Jesus Was a Liberal: Reclaiming Christianity for All

by Scotty McLennan

For the millions of people who identify as liberal Christians. In McLennan's bold call to reclaim ownership of Christianity, he advocates a sense of religion based not on doctrinal readings of scripture but on the humanity behind Christ's teachings. He addresses such topics as intelligent design, abortion, same sex marriage, war. torture and much, much more. As he says in the Preface, "We liberal Christians know in our hearts that there is much more to life than seems to meet the rational eye of atheists; yet we find it hard to support supernatural claims about religion that fly in the face of scientific evidence."

Genres: Religion, Nonfiction, Christianity, Spirituality, Faith, Christian, Theology

272 pages, Hardcover

First published May 12, 2009

About the author

The Reverend William L. McLennan, Jr. — better known as "Scotty McLennan" — was born on November 21, 1948. He is a published author of four books, an ordained minister, a lawyer, and an educator, currently teaching ethics at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He was the University Chaplain at Tufts for sixteen years and Dean for Religious Life at Stanford for fourteen years.

Reviews

[Kent · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a Christian, who is a member of, perhaps, one of the most conservative denominations of Christianity, I found myself struggling with my faith a few months back. No longer did I feel like I could strongly support my church in many of its beliefs and doctrines. I had grown resentful and became negative. I wondered if all Christian denominations were as conservative as mine.

When I came across this book, I realized that, while I'm in a small minority, I actually did fit in with a group of Christians whose views were very similar to mine. I identify myself with about 98% of the liberal Christian doctrine. Mr. Mc Lennan's book was (sorry for an over used metaphor) a breath of fresh air. I wasn't necessarily looking for affirmation (although that was part of my journey), I was able, more importantly, understand myself better and realized that my views did have a place out there in the Christian community.

I love how McLennan is not negative towards conservative Christians nor those who are agnostics and athiests. His purpose is to help most of the Christians in this country what it means to be a liberal Christian and to help people, such as myself, understand themselves better and to be proud of being a liberal Christian. The book discusses what most liberal Christians believe and how those beliefs tie in with most conservative Christian views and Scripture.

One of the areas I disagree with liberal Christians on is that they believe Jesus was not the Son of God. I could not get myself to believe that. Let me be clear, though, I wasn't wanting to change my beliefs as I was reading this book. However, I do believe McLennan, and other liberal Christians, have a strong case for their point in Scripture; as I believe they do with just about every belief they write about in this book.

I found much of the evidence, supported by Scripture, fits more in line with the liberal Christian view than it does with many of the conservative Christian views. In my experiences, conservative Christians are more concerned with church doctrines; many doctrines which have little, to no, basis in Scriptural fact. Not to mention many conservative Christians find some weird loopholes to "prove" their beliefs and the cohesion of Scripture. This is one of the many things that's frustrated, and annoyed, me the most with conservative Christianity. They do not listen, and they just about have to make something up.

Liberal Christianity has helped me discover who I am and that there are others, like me, with similar views. "Jesus was a Liberal" is a terrific book that helped me re-discover my faith and to find more of a home for it. If you are in a similar situation that I have been in, I'd suggest giving this wonderful book a try!

[Scott Holstad · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is interesting. Scotty McLennan doesn't actually argue very vehemently that the historical Jesus was truly a liberal, but that a liberal political and spiritual ideology can be compatible with Christianity. So, that being said, the title’s a bit misleading. McLennan makes a great case for liberal Christianity in this book, but I think he kind of fails to convince me that Jesus himself was liberal. At least, he doesn’t spend much time on that argument, instead choosing to press the case for liberal Christianity. Once you can get past that, and I found it a bit disappointing, it’s a rather good book and a stimulating read.

