The Logic of Intersubjectivity. Darren M. Slade

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СКАЧАТЬ id="ulink_393de489-3be2-513e-a1bd-90cd60ed52cb">It is apparent that McLaren’s early writings are a response to his negative experiences with fundamentalism. “My own upbringing was way out on the end of one of the most conservative twigs of one of the most conservative branches of one of the most conservative limbs of Christianity, and I am far harder on conservative Protestant Christians who share that heritage than I am on anyone else” (GO §0, 35). While admitting he overgeneralizes, McLaren’s experience fits the growing cultural perception of conservative Christians as being pompous, egotistical, and intolerant of diversity (FFR §8, 166).110 Thus, he ended up wanting a liberating type of faith that beckons and unfetters people to join ever-expanding possibilities, not confine and limit them to old patterns.111 Not surprisingly, then, McLaren’s work resonates predominantly with those who have had similar experiences, and it explains why McLaren felt he gained a sense of spiritual freedom when joining the Jesus Movement (GSM, x). Here, McLaren’s faith in Jesus was revitalized as he became engrossed in the movement’s emphasis on “simplicity, a childlikeness, a naïveté, and a corresponding purity of motive that I have seldom seen since” (GO §1, 45).112 McLaren would later model a high school youth group, “the Fellowship,” after these experiences with the Movement by welcoming ostracized students into the club (cf. MRTYR §16, 121‒23).113 Eventually, however, McLaren felt the Jesus Movement had been “co-opted” by the Religious Right and “the religious marketing machine,” forcing him to doubt his faith once again (GO §1, 45). It was at this point that McLaren developed a lifelong cynicism for conventional paradigms (JMBM §2, 13n1), which would subsequently manifest in his educational, vocational, and spiritual growth toward a new paradigm.

      2.2.2 Formative Educational Experiences

      McLaren describes his higher education as one of “liberation” from spiritual myopia, which helped him to question the status quo of conventional religion (JMBM §9, 74). He obtained a Master of Arts in English literature from the University of Maryland where he was particularly fond of Romantic poets, medieval dramas, and philosophical writings (FOWA §Author, 215; NKOC §Author, 251). It is significant to note how he describes the Romantic poets, commenting, “They are of special interest to people doing postmodern ministry because romanticism was a recurring protest movement in the modern era representing a dissatisfaction with modern rationalism. In some ways romanticism anticipated postmodernism” (AIFA, 39).

What had influenced McLaren the most in college, however, was his graduate studies in deconstructionism and literary criticism, which he admits conditioned him to view religion differently (COOS1 §12b, 187).114 These studies made conventional paradigms feel inadequate and outdated, appealing only to society’s most unsophisticated religionists. Luckily, McLaren recounts, he had patient friends who expressed empathy toward his latest spiritual doubts (cf. AMP §16, 245), though he would continue to struggle with religion for most of graduate school (COOS1 §12b, 187‒88; FFS §3, 89‒92).115 During this time, it was two literary figures in particular who would ultimately have a major impact on McLaren’s philosophy of religion.

      2.2.2.1 The Study of Walker Percy and Søren Kierkegaard

Remarkably, McLaren never intended to be a pastor, believing he could better serve God apart from the “religious bureaucracy and politics” of ministry; yet, his master’s thesis on the Catholic novelist and existentialist philosopher, Walker Percy (1916‒1990), who wrote substantially on semiotics and modernization, made pursuing a vibrant faith plausible for McLaren again (FFS §3, 92). Describing it as the “highlight of my higher education,” his Percyean research also introduced him to the existentialism of Søren Kierkegaard (1813‒1855), who was a major influence on Percy’s philosophy of religion (COOS1 §7, 91). For McLaren, Percy’s writings reflected the same anguish he had experienced with conventional Christianity.116

