Not that secret a message just the one that most people have overlooked, possibly because of a greater emphasis on the letters of Paul rather than the Gospels in the Christian church tradition, history and development. This is a really helpful book for those who are looking for a more radical path in choosing to be a disciple of Jesus as it offers a Biblical interpretation based on the Kingdom of God rather than 'salvation' alone. It is well written and easy to read, but for those with a doctrinally 'evangelical orthodox' stance a lot of it will probably smack of heresy. McLaren refers to a number of theologians and other writers in the book and it would be as well to follow reading this with Dallas Willard, NT Wright etc to get a deeper and broader picture. Recommended though for anyone with the thought that 'there must be more to being a Christian than saying I believe in Jesus'.