First of all, I come from a strong evangelical background that I’ve recently rejected, having found happiness in a mainline church where I live. It comes closest to preaching what I’ve come to believe, and I’m very anti-evangelical, truth be told. I think evangelicals are largely judgmental, intolerant, mean spirited, Republican, haters who are doing a world of evil in this country. I know that might surprise some people, but that’s honestly how I feel after being indoctrinated for the past 45 years. I’m repelled by evangelicalism.

So McLennan immediately identifies the principles of liberal Christianity to start the book. These include

“The Bible is meant to be read largely metaphorically and allegorically, rather than literally. Science and religion are compatible; we are committed to the use of logic, reason, and the scientific method. Doubt is the handmaiden of faith. Love is the primary Christian value, and it is directly related to the promotion of liberty and justice in society at large. All people are inherently equal and worthy of dignity and respect. Free religious expression should be governmentally protected, but no particular tradition should be established as the state religion. There are many roads to the top of the spiritual mountain, and Christianity is only one of them. Interfaith understanding and tolerance are critical. We see Jesus primarily as a spiritual and ethical teacher and less as being identical with God. Living a fulfilled and ethical life here and now is more important than speculating on what happens to us after we die. Nonviolence is strongly preferred in relationships between human beings, groups, and nations. Women and men must play an equal role in religious leadership. And in terms of current American hot-button issues, we tend to be pro-choice on abortion and in favor of marriages for same-sex couples.”

Wow! That’s a lot to swallow at once. And I don’t necessarily agree with all of these principles. For instance, the statement, “There are many roads to the top of the spiritual mountain, and Christianity is only one of them,” goes against my ingrained teaching, although I like it in theory. So too the part about Jesus being an ethical teacher and not identical with God. In my tradition growing up, Jesus was part of the triune God, one and the same. It’s hard for me to shake that. This said, these principles are largely what I’ve come to believe over the past several years and I’m elated to see them in print and elated to know I’m not the only one who sees things this way.

McLennan dives right into the concept of Jesus as God on page nine.

“Although Jesus during his lifetime on earth would never have recognized certain titles later applied to him – ‘coequal with God,’ ‘of one substance with God,’ ‘ the second person of the Trinity’ – the early church began developing these ideas about him soon after death. There’s no doubt that his followers after his death moved from considering him a spirit person or mystic to increasingly speaking of him as having qualities of God and then as being divine himself…. Yet, personally, I don’t believe that Jesus was or is identical with God, nor do I think that’s what he believed either, based on the biblical evidence.”

He certainly puts it out there. Since I was taught from day one that Jesus is God, it’s hard for me to accept this from a minister and dean of religious life at Stanford University, but there you have it. Accept it or reject it, it’s out in the open.

He moves on to abortion.

“’There has always been strong support for the view that [human] life does not begin until live birth. This was the belief of the Stoics, It appears to be the predominant … attitude of the Jewish faith. It may be taken to represent … a large segment of the Protestant community.’… I’m personally part of that large Protestant community that believes that human life and personhood begin at birth [and not conception]…. I’m also personally compelled by the notion that it’s the breath of life that makes us full human beings.”

I know for a fact this is what Jews believe, as I was married to one for a number of years. I was taught early on that life begins at birth, so therefore abortion is allowed by the religious community. That may seem shocking to most evangelicals, but there are scriptural references Jews use to support this (which I don’t have at hand at the moment). My primary complaint about this section is McLennan doesn’t really tie this topic into Jesus’s personal beliefs on the subject, or his proposed beliefs. And isn’t that what this book is supposed to be about?

McLennan moves on to another hot-button issue – women’s roles in the church. Most evangelicals are opposed to having women in leadership positions within the church. This was my own experience growing up. McLennan believes differently:

“A careful reading of Paul’s letters makes it clear that women were among the most eminent leaders in the early Christian church. They were missionaries, teachers, worship leaders, preachers, and prophets.”

