Theresa Seeber said:
Thank you for that insight! As we were driving today I pointed my children to look out the front window, where the road was blocked off by police, ambulance, and fire vehicles. We prayed for the people involved in whatever was going on out there, and I realized again that not all systems are bad, and thanked God for the systems that cause all of those people to be out there helping the people in need outside my window. I do however worry when the body of Christ is a system, whether corrupted or not, because it seems to suck some of the true life out of it. Just some things on my mind lately. Also, I loved your last comment the most: "Just like to criticize or respond to a blog post or article is to care about the conversation (and the blogger). " That just shows me the kindness of God. I'll take that anytime I can get it!

What bothers me about all of this is it sounds like "We The People" are putting our faith, trust and hope in a man. Yes, he may be a man who God chooses to use but he is just a man. And our new President needs us to be involved, not just excited. Amercans' are great at jumping on a band wagon but we have trouble hanging on when the road gets rough and bumpy. I pray for President Obama and this country. I hope, like you, that we stay behind him. I hope in eight years we aren't trying to blame him for what we didn't do.

I wasn't saying that Obama is Caesar. I was saying that the thing he's become a part of is (like) Caesar, in that it approaches problems on a huge scale, and does damage even when its intentions are good. I don't worship the "free market"–my atheist friends are disgusted by my "apostasy" there, too. But I think there's something new coming… something completely different than the system that's failed, over and over, to bring us true peace and compassion.

I worry about lifting programs up and pushing the message of Jesus down, because I really believe that only love can do what needs to be done.

I'd be much happier, for instance, joining a big party in Washington that was intended to remind Obama that "yes we can" and that he has our support in embodying love as he intended to, rather than holding him "accountable." That just seems so… adversarial. And adversarial isn't part of the vision of the kingdom that burns in my heart.

Thanks again for the conversation, Brian. I appreciate so much the work that you do.

I still think you're free to set a place for a stranger.

When it comes to the critique of systems, I think we should be careful to differentiate between "corrupted systems" and systems in general. There has been an abundance of misdirected critique of all systems simply because of the past corruption of particular systems. We need systems. I can't change the world by myself. Neither can you and neither can Brian McLaren. We should be sure that we protest the corruption of systems not all uses of systems. Systems ensure justice. Systems create and protect freedom. Systems educate and liberate us. Systems provide jobs. Systems provide care for those who can't care for themselves.

Jesus protested Caesar, not because he was "the government", but because he lead a corrupt system. Jesus protested the Temple, not because it was a system, but because it had become a corrupt system. To question your own system is an act of caring for that system. Just like to criticize or respond to a blog post or article is to care about the conversation (and the blogger).