[please read the following with tongue firmly planted in cheek]
I have a feeling that if we look hard we will find that Brian McLaren has figured out time travel and edited in the three appearances of Nicodemus in John's Gospel. I mean how else could such a clear metaphor for the shift from enlightenment/modernity thinking to postmodern have ended up in the Scripture?
Think about it. We start with Nicodemus, the Pharisee, coming to Jesus looking for a rational argument as to why he should follow the Way. Jesus tries to make sense of it for him, but ultimately rational arguments fail. No matter how hard he tries, Jesus just can't make it make sense for Nicodemus. Born again, what? Lifted up like the serpent, who? So John just moves on with the story.
Then a few chapters later, Nicodemus, who has sorta, kinda, started to make logical sense out of it, tries to get his fellow Pharisees to join in. "Listen to him, ask him questions, challenge his apologetics, his systematic theology; maybe it'll make rational sense to you too." But this is to no avail.
Finally, however, Nicodemus is with Joseph of Arimathea as they prepare Jesus' body for burial. All of a sudden Nicodemus has it. He has EXPERIENCED the love of God as Jesus hung on the cross. He has been moved from logic and reason to knowing the Truth. To the point that he brings 75 pounds of expensive burial materials to help.
What a shift. From logic to experience. Clearly McLaren had something to do with this.
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