McLennan notes Paul as citing Prisca or Priscilla as co-worker, Apphia as sister, Phoebe as deacon, and Junia as apostle. Further, in Romans, Paul commends Mary, Tryphaena, Tryphosa, and Persis for having “worked hard” in the Lord. I was never taught this growing up. I wonder why. Why is the Bible such a patriarchal document and why are women feared by Christian men so very much? These comments from Paul seem to recommend women for church leadership positions. McLennan does address Paul’s famous admonition of women in Corinthians about women being silent in church and ties it into first century social propriety. It makes sense.

The author then goes on to address whether the Bible in the “inspired” word of God, something I was brought up to believe without giving it much thought at all. It was an accepted “truth.” McLennan cites NT Wright as writing that some people (evangelicals) assuming the Bible was inspired as “an act of pure ‘supernatural’ intervention, bypassing the minds of the [biblical] writers altogether. This would suggest that God either dictated the Bible word by word or was ‘zapping’ the writers with some kind of long-range linguistic thunderbolt.” He then discusses literal versus metaphorical readings of the Bible and makes a case for metaphorical, citing Wright’s not thinking the resurrection is “the Bible is speaking of a resuscitated corpse.” He shows cases of instances in the Bible that can’t be taken literally (Egypt is a broken reed of a staff, etc.) and ends the section by writing that “To speak of the ‘authority of the Bible’ is to refer to ‘the authority of a love story in which we are invited to take part’.”

Several pages later, he furthers his argument by stating the the Bible is a human product – “not ‘God’s revealed truth’ but a response of these two ancient communities [Israel and early Christians] to God that describes what they think is required of them ethically by God, how God has entered and influenced their lives, what kinds of prayers, praises, and practices are the most appropriate way to honor and worship God, and their hopes and dreams as a people of God.”

At this stage of the book, I’m intrigued by his arguments and persuaded by some of them, but am left wondering where Jesus enters into all of this. He’s not even trying to prove Jesus was a liberal, merely that Christianity can be. Oh well.

Later in the book, McLennan takes on people who accept what they’re taught in the church by blind faith. He quotes Daniel Dennett as being

“deeply bothered … by people who unapologetically take things on blind faith, without subjecting them to logical, scientific, and historical confirmation. He observes that ‘blind faith secures its own perpetuation by the simple unconscious expedient of discouraging ration inquiry,’ thereby rendering the ideal of truth-seeking and truth-telling its victim.”

Moreover, “Religion is the most prolific source of the ‘moral certainties’ and ‘absolutes’ that zealots depend on. Throughout the world, ‘people are dying and killing’ in the name of blind faith and unapologetic irrationality.”

On the issue of separation of church and state, McLennan finally gets around to Jesus: “Jesus in effect says ‘yes’ – separate church and state.” He uses the passage on rendering unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and unto God the things that are God’s. He then goes into describing life in the former Iron Curtain as an example of no separation of church and state, with the communists having an official religion that was heavily guarded in what it could teach.

Many liberal Christians have problems with the concept of the Trinity – three gods in one. McLennan begins the section by asking, “What’s the meaning of the Trinity?” He goes on to provide analogies of how it can be viewed realistically. One such is

“to think of the transcendent God of the universe (out there as the creator of all we knew in nature), the God who walks by our side in human form – both rejoicing and suffering along with us (having known suffering in the extreme of crucifixion) – and the God who is deep within our own souls but also working as the force that ties us together in community with each other. This is one God, but one who can feel quite different in an operational sense….”

Those of you who are familiar with tradition Protestant Christianity – fundamentalism, evangelicalism – know of the topic of being “born again.” One can’t escape it in our Christian culture. Indeed, our presidential candidates must profess to being “born again” if they’re going to get Red State votes. It’s so prevalent, that conservative Christians feel that those who have not been born again aren’t Christians and are destined for Hell. Yet many liberal Christians don’t believe in this concept. McLennan writes that “baptism is not fully effected until one believes, until one actually lays hold by faith of what God has mercifully granted us through the gift of his son, Jesus Christ,” as being the primary belief system for conservatives, and yet it’s been my experience in a mainline church community that the holy sacrament of baptism is the sign one is “saved,” and that one needn’t go, and doesn’t go, through a “being saved” one time experience in order to go to Heaven. Indeed, McLennan writes that one must be “born of water and Spirit.” Further,

“In the gospel of John, John uses another image for being born again: ‘The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.’ Jesus’s offer of a new birth here is connected with wind. It doesn’t sound like something one can grab hold of by conscious intent. The proper attitude would seem to be more like gratitude for an undeserved gift, and a radical openness to the variety of ways it chooses to envelop and massage us.”

