A New Kind of Christian: A Tale of Two Friends on a Spiritual Journey (original 2001; edition 2001)

A New Kind of Christian is a fictional dialog between a pastor on the verge of quitting the pastorate due to his theological struggles and his daughter's wizened high school science teacher who so happens to be a former pastor. They meet during a youth event one night where a music band called, "The Amish Jellies" are rockin' away. The two men bond a friendship that carries them through a year or two of dialog about faith, salvation, philosophy, and theology. Not your typical traditional views, but views that are refined for the 21st century. Much of the book is a proscription for post-modern theology. McLaren provides ample evidence to suggest we are transitioning from the Modern era to a Post-Modern era. The church has a choice to transition with the rest of society, or pull back its reigns and hold tight to the mechanized ways of the Modern era (1500-2000 AD), essentially becoming irrelevant. McLaren also provides a Post-modern way of looking at the Gospel, not as some free ticket out of hell (Modern view), but entrance into the kingdom of God to be incarnated on earth now. The Gospel is not sold as some consumeristic product customized to individuals, but relevant to communities and nations as the prophet Isaiah spoke so much about. Salvation is not confined to being saved from hell, but a work that is to be done by serving others and modeling Christ's love to others throughout our lifetime. Although the book is 10 years old I found much of the material very refreshing, not the typical drivel coming from traditional fundamentalist authors still stuck in the Modern era today. The end of the book provides helpful and practical ways for church leaders to move their churches from the Modern era into the Post-modern.

In a nutshell this was another terrific book by Brian McLaren. A book that I think all church leaders should read. Sadly, many will toss this book aside as just another book about liberal theology. Really, it's none of that. It's simply revisioning old Biblical issues and seeing what they may look like in the 21st century and beyond. Conservatives hate the term, but cultural relevancy is key if the church wants to survive in the post-modern era. Otherwise, the church will become much like the churches we see throughout Reformation-era Europe... aged relics of the past turned into dusty museums. ( )

After hearing so much about emerging church et al, I finally decided I needed to read this book and found it very powerful. (Reading it on my Kindle, I discovered that I had exceeded the maximum highlight/clip limit about halfway through!) For years I have been frustrated at feeling that the church is missing what's really important for the sake of routines and rituals. As much as we claim the inspiration of the Bible, we fail to live it and instead have substituted what I have dubbed "Americanianity" - a mix of Sunday School maxims and Republican politics. McClaren's device of having a frustrated pastor discussing spiritual issues with a former pastor-turned-high school teacher allows the book to unfold much like a novel (a novel with a LOT of long conversations!). Because the emerging church requires an enormous paradigm shift for many Christians, this device allows the reader to work through the issues even as the main character is struggling to do the same. Great book! ( )

behandeld met G8, stelt goede vragen, komt niet met antwoorden, verhaal is slecht, behandelde materie goed, werpt toch meer vragen op dan dat het antwoorden geeft, stimuleert wel ( )

I enjoyed the book and found it challenging. While I do not agree with all the authors suppositions, I found many of his questions eye opening and his suggestions perhaps enlightening as the church transitions over this next few decades. I liked his ideas of utilizing traditional methods of spirituality, intense short term retreats, monastic practices, mission trips, and the like. I find it interesting how many reviewers( not just here but on other sites) are simply dismissive of McLaren and the whole idea of emerging church. I think this will be to their own detriment. We who occupy the current church must honestly and openly interact with new kinds of Christians because I believe that more and more Christians, especially young Christians will lean towards post-modernity. I think its worth reading and genuinely considering. ( )

I really enjoyed the first part of this book, but was frustrated with the ending. There are many good points made, but towards the end, however, I felt a lack of focus. Many of the issues approached are ones that I've dealt with and pondered myself, and many of the questions are well worth asking. ( )