Book by Brandan Robertson
Overall, this book was good. It felt like I was reading 19 well-prepared sermons (and I’m not criticizing this writing style. I’ve based books on blogposts, which is kind of similar).
Brandan is trying to grapple with the current political climate of the United States. I have only lived in the States 2-3 years and am certainly grappling with it too. We want a greater level of peace, agreement, the ability to converse without losing our shit, and yet we also want to maintain that human equity is of utmost importance to us. There is a divisive tension because of the political situation, and we need to “bridge the divide” as much as possible, just as he argues.
I got the sense that Brandan is as much in the thick of it as anyone. He embodies his book having to remind himself to be kind and to have hope. I could also feel the war within him that we all experience: this feeling that what we personally believe is “the truth” and that God is guiding us into that truth, while simultaneously knowing that other people we totally disagree with, also believe they have the gods honest truth…
The third tension in this book was between grace and works. Again, I have experienced this exact tension. On the one hand legalism multiplies guilt and shame and keeps us trapped in doing rather than being. On the other hand, if we give up all discipline, ethics, and good deeds, and blame it on grace, then we don’t produce anything worthwhile in life – or so it feels. Brandan holds this tension and beckons people toward disciplined spiritual rituals like Scripture meditation and prayer, alongside grace, forgiveness, love, kindness, tolerance. I’m just not sure where I stand on these issues, and I did find the “discipline” talk somewhat heavy, having come from a legalistic background myself.
Having said all that, I found it incredibly interesting when Brandan argued that Jesus made mistakes. I found his in depth study of various Bible passages intriguing, particularly his two chapters about Esther. Brandan calls out Bible characters like Haman on their racism and discrimination, and praises the likes of Vashti for standing up to the King! I learned that Nebuchadnezzar is likely a mythological figure – I’ve been to Bible College, but I don’t remember hearing that one.
Some of the chapters were rather Pentecostal, emphasising radical faith. Yet the “rhythms of abundance” chapter wasn’t the “prosperity gospel.” Brandan says “the problem with the American dream is that it simply doesn’t work,” and he goes on to talk about balancing our inner life and our outer life because the kingdom of God is within and without. We tap into and meditate on God who is love, then extend that love in the world as co-creators with God.
I didn’t like chapter 9 about being at war with our flesh – again, I found this very Pentecostal. It seems to treats humans as divided beings, not holistic embodied personalities. And the fact that he thinks we can become more and more righteous, or reformed, or have victory over sin, sounds like Evangelical bullshit to me, sorry Brandan.
Brandan addresses the world’s obsession with Armageddon. He views the book of Revelation as mostly past tense, which it probably is. He talks about how we all fear the end but Armageddon hasn’t happened even 2000 years since Revelation was written! So maybe our interpretation should be one of warning that things aren’t right in our world, and hope that God will eventually put things right. We are called to be part of bringing heaven to earth. “We have reason to keep dreaming and working and believing that the kingdom of this world can become the kingdom of our Lord—a world of righteousness, equity, and peace for absolutely everyone.”
Brandan also addresses truth and doubt which I can experientially relate to. We keep trying to live in the truth but we also know that very truth is limited by our finite understanding and brief life experience. Be curious, hold loosely to what you think is true, there is no certainty.
Toward the end of the book Brandan looks at the dry bones passage in Ezekiel and talks about how things can appear to be dead, over, buried, or too far gone, but God is the God of resurrection, breath, and new life. It’s an encouragement not to give up too soon. Have hope that even the political climate of our world can change and that we must actually be the change.
But on the other hand, with subsequent chapters Brandan encourages us to try not to start a holy war by being too judgmental, refusing to listen to other perspectives, and erecting emotional barriers. We want to change our world without destroying it in the process. This is a difficult line to walk and circles back to that same tension between wanting to change the world for the better (specifically the political climate of the US) and wanting to make peace as much as possible with those who disagree with us (and not view them as political enemies).
This book certainly articulates political tension and seeks to address it with some helpful spiritual ideals and ethics.