Brian McLaren weighs in on the Dobson vs. Obama debacle

Chances are you’ve heard about James Dobson’s recent comments about a speech that Barack Obama made a little while back.
If you haven’t, then great, don’t bother looking into it.  It’s the same old, same old, stuff that people like Dobson have been saying for a long time.  Stop reading this post now and go do [...]

Israel vs Palestine: Is there a “third way”?

Fantastic article called Israel/Palestine: Which Side Are You On?
Here are a few good quotes, but you should definitely read the whole thing:
Every time I read the two sides on the Middle East conflict, I can’t help but notice a strange resemblance in their narratives. There is the common sense of gloom, for one. There is, [...]

“May God bless us with discomfort…”

A Franciscan Benediction
May God bless us with discomfort
At easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships
So that we may live from deep within our hearts.
May God bless us with anger
At injustice, oppression, and exploitation of God’s creations
So that we may work for justice, freedom, and peace.
May God bless us with tears
To shed for those who suffer pain, [...]

Interview with Brian McLaren

Here’s a pretty good read if you’ve got the time; especially if you’re still not sure what you think about this Brian McLaren guy… it’s a pretty indepth snapshot of a lot of his thoughts/positions on things.  Very worth the read, in my opinion, so I thought I’d share it for those of you who [...]

love never fails

“A moment on the last night of the gathering will stay with me as an icon of what we were about. I was speaking with a rabbi with whom I had been in several sessions. A Muslim woman from our group came up with her husband and we began saying our goodbyes. The rabbi looked [...]

Brian McLaren – God’s Righteousness = God’s Justice?

Thoughts/Comments?
(HT: Matt)

It’s about participating in something…

Imagine what it would be like in our churches, if there were no such division (between personal justification and social justice). If we were not invited to go forward as individuals to receive a packaged salvation from God that gets us off hell, but instead came forward to become part of something, what God is [...]

Technological innovation = amputation?

From the article Virtual Virtue and Real Presence – Brian McLaren at LeadershipJournal.net
“Every technological innovation, McLuhan would say, is an amputation. For example, with the invention of the wheel or lever or chain saw, we use our muscles less. With the invention of the calculator, our mental computational skills grow rusty. While microphones help us [...]

A Preemptive Strike of Grace…

GREAT quote here…
“I call this approach to life a preemptive strike of grace, in hope and faith, to end enmity.” (punctuation mine)
- Scot McKnight, reviewing Brian McLaren’s new book Everything Must Change.
Scot was commenting on a chapter about Jesus’ call to love our enemies, versus the “myth of redemptive violence” which seems rule in [...]

“Jesus was still Jesus”

I read a story about a guy named Jason Clark, and his journey through a tremendously tough time in his life, spiritually speaking. He’s a pastor at a church in England (London, I think).
I don’t typically come across such candid honesty, so it’s always refreshing for me to hear about how people have struggled [...]