Saviour and/or Social Activist?

My sociology instructor assigned to us a critical review of Brian McLaren's book "Everything Must Change", due March 8th (conveniently the first day back after reading week, to ensure that we all use reading week for just such a purpose... if only the instructors of my five other classes had not been using the same logic!) in a sufficiently "scholarly" format that one would not recognize it as a gut-level reiteration of the book's contents.  What follows are my musings, though incomplete and admittedly somewhat argumentative.


Already passionate about social justice, and with (arguably) a level doctrinal head, I object not only to McLaren's vilification of contemporary Christianity as only partially fair, but also to the theological framework upon which he builds his case.  

He writes truly, however, when he says "Far from being an esoteric and speculative distraction, our beliefs about the end toward which things are moving profoundly and practically shape our present behaviour" (p 144).  Too true - though he unfortunately uses it to bring into question doctrines considered biblical and foundational by most Christians.  This makes it ever more urgent that we begin our musings by looking to Jesus, the Son of God, not only a religious leader, nor only a social activist, but much much more - including both but not limited to either.  Let us not, in our pursuit of social justice, reduce the King of kings, the Maker of the universe, the Prince of peace, the Counselor and Comforter, to a mere activist.  Even if we elevate him to the status of All-time Greatest Activist deserving of Albert Nobel's prize, we will still not encompass the unimaginable enormity of his character.  Is He Lion?  Lamb?

McLaren, claiming that the church has "tamed" Jesus (and rightly so... we have), attempts to take Jesus out of the confines of the box, though I feel he simply places Jesus in a new box - albeit a more up-to-date box.  Seeking to become a new kind of Christian, let us not subject Jesus to a new kind of domestication by painting Him to be only a new kind of social activist.  Social activism is, after all, today's most politically correct approach to religion in general, and Christianity in particular.  In the case that all humanity needs is an unprecedented social activist and not a Savior, then take your pick from the multitude who have sacrificed of their lives in the service of humanity - Gandhi, Mother Theresa, or Nelson Mandela will do just fine!  Instead, let us acknowledge the awe and wonder with which we must embrace all of who Christ is, instead of only accepting the puzzle pieces which fit into the simplified-and-easily-understood picture we would sometimes rather accept.  Let us not delude ourselves into believing that simply because we cannot wrap our finite minds around His multifaceted character, we have licence to redefine His character to suit our whims.  Let us trust that in all His mystery, and in spite of the widespread suffering that we so often assume discredits His reputation, He is both good and sovereign.


Let us trust that as we learn to see Him increasingly as who He is instead of who we think He is, we will become like Him, therefore extending the reach of His arms, not because He is incapable of healing all the world's ills with one snap of his fingers, but because He chooses to give you and I the freedom to choose whether we will participate with Him, in the redemptive mission on which His Father sent Him.  Our God is, after all, a Junkyard Artist.  He is a specialist in taking the apparently ruined, the trash of humanity, the heaps of discarded and disregarded garbage left in the wake of rampant consumerism, and transforming it into something new and beautiful, reflective of His awe-and-worship-inspiring character and covered in His unique fingerprints.


McLaren hits the latter nail on the head.  With a working understanding of political economy, and an active imagination capable of envisioning a future characterized by the pursuit of justice, mercy, and compassion, McLaren provides the reader with a creative new lens through which to look at the realities of the world around us.  Only let us - again and again - re-center our lives on the Christ of the Cross, the Tomb, the Resurrection, and Eternity lest we replace Him with a less controversial and more socially palatable, but sadly emasculated figurehead.