New Leaven

Brian McLaren

Christianity Today (CT) asked Emerging Church leader Brian McLaren (BM) a number of questions about his visit to England, to help resolve some theological issues within the Anglican Communion (If you wish to learn more about Lambeth, visit Gentle Wisdom).  Here’s one of those questions, followed by a Brian McLaren response:

CT: The Anglican Communion is struggling to hold together Anglicans with many different theological positions. What’s your approach in bringing polar opposite Christians to sit together at the same table?

BM: I think three things can help us a great deal. First, Scripture. The fact is, Scripture can be used as a weapon to exclude, wound, discredit, and vanquish opponents, but it also can be used as a kind of flashlight to guide us in dark times so we can learn to walk together through differences and divisions – of which there were many in New Testament times.

I think we’re far wiser when we don’t simply troll the Scriptures seeking to find verses that prove “them” wrong and “us” right – but rather when we ponder Scriptures that teach us how to treat one another when we differ – 1 Corinthians 13 being a prime text in this regard. (I always tell people, 1 Corinthians 13 was written for church controversies, not weddings!)

Second, virtue. If we don’t know how to control our tongues, as the Apostle James frequently teaches, then there are going to be forest fires of conflict everywhere. If we don’t learn how to listen wisely, again as James reminds us, we’ll find ourselves slipping into unwise, angry, and divisive speech. If we don’t have humility, we will constantly be either on attack or in defense mode, since egos are in play. If we don’t learn how to forgive – and ask forgiveness – we will be at odds constantly, nursing grudges and causing new offenses.

But if we actually seek to practice Christ-like virtues at every single turn, I think we’ll find a way forward. It may take a while – but patience is one of the virtues in question! But if we focus less on removing the splinters of error in others’ eyes and more on our own planks of virtue-deficit, God can make a way where there was no way.

Third, mission. I’ve noticed that conflicts increase when we forget the main reason we’re here. Idle hands – and minds and mouths – can find a lot to fight about when they aren’t primarily focused on the mission Christ gave his disciples, a mission which many of us understand to be the call to make disciples, meaning people who actually live in the way of Jesus. Considering all the crises and catastrophes we face in today’s world, I think we’d all agree we could use a lot more Christ-like people … and the only organisation dedicated to recruiting people into a life-long journey of Christ-like living is the church. So that’s what I hope we can all feel called towards, whatever our denominational heritage, and whatever labels we prefer – liberal, conservative, whatever.  (Read the rest of the Interview…)

Even I will have to agree with Mr. Brian McLaren’s recommendation—Scripture, Christ-like virtues, and mission.