Book Review: A Generous Orthodoxy Part 6 of ??
Jesus and God B
McLaren starts this chapter with an explicit declaration that he is (and why he is) a Christian. You would think that this would be enough to get some of the more fundamentalist of his critics (who say he's not a Christian) off his back, but judging from some of the reviews on Amazon.com it hasn't.
This chapter covers McLaren's approach to Christianity, which is a Jesus-centered approach. McLaren's view is that Jesus' life allowed people to change their view of God from God A -a God who is "single, solitary, dominant Power, Mind or Will" - to that of God B - a God who is "unified, eternal, mysterious, relational community/family/society/entity of saving Love". If God A created the universe, you would expect a universe of "dominance, control, limitation, submission, uniformity, coercion," but in a universe created by God B, you would expect a universe of "interdependence, relationship, possibility, responsibility, becoming, novelty, mutuality, freedom".
I'd have to agree that we often overlook just how big of an event the Incarnation was. For 33 years, God directly entered human history as a man. What he did, how he acted, should be paramount in our view of God.
McLaren starts this chapter with an explicit declaration that he is (and why he is) a Christian. You would think that this would be enough to get some of the more fundamentalist of his critics (who say he's not a Christian) off his back, but judging from some of the reviews on Amazon.com it hasn't.
This chapter covers McLaren's approach to Christianity, which is a Jesus-centered approach. McLaren's view is that Jesus' life allowed people to change their view of God from God A -a God who is "single, solitary, dominant Power, Mind or Will" - to that of God B - a God who is "unified, eternal, mysterious, relational community/family/society/entity of saving Love". If God A created the universe, you would expect a universe of "dominance, control, limitation, submission, uniformity, coercion," but in a universe created by God B, you would expect a universe of "interdependence, relationship, possibility, responsibility, becoming, novelty, mutuality, freedom".
I'd have to agree that we often overlook just how big of an event the Incarnation was. For 33 years, God directly entered human history as a man. What he did, how he acted, should be paramount in our view of God.
posted by Freethinker at 9:39:00 PM
2 Comments:
If McLaren's Christianity is "Jesus centered" to the neglect of the Father and Holy Spirit, then I can see why some believers question him. But I haven't read the book (yet--are you going to loan it to me?) so I will reserve judgement.
McLaren does hold to the orthodox understanding of the Trinity.
I'll loan it to you, but I still need it for awhile.
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