politalX Politics Store - Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Crises, and a Revolution of Hope
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List Price: £9.99
Our Price: £6.39
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
Manufacturer: Nelson Books an imprint of Thomas Nelson Publishers
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Paperback
EAN: 9780785289364
ISBN: 0785289364
Label: Nelson Books an imprint of Thomas Nelson Publishers
Manufacturer: Nelson Books an imprint of Thomas Nelson Publishers
Number Of Pages: 240
Publication Date: 2008-02-01
Publisher: Nelson Books an imprint of Thomas Nelson Publishers
Studio: Nelson Books an imprint of Thomas Nelson Publishers
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: If only we would...
Comment: McLaren has moved somewhat from earlier work which is invitational in approach, to this much more challenging review of the state of the world which draw one into a deeper interpretation of the message of Jesus.
I was frustratedly asking 'Yes, but how?' though most of the book, and somewhat like Jesus, Brian leaves us not with an answer, but rather with a whole host of questions to consider.
I think his approach to describing the context of Jesus' world very helpful, and his relating that ancient world to our contemporary situation is insightful and seems well researched.
What we are left with is the possibility of collectively living life in a way which at first seems impossible. He isn't rewriting Christian Doctrine, in my view, he is reclaiming it, and setting it out as genuinely good news for the world today.
This is not really a book for first time McLaren readers. Read 'The Secret Message of Jesus' first, but then this is a must read. Highly recommended.
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Summary: Everything literally means everything!
Comment: I like the questions that McLaren asks, I just dislike his unwillingness to find answers. Nothing is sacred in this book and in a way it is always good to question everything that we see and hear to better understand and compute big concepts.
The biggest idea that McLaren tackles is the cross of Christ and he redefines [rather unhelpfully] the purpose of the cross. It is in his stated opinion that Jesus took that message to the cross, an instrument of torture and cruelty that He used "to expose the cruelty and injustice of those in power and instill hope and confidence in the oppressed." [page 122 - 123].
When in reality it is so much more than this. The Christian understanding of the cross is that we are sinners who can't pay the fine imposed upon us by God. That the cross is a legal transaction between Christ and God to pay the fine I can't afford to give me the grace that I don't deserve.
Brian's redefinition of this key doctrine is a huge butchering and over - complication of what is an essentially easy to grasp and fundamentally foundational idea of Christianity. Christ died for my sins and rose again that I might not face the wrath of God but be accepted by God and gain a place in heaven. In short, this book either displays extreme naivete in Brian of this very basic doctrine or borders very dangerously on the edges of heresy. You decide.
Customer Rating:
Summary: a body of work
Comment: The first McLaren book I read was 'The New Kind of Christian' which is very good!! It was the book that attracted me to his work and his style of writing. In this book McLaren voices further thought on the Christian life in contemporary society; a critique of western values set against the back drop of Jesus' life and values. I always see McLaren's writings as a body of work which probes and asks questions about how Christianity works and even deeper philosophical ideas which do make people entrenched in organised religion such Christianity frustrated or angry. My message to anyone intersted in this book it READ IT...McLaren is one of the only guys out there I can find who is asking deeper quesitons of Christianity science and philosophy, its great to read all his stuff, sure I don't agree with it all, but that precisely the point, the new kind of Christian doesn't have to, the message is that Jesus finds us where we are and takes us from there. Christians in the postmodern may have different walks with Christ or very similar, it is Jesus' hope that propones change and a pradigm shift in the Christian outlook is what McLaren is driving at.
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Summary: A brilliant deconstruction of consumer led society
Comment: I was inspired and challenged by this book, which goes well beyond other McLaran books I have read in offering a trenchant critique of modern western values and an outline of what a Jesus centred alternative would look like. I can thoroughly recommend it.
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Summary: An evening class with McLaren
Comment: This is the third Brian McLaren book I've read. I thought 'A Generous Orthodoxy' was absolutely superb. Conversely 'A New Kind of Christian' turned me right off. So knowing what McLaren is capable of, both good and bad, this book would tip the scales one way or the other. Verdict? Its a mixed bag. It feels a bit like attending an evening class in 'Jesus & The World Today' delivered by a tutor who is generally enthusiastic, at times prone to rambling anecdotes or detours into obscure technicalities but with frequent golden nugget of brilliance that keep you wanting more.
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