A pastor's response to a difficult question
Brian McLaren has a short post here that seems to wonderfully demonstrate how we might hold together our first two 'core' values - i.e. Christ Centered and Open.
(via Paul Robert's blog)
posted by Dream at 9:13 AM
5 Comments:
McLaren says "Most of the emerging leaders I know share my agony over this question." He's right. But I'm not sure McLaren speaks for every Christian who is wrestling with the issues and feels that agony inside.
I'm not sure this is the best place to elaborate on that at length, particularly as I haven't read his writings in depth.
I'm also anxious to anchor discussion in our UK context, which doesn't perhaps experience the widespread strident fundamentalist voices as seem to be found elsewhere. For example, McLaren talks about how the gay debate has been hijacked as a political football (in the US I assume he means). I wouldn't say this occurs to the same extent in the UK.
For me there are points of agreement and disagreement with McLaren's conclusions and approach, but after facing many of the same wrestlings as he does, I find I have to part company with him on some things.
I'd be interested to hear what others think, about whether they feel represented by McLaren's approach and how his views might offer a helpful interpretation of DREAM's core values. These are the kind of questions DREAM will have to engage with in years to come.
12:26 PM
I wouldn't say that I "feel represented" by his approach, and I think that both his original post and excellent follow up response after some pretty nasty comments show that McLaren isn't presuming to speak on behalf of every Christian who wrestles with these issues.
So I don't feel represented, but I do feel inspired. Inspired to listen more, ask more questions, seek God's perspective (i.e maybe greed is a bigger deal than sexuality?), and generally seek to be more Jesus like.
Which doesn't mean that to do all those you need to take McLaren's line
I am a big fan of Brian McLaren's writing. "A New Kind of Christian" is probably the most important book for me of the last 5 years, but also lots of his other books and articles. None of which means that I agree with all he says.
Just to clarify though, I assume that in saying you "have to part company with him" you mean with his desire not to come out with a pronouncement on the gay issue right now?
I guess I want to be someone who holds on to truth both boldly and humbly. Maybe if all I got wash McLaren type fuzzyness that would lack the boldness. But in most of the evangelical-charismatic church circles I move in there's plenty of confidence that we've worked out the truth, and we need to humble ourselves and remember that just maybe there are some areas where in 100 years people will look back and shake their heads in amazement that we got it so wrong. A bit like we do now looking back on the way the church's stance on slavery or women.
10:09 AM
I don't disagree with anything in your comments. I feel torn between the content and the tone of various voices on this issue, sometimes wanting the message of one group but the tone of another.
It's not clear if the 5 year moratorium suggestion is because he really hasn't made up his mind, or he perceives a need for the gay debate to become less of a political football, or if he knows he is a key figure in the emerging church scene and feels the need to avoid coming down on one side or the other to avoid alienating people at this point in the journey.
I completely agree with your statement about "holding on to the truth bodly yet humbly". That's what I'm seeking too. I also find myself caught between McLaren's openness and the views most often represented in evangelical\charismatic circles ... but am not sure how far we can compare this issue with slavery or the emancipation of women. Time will tell ...
5:04 PM
Thank goodness I'm not clergy is my immediate response to your comments!!!!
I don't think you can possibly comment generally as each situation is different, and I know that I have "theoretical" opinion and "real life" examples of what I had to face up to. Perhaps it should be a love-the-sinner-hate-the-sin type argument, but surely no one sin is worse than another?
It is such a minefield that I think the church would do well not to generalise and rememeber that there are real people out there who need real care and support on this issue, not judgemental attitudes which the media would assign to our churches.
3:24 PM
Thank goodness I'm not clergy is my immediate response to your comments!!!!
I don't think you can possibly comment generally as each situation is different, and I know that I have "theoretical" opinion and "real life" examples of what I had to face up to. Perhaps it should be a love-the-sinner-hate-the-sin type argument, but surely no one sin is worse than another?
It is such a minefield that I think the church would do well not to generalise and rememeber that there are real people out there who need real care and support on this issue, not judgemental attitudes which the media would assign to our churches.
11:38 AM
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