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Everything Must Change: More Controversy, More Rib Flavor

Posted Oct 2, 07:48 AM | 3 comments | by Editor | Link

Tomorrow, October 2, is the release of Brian McLaren’s new book, Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Crises, and a Revolution of Hope.

Mike Clawson guarantees more controversy than ever before: “If you thought evangelicals got after him when he started questioning their theology, just wait to see what happens when he questions their conservative politics. They might give you a lot of freedom to disagree on various gray areas when it comes to doctrine, but you best not give any hint of being a ‘liberal.’ That’s a dirtier word than heretic to some.”

Bob Carlton deliciously compares the book to good BBQ, “Tomorrow, a rib book is being published, one that is smoky and complex and even a bit mouth-searing. It takes inspiration from other recipes for preparing ribs, with profound indebtedness to the evangelical, contemplative and Catholic social justice threads in Western churchianity.

“I relish eating good ribs when I can find them — just like that, I relish reading books like Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Crises, and a Revolution of Hope. The book transcends the ‘emerging church’ or even religious book categories, in the urgency of it’s challenge, the gentle-ness of its tone and the hope that it calls all of creation to.

“This is a book that is on par for me with authors like bell hooks, Michael Pollan, Rachel Carson, and Francis Fukuyama or documentaries like The Corporation, An Inconvenient Truth and Hearts & Minds. This is a provocative, even explosive book — not in it’s voice, but in it’s implications for earth, heaven and those who wish to inhabit them.”

Bob says that “there is so much meat on the bones of this book” that he’ll be blogging all week about it over at The Corner.

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Welcome to the Reader's Forum

1Rusty Poulette 10/03/2007 07:21 PM

I picked up the book at a bookstore yesterday and read the first 3 or 4 chapters. I personally think that this is the most important book that has come out within the context of the emerging church. It’s not political; it’s real. With it’s real stories and Brian’s gentle tone, this book has the opportunity to transend political boundaries and speak to the heart, not the politics, of the reader. Of course I still have to read the rest ;)

2Paul 10/05/2007 11:22 PM

mmmm now i’m hungry :)

3Darren King 10/20/2007 10:50 PM

I don’t generally like to hype (or should I say hyper-hype?) particular books or authors. However, I really do think Everything Must Change is a very important book. I think its significant because it actually offers a way forward rather than more critique (which has its place, but cannot be the end goal). More thoughts on the book, here:
http://www.precipicemagazine.com/current.html#global_hope

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