Friday July 11 Section 3

1) What struck you as you compared the conventional view of Jesus' good news to the emerging view? It is obvious that McLaren favors the emerging view, but I wonder what we each thought about his comparison. Is he being fair or unduly one sided?

It is a good question Al. After reading this, it fits into so many of the challenges I've had with the American church...the way we do ministry...the way we live out our faith. I love on 83 where he says, I believe we need to face the real possibility that the conventional view has in many ways been domesticated, watered down, and co-opted by the dominant framing story of our modern Western culture and has become a gospel about Jesus and not the gospel of Jesus." How else do we explain the prosperity gospel? The notion that as believers we can pray for abundance and riches and wealth and that somehow is as far as our faith can take us. Meanwhile people are dying in the 3rd world, dying in America, or dying emotionally in our churches but it is business as usual for us as Christians. This isn't right.

2) Chapter 11 was a short look at the competing narratives that existed in Jesus' time. I found it interesting because it explains well how various groups within a society often go about working under/against the controls of the dominate societal machine. I also like that the message of Jesus offers a drastically different option from all the other various narratives.


I loved his discussion here on dual narratives. It is obvious that I've been missing so much about the bible as I read it through the lens of our current culture and not seeing things how Jesus experienced them. That discussion on 110 about the relevance of Jesus asking "who do you think I am?" in a city like Cesarea Phillipi is awesome. I never really got the significance of that discussion...never got how radical that was. And personally, I often and easily fall into the trap of dual narratives. I have my spiritual conversation going on that has me reading the psalms but then can turn around and treat someone poorly, act selfishly or callous, feed sexual desires about alpacas (err...did I say that out loud?) etc. I love on 90 when he boils down the radical nature of Jesus life: "Don't let your lives be framed by the narratives and counternarratives of the Roman empire..but situate yourselves in another story...the good news that God is king, and we can live in relation to God and God's love rather than Caesar and Caesar's power."


Loved the Box Metaphor on 91...the problem isn't Christ...the "deeper problem is how weren't not accurately seeing or hearing what's out there." That is good stuff...stuff to keep me looking for the truth in my own life.

4) Which of the gospels excerpts did you find most interesting? Profound? Confusing? Let's try and discuss one or two of these.


I really was empowered on 99 when he again paraphrases Jesus scandalous message: "The time has come! Rethink everything! A radically new kind of empire is available-the empire of God has arrived!....Open your minds and hearts like children to see things freshly in this new way, follow me and my words, and enter this new way of living."

Is this how you guys are operating right now? A radical new way of living? Rethinking everything?

I sure as heck am not. My life doesn't look much different than my non-christian friends. But I want this to change. I want my life to embody this radical new empire...but how? But when? How do I live with a new framing story while still living firmly in our culture? Anyone got suggestions on this?