We Make the Road by Walking: Brian Maclaren
Opening comments
This review comes fairly hard on the heels of reviewing Richard Rohr’s Falling Upward and I suspect that for many these two authors, Rohr and Maclaren, and few others, Rob Bell, for example, are swimming in the same theological current.
Not that that current is easily defined. All three would be at pains to say (I feel): ‘If so, it’s in the context of the whole river which carries many Christian traditions along with our present understanding’.
Whether true or not, their books, seminars, and conferences are extremely popular. If they’re not riding around in a Porsche or a Lamborghini, no doubt they could be.
But the point of a review is not to promote but to reflect on the contents.
We Make the Road by Walking consists of 52 short chapters divided into four sections so that a small group can use it over the course of a year. At the end of each section, there is a page of directed reflection ideas to stimulate group discussion.
Confession: after a while, I rather skim-read certain sections. The main arguments had been made, perhaps, and some chapters had less depth. I apologise if my comments are therefore somewhat unfair due to my lack of attention.
Reading with a Green Pen: I note good points and not-so-good and neutral with a green pen. Before we get going you may be interested to know that I have 10 not so good green pen marks and 6 on the good side, but one of those is whole chapter.
Premise
Maclaren’s premise is that the scriptures that are translated ‘eternal life’ or ‘abundant life’ in John’s gospel can be rendered ‘true aliveness’. This is to redirect some who may mistakenly view ‘eternal life’ starting ‘in heaven once we die and have been resurrected’. Maclaren is a ‘now’ and ‘then’ believer. (See footnote page xiv)
And that we can only know this true aliveness when we, or as we, imitate Jesus and follow His teaching, hence the title ‘We make the Way by Walking’ not by subscribing mentally to certain truths. ‘If your faith seems to be a lot of talk without much practice, I hope this book will help you translate your faith to action’ (page xxiii)
Not so good
Page 9 ‘In the first creation story we learn two essential truths about ourselves…first, we are good’
This is not what I believe. Gen 1 clearly teaches that before the Fall, before Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, we were good. But the tragedy of the fall is that Adam’s sin has been transmitted to the whole human race.
Page 10 ‘Every person…has value…bears the image of God! It’s all good’
This follows on from the statement in p9. Yes, every person has value and is created in the image of God, but no it isn’t ‘all good’. It’s been marred (not destroyed) by the fruit of the Fall, and sin.
Page 11 ‘If we eat from the second tree, we will soon become violent…to exploit…’
This does not consider the Genesis account that clearly states that we have been barred or exiled from Eden, from both trees! We do not eat of either tree. The truth is, however, that we are born ‘in Adam’ and therefore have inherited his sinful nature. We have eaten of the second tree by virtue of being ‘in Adam’. It’s a very present reality but not due to our fickle natures i.e. one day we eat of the tree of life and the next day the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (See the early chapters of Romans, especially chapter 5)
Page 18 ‘We humans have consistently chosen the wrong tree’
As page 11. The choice on our behalf was made in Eden by Adam and Eve. We have inherited their choice and its consequences, it’s not our choice.
“ The sun doesn’t shine because I believe it shines”
Page 19 ‘They (Cain and Abel) soon become religious rivals, competing for a higher degree of God’s favour’
There is no evidence for this, only that God accepted Abel’s and rejected Cain’s. A fuller treatment of this is given in Edith Schaeffer’s Christianity is Jewish which links Abel’s sacrifice of a lamb prefiguring Christ as the Lamb of God.
Page 35 ‘The dominant theory of God in Abraham and Sarah’s day taught that…God who gave human life would also demand human…sacrifice. So when Abraham believed God was commanding him to kill Isaac…’
Whether or not other cultures subscribed to that theory, Maclaren’s inference re-tells the biblical account. The bible clearly states that God commanded Abraham to take the boy of promise up the mountain, bind him to the altar and kill him, only to be rescued from the act by the substitute ram caught in the thicket. Whatever Abraham believed or did not believe, God’s commanded it, and he obeyed. Maclaren weakens the testimony of scripture here to the point of contradicting it. The sun doesn’t shine because I believe it shines. If it’s shining, whether I believe it or I don’t believe it matters not a jot; it will still shine. The sun shining is not subject to cultural relevance, and neither is God.
Page 58/9 ‘Matthew’s version of this story makes a confession: Our ancestors, led by Moses and Joshua, believed God sent them into the world in conquest, to show no mercy to their enemies, to defeat and kill them. But now, following Christ, we hear God giving us a higher mission’
The problem with the Old-Testament-violent/angry-God versus New-Testament-compassionate-God comparison theory is that it fails under scriptural examination. Romans 11v22 ‘Behold the kindness and the severity of God, on those who fell, severity, but toward you, kindness’ is a typical New Testament scripture and sheds light on the balance in scripture from Genesis to Revelation. Under Moses’ and Joshua’s command, mercy and kindness was shown to all who opened their hearts to God’s purposes through them. Severity was reserved only for those who opposed Israel and came out to war against them. The forgiveness we have received in Christ only becomes ours as we humble ourselves and realise our need to be forgiven, then God’s merciful purposes can begin in our lives. If we oppose God’s purposes, we will continue to know the severity of God until we stop fighting, repent and believe. Then we encounter His mercy.
