Why Did Jesus,
Moses, the Buddha and Mohammed Cross the Road? Christian identity
in a multi-faith world
Brian McLaren
Hodder & Stoughton £12.99
(978-1-444-70367-2)
Church Times Bookshop £11.70 (Use code
CT799 )
A TUTORIAL question,
sometimes set for students at Cambridge in the study of religion
paper, was to sketch some of the connections that might link Moses,
the Buddha, Mohammed, and Jesus. For one mark, you could say they
are all great religious leaders. For a few more marks, one might be
able to draw some parallels in their teachings. And for one or two
more marks, one could perhaps compare and contrast their active
ministries as adults.
But there is also something
stranger that connects them. They are all adopted. Moses was
abandoned by his birth mother and left to float in a small coracle
in the River Nile, and was picked up by the daughter of one of the
Pharaohs, and nurtured as one of her own. Mohammed was orphaned at
the age of six, or perhaps earlier, and was brought up by his uncle
in the ancient city of Makka. The Buddha's mother died when he was
less than a week old, and he was raised by her sister. Jesus, of
course, according to Christian orthodoxy, is not exactly the child
of Joseph. Although Mary is clearly his mother, Joseph is not his
biological father.
When most people think about
adoption, it is a habit of the heart to believe that it is the
child who has somehow been rescued, and that the adopted parents
are the redeemers. One of the more extraordinary things about the
world's great religions, however, is that this equation is turned
around - as most things are in religion - so that the adopted child
becomes the redeemer, or the gift.
This is particularly true in
Christian thinking, where orthodoxy teaches a kind of double
adoption: in return for our adoption of Jesus, we are ourselves
adopted into the life of God. Moreover, the adoption is what we
might term a "cross-border risk". Here, Mary and Joseph both take a
risk: "Mary said to the angel, 'How can this be, since I have not
known a man?'" (Luke 1.34). But, in Mary's acceptance of something
alien, rejection is avoided, and hospitality and love are shown
instead. Hospitality, love, and redemption are, in turn, bestowed
on humanity through God in Christ.
In this accessible and
thought-provoking book, Brian McLaren sets out his stall on the
foundations that he has already laid with his appeal for "generous
orthodoxy". The term itself has become synonymous with forging a
new rallying point for Christians who have moved between the tribal
proclivities that shaped their earlier spiritual identity.
McLaren appeals strongly to
post-Evangelicals, liberal Catholic Anglicans, and other emerging
groups - any, in fact, that want to remain orthodox, and yet also
seek to remain open and generous in their ecclesiology and theology
to what God has done and is doing outside their immediate
tradition. The key issue, then, with a book on interfaith
relations, is how the generosity and reciprocity can be practised,
Christian identity yet remaining strong.
McLaren has a sure, deft
touch in his writing. He draws on the work of Rob Bell, Love
Wins (2011), which despite its enormous appeal remains
controversial for Evangelicals. McLaren, espousing a consistent and
generous orthodoxy, argues that Christians have nothing to fear
from engaging with other faiths, but much to gain and learn. His
stories, reflections, vignettes, and case-studies build a
persuasive case - and, to that extent, this would be an excellent
book to give to those thinking through interfaith issues.
The book ends with a
touching and eloquent crystallisation of Gandhi's advice to those
Christian missionaries who sought to convert him from Hinduism.
First, live more like Jesus. Second, don't try and tone your faith
down. Third, remember that we are all united by love. Fourth and
finally, treat those who don't believe as you do with real
generosity.
As I suspect McLaren knows,
Christian living like this - in the midst of all the challenges
presented by our multifaith culture - can lead us only to a rich
and generous orthodoxy.
Canon Percy is Principal of Ripon College, Cuddesdon, and
the Oxford Ministry Course, and Professor of Theological Education
at King's College, London.