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"You may also find that if you inhabit the space of Harmony or Solidarity long enough, it will matter less to you whether others consider you a Christian … or not. The label simply won’t matter so much. You will know who you are, where you’ve been, what you’re becoming, what direction you’re going, what you’re seeking, and what you value." BM
This book took me five days to read. That may seem fast for such an intense thought provoking read, but I assure you... I got a lot out of this. I will remind myself in years to come that I can only do this because I don't have to exist outside of my home for forty plus hours a week.
"Because whether you identify as a Christian or not, you are still a human being, and you are still passing through life’s stages.
The labels haven't mattered to me personally, but when I've navigated out in the world, I thought it helpful to have something to mark my milestones. But maybe... just maybe, I can return to my initial passion. The labels don't matter. I am a Human Being. If I got anything out of this book... I got that.
I hope you can sit with that simple realization for a while. Maybe take a walk or ponder it over a fresh cup of tea or coffee. Don’t turn the page until you let this realization set in: You’re a human being on a human journey of growth and development—whether you stay Christian or not. You have miles to go before you sleep.
And the same is true of everyone else." BM
I still have some assumptions about Christianity as a whole that keep me from ever wanting to embrace the label for my journey again.
1. Most of Christianity has expectations of its adherents... and unless you fulfil or, at the very least, admit you are work towards embracing those expectations, you don't qualify for the label. (Jesus divinity', Jesus' resurrection, Bible as authoritative, Heaven and Hell are real places, Christianity as the desired club for every member of the planet.)
2. Christianity has too many divisions to ever have the hope of being united enough for the label of Christian to have any significant meaning for me.
3. Christianity is a religion not a relationship. (contrary to certain internet memes). Maybe there is a relationship somewhere to be had... but it's not in the bathwater of Christianity.
All that being said... there are people who still value the label. Brian McLaren still values the label. It almost seems like he wants to redeem it. Kudos, Brian for trying... but I am reminded of something Bart Campolo said at the Wild Goose Festival in 2021.
"When I see you progressive Christians at Wild Goose trying to remake Christianity into a gay friendly, inclusive, warm and wonderful, nobody's going to hell, universalist narrative. I think you guys are brilliant... but you remind me of a bunch of engineers trying to take a submarine and retrofit it to fly. I have no doubt that with the proper engineering skills you can take a submarine and make it fly. But wouldn't it be easier to just start from scratch and just build an airplane?" Bart Campolo
I guess my question is... is there a way to build an airplane now... after we have been flooded with so many submarines. Is there any hope to start with something new and fresh?
"You may choose not to use the word God to describe that transcendent, loving, cosmic desire for the well-being of all. You have reasons not to, I’m sure, and I hope you can make room for those who do. Or you may use the word God freely, sincerely, and joyfully. You have reasons to do so, I’m sure, and I hope you’ll make room for those who don’t. Don’t let the language you use to describe the unifying desire distract you from it!" BM
Making room for each other. That is what I want to see happen in my world. I want to live in a world where we can make room for each other. Where labels don't matter. Where beliefs are secondary to values like love, kindness and compassion. Maybe if we loved more and feared less...
"The only way to get rid of our enemies is to turn them into friends," BM
That was one of my favourite quotes in the whole book. Great takeaway.
"But again, better to be rejected for who you are than accepted for who you’re not." BM
This one is a hard one to embrace. This means I can look forward to more rejection because of my need for authenticity. (Enneagram 4 here... Yee Haw!!!) I agree, but then I look into the face of someone and I say nothing... because "I'd rather be loved than be right." People matter to me. My take on how to navigate this world, doesn't seem as important in that moment.
"Naked of our religious labels, we are fragile human beings who were born but a moment ago, who are here for maybe seventy or eighty circuits around the sun, and who will surely die. Surely we don’t think we’ve figured everything out so quickly!" BM
My desire is that I live out the rest of my days in continuous appreciation for what I have and wonder for what amazes me, but still eludes my comprehension.
I don't think at this point that I even want to find my way back to any certainty I had, or look ahead to any certainty I could find. I hear more and more from wiser minds than mine, that there is a sacred space to be found in the unknowingness of life. I don't need answers and conclusions any more than I need labels. So if all I am left with is the great "I don't know" then I will will be a Happy Agnostic.
“Home isn’t the name of your tree. Home is the name of your song. Wherever you sing your song, that is your home.” BM
Thank you Brian McLaren for gracefully allowing space for me to be me. I had already answered your title question years ago, but today, I feel less of an inward angst toward my answer. I still don't know how my conversations with my people will unfold down the road. But I hope they have as much grace. Maybe I can recommend the read this book if they need to find some.
I end this post with seems like a benediction for Post Christians... The ones who still answer "No".
"May you become an even better human being outside the Christian religion than you ever were within it. May you bring with you whatever good things you gained from your Christian experience and leave behind all extra baggage. May the song of your life inspire others—including your Christian neighbors—toward a better way of being human, of being alive." BM
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