The Logic of Intersubjectivity. Darren M. Slade

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СКАЧАТЬ world (§3.4.1).126 His goal is to transform Christianity from “a religion organized for self-preservation and privilege to a religion organizing for the common good of all” (GSM, 153; italics in original). Despite being proficient in church history, philosophy, theology, psychology, and ministry (BMF, 291‒303), McLaren humorously regards himself as “an amateur pastor and a hack theologian” (COOS1 §5, 71):127

I myself will be considered by many to be completely unqualified to write such a book of theology, being neither a trained theologian nor even a legitimate pastor if legitimacy is defined by ordination qualifications in a bona fide denomination. Rather I am only a lowly English major who snuck into pastoral ministry accidentally through the back doors of the English department and church planting. . . .In other words, I am a confessed amateur. . . .[who lacks] “proper credentials.” (GO §0, 34; §6, 115)128

What McLaren’s critics often misunderstand is that he deliberately tempers his credentials in order to assume the posture of a fellow seeker.129 As he explains, “I remember getting a feeling . . . that something I was doing was counterproductive to really getting through to the more postmodern people who were coming through our doors” (PTP, 117). Emphasizing humility is not only concomitant with his overall approach to religion (§5.1), but it highlights McLaren’s desire to enculturate Christianity for contemporary audiences (§4.4.2). Thus, McLaren’s self-deprecating specifically appeals to a new generation of disillusioned and disenfranchised seekers, who no longer esteem analytic-style learning or magisterial authorities (§4.4).130

Interestingly, this self-deprecation partly derives from McLaren’s distinction between “Nobodies” and “Somebodies.” The latter seek to conserve the status quo for their own benefit, but it is the marginalized “Nobodies” who create everlasting change (NKOC §16, 214‒15). McLaren, therefore, shrewdly remarks that he is not an ecclesial authority and does not ever want to be one (AMP §11, 180).131 “I work as a pastor and write books on theological topics, yet have no formal training in theology” (GO §9, 156). Accordingly, McLaren labels himself “a practitioner, not an academic” (COOS1 §Preface, 8) and a fellow pursuer of truth (cf. FFR §Intro, 19; FFS §Intro, 24; NKOC §7, 80‒81). These statements allow McLaren to distance himself from “the religious establishment” in order to appeal to the nonreligious.132 Hence, McLaren does not really feel it is beneficial to possess religious credentials (NKOCY §6, 55), especially when spiritual experiences can be much more instructive to Christian faith.

      2.2.4 Formative Spiritual Experiences

By the age of sixteen, at the height of puberty, McLaren started having strong spiritual experiences, making him choose a lifelong pursuit for Christian vitality in the process. His encounters with other teenagers also had a major impact on his development. Seeing the dramatic change that Jesus had on the lives of others subdued McLaren’s instinct to escape his already “hyperreligious life” (NS §1, 6‒7). Nevertheless, one experience in particular stands out as the pivotal moment that would end up guiding McLaren’s religiosity for the rest of his life.133

      One day at a youth retreat, McLaren prayed, “Before I die, please allow me to see the most beautiful sights in the world, and hear the most beautiful sounds in the world, and feel the most beautiful experiences in the world” (cf. §5.3.2). That night, while observing the majesty of the night sky, McLaren had an unforgettable, life-transforming experience of pure joy. He could feel the Creator of the universe watching him, causing an indescribable and uncontainable feeling of love that let him know God was paying attention. He began to laugh and then to cry until his stomach ached. Soon afterwards, McLaren heard other boys and girls on the retreat saying how much they loved each other. It was then that he realized God answered his prayer:

      I had seen the most beautiful thing on earth—the glory of God shining through creation . . . And I had heard the most beautiful thing in life—human beings telling other human beings that they love one another. And I had felt the most beautiful feeling in life—to be loved, really loved, by a God who knows me—my secrets, my faults, my doubts, my wrongs, my shame, along with my strengths and dreams and hopes and gifts—simply to be known and loved.

      The fact remains that it is twenty-five years later, and I am still on that same path, learning to open my heart in new ways, savoring the same beauty, desiring that same spirit (or Spirit) of joy and love to fill me. (FFR §9, 186‒87)

      The experience later deepened that night through a vision he had while praying of a pair of feet wearing sandals. McLaren felt himself transform into the water droplets of a woman weeping at Jesus’ feet (cf. Luke 7:37–38). It was at this moment that McLaren dedicated his life to Christ. “From that night on, I was a wholehearted lover of the Creator, a person thirsty for the Holy Spirit, and a devoted follower of Jesus. That was my triune baptism into spirituality. . . .So everything I write about spirituality today has been tested in the crucible of my own experience during the nearly forty years since that night” (NS §1, 10; cf. MRTYR §14, 103‒4). Indeed, his starry night experience continues to influence how he interprets Scripture and how he understands the person of God today (GI, 185).

      McLaren does point out that this pivotal spiritual experience occurred at a Southern Baptist retreat in a context that would eventually form the Religious Right. Afterwards, his continued exposure to conservative Christianity gradually soured as arguments about ancillary issues overshadowed his encounters with the divine (NS §1, 10‒11). The ensuing tribalism (§3.2.2) was enough for McLaren to realize that conservativism was not spiritually appropriate for him (GO §1, 50‒51), as expected from psychological studies on numinous experiences.

      2.2.4.1 The Psychology of Spiritual Experiences

For many conversion experiences, the concept of an ideal religious fit is paramount to a person’s overall decision to subscribe to a particular ideology. “What makes any voluntary conversion process possible is a complex confluence of the ‘right’ potential convert coming into contact, under proper circumstances at the proper time, with the ‘right’ advocate and religious option.”134 In McLaren’s case, he notes that his pacifistic temperament (GO §1, 61; §12, 183) would eventually mean Christian tribalism could not work for him (MRTYR §5, 57‒58). His developing philosophy would make characteristics such as “alive, genuine, purposeful, free, [and] kind” (FFR §9, 183) the leading distinctives of his newfound spirituality, indicating that an ideal religious fit would be one that aligns with what he learned from his spiritual experiences.135

Significantly, during adolescence, the reward center of teenage brains intensifies the neurotransmitters that respond to events, making a positive experience more memorable and intense.136 A consequence of strong emotional occurrences is the attentional funneling that narrows people’s focus onto “goal-relevant” information, meaning McLaren’s desire for a vibrant spirituality actually heightened his emotional connection to these experiences. Here, his salient emotions now become empirical evidence in confirming his burgeoning religious beliefs by attributing his emotional high directly to his starry night prayer (the “feelings-as-evidence hypothesis”).137 Deriving in part from the strong emotions associated with his conversion, McLaren now approaches faith with an emphasis on beauty (§5.3.2), creation (§4.3.2), and love (§6.2.4). The psychological implications mean that McLaren’s philosophy of religion derives from the experiential knowledge he obtained through mystical experiences (§6.2.2.3), ensuring that these factors would become the foundation of his overall spiritual temperament (cf. §8.5.1).

      2.3 McLaren’s Resulting Temperament

The consequence was that McLaren’s formative experiences developed into a more compassionate disposition. As is typical of college-age adults, McLaren appears to have developed an “individual-reflective” spirituality where he detached himself from the customs and mores of his upbringing in order to question the validity of his beliefs. Though this stage is intellectual, it is also existential in the sense that McLaren needed to develop a spirituality that was his own (FFR §9, 181). Here, McLaren quickly realized that his natural disposition was not СКАЧАТЬ