Brian McLaren rebuilds spirituality

"“Oh I’m spiritual and not religious” is just a cop-out. But—and I think it is a cop-out—but I think it’s more than a cop-out. For a lot of people, I think it’s a very well thought-out statement. And I suggest in the book that I think people mean four things when they say, “I’m spiritual but not religious.” First they mean, “I don’t believe that secular science and politics and economics have all the answers.” But they’re also saying, “I don’t think organized religion has all the answers.” And of course, what they mean by “organized religion” is worth explanation, but what they’re saying is a widespread feeling, and that is that whatever religion is doing, it’s organizing people for the wrong purposes. It’s organizing people to go to war against each other, it’s organizing people to hate each other, it’s organizing people to just create a little wall that they throw other people out of and just protect themselves inside, and something inside people says, “I don’t think that’s what we need.” So, “I’m spiritual but not religious,” means, “I don’t think science has all the answers, I don’t think organized religion has all the answers.” And then, third, I think it means there are practices I try to engage in that keep my sensitivity and awareness to this higher dimension alive and growing, but of course, this is where the problem comes for so many people; they know this would make sense for them to do, but nobody offers them a helpful way to do that. And this is one of the great opportunities, I think, for our church is in youth groups and ministries, that if we can address that legitimate spiritual hunger in people and offer them a way of life, a path, a way of developing their life with God, rooted in the Scriptures, centered on Christ, I think this is a great opportunity and a great need we can help meet."


Read the full interview: Brian McLaren rebuilds Spirituality on RELEVANT magazine