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On the other hand, McLaren really is a stirrer - in the same way that fish die in an aquarium where the water is not oxygenated, the author understands that there is a type of stagnancy in much modern Christian thinking. All the important questions are perceived to have been asked, the answers have ben provided, so it's really just a question of who's in and who's out. And of course, if you are a protestant evangelical, the chances are that your particular tradition has had up to 500 years to define exactly who is out, with ever increasing degrees of theological hair-splitting.
McLaren's key thought is that removing the message of Jesus from the constraints of a modern worldview and allowing it to breathe again in the relatively unconstrained emerging postmodern culture, allows for a deeper and better understanding of what it means to live collectively as Christians.
Or to put it another way, Christians have spent so long worrying about the purity of our beliefs, the quality of our Orthodoxy, that we have in many instances become sub-Christian, in that we have forgotten HOW we must put our beliefs into action (Orthopraxy). The New Testament was written decades after the death of Jesus and is in many ways, the theology that emerged after reflecting on the mission that had happened. But somehow it has become a flat, historical record of detached 'truth' used to identify and judge outsiders.
McLaren seeks to synthesise the very best theological elements from the traditions and movements in the book's title and make us aware, that all these benefits are open to us, rather than forcing ourselves to chose and defend the merits of one tradition over another. At heart is the direction that the church may move in and he hopefully charts a new form of ecumenism that is not based on down-playing our differences, but recognising the wonderful character of God that unites us.
I found this a very thought provoking and encouraging read. We need more people like McLaren who reflect the generous character of Jesus in their work and writings.
I wasn't disappointed. However this book is very different than "A New Kind of Christian". Once you get past the amusingly-titled but a little wordy Chapter 0 McLaren goes on a tour through different denominations and styles within Christianity, highlighting the good points about them (as well as looking at the bad), showing what we can all learn from this part of the church, and taking those good parts in order to build them into a new 'generous' orthodoxy. It's a great idea and it's also good to read a book which is very positive about so many denominations.
Of course there are the negatives, and Brian says that he is from a particular part of the church and so perhaps he gives them a harder time (the conservative evangelical/fundamentalist wing). As this coincides very much with how I feel about that branch of Christianity that's no problem for me but I suppose readers from that tradition might find it uncomfortable reading at times. We're left in no doubt that McLaren is not a big fan of televangelists but he is a strong supporter of the green movement, that he is learning more to value the Roman catholic and Anglican ideas about liturgy and the mystical side of the church.
What works very well is that each of the different elements in the book (missional, evangelical, post/protestant, liberal/conservative, mystical/poetical, biblical etc) get their own chapter where he delves into that tradition/idea and often gives the history of the movement which was fascinating for me with many of these. He seems able to see the bigger picture with many of these denominations and, as usual in his style, he is positive about many things within them. It was good to read an upbeat book although there were also parts where, with Brian, I almost despaired. The chapter arrangement meant that I read this book over a couple of weeks, dipping into a chapter here and there, and it gave me time to mull over what he was saying and to think about the overall point.
I salute Brian McLaren for this excellent look at a generous orthodoxy (or at least working towards creating one), a church for our 21st century which learns from the mistakes of the past but also doesn't throw out the baby with the bathwater but picks up those good aspects of the traditions and incorporates them into our postmodern world. This was an excellent read, a book I am sure I will return to many times, and of course the author's humble writing style is, as always, appealing.
In this book, Brian takes a look at the parts of the Christian church that he finds helpful in his journey and for many it's a breath of fresh air, the only thing that annoys me is that I didn't write the book first. We have so much to learn from our Christian brothers and sisters, and learn from their successes and mistakes.
This book is not an easy read, not because he is a complex and inarticulate writer, but because there are moments when you are taken beyond the margins of your own thinking, your own experiences, your own traditions, your own prejudices, your own stupidity.
Some will hate this book I'm sure, especially those with nothing left to learn, who have everything nailed down, sown up and are waiting for the rest of us to catch up with you... in the meantime the rest of us can continue on our humble journey of discovery with Jesus.
An important contribution for the church in this century, read it if you dare.
I don't agree with all that Brian says, then again he tells us that he probably won't agree with it all in a... Read more
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