I’ve been meaning to blog about a few of the books I’ve read in the last couple of months, the first of which I thought I’d blog about here, the reason my friends will become apparent when you listen to the song I’m adding to the Hymnal with the review…
“Jesus is not interested in the geographical rearrangement of mountains. It is the societal map of greed, lust, arrogance, fear, racism, domination, oppression, revenge, and injustice that he wants to redraw. He wants his disciples to move mountains of injustice and make new rivers of creativity and compassion flow.”
Many people might be forgiven for thinking that the content of this book is not really anything new, that much of it has been said and written before, and sometimes a little more eloquently than this book presents (Brian even mentions people like Beaudoin, Tom Wright and other examples in his book). But if we were just to look at this book in that way I think we’d be missing an important book, for I would call this one of the better resources to help introduce more conservative faith communities to issues of justice, stewardship, culture, consumerism, environment, peace all while holding the scriptures in the other hand and asking how the message of Jesus connects us to them, and urges us to do something about them.
Brian asks many questions that we should already be asking about the Church’s mission. Instead of seeing the Church as the body which sits on high asking questions of the world and culture (usually reserved to questions of purity and morality) he questions our priorities, our understanding of scripture, our understanding of culture, our understanding of Jesus’ message, and with all of that in hand we’re left with the reality that if We, the world, the community, the church are going to survive everything must change.
“Is it possible that at the heart of the life and message of Jesus was an attempt to expose, challenge, confront, transform, and replace the unhealthy framing stories of his day? And could there be a resonance between the unhealthy framing stories of his day and their counterparts in our day?”
EMC is a call to re-connect with the message of the Kingdom of God, to release us from the shackles of the Empire of our “suicidal systems” of security, prosperity, equity and of a misunderstanding of the message of the Kingdom of God (I would say we’ve supported years of Kingdom Malpractice).
Mclaren deconstructs our image of, our icon of Jesus the Saviour and of his message of the Kingdom of God, (as Caputo says, deconstruction is an act of love) and leaves us with the core hope, in a Kingdom hope where it may be possible for us to take on the call and break down these systems. Many of the systems that are holding the Church back are institutional and theological ones, so don’t be surprised if he takes a swipe at many doctrines as he takes you on the journey, but be reminded, deconstruction always acts out of love, this is not a hateful swipe at the church or doctrine, but an attempt to hold a mirror up to ourselves and to allow us to look beyond the mirror to a different way of being.
Unfortunately leading ourselves into arguments about theology, ecclesiology and missiology after reading this book might be the worst thing we can do, and might have indeed missed Mclaren’s point (or in other ways proved it). If you wanted to read a in depth, theoretical, exegetical, political, cultural, theological text you should have gone and read Ched Myers, N.T Wright, John Howard Yoder or Tom Beaudoin, but if you’re looking for a text that will help you, your household, your community or your church unmask the systems that we control (and maybe that control or oppress us), to be introduced to the idea of TheoCapitalism and to seriously explore our own “framing stories” and how they work for and against the Kingdom of God then this is a book for you.
One of the best things about this book is that it ends with hope, that after unmasking and deconstruction we’re left with the hope that the wind can indeed change, that it might be possible for us individually and corporately to change.
You might also be interested to know that at the end of each chapter there is a selection of a questions to journal or discuss, making it a book that would translate well to a group/community dialogue.
Everything Must Change…
For more resources on Brian Mclaren’s book “Everything Must Change” check out:
http://everythingmustchange.org
Bob Carlton’s in depth look at the book and suggested resources
With all of that in mind, I’m adding the latest single by The Herd to the Hymnal, “The King Is Dead.” For Australians you might be able to hear the rings of elections past in the words, for others in the US, Asia, Uk perhaps your definition of “King” may lead you to hear the song differently…
The King Is Dead
by The Herd
We danced like New Year’s Eve
We danced from sheer relief
Everything must change
The people that you projected us as-
We were nothing of the sort; it sold us all short.
Put down the champagne
No toast to the legacy
And all the propaganda of prosperity
That’s what a machine does and they don’t need therapy
You turned us into a nation of haters
Far-right appeaser, believer in whatever kept you leader
Dog whistle through the speakers see who bites it
I noticed a hell of a lot of people liked it
An ethical choice is simpler if you price it
Conquer by dividing-that’s why you admired him?
Unless pushed we would never have retired him
Fuckin’ pirate, history will damn him
Once it seemed like nothing can damage him
Crook, you got your arse played in Mandarin
Finally the King is Dead
We cried “off with his head!”
Everything must change
Everything must change
We danced like New Year’s Eve
We danced from relief
Everything must change
Nothing stays the same
Nothing stays the same
Cats I know are feeling this like the Rapture
I can tell who this mood is failing to capture
It’s like somebody finally did light that match up
And burn down the parliament, learned from the argument
Can’t be non-partisan, when you’re an artist
And you put your heart in it, and that’s not even the half of it
Like my man said, we’re talking butter and bread
Better if his words were never uttered again
Mostly vindictive, who could have predicted
Just a few tax breaks to keep us all addicted
The dickhead dictator, leader, imitator
Made me feel immature when I said “I hate ya”
Did you read the paper the day after and hear the laughter?
I’ll read it to you, it starts with M. McKew and ends with you
No broader view for the people on your ship
Who you used to call crew
Ha! That’s typical, now I guess it’s difficult
For the type of person who only thinks of individual
No residual, you’ll see our resilience
Take your bat and ball and head for the pavilion.
Finally the King is Dead
We cried “off with his head!”
Everything must change
Everything must change
We danced like New Year’s Eve
We danced from relief
Everything must change
Nothing stays the same
Nothing stays the same
We danced like New Year’s Eve
We danced from relief
Everything must change
Just promise me this, no rose petal glasses,
Quickly consign him to part of the past
Just promise me this, no rose petal glasses,
Quickly consign him to part of the past…
Finally the King is Dead
We cried “off with his head!”
Everything must change
Everything must change
We danced like New Year’s Eve
We danced from relief
Everything must change
Nothing stays the same
Nothing stays the same