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Emerging church leader Brian McLaren on Lambeth, mission and reconciliation

One of the foremost figures of the emerging church, US evangelist Brian McLaren, was at the Anglican Communion's once-in-a-decade Lambeth Conference to encourage the 650 bishops attending and offer his insights into where worldwide Christianity stands right now. We caught up with him to hear more about what impression Lambeth left on him and his vision of Christianity in today's ever changing world.

Posted:
Tuesday, 5 August 2008, 22:05 (MYT)
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BM: I think three things can help us a great deal. First, Scripture. The fact is, Scripture can be used as a weapon to exclude, wound, discredit, and vanquish opponents, but it also can be used as a kind of flashlight to guide us in dark times so we can learn to walk together through differences and divisions - of which there were many in New Testament times.

I think we're far wiser when we don't simply troll the Scriptures seeking to find verses that prove "them" wrong and "us" right - but rather when we ponder Scriptures that teach us how to treat one another when we differ - 1 Corinthians 13 being a prime text in this regard. (I always tell people, 1 Corinthians 13 was written for church controversies, not weddings!)

Second, virtue. If we don't know how to control our tongues, as the Apostle James frequently teaches, then there are going to be forest fires of conflict everywhere. If we don't learn how to listen wisely, again as James reminds us, we'll find ourselves slipping into unwise, angry, and divisive speech. If we don't have humility, we will constantly be either on attack or in defense mode, since egos are in play. If we don't learn how to forgive - and ask forgiveness - we will be at odds constantly, nursing grudges and causing new offenses.

But if we actually seek to practice Christ-like virtues at every single turn, I think we'll find a way forward. It may take a while - but patience is one of the virtues in question! But if we focus less on removing the splinters of error in others' eyes and more on our own planks of virtue-deficit, God can make a way where there was no way.

Third, mission. I've noticed that conflicts increase when we forget the main reason we're here. Idle hands - and minds and mouths - can find a lot to fight about when they aren't primarily focused on the mission Christ gave his disciples, a mission which many of us understand to be the call to make disciples, meaning people who actually live in the way of Jesus. Considering all the crises and catastrophes we face in today's world, I think we'd all agree we could use a lot more Christ-like people ... and the only organisation dedicated to recruiting people into a life-long journey of Christ-like living is the church. So that's what I hope we can all feel called towards, whatever our denominational heritage, and whatever labels we prefer - liberal, conservative, whatever.


CT: Do you find it ironic that you are here and some 250 Anglican bishops are not?

BM: No. The Anglican bishops who chose not to come did so for reasons that make sense to them, and I accepted the invitation to come for reasons that make sense to me.


CT: The sexuality issue is a big one and you advised bishops to be sensitive to different cultural settings. Does that mean we should shape the Bible around the surrounding culture?

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