In terms of scholastic inspiration, McLaren is indebted to Walter Brueggemann, N. T. Wright, Francis Schaeffer, C. S. Lewis, Dallas Willard, John Caputo, Stanley Grenz, John Franke, Leonard Sweet, René Girard, and (most influential) Leslie Newbigin.117 Nonetheless, in terms of a religio-philosophy, both Percy and Kierkegaard are the most instrumental (and least recognized) of McLaren’s mentors. In fact, many are unaware of the philosophical parallels between McLaren and the existentialism of these two authors (§8.2.2). “My research led me to study Søren Kierkegaard in some detail, and his work also left a lasting mark.”118 In A New Kind of Christian, McLaren laments the absence of a Christian innovator: “Is there no Saint Francis or Søren Kierkegaard or C. S. Lewis in the house with some fresh ideas and energy?” (NKOC §Intro, xviii). In More Ready Than You Realize, he praises a Kierkegaard publication as one of the most influential, captivating, and inspiring books on evangelism he has ever read (MRTYR §1, 27‒28). McLaren even imitates Kierkegaard’s “indirect communication” so as stimulate critical thought (PTP, 125). He also quotes Kierkegaard extensively to argue that an overly analytical faith is a hindrance to authentic worship (SMJ §, 215‒16).119 It is no surprise, then, that McLaren is reminded of Kierkegaard in relation to social justice issues, “I’m reminded that Soren Kierkegaard said, ‘The essence of all true preaching is malice,’ by which he meant that unless the preacher is mad about something, he has no passion.”120 From here, it becomes evident just how Percy and Kierkegaard prepared McLaren for his later nonconventional ministry.

      2.2.3 Formative Vocational-Ministerial Experiences

After graduate school, McLaren taught college English from 1978 to 1986. After marrying a Catholic woman, McLaren and his wife co-founded Cedar Ridge Community Church in Spencerville, Maryland, which began as a small fellowship in their home and quickly became a pronounced congregation in the community. McLaren became its full-time pastor in 1986 and remained there for over twenty years until 2006 when he resigned to become a full-time author and activist.121 As a pastor, McLaren felt his basic job description was to disseminate correct doctrines to the congregants, even though he started to question the validity of some of those doctrines (GSM, 23). However, McLaren’s church consisted predominantly of new believers who were transparent about their own doubts and routinely asked tough questions. McLaren ultimately realized that he shared just as many, if not more, of the same reservations as his own church.122 “What does a pastor do when he questions the stock answers he’s supposed to be convincing others of?” (NKOC §2, 17). Commenting that he entered ministry “with mountains of idealism,” McLaren quickly learned that hard work, sincerity, and prayer were not enough to be a successful pastor in the postmodern era; he had to find an alternative method.123

Then, a significant change occurred in San Antonio, Texas, around the turn of the century when McLaren, in a moment of divine clarity, believed he had finally comprehended the true nature of Christianity: faith is meant to be an intersubjective relationship with God and an existential appropriation of Jesus’ kingdom teachings (§8.2). At this point, McLaren experienced a dramatic change away from the mentality that “faith” equated to the dogmas of a particular belief system. Though scared to admit his changing convictions, the seemingly divine character behind this insight made McLaren confident that God was directing these changes (GSM, 22‒25; cf. NKOC §7, 84‒85). “My theology sincerely attempted to be biblical, but it had become so enmeshed with modernity, American consumerism, modern western rationalism, and a host of other things, that it somehow was out of synch with Jesus Christ. Through Newbigin’s writings, I realized I was a Christian who needed to be reached for Christ.”124 Over time, McLaren’s church reflected his newfound convictions, explaining, “We aren’t creating a ‘you’re in, you’re out’ mentality at our church. Our message is: The Kingdom of God is available to everybody, and now the ball is in your court.”125 He sought to create an environment that allowed for “adult integrity, clear intelligence, and open-eyed honesty,” hoping for an inspirational spirituality that would foster a more meaningful faith (FFS §Intro, 23, 25). Becoming increasingly open about his new insights, McLaren soon began his writing career as a public theologian and iconoclast.

      2.2.3.1 The Public Theology of Iconoclasm

One major irony is the fact that McLaren does not view himself as a religious authority but, rather, a public theologian (WMRBW, 282), meaning he СКАЧАТЬ