]

"God and Empire" is exactly as you say - fantastic.

[Logan Brown]

Great discussion. I'm coming in on it a little late, but thought I would offer my two cents anyway. As with most books I've read lately, it's easy to get on a "McClaren" kick, or "Meyers" kick. And as I'm sure we all know our job is to filter all the voices we hear through scripture. One thing I will say about "Everything Must Change" is that its one of those books that's like a punch in the gut. Then the healing comes when we begin to translate these realities through God's eyes. I guess it's one of those "self-discovery" type of books someone neatly lays out a framework and we get to ask all the hard questions of that spur us, as members of Christ's body, to act as he did.

I listened to an older Rob Bell sermon the other day and he pointed out something worth noting. As he was working through Philippians he said something along the lines of; "Paul's understanding of the mission of the church is not to subvert the empire, rather it is to become like minded." As I let that roll around in my head for a while, my gut tells me this whole movement of subverting the empire will be a by-product of this likemindedness, rather than the mission itself.

Anyway, there's my two cents. Thanks for starting the conversation! It's a good one!