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

When someone says that everything must change, we all expect that person to back up their plea with mounds of data. In the realm of global politics, reports are issued using tons of data, statistics, percentages, and graphs to visualize what is necessary to make everything change. While John Wilson in Christianity Today laments that McLaren does not have the statistics and data to back up his ideas of how to change the world, I have been learning to applaud McLaren for his minimalism of statistics. Everyone wants to see facts back up an idea---an apologetics for welfare, for gun control, for building that new sanctuary---yet really where have facts gotten us in Africa, in Vietnam, in Iraq? There comes a point when statistics become meaningless before our morality, our ethics, our gospel, and our hope. We have been given such a great salvation, such a great hope, that why can we not fight for everything to change, even when we don't have overwhelming statistics to back us up. We have the light that burns within us, a call to care for the orphan and the widow, the poor and the needy---and statistics will certainly show that those people do exist. And what if we don't know how to be most efficient, or do our jobs the best, or go into Africa with the right mix of micro-financing and development aid? Does that mean we should not try? McLaren certainly doesn't think so. ... more

Tall double mocha latte, vanilla frappaccino, grande caramel macchiato—where would you hear these words uttered?  Anyone that has grown up in the U.S. or has lived here for any time at all would quickly conjure from their mental library the word ‘Starbucks’.  Starbucks has become to coffee what Kleenex is to tissues.  It is a synonym culturally infused with so much meaning.  But as a Christian, I wonder if this culturally influenced trend has any drawbacks.  Is this where Christ would have gotten his coffee (if in fact he drank coffee)?  Let’s explore. ... more