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24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
Stirring up the Waters of Faith, 22 Sep 2005
There's no doubt that McLaren is controversial, especially in the Christian community in his home country. They see him as a stirrer, someone making trouble, leading the church to the edge of spiritual bankruptcy, holding out a dangerous and relativistic message. "God is for you, so it doesn't really matter what you believe". For sure, it's a pretty hollow charicature.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.
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32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
Read what he says not what he doesn't, 17 Jun 2005
If you visit the US Amazon site you'll see endless reviews of this book that suggest that Brian is going to destroy the church with his 'heresy'. However, I can't for the life of me see how those who have read this book properly and allowed it to speak clearly can call it heresy, challenging - yes, stretching -yes, generous - yes, heresy - NO!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.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Love It, 15 Mar 2007
Judging by the photo of him on the cover Brian McLaren would probably make a very good Santa. However, unlike our festive father McLaren seems to be a guy with as many enemies as friends. Whatever you might've heard about him good or bad I'd advise you to approach this book with a genuinely open mind. (wasn't it Frank Zappa who said 'A mind is like a parachute - it won't work if it's not open!')
It's fair to say that Generous Orthodoxy will most likely appeal to non-conformists - it begins with Chapter 0 which immediately appealed to the non-conformist in me (how shallow am I?). But seriously, right off the bat this book is full of superb insights for the contemporary Jesus follower. McLaren freely admits to being fairly unoriginal but quite good at collecting other people's thoughts, which is a fair self-assessment. For instance he cites Tom Wright, as follows:
"We best understand something not merely by critiquing, dissecting and doubting it, but by trusting, loving and respecting it. In fact, when critiquing and questioning come in the context of love, they yield even more insight than otherwise."
Take Tom's advice and apply it to Generous Orthodoxy. From the moment you pick up this book make a decision that you're going to love it. If you do, I promise you will. The deeper you dig into this book the more you'll get out of it, don't just skim it, enjoy every word - and that includes the footnotes too!
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