Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Crises, and a Revolution of Hope - eBook

Brian D. McLaren (MA, University of Maryland) is an author, speaker, activist and public theologian. After teaching college English, Brian pastored Cedar Ridge Community Church in the Baltimore-Washington, DC area. Brain has been active in networking and mentoring church planters and pastors for over 20 years. He is a popular conference speaker and a frequent guest lecturer for denominational and ecumenical leadership gatherings in the US and internationally.

Brian McLaren is writing so much these days that his next essay is likely to show up on the back of cereal boxes. But, this outpouring really is a sign of a man on fire at the peak of his spiritual vision.
At ReadTheSpirit, we deeply respect McLaren and recommend a number of his books, but for the next six months the "buzz" surrounding McLaren's work is going to focus both this new volume from Thomas Nelson publishing.
Two years after Jim Wallis' "God's Politics" appeared, McLaren's new book is basically a fresh hymn on a similar theme. But the two visionaries are distinct. While Wallis dreams of reuniting the branches of the evangelical movement, McLaren talks more about traditional churches imploding and envisions a new, hopeful, socially engaged movement emerging within Christianity. This book is great for groups with a discussion guide woven into the text itself. At 34 chapters, this new book may seem too thick for most small groups, but it's easy to divide the material for study.

McLaren, a leader in the emerging church, issues a salvo of arguments for "radical hope" in the face of profound dilemmas. The prolific author and pastor identifies the Earth's "four deep dysfunctions" that have created a "suicide machine": crises in prosperity, equity, security and spirituality. "What could change," he asks, "if we applied the message of Jesus—the good news of the kingdom of God—to the world's greatest problems?" Here McLaren builds on the theme of his 2006 book The Secret Message of Jesus—that bringing about the kingdom means transforming the world we live in—to propose that we create a "hope insurgency." Using a close reading of the Gospels to challenge conservative evangelicals' emphasis on individual salvation--not to mention end-times theology and, by implication, the prosperity gospel--McLaren argues for establishing a "beloved community" based on justice, peace, equality and compassion. McLaren's conclusions are not new, but his ability to be clear and persuasive—and get the attention of a segment of America's Christians—are exceptional. While his critics will find yet more material for challenging McLaren's views, his supporters will consider this book a riveting call to a new conversion. (Oct. 2) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.