Later,

“So there’s being ‘born again’ in this Cheever story, with all the elements of deep, inward, radical change – baptismal water, wind blowing – worked by the Spirit in the inner recesses of the human personality – and of undeserved gifts of life and love, if only we can appreciate them. There’s no self-generated moral reformation. There’s no conscious repenting of one’s sin and turning to Christ. Just sudden regeneration, out of the blue, utterly transformative. It’s in that sense I hope for all of us the experience of being born again.”
McLennan acknowledges that “Easter is the great holiday of Christianity” due to the Resurrection. Then he goes on to ask, “But was the resurrection a flesh-and-blood photographable event? Most liberal Christians like me can’t possibly subscribe to this literalist claim. As I … read the gospel accounts, this was not a matter of a dead person coming back to his prior life of walking around, eating, drinking, and sleeping like the rest of us. Instead, what’s meant by resurrection is that Jesus was transformed into an entirely different level of being, beyond the usual categories of life and death…. [Witnesses seeing him] These are all visions or epiphanies or revelations of Jesus, not meetings with a resuscitated corpse.”

Wow. Heresy and treason to the people and traditions with which I was brought up. Still, it makes one wonder, does it not?

As you come to the close of the book, he addresses political liberalism and writes, “Liberals, often in the face of fierce conservative opposition, have been the ones to guarantee equal rights, and they have made laws that help keep our food and automobiles safe and college education affordable…. Liberal Christianity can point to the Old Testament prophets and to Jesus as the original political liberals.” Yet, somehow, I think, McLennan fails to make the case of Jesus as a liberal in this book. It’s rather ironic. He could have done so much more with this topic, written such a better book, although it’s good in its present form. He ends the book by writing, “Jesus came that we might have life, and have it abundantly. Jesus was a liberal.” I only wish McLennan had shown that Jesus was a liberal. Otherwise, a decent book….

[Dani · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book helped me navigate through my faith in a year that has been the most significant test to it to date. Watching people who I knew to be so loving, tolerant, and respectful show another, very different side once politics came on to the table had me rethinking my own beliefs and ideas about spirituality.

I spent a long while in the passages of this book, and have come out of it more solid in my belief. This book felt like a hug- I’m so glad that there are others out there who feel and think the way I do. A full review to come.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book helped me think deeper about my faith than I have in a long time. I've struggled to reconcile my Progressive ideology with my Christian faith in a society when the two seem at odds sometimes. This book helped me realize that the aspects of Christianity that seem to contradict liberalism are mostly of human creation. Rev. McLennan writes from a perspective of openness, wisdom, and compassion. He does not vilify or attack Conservative Christians, and even explains how their perspective is valuable. I differed from the author on some key points of my faith- it is a core belief to me that Jesus is truly the son of God and I think that it is important for Christians to consider the afterlife. I think it is important for believers to read fresh perspectives not with the goal of changing their beliefs, but to think deeply and critically about their faith. At the start of the book, McLennan outlines the principles of liberal Christianity in a way that really spoke to me:

"... Science and religion are compatible; we are committed to the use of logic, reason, and the scientific method. Doubt is the handmaiden of faith. Love is the primary Christian value, and it is directly related to the promotion of liberty and justice in society at large. All people are inherently equal and worthy of dignity and respect."

