The 9th chp in Brian McLaren\u2019s The Secret Message of Jesus<\/em> concerns global mission. He properly sets the Christian mission in the Jewish context where there was no active mission. McLaren ties the global mission of Jesus to the blessing of Abraham (Gen. 12:4): God\u2019s people are to be a blessing to the nations. Here is an emerging statement about mission: What do you think of Brian\u2019s various proposals that follow? The 9th chp in Brian McLaren\u2019s The Secret Message of Jesus concerns global mission. He properly sets the Christian mission in the Jewish context where there was no active mission. McLaren ties the global mission of Jesus to the blessing of Abraham (Gen. 12:4): God\u2019s people are to be a blessing to the nations. Here […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":197,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[476,1736,1743],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1304","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-books","category-emerging-movement","category-kingdom-of-god"],"yoast_head":"\n
\nThis global mission theme morphs into the image of the master musician (Jesus) teaching his followers how to play kingdom music and their learning to play that music in this world \u2014 and he suggests we need some new artists today. Too many no longer play the music of the kingdom-come-to-earth but play the music of a kingdom up in heaven. This is a regular theme of Brian\u2019s books: he thinks traditional Christianity (esp. Catholicism and Protestant evangelicalism) has focused too much on life after earth.
\nChp. 10 begins with an arresting comment: \u201cIt was the most religious who seemed to get the secret message of Jesus the least, and the least religious who seemed to get it the most\u201d (81). The kingdom of God was worked out then and still today by ordinary Christians, not just professionals. The true kingdom agents are those, he says, who have an interactive relationship with God and others and who draw others into the kingdom so the world will be changed. He recalls his times in great cathedrals of Europe, where so few attend, and he speaks of that form of the Christian faith as a \u201csad adventure in missing the point\u201d (85). Great story here about a taxi driver.
\nIn chp. 11 Brian shows that Paul\u2019s original message is comportable with Jesus\u2019 (and I hope emerging critics read this: he does not pit Jesus against Paul). Paul, he says, deals faithfully with Jesus\u2019 message in a new situation. For example, the issue of inclusion with Jesus\u2019 table fellowship and Paul\u2019s understanding of the church are similar. Thus, for Paul, \u201cA new and unprecedented social reality is being created \u2014 a new realm, a new network of relationships, a new kingdom\u201d (95). That theme continues in chp. 12: \u201chis letters beging to sizzle and boil with resonance\u201d if you see the scope of Jesus\u2019 message. Paul (and here he sounds like Tom Wright) takes on Caesar with his theological message.
\nAt this point McLaren explores the cross. The peace of Christ comes through a cross, through reconciliation. The goal of Christ\u2019s cross is reconciliation of all. Again, the theme of Paul is the same as with Jesus: the work of God reconciles people to God and to one another. Instead of telling parables like Jesus, Paul is a walking parable.
\nThe secret message of Jesus is not just heard or read but seen in human lives. Writing this chp, Brian tells us, moved him to tears (103).
\nTomorrow we look at his chapter on \u201cGetting It, Getting In.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"