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Everything Must Change, Part 1
By Jeremy | May 2, 2008
Brian McLaren visits LPAC this weekend for the New York leg of his Everything Must Change tour. I’ll be there tonight and tomorrow morning and will blog as much of my notes as possible. Stay tuned for pictures as well.
EMC Session 1
The book’s story begins with … a youth pastor and a flip chart …
Brian McLaren’s early 20s – “winging it” at a youth camp. (Shout-out to youth pastors. Being “somewhat unprepared” leads to creativity.) He asked: “What are the biggest issues that are upsetting people at the church?” The teens’ answers:
+ Speaking in tongues
+ Guitars or no guitars
+ Drums
+ Dress code
+ Predestination or free will
Then: What issues bother you (the youth)?
+ Overpopulation
+ Nuclear war / nuclear winter
+ Communism
+ Racism
+ Poverty
+ Disease
+ Pollution
There was absolutely no overlap between the two lists. Something is wrong with those two lists having nothing in common.
2 Big Questions
1) What are the top global problems?
2) What does the teaching of Jesus have to do with these issues?
Research found many lists:
+ UN University: “Fifteen Global Challenges”
+ Copenhagen Consensus Top Ten
+ 8 Millennium Development Goals — even the National Association of Evangelicals is officially committed to these goals, but most evangelicals have never even heard of them. (Homage to Bono: “If the church isn’t involved then the rock stars will cry out”)
+ Rick Warren’s PEACE Plan
Synthesized the lists into …
Four Global Crises
Imagine a societal machine (because humans make machines and can change them) with 3 interlocking circles: Prosperity (healthy and thriving); security (protect the prosperity); and equity (how do you pay for everything to keep the machine going fairly; courts and legal structures). Think about the problems in relation to each other.
The machine exists within the ecosystem (environment). Solar energy comes in; generates resources with the machine converts to waste which produces heat that leaves our ecosystem
Crisis 1: The crisis of the Planet.
We have a prosperity system that can’t stop growing beyond environmental limits, resulting in multi-faceted environmental crises. We are the first generation that is using environmental resources beyond a sustainable limit. Growing beyond environmental limits. → Instability
Crisis 2: The crisis of Poverty.
The Equity System can’t keep pace with the growing gap between the rich minority and the poor majority, resulting in suffering, resentment and fear. It works well for 1/3 of the world’s population. We have longer lives, taller height, more food, etc. Almost everyone in the world had worms, lesions, rotting teeth, unhealed bones, etc. Another 1/3 is increasing, but very slowly. And 1/3 is stagnant or declining. How are the poor to respond? Passively waiting to die, or doing whatever it takes to live longer, better?
6.7 Billion People …
+ Top 1 billion consume 32x the resources of the bottom billion
+ Top 1% owns 40% of wealth
+ Top 5% owns 70% of wealth
+ Top 20% earns 83x the bottom 20%
(More Global Poverty Facts and Stats)
Crisis 3: The crisis of Peace.
Security System can’t keep pace. The majority engage in whatever means possible to survive and improve. The rich minority sees the poor majority getting restless, and they build weapons and walls to keep people out. It makes the majority madder. Top weapons dealers are the nations of the UN Security Council (US is #1 dealer; sells weapons to one or both sides of 90% of the world’s conflicts)
That’s the nightmare we woke up in.
Reflection Q: 1) How are you involved with each crisis as part of the problem?
2) Where are you – or would you – most likely be part of the solution?
Crisis 4: Crisis of Purpose / Spirituality.
Why do the three crises work together in a destructive way? We lack an appropriate framing story.
The Framing Story
What keeps the machine going is a framing story: Who we are, Where we’re going, and Why we’re there.
4 major stories:
+ The Domination Narrative: “If only we were in charge!” The problem with the world is we’re not in charge. Us/them
+ The Revolution Narrative: “If only they weren’t in charge!” The world’s problem is they’re in charge (terrorism: it’s only terror for the people who are in charge)
+ The Scapegoating Narrative: Hitler: Jews, gypsies, Jehovah’s witness – If only they would change!
+ The Isolation Narrative: There’s no hope; let’s retreat into the bubble (holy huddle)
In the New Testament:
+ Dominators: (Romans, Sadducees, Herodians, Tax Collectors (Political appeasers)
+ Revolutionaries: Zealots
+ Scapegoaters: Pharisees
+ Isolationists: Essenes
The Kingdom of God as a Framing Story
Jesus proclaimed a radically different framing story: Good news of the Kingdom of God. He preached, “The Kingdom of God is like.” The message of the kingdom is a story, and offers a counterpoint to each framework:
+ Don’t dominate. Serve
+ Don’t revolt. Reconcile
+ Don’t blame. Embrace
+ Don’t isolate. Draw near and heal
Our radical choice
+ Wake up from the bad dream and realize it’s not working. There’s no “them.” We are all in this together.
The parable of the boat. Two survivors in the lifeboat after the shipwreck. No more rations. One man gives up hope; drills hole in the boat. The man in the front says we haven’t given up hope. “Don’t worry, I’m just drilling a hole in the back of the boat.”
+ Disbelieve the other narratives, even when people misuse scripture to support them.
+ Believe that the Kingdom of God is near.
Reflection Q
When the crises are framed as the minority oppressing the majority, but the solution is, “There’s no them,” how should the majority work for healing and hope without casting blame?
Jesus speaks as much about the means as the end. “There is no way to peace, because peace itself is the way.”
Closed in an Alter/Altar Call
+ The only hope is the Good News of Jesus Christ. Not democrats or republicans.
Topics: books, brian mclaren, emergent, emerging church, everything must change, faith, global, kingdom of god, lpac, poverty, theology |
May 5th, 2008 at 4:01 pm
J,
Thanks for catching me up on Friday’s session since i missed it. Good seeing you and congrats again.
May 6th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
The Notes are awesome! and the pics are incredible!!! I am going to tell Brian and Linnea to check out your site if they haven’t already. Liz posted about EMC and told everyone to check you out….