Love is an Orientation
I love Scot McKnight. I love his balanced thoughts, writing and his ability to communicate what many need to hear – but not necessarily want to hear. He’s the real deal … not just in his academic work but also as a person and friend. I read Scot’s new book, One.Life: Jesus Calls, We Follow, earlier this year and was quite taken back by a number of deeply profound insights about life, faith, culture and sex that he (in his classic manner) communicated in an easily accessible way for those of us who aren’t as smart as he is. I reached out to Scot with an idea for a series on my blog regarding his new book and he so graciously agreed to answer my questions!
I know, without a shadow of a doubt, you will not only enjoy, but get so much out of Scot’s responses to my questions. Scot also has one of the most read Christian blogs in the world, and if you’ve never visited, please do so! It’s the only blog I go to everyday. Let’s begin…
Question from Andrew: In the intro to One.Life you describe the three things you have learned about Jesus in the 34 years you have been studying and teaching the Gospels: 1) Jesus didn’t define the Christian life the way I (Scot) did and the way many do today; 2) Jesus defined being a Christian as “following” him; and 3) Following Jesus is bigger than the single-moment act of accepting Christ and the personal-practices-of-piety plan. What do you see today as the biggest conduit that continues to lead Christians to fall into these same old paradigms that, as you say leads to, “Jesus having little place in religion”?
Scot’s Response: As I read that question, Andrew, I feel my own history wash over me – those three ideas are big for me. The fundamental problem I see at work is the way we define “gospel” and the way we define “what we’re really looking to accomplish.” The gospel is defined as God loves me, but I’m a sinner, but Jesus died for me, and if I trust him I can be reconciled to God and live with him forever. With that gospel, many are armed in the battle of leading people to make decisions – and once that decision is made, it’s really all over. Though such people surely want people’s lives to be for God, and to be good, and for them to be transformed, in the end the focus of that gospel is getting people to make decisions.
Jesus doesn’t recognize that gospel or that goal. I have more to say about what the gospel is in a book coming out next fall called The King Jesus Gospel, but for now (and in light of our question for tomorrow), Jesus preached the dawning of the kingdom of God and he summoned people to follow him. That was his gospel, and that was his goal.
Much love.
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