[Keri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting read. This was written by the chaplain at Stanford, and his view is that conservative Christians don't hold all of Christianity. He was very good at explaining why he believes what he believes, and used biblical and other references to back himself up. It was very encouraging as well as informative - kind of nice to think about the Jerry Falwells of the world not being the only point of view.

[Steven H · Rating 5 out of 5]

A FIRM AFFIRMATION OF “LIBERAL CHRISTIANITY”

William (“Scotty”) L. McLennan, Jr. (born 1948) is an ordained Unitarian Universalist minister, lawyer, and senior administrator at Stanford University where he teaches Political Economy at the Stanford Graduate School of Business; he was also the inspiration for the “Rev. Scot Sloan” [“the fighting young priest who can talk to the young”] character in Garry Trudeau’s ‘Doonesbury” comic strip. (Trudeau and McLennan were college roommates.) He has also written 'Christ for Unitarian Universalists: A New Dialogue with Traditional Christianity' and 'Finding Your Religion: When the Faith You Grew Up With Has Lost Its Meaning].'

He wrote in the Preface to this 2009 book, “Indeed, I believe that Jesus was a religious liberal. He came with a fresh and progressive vision… He spoke of a new testament, distinct from the old testament that came before… Jesus was not a fundamentalist in the sense of being a biblical literalist. He would break one of the Ten Commandments when he thought it was the most humane thing to do. as when he worked, healing people on the Sabbath… I’m a liberal Christian… We’ve also been called ‘progressive Christians,’ and we’re generally found in mainline… churches. Unfortunately we’re often either forgotten or maligned in the current culture wars and public debates between the religious right and the secular left… But what do we stand for?... The Bible is meant to be read largely metaphorically and allegorically… We see Jesus primarily as a spiritual and ethical teacher and less as being identical with God. Living a fulfilled and ethical life here and now is more important than speculating on what happens to us after we die.” (Pg. vii-viii)

He explains, “This book is the result of the many conversations I have had over the past eight years with the congregation at Stanford University’s Memorial Church and as a result of my work as the dean for religious life at Stanford. Both the church community and sincere students of many traditions are trying to make sense out of their faith. The doubts, the struggles, and the commitments that are evident in our discussions together have had a profound influence on my own spiritual life, my ministry, and the formulation of many ideas in this book… I’m also regularly faced with tough questions from students whose world is being broadened---and whose faith is being challenged---not only by their formal education but also by the never-ending stream of information and diversity of beliefs that we all encounter in today’s global environment.” (Pg. x)

He states, “we can feel confident now about making the following six claims for the historical Jesus: 1. Jesus was a first-century Palestinian Jew… Rather than calling for his people to abandon Judaism for a new and different religion, he was asking them to become the true people of the one true God… 2. Jesus was a prophet of Israel… Jesus referred to himself as a prophet, acted like a prophet, and didn’t correct other people when they referred to him as a prophet… 3. Jesus announced the coming of the kingdom of God…. This wasn’t a matter of military rebellion against the Romans… Instead, Jesus seemed to mean that God’s rule was coming to replace that of all political authorities… 4. Jesus was a political radical… he went to the temple and violently disrupted its fiscal, sacrificial, and liturgical operations… neither Jewish nor Roman authorities could tolerate this kind of dramatic disorder… 5. Jesus was a healer… Jesus healed in the sense of removing the personal and social stigmas of uncleanness, isolation, and rejection associated with these conditions… 6. Jesus was a wisdom teacher…” (Pg. 5-7)

He suggests, “To be a Christian, regardless of background, is to live in the same master story of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus… Each Christian may have a somewhat different interpretation of our common story…. But we still act out of the same story and are bound together by it. Even when we disagree, as Paul taught, we should treat each other with respect, care for each other, and live peaceably with one another.” (Pg. 65)

