Jesus: the (first) emergent pastor

John Frye begins a provocative new series on Jesus: the (first) emergent pastor:

In this series I will endeavor to make the case that if Jesus were alive on earth today, he would have coffee with Brian McLaren and talk “God,” before he would with D.A. Carson. He’d discuss the treasure and use of the Bible with Walter Bruggemann before he’d sit down with John McArthur. He’d have in-depth discussions with Richard Rohr, SJ, about mystery and wonder before he’d chat about platitudenous stories with Max Lucado. Jesus would bear hug Jim Wallis long before he’d get the “tour” of Focus on the Family. He would probably visit every AIDS clinic before he’d visit most of our churches. You see, Jesus was the first emergent pastor. His calculated reference to “new wineskins” was his way of saying, “Don’t you get it? The world is changing big time. And it’s not just me that is doing it, but Herod and his cronies, the zealots and their violence, the Sadducees and their comfort, the Pharisees and their religion, the Romans and their power and the Greeks and their way of thinking–all things things are like a Len Sweet ‘tsunami’ and we are no longer able to live ‘in the good old days.’ “

Them’s fighting words. Looking forward to the series.