I Couldn't Believe Brian McLaren Answered My Tweet
thoughts on my convo with Brian McLaren (episode 115)
In 2017 I felt like my faith was spiraling out of control; if my faith was a Jenga tower, 2 of the bottom blocks were out and the whole tower was teetering on the one lone block that was left.
A year earlier my wife had a miscarriage and earlier in 2017 my daughter, Jordan, was born and immediately rushed to the NICU with some complications and it all left my heart and mind filled with tons of questions regarding God and my faith …
“God, if you were able to save our baby … why didn’t you?”
“What kind of MONSTER can save a baby, but chooses not to?”
“How is this tiny baby in an oxygen tank sinful?”
“How is MY daughter deserving of hell?”
“If we’re all your children … how in the world do you call yourself a good father and yet send some of your children to hell?”
… My mind was flooded with questions about God’s goodness, God’s power, hell, salvation, the cross, and ALL. THE. THINGS. and as a doctoral student in a very Evangelical seminary … I literally didn’t know what to do as I felt like I had no safe place to bring my questions.
I pulled a bunch of books off my shelf and searched for answers, but nothing I found was helpful and nothing I found seemed to calm the storm raging in my heart.
It was all the same old stuff …
Max Lucado said that “God is sovereign.”
Mark Batterson said “You just need to trust.”
Wayne Grudem said to “trust the Bible, not your feelings.”
All of those answers were at one time more than satisfactory for me, but all of a sudden they didn’t work anymore … they felt like I was trying to jam a 5-inch wide square peg into a 1/2-inch wide circle.
Sigh.
The God I believed in since I was a little boy seemed to be a fraud as I was faced with these new circumstances and feelings and events that I never experienced before.
Then I came across a book on my shelf called “The Secret Message of Jesus” by Brian McLaren. I had started reading it a bunch of years earlier, but put it away because I couldn’t quite wrap my mind around it; and so I picked it up again and started reading … and reading … and reading … and in the book he talked about a few things regarding salvation and God’s Kingdom and … I don’t know, but this time around something in me said, “you need to talk to this guy. This … this seems right.”
I had read a few of his books in seminary and was mostly warned that he was a “dangerous teacher”, but something in this book resonated with me and so I went onto Twitter and sent him a Tweet asking a few questions about hell and God and faith.
AND.
To my surprise, he answered me. I don’t remember the whole conversation, to be honest, but I remember we went back and forth over the course of a few days as he patiently answered my questions and shared his experiences.
And then I was able to meet him at a church he was speaking at shortly after where he was kind enough to sign my copy of “The Secret Message of Jesus”.
And then I met him again at the Wild Goose Festival in 2018.
And again in 2019.
And then he came on the podcast in season 2.
And then again this season.
… And over the course of these last 4 years he's become a friend who not only answers my Tweets, but now also my emails, text messages, and phone calls.
Brian McLaren has become a friend, a mentor, a guide of sorts. A few months ago I was having a particularly hard day regarding some drama surrounding people who aren’t happy with my podcast. I was at work and almost in tears as people from my old tribe were turning their backs on me left and right, and so I emailed him and he told me to give him a call on my lunch break where he talked to me for almost an hour.
I tell you this because as I spoke with Brian on the podcast in this week’s episode, my heart was overflowing with love and gratefulness for his voice and presence in my life.
I can honestly say that if it weren't for Brian’s willingness to answer my questions and not make me feel stupid on Twitter all those years ago … I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing today.
He helped me put language on my experiences.
He helped me process what I was feeling.
He helped pave the way for me to find some answers to my questions.
And he helped give me the courage to use my voice here, at the What If Project.
And so … yeah. I will always remember that and it will always be the inspiration for me to treat others who have questions the same way that he treated me. Brian was my safe place to bring my questions and I hope and pray that the What If Project can be a similar kind of safe place for others - that is (and always will be) the goal.
Much love,
Glenn
NEXT WEEK.
Next week Jennifer Mayeaux comes back on the show (here’s a link to our Pride episode) to talk to us about how the doctrine of hell is an abusive doctrine that often creates trauma that people carry with them throughout their lives. If you have ever come away from a sermon on hell or a teaching on hell and were made to feel afraid of God, death, judgement, etc … this one is for you.
In the meantime, go get caught up on the series:
Part 1 - NT Wright Says There Is No Barbed Wire In God’s Kingdom
Part 2 - Brian McLaren Talks To Us About The Dangers Of Creating Hell And The Road To Destruction
NEW BLOG POST.
The latest blog post on WhatIfProject.net is called “When People Want To Modify Your Theology”, here’s an excerpt …
“One day someone on Facebook said that my theology was "concerning" to him because it is so clearly "unorthodox". He reached out to me via messenger because he was worried about me and the path I was headed down and he was hoping to set me back on the "right" or "orthodox" path.
Hm.
In the moment I thought to myself, "bless his heart" and then muttered some things under my breath before responding with a sweet smile on my face, but I've recently come across an idea called "modified theology" that's helping me see what might have really been going on that day …”
MERCH.
Go pick up some merch at the Heretic Shop, like this new embroidered #LOVEWINS Trucker Hat!
SUPPORT THE SHOW.
We have 30 people supporting the show on Patreon, will you be number 31? Patreon is a place where you can support the What If Project financially by choosing a monthly giving tier ranging from $3/month to $20/month and every tier gets a reward. Go check it out and thanks to the 30 people who have already signed up! ❤️
In this election year/political climate, I was really touched by Brian's 4 part letter to evangelicals...specifically "pro-life" evangelicals. That kind of honest, thoughtful discourse is so desperately needed in these times. I can totally see where his voice and kindness would have helped you through your struggle and, thankfully, launched you on your path.