He observes, “There’s no denying that a lot in the Bible is historically factual. But usually when a text preserves history, it’s the metaphorical meaning of the events that matter most. The exile of many Jews from Jerusalem to Babylon after 586 BC really happened, but the story is told primarily for its metaphorical power of exile and return… There are other stories, though, like the creation account in Genesis, the Garden of Eden, and the expulsion of Adam and Eve, that are purely metaphorical. That doesn’t mean they aren’t true, though, in the sense of giving us powerful imagery for thinking about the spiritual side of humans…” (Pg. 81)

He points out, “The atheists I’ve mentioned also have faith, in my view, and should be part of the process of developing a world theology. Richard Dawkins has a strong sense of awe for the natural order; he speaks of the ‘transcendent wonder’ of the universe… American liberal Christians need to find a way to bridge to the gap in what’s so often described in our press as the culture war between the religious right and the secular left. We need to have meaningful dialogue with atheists, just as we do with Christian conservatives. There’s a lot that people at each end of this spectrum have to say that’s important to hear. That includes criticism aimed directly at liberal Christians.” (Pg. 113)

He advises, “I believe America is, and should be, one nation under God. May we not be ruled by gods of materialism, military power, selfishness, and greed. May we not be ruled by any particular sectarian religion’s notion of what’s good for us. May we remain the land of the free and the home of the brave. May we glory in our pluralism, including, of course, those who believe in no God at all… One nation committed to the God-given, inalienable rights of equality, liberty, and justice for all.” (Pg. 171)

He notes, “the great Christian innovation among the religions of the world is seeing God first and foremost as love… There’s also a need for a flesh-and-blood human exemplar of love incarnate. It’s also important to have a sense of love shred in community… The creator’s infinite love, the grace of the human incarnation, Jesus, and the sense of communion with each other that the Holy Spirit continues to provide---all these aspects come together to form a complete picture of the power of the one God in our lives… This is one God, but one who can feel quite different in an operational sense, like three modes of being.” (Pg. 179-180)

He asserts, “Liberal Christians constitute at least 20 percent of the U.S. population… Too many of them choose silence, afraid to use the word ‘liberal’ to describe where they stand. That leaves them lying low, sitting quietly in their pews at church or in private prayer at home, or choosing to identify simply as political liberals, without mentioning their faith commitment. They must reclaim their religious heritage as an independent source of wisdom and courage in their personal lives and in their community involvements. To them, and to myself as one of them, I bellow, ‘Stand up, stand tall, and proclaim the positive power of liberal Christianity! Do it now, before it’s too late!’” (Pg. 219)

He concludes, “Finally, a new Christianity must convince us of the truth of Jesus’s words that we cannot serve both God and wealth. Money, or the fantasy of economic security, , may always stand as the greatest temptation to violate the first of the Ten Commandments… Ultimately what matters most is love and community, including a commitment to social justice and careful stewardship of the earth’s resources. That’s where hope lies, regardless of how little or how much any one of us may possess materially. Liberal Christianity in the twenty-first century must lead the way through its firm commitment to progress, the essential goodness of humanity, tolerance, and freedom. Jesus came that we might have it abundantly. Jesus was a liberal.” (P. 225)

This book will be of great interest to Liberal/Progressive Christians, or other “progressive” thinkers.

[Maggie Boyd · Rating 2 out of 5]

Favorite quotes: "Many of us are eager to respond to injustice, as long as we can do so without having to confront the causes of it. There's the great pitfall of charity. Handouts to needy individuals are genuine, necessary responses to injustice, but they do not necessarily face the reason for injustice. And that is why so many business and governmental leaders today are promoting charity; it is desperately needed in an economy whose prosperity is based on growing inequality. First these leaders proclaim themselves experts on matters economic, and prove it by taking the most out of the economy! Then they promote charity as if it were the work of the church, finally telling us troubled clergy to shut up and bless the economy as once we blessed the battleships. attributed to William Sloane Coffin Jr.

