Brian McLaren

What do people mean when they say, "Jesus is God"?

Brian, what do you think it means when people say "Jesus is God"? I know Jesus never explicitly made that statement even if he did make statements alluding to that fact- statements that no Jew in his or her right mind would have made unless they did believe that they were God. But nonetheless...How do you think Paul would have responded to the question, "Is Jesus God?" Your average Evangelical today would answer "of course". But I can't help but sense when I read the NT that a 1st century believer's answer would be more complicated. Your thoughts?

This is a worthwhile question that I try to address in Finding Faith and in A Generous Orthodoxy. I think the way we speak of Jesus often confuses people – both outsiders and insiders – so your question invites us to think more carefully about how we can align our speech with the patterns of Jesus himself.