Brian D. McLaren

Refreshing, as always, to see McLaren’s take on things. This book, he claims, was aimed toward “a broad, nonscholarly, and in many cases nonreligious audience”, and he did a very good job of writing something that can easily be understood and appreciated by Christians and non-Christians alike, something that people at any level of theological interest can reflect upon.

Written in a way that is easy to read and digest, this book shows us another way of looking at the message of Jesus - show more one that’s not as wrapped up in the more traditional way of understanding, one that shows us more than what we find in the traditional explanation. He goes into the political issues of the time, the different responses to the Roman occupation, showing us how Jesus’ response compares and differs from the other Jewish responses at the time. He also goes into the idea of “the kingdom” being attainable and achievable here and now, if only we would strive to see it be in our lives and in the world. Most of the Christians we hear try to tell us, or at least leave the impression, that the point is gaining our ticket to some sort of exclusive club after this life is over, and it’s nice to see someone saying that such thinking misses at least some of the point of Jesus and his message, which is meant to be applied to *this* life. Not that he seems to be denying an afterlife – but that seems to be beside the point of his main focus, which is to show us how the message of Jesus is meant to be understood and applied in our lives and our faiths in each and every moment, instead of seeing faith as merely a looking forward to a future moment or time.

Whether one is a Christian or not, this side of Jesus and his message is something I would recommend everyone take the time to consider. McLaren is an author I highly recommend to Christians and non-Christians alike. He offers a fresh perspective, and I’m constantly pleased in my exploration of his books. :) show less

I won't deny that I am a fan, so to speak, of Brian McLaren, that I constantly find him refreshing, offering fresh perspectives that I thoroughly enjoy time after time, especially since I, myself, tend to not believe in the more literal, doctrinal, typical representations of Christianity. So I really do enjoy the way he explains concepts and terms in a way that I find much more relate-able for those of us who do understand the message of Jesus differently.

The approach of this book, as we are show more told on page 22, "seeks to find a way to embrace the good in many traditions and historic streams of Christian faith, and to integrate them, yielding a new, generous, emergent approach that is greater than the sum of its parts." Starting with a chapter focused on an overview of the seven main examples of Jesus the author has encountered, the Conservative Protestant, Pentecostal/Charismatic, Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Liberal Protestant, Anabaptist, and Jesus of the Oppressed representations, the book then goes on to look at different ideas when it comes to concepts such as "Son of God," what we mean when we call Jesus "Lord/Master," and what we mean when we speak of the idea of salvation or being saved, before going on in Part Two to the different kinds of Christianity (Missional, evangelical, Post/Protestant, Liberal/Conservative, Mystical/Poetic, Biblical, Charismatic/Contemplative, Fundamentalist/Calvinist, (Ana)baptist/Angelican, Methodist, catholic, Green, Incarnational, Depressed-Yet-Hopeful, Emergent, and Unfinished), explaining in each chapter what aspects of each strain of Christianity resonates with him and which parts perhaps could be improved upon, looking into the different histories and doctrinal distinctives of each, continuing to offer throughout his refreshing perspective and understanding.

I do understand that the intended audience, as we are told, are those in the fray, so to speak, those "who are about to leave (or have just left) the whole business because of the kinds of issues I raise in this book" as well as those who may be "spiritual seekers who are attracted to Jesus, but they don't feel there is room for them in what is commonly called Christianity unless they swallow a lot of additional stuff" (page 44), but I do think that this is a book (as are so many of his others) that offers ideas and perceptions that would benefit any Christian open enough to discussion and new ideas, and any non-Christian open to seeing Christianity through a different kind of lens, regardless of what one ultimately concludes upon completing the book. I really did enjoy the glimpses into the various traditions of faith, and I love his explanations of what a generous orthodoxy is/entails:

"To be a Christian in a generously orthodox way is not to claim to have the truth captured, stuffed, and mounted on the wall. It is rather to be in a loving (ethical) community of people who are seeking the truth (doctrine) on the road of missions (witness, as McClendon said), who have been launched on the quest by Jesus, who, with us, guides us still. Do we have it? Have we taken hold of it? Not fully, not yet, of course not. But we keep seeking. We're finding enough to keep us going. But we're not finished. That, to me, is orthodoxy - a way of seeing and seeking, a way of living, a way of thinking and loving and learning that helps what we believe become more true over time, more resonant with the infinite glory that is God."
(pages 333-334)

And:

"So perhaps orthodoxy will mean not merely correct conclusions but right processes to keep on reaching new and better conclusions, not just correct ends but right means and attitudes to keep on discovering them, not just straight answers but a straight path to the next question that will keep on leading to better answers. This kind of orthodoxy will welcome others into the passionate pursuit of truth, not exclude them for failing to posses it already."
(page 335)

I must say that though I have always strongly considered myself to be unorthodox, I could gladly find myself embracing this kind of orthodoxy. :) show less

It’s the end of the world as we know it. And we’re not fine.