“Faith points to a moral law beyond man’s law and calls us to duties higher than material
gain. Under our law, everyone stands equal. No one is above the law, and no one is
beneath it…Faith gives us a moral core and teaches us to hold ourselves to high
standards, to love and to serve others and to live responsible lives…In a free society,
diversity is not disorder. Debate is not strife. And dissent is not revolution. A free
society trusts its citizens to seek greatness in themselves and their country…The United
States has its share of problems, and we have our faults…We’re on a long journey toward
achieving our own ideals of equality and justice. Nonetheless, there is a reason our
nation shines as a beacon of hope and opportunity. attributed to George W. Bush NY Times 2002

A lot of Christian teachers and preachers have been speaking recently of the importance of moving Christianity away from political parties. Because of that, I was interested to see how this narrative handled the idea of Christ in politics from a position different than the standard, which is conservatism. The positive aspect of this book is that it is easy to read,with a very simplistic look at Christianity. McLennan doesn't tax the reader with theology or biblical literacy but offers us reasons to believe in his view of God based on his own reasoning around the idea of God and how he has balanced that with his liberalism .He makes sound points for the idea that liberal politics hold dear much of what Christ taught in the beatitudes. Christians should carefully consider that when casting their votes. The author is absolutely right that concern for the poor and disenfranchised is a core value of the bible. Christians should keep that in mind in the voting booth as well. However, I personally felt that didn't merit a book so much as a short opinion piece in a newspaper. As far as his other beliefs, they come more from his life experiences and readings of numerous books regarding religion, both Christian and non-Christian, rather than the typical approach by Christian authors of biblical analysis and an examination of 2,000 years of theology. This is quite simply because the author takes a view (universalism) which has been deemed heretical by Christianity for those 2,000 years and which has no biblical basis. Perhaps his greatest movement away from the standards of the faith is that he separates the deity of Jesus from his teachings, proclaiming him either a prophet or mystic or "avatar". Passages such as Mark 14:61 and Matthew 15:16-18 show this was not the view Jesus held of himself.

Like many, McLennan chooses to base his faith on the ideal that "God is Love", a quote which, oddly enough, comes from a chapter stating that "every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God" (1 John 4;.3) So much for the author's vaunted universalism! Moreover, God is love is 1 John 4:8, verse 9 tells us that "9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him". This is the epitome of cherry picking since the sentences that preclude and follow what serves as McLennan's basis for faith actually disagree with what he himself believes.

Ultimately, the author did not convince me Jesus was a liberal. Not surprising since Christ died long before humanity came up with modern day liberalism.

[Daniel Clemence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jesus Was a Liberal is a book written with the American audience in mind about Liberal Christianity and why Liberal Christianity is justifiable based on the Bible and how Liberal Christianity operates. The book discusses lots of different subjects including Bible interpretation, who Jesus was and how to live in the modern world..

The book is a useful read for those who are questioning their Christian faith. Liberal Christianity shown by the book allows a Christianity that is more open minded and able to tolerate differences in beliefs. The questions of the historical Jesus or whether the Bible is reliable are clear questions that can destroy the faith of Christians. For Liberal Christians, the faith is more mystical and more about showing love and kindness to other people.

Despite being heavily influenced by American Christianity, the book allows people from different places to tap into a more liberal Christian viewpoint. I would definitely recommend this book if you are going through a faith transition.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! Will make any Christian feel better about not being part of the ridiculous conservative movement in our country. Goes through biblical references and all points of the republican vs Democrat debate.

[Joey · Rating 3 out of 5]

In JESUS WAS A LIBERAL, McLennan makes a great case in presenting his arguments for his faith as a liberal Christian in which he supports same-sex marriage and abortion, and he does so in a manner that demonstrates an understanding of the conservative’s religious convictions, allowing him to address their concerns in a sensitive and respectful manner, an approach I think we all would do well to practice. McLennan masterfully demonstrates this skill of respectful dialogue in his chapter “Talking to Atheists and Christian Conservatives” where he urges liberals to engage with conservatives because they could learn about taking the Bible seriously and the importance of a personal relationship with Jesus. In addition, he encourages believers to listen to modern atheists because they can teach on religiously based violence, rationality, and the wonder of the natural world.

