This is the first of a five part review of the new book Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Crises, and a Revolution of Hope by Brian McLaren.

Like an infomercial full of high hope, restless vigor, and a secret knowledge hidden away---until now!---Brian McLaren has thrown his full force against the all the problems of the world in his new book Everything Must Change. And does he mean everything! McLaren outlines the three major systems that make up our American driven world, the security system, the prosperity system, and the equity system; these systems rule the way of life as we know it, and in order for everything to change, these systems must be reformed, reworked, and reimagined. How will McLaren change everything? The key is in the subtitle: Jesus, Global Crises, and a Revolution of Hope. McLaren is not like the infomercial pitch-man, though he has as much passion, for he does not see his own ideas as the solution to world problems, he is instead fleshing out the revolution of hope preached by Jesus as the answer to global crises.

McLaren does not try to wow us with statistics, five step plans, requests for donations, or fancy rhetoric. McLaren is neither an economist, a politician, a social advocate, a lawyer, a diplomat, nor a businessman, what he does is instead cast a narrative to answer the questions of global crises.

Casting a narrative instead of building an argument on piles of statistics, arguments, and policy is a shrewd and wise decision. One must admit that McLaren is not the type of person one thinks of to come out with a world-changing book, yet in humbly casting a narrative for change he hides his publicly perceived lack of academic skills to tackle these issues and graciously and humbly lets the narrative of Christ speak.

In the first four parts of the book, McLaren attempts to peel away the layers of cultural and worldly notions of the world and bring us a reframed Jesus who cares about the whole world. We live in a world rife with injustice, greed, and war, as most Americans are well accustomed to seeing on a daily basis (just watch the news). We hear the whispers of secular apocalypse, a human-driven end of the world through war, violence, or environmental tragedy. We all think it would be great if we won the lottery, because then we would have no worries and could just spend our time helping others. Worrying is the foundation for the three oppressive systems built into the ecosystem of humanity: equity, security, and prosperity. Those are the things our humanness yearns for so badly. Yet, McLaren pleads that we look to Jesus as the center of our new ecosystem, the kingdom of God, and believe with sincere hope, a Jesus who tells us

that good will prevail by peace, love, truth, faithfulness, and courageous endurance of suffering, and that domination, violence, and torture are among the things that will be overcome. In this view, no good deed will be forgotten or wasted, so we should start doing the next good thing now, faithfully continue, and never give up until the dream comes true. Even if doing so will cost us our life, we must press on, because death is not the end, and even death itself cannot stop the advance of the peace and love of God. (146)

McLaren does not try to persuade us, he tries to let the prophetic, kingdom-building, and loving Jesus persuade us, and no fancy rhetoric, politics, policy or avant-garde economics are needed to do that.