interesting book

[Barbara]

I'm recommending a book to many of my friends whom I know to be
interested in social justice, environmentalism, and/or spirituality
and whom I believe to be at least not entirely hostile to a spiritual
perspective. The book is by Brian McLaren and is called The Secret
Message of Jesus: Uncovering the Truth that Could Change Everything.
It might be useful even to those not interested in Christianity, per
se, because it puts forth a view of Christian practice that invites
inclusion and collaboration across traditional social barriers and so
might help you find Christians who are committed to causes similar to
your own. It also offers a faith and worldview that might be much more
appealing than the dominant views of Christians we see today. For
those who don't have many dealings with practicing Christians, I hope
it will be encouraging to know, at the very least, that there are
Christians like McLaren out there, rather than just the TV
representatives.

Here is a description of the book from amazon.

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Pastor and bestselling author McLaren (A New Kind of
Christian) explores Jesus's teaching in this book, placing it in its
Jewish context, analyzing its tenets and expression, and trying to
work out how it should be lived today. McLaren starts with the
assumption that the church may not have accurately understood Jesus's
"secret message" (hidden "as a treasure one must seek in order to
find"). He revisits the gospel material from a fresh--and at times
radical--perspective. The church has focused on salvation as a means to
"heaven after you die" for too long, according to McLaren; we should
take Jesus at his word when he says "the kingdom of God is here now,"
and work to assist that kingdom by being peacemakers and loving
others. McLaren admits to not exploring every topic here in depth, in
an effort to keep the book brief, but he does an excellent job of
capturing Jesus's quiet, revolutionary style--the prophet who spoke in
parables, who didn't want people to talk about his miracles, who
challenged established Jewish thought, and paradoxically found
ultimate fulfillment and victory through death. Conservative
evangelicals will be critical of some points (and there are weaknesses
here), but this book will appeal to a broad spectrum of people who
want to understand Jesus. (Apr. 4)
Copyright (c) Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier
Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover
edition.

Book Description

When Brian McLaren began offering an alternative vision of Christian
faith and life in books such as A New Kind of Christian and A Generous
Orthodoxy, he ignited a firestorm of praise and condemnation that
continues to spread across the religious landscape. To some religious
conservatives, McLaren is a dangerous rebel without a doctrinally-
correct cause. Some fundamentalist websites have even claimed he's in
league with the devil and have consigned him to flames.

To others though, Brian is a fresh voice, a welcome antidote to the
staleness, superficiality, and negativity of the religious status quo.
A wide array of people from Evangelical, Catholic, and Mainline
Protestant backgrounds claim that through his books they have begun to
rediscover the faith they'd lost or rejected. And around the world,
many readers say that he has helped them find-for the first time in
their lives-a faith that makes sense and rings true. For many, he
articulates the promise of what is being called "emerging
Christianity."

In The Secret Message of Jesus you'll find what's at the center of
Brian's critique of conventional Christianity, and what's at the heart
of his expanding vision. In the process, you'll meet a Jesus who may
be altogether new to you, a Jesus who is

· Not the crusading conqueror of religious broadcasting;

· Not the religious mascot of partisan religion;

· Not heaven's ticket-checker, whose words have been
commandeered by the church to include and exclude, judge and
stigmatize, pacify and domesticate.

McLaren invites you to discover afresh the transforming message of
Jesus-an open invitation to radical change, an enlightening revelation
that exposes sham and ignites hope, an epic story that is good news
for everyone, whatever their gender, race, class, politics, or
religion.

"Pastor and best-selling author McLaren revisits the gospel material
from a fresh-and at times radical-perspective . . . He does an
excellent job of capturing Jesus' quiet, revolutionary style."

--Publishers Weekly (starred review)