The chapter on faith is also interesting when it explains how psychologists recognize that faith is dynamic, passing through potentially six different stages. He does not claim that one stage is better than another, but he shows how each stage typically depends on where one is in their human development, practice in faith, willingness to have an open mind, and ability to live with mystery. I appreciated McLennan’s critique of prominent atheists who assail people with faith represented in only one stage in an attempt to easily destroy religious arguments because it misrepresents the religious community. Interestingly though, as McLennan demonstrates how valuable atheists are in a dialogue on matters of belief, he also points out how they can be just as irrational, unfair, and egregiously fundamental as the believers they oppose.

I also enjoyed McLennan's careful explanations of how a liberal Christian understands the doctrine of the trinity, the implications of being “born again”, and the message of apocalyptic literature. These explanations are valuable to me because they demonstrate how doctrines can be challenged or understood differently than one would normally encounter if they had not taken the time to hear voices outside of their own circles of faith within Christianity.

[Darius · Rating 4 out of 5]

I met Scotty a few years ago at a local luncheon event where Jill Tarter was talking about her work at SETI. A group of us had a very interesting conversation that I don't remember, but it left me with a feeling that this was someone I needed to know.

I noticed this book when it was first published, but never read it. Today I saw it in Kepler's (our fabulous local bookstore) and took a peek inside. I couldn't put it down.

I grew up Catholic, and our priest was like a part of the family - always at family gatherings at my Great-Grandmother's house. I had long philosophical discussions with Father McGrath starting when I was small and always knew a gentle, loving and liberal faith. Flipping through this book, everything I found made sense to me.

This book is brilliant and subtle. I think I'm going to have to read it again next year to let more soak in.

[Keith Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

McLennan doesn't actually argue that the historical Jesus was a liberal, but that a liberal political perspective is compatible with Christianity. I have no argument with his thesis, but I have to wonder if liberal Christians are a real thing. Maybe it is because I have lived my whole life in the southeastern United States, but here liberal Christians are like Bigfoot. You hear stories about them, and some people claim to have seen one, but the accounts are not very credible and the photographs are always blurry.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, yes...I'm going to buy this book and encourage my church to read, discuss, and act on McLennan's insights and advice. For way too long our open-hearted, open-minded Christianity has been upstaged, out-shouted, crowded out by our brothers and sisters who have different views or by those agnostics and atheists who are also very outspoken. It is way past time for us to speak out in LOVE in order to show the world that there is another way--the way that Jesus showed to us all. He was inclusive and loving and so are we.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

McLennan makes some interesting points to consider, but ultimately this was a shallow read and nothing really new was said. I agree with him on a lot, but what I found most frustrating about this book is that he would bring up questions about the beliefs of liberal Christians - how can the Bible be authoritative if it wasn't written by God, for example - but then doesn't go on to address these questions. (Also I would argue that Jesus was a radical, not a liberal, but that's a bit nitpicky)

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

An agreeable read on the airplane. I did not find much I disagreed with. It suffers, however, from being a bit shallow. It's something of a cheer leading attempt for liberal Christians. It succeeds in this and it offers some interesting reflections on dialogue with other points of view, but nothing too astounding here. There are better variants of this school of thought.

[Leroy Seat · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good presentation of the best of liberal Christianity by the Dean for Religious Life at Stanford University. I agree with the bulk of what he writes, but there also statements that I will be quoting in my forthcoming book "The Limits of Liberalism."

[Larry Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

i thought this book was amazingly right on

[Joy-Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book delving into the rationale for why Jesus was a liberal, sabbath, advent, Easter, and differences in views between Christian liberals and conservatives.

[Jim Savage · Rating 1 out of 5]

Should be interesting to say the least...
I am sure many won't agree with the title; others will think I lost my mind...
should be an interesting read.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent and well-argued defense of liberal Christianity.

[Nicholas]

Necessary