So what can we do?

In Life After Doom: Wisdom and Courage for a World Falling Apart, (galley received as part of early review program), Brian McLaren considers our present predicament and how we might deal with it.

He began by describing the possible ways climate change and civilization plays out. Some of the models involve a lot of suffering but most of us would find them not entirely intolerable. Some of the models involve the show more complete collapse of everything we hold dear, and ourselves.

For many this is all overhyped and excessive. It won’t be that bad, they think. It can’t be that bad. This kind of bargaining is common, as the author well knows, and has experienced himself. None of us want to think it could be that bad. No one can really imagine the end of everything he or she knows.

But that hasn’t ever been able to stop it when things do get that bad, and everything a person knows is gone. Ask the Israelites of the Exile. Ask the western world of the fifth and sixth centuries.

But the book is about life after doom. How to live in light of all these matters? The author addresses the way things are and how they have come about. He points out how we got here because of our colonialist/dominionist heritage of exploitation. He wants us to call in the poets. He wants us to heed indigenous wisdom - although his definition of “indigenous,” which probably does not originate with him, is pretty expansive. He would like to appeal beyond the religious, but the author’s heritage in Christianity and that perspective informs everything. He wants to prepare you for the end of everything; how well one might feel prepared by the end is another story.

But he does not want it to be all about doom and despair. He wants to encourage hope in doing what can be done. The author does well to remind us how this will not be the end of the world: it would seem the earth has been as hot as it is now before, and much more. The earth will persevere until the Lord comes; it might just not be as amenable or comfortable for us. So whatever we can do can at least marginally improve our conditions and perhaps also for the future. We live at arguably one of the greatest times to be alive; our goal should not be to enjoy everything to the hurt and harm of all who come afterward, but to find ways to conserve and preserve our environment.

It is harder today to deny the changes to our climate than it was a decade ago; no doubt it will continually prove harder to deny them, despite all the work of those who profit by the status quo to try to do so. We do well to consider how we can live within our means as human beings on a finite planet without depleting all the finite resources. We cannot know exactly what will be; but, as in all things, we do best when we are prepared for the worst while doing what we can to make it for the best. show less

Like Marmite, it appears, people either love this or hate it. Likewise with the author who is a controversial figure in the Christian world.

This book is written in pseudo-fiction format. He calls it 'creative non-fiction' in a later work, although I prefer to think of it as 'fiction with an agenda' - and not in a negative sense. A fictional scenario is set up: Daniel, a tired pastor, thinking of resigning, becomes friends with Neo, a Jamaican high school teacher who is a graduate in history show more and philosophy, and talks to him - at length - about how the church, if it's going to stay relevant to 21st century people, needs to move from modernism into post-modernism. It includes some of the best nutshell-style explanations I have come across, explaining clearly what post-modernism is - and what it isn't.

Written twenty-five years ago now, much of this was radical at the time, although now it feels almost mainstream. Many people around the world seem to have become disillusioned with traditional churches, and have moved forward in what can seem like a scary way, forming new kind of communities and relationships, seeing God in a broader, vaster way that includes paradox. The author manages to stay balanced and fair, not criticising those who remain in the modernist style, nor suggesting that it is better to be post-modern as a Christian.

The fictional style allow for discussion and disseminating of ideas without the author directly speaking to his readers, which could have been condescending - instead, Neo speaks to Dan at the stage he's reached, sometimes pushing him beyond the level he's prepared to go. It's cleverly done, although I felt that towards the end there was a style change that was too abrupt: the last chapter is written as a series of emails from Neo to a youth pastor who was also exploring the idea of a postmodern community of believers.

Anyone reading this may need to put aside preconceived ideas about God, whether reading from a theist or atheist perspective, or indeed that of an agnostic. Whatever the background, I would highly recommend it.

Latest longer review: https://suesbookreviews.blogspot.com/2024/11/a-new-kind-of-christian-by-brian-mc... show less