Legitimate reasons to stay or go

 

Do I stay Christian? -Brian McLaren

Mclaren is a fluid writer - the English lit professor style. 

The first part of the book lays out a series of reasons why a person would legitimately have cause to leave the Christian religion.

The second half lays out some reasons and recourse to stay. 

I resonated with many of his points. Religious history is rife with travesty - Christianity is no exception. That it has oft veered from the life of the founder - is uncontested. I have been long astray from the more fundamentalist leaning transactional Christianity I was raised with, even though in the midst of that influence, I was instilled by my parents and mentors with a very personal relationship with God and Jesus that has been the defining aspect of my faith through all the different life paths...

McLaren seems to be much more philosophically and politically collective than I am. He spends a lot more time thinking about whether there is hope for institutional religion and probably puts a lot more stock in large scale political movements than I would tend to. For example this quote: "That means we will strengthen our shared desire for healthy and just communities and societies from global civilizations to nations to states to cities to neighborhoods to families and circles of friends." 

I don't tend to put much stock in "global civilizations" - I tend to have a more libertarian and tribal perspective. I think, at best we can attempt to transform ourselves (difficult) and then perhaps exert influence on family and friends... and so forth. I participate in a church community because I do believe that community service and progress in faith are aided by such institutions - or at this moment in time, more apt - the particular community I participate in - has presented itself to me through a mystical invitation that feels part of the stream of my life. Formal institutions have not always been a part of my faith journey but more often than not they have - both church and parachurch organizations. 

That being said, I definitely agree with the fact that a move towards and acceptance of a much more complex, mysterious, and nuanced version of faith is a welcome conversation to have.