There has been some great interest expressed in our upcoming book study. THAT IS GREAT! C.S. Lewis said that "We read to know that we are not alone." – I think this book will be a powerful witness to that.
I had occasion to be sitting a waiting room today so I did some reading of Everything Must Change in antcipation. I am getting excited for the conversation that we could have around this book. This bold book appeals to me in two areas in particular.
1. Like his previous books, this book challenges the idea of being Christian and what that might mean. He is painting a mosaic of a new kind of Christian. A Christian who is not functioning from a ‘Western, hyper-confident …arrogant’ perspective. There is great potential for dialogue on this matter alone. I give you this little gem from my reading earlier; “More and more reflective Christian leaders are beginning to realize that for the millions of young adults who dropped out of their churches in the late twentieth and twenty-first centuries, the Christian religion appears to be a failed religion. And …it has specialized in dealing with ‘spiritual needs’ to the exclusion of physical and social needs. It has specialized in people’s destination in the afterlife but has failed to address significant social injustices in this life.” This is a no holds barred examination of our response and lack of response to what God calls us to be. Brian McLaren has been seen as influential and prophetic in some church circles and is viewed in some church environments as a threat to orthodox Christianity. I want to engage with others and hear how you feel about this man and his writing.
2. This book gives us real meat to chew on when it comes to addressing issues of justice in our world. I give you this little snippet of my reading tonight as illustration; “…if the truth is that all human beings are created in the image of God and deserve to be treated with equal dignity, even sanctity – then we must face the injustices of our past and seek justice for everybody everywhere. That is the only way the world of tomorrow will be a better place, and it is the only way to live by truth.” I look forward to conversations about the global challenges and how we see ourselves fitting into the solutions. Are we prepared to take action when it comes to poverty, hunger, AIDS, war etc….there is a lot to discuss.
I won’t go any further. I just wanted to reflect briefly on the bit of reading I have done to encourage more of you to sign to this book study at markusbookclub@gmail.com . So far we have people from three different denominations, and eight different church communities from three cities/towns and two provinces interested. I am betting there are more of you. I have 5 bboks remaining. Please let me know soon if you intend to register for this group in order for me to get the books in on time.
It's Just Kevin's Corner 
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