Book Review!

I was lucky enough to be noticed by a book dealer and was given a copy of Brian McLaren’s new book, The Secret Message of Jesus, to review here. I have taken my time with the book, because it is a wonderful read. I’m thinking the title and marketing might have been influenced by all The Da Vinci Code hype though…

This book provides a number of points to jump off into discussion, something I thin McLaren has written into his text. He places historical context on the life of Jesus and deals directly with many of the classic images in Christianity, re-imagining them through his central thesis – that Jesus wanted to bring about a Utopia, that he referred to as the Kingdom of God, and that we as Christians are charged with this task. McLaren details the ways in which Jesus instructs us to do this, through fighting poverty, helping, not hurting the environment, etc. This central theme of Jesus preaching was noticed by many including H. G. Wells, who wrote: "This doctrine of the Kingdom of Heaven, which was the main teaching of Jesus, and which plays so small a part in the Christian creeds, is certainly one of the most revolutionary doctrines that ever stirred and changed human thought." The Jesus Seminar also has this idea central to its work.

I don’t want to get into the details of the book too much here, as they are a delight to read for yourself. I think this book would be enjoyed by those who want a deeper sense of what the Emergant Church movement is all about, as well as those who want to probe into theology but find dense academic works daunting. McLaren is writing to the average Christian who isn’t satisfied with the tired old lines they receive from the establishment church or the televangelist.

I’m tempted to take an in depth look at each chapter, so I hope I have time this term to do so!