Page 78 ‘Most scholars today agree that at least three people contributed to the book…’
There are persuasive arguments for believing Isaiah was written by one author, Isaiah the prophet. A quick perusal of websites will confirm the popularity of both positions. So why does Maclaren declare the majority believe in three, Proto, Deutero, and Trito-Isaiah? I’ll leave you to work on this.
Page 110 Jesus taught that all of us could enter into that warm and secure parent and child relationship with God
Is it just me or do I detect a reluctance to use the words Father and son? John’s gospel opens with the possibility open for us to become ‘children of God’ through receiving Christ. But elsewhere the language of the New Testament is of God the Father welcoming us to be His sons e.g.
‘…bringing many sons to glory’ Hebrews 2v10. We are ‘sons’, and therefore inheritors, because God has placed us in His Son, whether male or female. There is no confusion here. Nor is there when all male believers in Christ described as part of the bride of Christ, not the bridegroom.
Page 181 ‘…God is gracious and compassionate and doesn’t need to be appeased through sacrifice’
Maclaren’s opposition to what has become known as ‘penal substitution’: Christ dying for us, taking upon Himself the punishment we deserved, is well documented. The specific problem with this sentence is Maclaren has put forward a false dichotomy…and I suspect he knew he had! Naughty! In other words, he is stating that graciousness and compassion are a direct contradiction to appeasement and sacrifice. You cannot, he proposes, believe in both at the same time. Really?
Good
Page 51 ‘Through the ten plagues we might say God got the people out of slavery. Through the Ten Commandments, God got the slavery out of the people’
If I want to be picky, I might not say God’s deliverance from slavery was a result of the Commandments, but the sentiment ‘getting slavery out of the people’ - is a point well made, and transfers well to the New Testament. Christ, as the Lamb of God, our Passover, so we are delivered out of our slavery to sin. We are redeemed from sin through His precious blood just as the Israelites were delivered from slavery in Egypt by daubing the blood of lambs on the lintels of their doorposts so that the destroying angel would ‘pass over’. But slavery was all the Israelites had known and so removing a slave mentality from the Israelites was just as important. The New Testament recognises this same battle: ‘You did not receive the Spirit of slavery again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out Abba, Father’ Rom 8 v 14
Page 116 ‘The word Christian is more familiar to us than the word disciple…to be alive in the adventure of Jesus is to…take the first intrepid step on the road as a disciple’
This aligns well with the title and the premise. It captures those early ‘they left their nets to follow Him’ moments in Galilee, the same moments as someone in our day and age opens their heart to Jesus. The start, not the destination.
Page 147 The whole of Chapter 26: Making it Real
The characters in this chapter are in conversation with Mary Magdalene who is telling them all about what she has seen and heard since following Jesus around Galilee. ‘We feel our hearts being drawn towards Him’ describes the progress of this conversation. Enough said. I found this quite moving.
Page 171 ‘Some people shame the poor…some shame the rich…Jesus doesn’t shame anyone, but calls everyone to a higher form of wealth and a deeper kind of ambition’
Who hasn’t been discouraged by such taunts as ‘lazy’, ‘stupid’, ‘selfish’, or ‘greedy’. Whilst these stinging words may be true, with Jesus they are the start of a conversation, not the end. Conviction can lead to faith, but condemnation only undermines confidence.
Page 174 ‘Anxiety doesn’t stop its dirty work at the individual level. It makes whole communities tense and toxic’
This quote is from Chapter 30, another good chapter, helpful in distinguishing between exercising good judgement – a healthy attitude - and judgementalism – unhealthy, causing anxiety in the person who has been consumed by criticism of others. Maclaren puts the love of God in front of anyone whose anxiety is caused by habitually judging others. Allowing the love of God to penetrate us is the way of escape.
Page 226 ‘When we gather, the Holy Spirit gives us different gifts to be used for the common good’
This is based on 1Cor 14v26 and an indication of the early Christians’ ‘normal’ experience of a church service. One we need to recapture?
Conclusions
If you’re keen to find out what Maclaren’s view is on the infallibility and reliability of the bible, or whether the bible can be said to be the word of God, this book will not answer that question.
Equally, if you want to know what Maclaren’s understanding of the crucifixion and resurrection, you’ll find a few clues and pointers but, again, this book is not the place to look.
If you’re looking for a book that can re-engage you with the person of Jesus and fire up your imagination so that Jesus leaps of the pages of the New Testament and speaks directly to you, then you may well enjoy this book.
Over to you!