Aylesbury LIFE because Learning Is For Everyone

Ok, so we are back from the Chappell family summer break (camping Montclar et Villars-Comars -- photos to follow) and I thought I would tell you about a book I finished reading while we were away.

"Everything Must Change -- Jesus, Global Crises, and a Revolution of Hope" (Brian D. McLaren, Nelson Thorne, 2007) bears a message and a call that are based on what Jesus taught and how he lived under Roman imperial powers compared with how the same sound principles might apply under the various "imperial powers" of today's world.

McLaren's message is there are four world crises which are tearing the world apart as follows.

The Prosperity Crisis

The current increasing prosperity of some, a trend of entrenched longstanding, is not sustainable from within the full account of world resources. There is simply not enough to share amongst projected world populations.

The Equity Crisis

Most people do not share the increased prosperity. According to Jeffrey D. Sachs' book, "The End of Poverty" (referenced and mentioned under further reading), only one sixth of the world's population live in prosperity while another sixth live in extreme poverty. This in itself further exacerbates the prosperity crisis partly because it is expensive to protect the environment.

The Security Crisis

The previous two crises trigger both divisions between peoples and also massive military budgets. Strangely, the security crisis doesn't do anything to help the prosperity and equity crises. In and of itself the security crisis actually makes the others both much worse.

The Spirituality Crisis

Too often organised religion either legitimises the status quo, or distracts from meaningful activity to deal with the previous three crises.

McLaren's call is to promote solutions to all four crises:

• learning about the solutions,
• becoming part of their outworking,
• taking action to promote them,
• speaking out in local and global forums, and
• advocating on behalf of those who cannot.

In short it is OK to not conform, to believe in and to become part of a different way of doing things.

The book is associated with a website, Everything Must Change, which is promoted as a

"safe place for us to join in the conversation about the Global Crises that are tearing our world apart and becoming part of the solution to fix the world around us".

It is clear to follow the call of Jesus presented in the book may be far from safe. There are after all a wide range of vested interests that need to be brought to bear on the solutions. But I have an inkling that, in the matter of safety, failing to heed the call of Jesus is always the least safe course of action. Fiddling while the empires burn should not be an option.

McLaren's arguments seem both sound and refreshing and offer a realistic approach. I envisage that the text is accessible to people of different religions or none, not least because the author pulls no punches in his own backyard. It is clear there is no 'one size fits all' solution and McLaren presents a range of options suitable for groups and individuals. In fact I am hoping there might be a group of people who would like to read a chapter a week and consider the consequences together, perhaps in Aylesbury or online. Please leave a comment if you are interested.