Chapter 1
1. What to you are the strengths of each of the following:
The Conservative Protestant Jesus:
a. Re-establishment of a relationship with God has been done for us
b. Introduces a compassionate God who has moved towards us to draw us to him
c. Provides an answer for what happens after this life
The Pentecostal/Charismatic Jesus:
a. He is present, concerned and involved in the day to day life of the believer.
The Roman Catholic Jesus:
a. Provides hope for a better life
b. Provides comfort for the sorrows of this life (the hope of a better life later)
c. Is present, concerned and involved in daily life of believers
The Eastern Orthodox Jesus:
a. Offers redemption for all of creation
b. Portrays God’s concern for the whole world
c. Calls believers to be Christ-like rather than mandate what Christ-like should be.
The Liberal Protestant Jesus:
a. Calls us to spread the infection started by the incarnation
b. Invites us to seek practical, contemporary meaning and instruction from scripture
c. Calls us to put our money where our mouth is and live something rather than just believe something
The Anabaptist Jesus:
a. Sees the church as a band of equals in community living out the teachings of Jesus.
The Jesus of the Oppressed:
a. Pays attention to the oppressed and to seeking social justice
b. Challenges the powers that be
c. Revolutionary, calls us to think about the whole society and balancing of power and privilege.
2. Do you have any reservations about any of the Jesuses? If so, what are they?
PCJ – too limited a scope, all about missing hell and getting others to do the same.
CPJ – all about heaven or hell, community at large matters little, about rules, who’s right and who’s wrong.
RCJ – similarly simplistically focused on the beyond, answers questions doesn’t call us to much it seems.
EOJ – ummm, I like him
LPJ – confusion about significance of Scripture
AJ – what about the larger community than the local?
JO – can produce us/them towards privileged and powerful
3. What role (if any) has the Conservative Protestant Jesus played in your life? For instance, how has the focus on moral guilt affected your priorities and choices?
Much more than I thought. Reading this section has helped me see how much I really have recently reduced my vision of Christianity to precisely this: resolving the issue of sin. I am re-evaluating my entire faith largely because of this issue of moral guilt, my own and the Church’s treatment of others’ (i.e. homosexuals, other outcasts). This is interesting. It makes me wonder how I would be different if I were to focus on loving the outcast above dealing with her sin. Wow. I never thought about how limiting our perception Christ limits, so drastically, our ability to do what he’s called us to. And, the sad thing is that we don’t even realize how limited our scope really is.
4. Should heaven-or-hell be the top issue on the Christian agenda? What makes you say that?
No. The Bible really doesn’t talk about it all that much in comparison to how we live and love on a daily basis. But again, it’s the in and out question. Isn’t it important to be in, hence, miss hell? Is the Good News the good news to the Christians (hell escapers) or to the world?
5. Do you experience Jesus as “here-and-now present, active, alive and well” (page 58)? If so, describe what you mean by that. If not, is that okay with you?
Yes, assuming I believe Jesus is God (patience please, I am reconstructing what I believe one step at a time), I sense his presence daily. I believe he is who calls me to examine my life and motives and change what I can change and hope for change for that which is beyond me at any point in time. But, though I believe this, it bothers me that I don’t invite him into more of my daily life and concerns.
6. How important to you is justice for non-Christians? Why is that?
Very important because I don’t believe God called us to a faith of the elite. He desires good and justice for all people, not just those who believe in him.
7. What role do you think living out the meaning of the gospel miracles (page 68) should have in your life?
Top priority! I think living out my personal faith will forever be more significant than what I can teach or say about it.
8. Which aspects of Jesus (his birth, life, death, resurrection, the sending of the Spirit, and so on) do you need more of in your life right now? Why?
I need more of Jesus’ life and birth right now. I need to be more aware of his presence not only with me, but among us in the world and in his people and of how he moves and does what he did in scripture still. I need to see practical Christianity for it to be real to me or even credible.
9. Which of the seven Jesuses do you want to learn more about?
Anabaptist
Jesus of the Oppressed
Eastern Orthodox
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4 comments:
The Conservative Protestant Jesus:
His call to personal relationship and delevopment.
The Pentecostal/Charismatic Jesus:
He is powerful and involved. He is unpredictable and wild, I suppose.
The Roman Catholic Jesus:
He's a loving God, He loves me, has a plan for me now and later. He's a God of grace and mercy.
The Eastern Orthodox Jesus:
I love the image of this Jesus in the Trinity. The continious dance between the Father, Son and Spirit, it's amazing.
The Liberal Protestant Jesus:
This Jesus is the focus of everything. Nothing is routine or useless, He causes everything to have meaning.
The Anabaptist Jesus:
This was a new Jesus for me; I love the fact that this Jesus causes use to be more missional. I've had to much of the in-grown church.
2. Do you have any reservations about any of the Jesuses? If so, what are they?
I think to get a true image of JEsus one would have to combine all seven. They don't seem to oppose each other; rather the different views seem to be showing different sides.
3. What role (if any) has the Conservative Protestant Jesus played in your life? For instance, how has the focus on moral guilt affected your priorities and choices?
This Jesus has made me very aware of my guilt my failings and fallings. The representation of this Jesus hinder me from the true picure of Grace. It was hard to accept that the sacrifice of this Jesus paid the penalty for all my sins.
4. Should heaven-or-hell be the top issue on the Christian agenda? What makes you say that?
No, while I believe it was important for the seeker to understand. Far more important I think is the love that Chrsit expresses for them. The hope, the plan, the joy...
5. Do you experience Jesus as “here-and-now present, active, alive and well” (page 58)? If so, describe what you mean by that. If not, is that okay with you?
Kwesi,
Thanks for your responses. I am absolutely astounded by McLaren's presentation of the Easter Orthodox Jesus. Some of the guys (Jesuses) make my feel like, "Hey! Where was HE in Sunday school and service?"
I agree that we have so much to learn from each other's perspective of Him. And, somehow, I know that this was not a mistake. It seems so intentional that I should have to learn from my brother that is so unlike me to get the full picture of who we are each trying to be like. Diversity held in Unity.
I think the reservations with any of these imaginings of Christ are that we hold our picture of him as THE picture of him, to the exclusion of (and often disdain for) the others.
This chapter was truly enlightening for me and will definitely inform the other perspectives I read during this time. I have always approached reading something "Christian" with the assumption that we are talking about (or at least imagining) the same Christ. It should be interesting to see how the authors of some of the other texts I've chosen imagine and treat him--from which of these perspectives (or other perspective.)
Thanks. Let's keep going!
Kwesi,
Thanks for your responses. I am absolutely astounded by McLaren's presentation of the Easter Orthodox Jesus. Some of the guys (Jesuses) make my feel like, "Hey! Where was HE in Sunday school and service?"
I agree that we have so much to learn from each other's perspective of Him. And, somehow, I know that this was not a mistake. It seems so intentional that I should have to learn from my brother that is so unlike me to get the full picture of who we are each trying to be like. Diversity held in Unity.
I think the reservations with any of these imaginings of Christ are that we hold our picture of him as THE picture of him, to the exclusion of (and often disdain for) the others.
This chapter was truly enlightening for me and will definitely inform the other perspectives I read during this time. I have always approached reading something "Christian" with the assumption that we are talking about (or at least imagining) the same Christ. It should be interesting to see how the authors of some of the other texts I've chosen imagine and treat him--from which of these perspectives (or other perspective.)
Thanks. Let's keep going!
I've got my answers for the next chapter lets go...
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