Goodreads Mobile | see what your friends are reading

Feb 08, 2012

Amber rated it:

Now, I think I probably rated this lower than others, but here's why.

1. this book was probably much more profound when it came out in 2001, unfortunately, i am reading in in 2011. some of his "innovative" new ideas are not so profound anymore. I'm not sure if that from the influence of this book though or from the influence of the various sources that influenced him.

2. he is not a fiction writer. i think he could have done just fine in a non-fiction format, but More...

0 comments like

Aug 07, 2011

Randy rated it:

Brian Mclaren believes that the church, thoroughly enmeshed as it is in modernism, is becoming increasingly irrelevant to a culture that is moving away from modernism and toward a new paradigm of postmodernism. To be able to speak to a culture that is well underway in making the transition, he argues that the church must also embrace this worldview.

The problem is, he never gives us anything close to an adequate description of postmodernism. He doesn't tell us that its main feature i More...

1 comment like

Feb 26, 2011

Eric rated it:

I picked up this book because I wanted to read McLaren's (currently) latest book: A New Kind of Christianity. I figured that New Christian would be a good preface to it. It turns out that New Kind of Christian is actually the first of a three book series. (?) So I'm still postponing New Christianity until I read a few more books.

This is one of McLaren's earliest books, and so I am interested in watching how his thoughts develop over time. Now that it has been out for almost 10 years, I More...

0 comments like

Apr 18, 2010

Benjamin rated it:

Postmodern Christianity. This is all a bit new and uneasy for me. It will take more reading and more thought for me to form a reasonable, defend-able position about it. That said, much of what Neo and Dan talk about makes sense.

- Instead of us reading the Bible, letting the Bible read us. Leaving aggressive analysis behind and "trusting God to use it to pose questions to us about us."

- Seeing the Bible as a contextual document.

- Modernity as an era More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 10, 2009

Claus rated it:

This is one of the basic books relating to the so-called "emerging/emergent church", which has gained a considerable amount of popularity recently. I'm not sure this popularity is a good thing.

This book is so full of errors it is hard to know where to begin.

There are the factual errors, such as the author's claim that systematic, analytic theology did not exist until after the Middle Ages. The writings of the church fathers clearly demonstrate otherwise.

More...

0 comments like

Sep 05, 2009

Paul rated it:

This book is a welcome invitation for modern evangelical and fundamentalist Christians to positively re-think what it means to be a Christian in our time. Trust God and drop your guard when you read it. It won't make a 'liberal' out of you. The more liberal side of Christianity comes in for some good criticism in the book, but I don't think the book is written for them and I doubt they will be helped much by it. One doesn't have to accept all the ideas this book offers to see that many of them r More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 25, 2011

Emilie rated it:

Not sure how I feel about this, I'm really of two minds and hearts. Part of me was impressed with a rational, academic Christian voice in what would appear to be the mainstream (unlike other Christian books I've read), but the other part thinks it was trite and overly sentimental and tried so hard. I liked Neo's character and he did seem to speak a lot of sense but I remain sceptical about the entire premise - not only in terms of practicalities, but in how this may also serve as a false hope fo More...

0 comments like

Apr 04, 2009

Joey rated it:

This book functions as a Socratic dialogue regarding how our faith could look in a postmodern context. The book tackled a lot of questions that I found most Christians I know would not want to tackle, which is why I respect it. The topics conversed over a lot of Christian subjects that I have been wrestling with over the years. The book didn't solve all of my "problems" or questions, but at least I was able to read something that addressed the questions with humility and fairness.
More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 15, 2011

David rated it:

News flash! We have entered the newest age of history. It is called post-modernity! Anyone who does not get on board will not be criticized, because that might hurt someone's feelings. Instead, the Post-moderns will shake their heards in pity for anyone exhibiting behavior that might be categorized by them as "modern".

What is postmodernism? The author does not define it. It is defined against the negative of modernity. Like Liberation theology and Feminist theology, More...

0 comments like

Jan 27, 2008

David rated it:

Fantastic perspective of Christianity from one of the foremost leaders of Post-Modern Christianity. Several of McLaren's conclusions are revolutionary and will appear, to many, heretical. Nevertheless, in an age of condemnation and the depreciation of brotherly love among Christians as a whole, I find McLaren to be both refreshing and honest. I recommend this book to anyone interested in reviewing their own Christianity.

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Dec 16, 2009

megan rated it:

wow... one of the best books i have read concerning post-modernity and the current state of the church. definitely read if you are uncomfortable with or dissatisfied with 'traditional' methods and doctrines of the church. a good book for ministry preparation as we have already entered the post-modern era.

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Dec 14, 2010

Kelsey rated it:

I know a lot of people who are really scared about this book and its theological implications. I found it refreshing. I read it at a time where my faith was being challenged and stifled in a lot of ways and I found it to have certain elements that softened my heart and ignited a deeper love for the Lord. Like any other book in existence, when read critically with intelligence and self-examination, there is much to be gleaned. Any Christian who uses a warning to describe this book, noting that it More...

0 comments like

Sep 30, 2011

Nathan rated it:

I have heard a lot of bad things about this book, which caused me to be extremely surprised to find that I actually agree with him on many counts. There are a lot of problems that I have with Christianity as we know it, and what we've come to make our Christian culture, and he addresses many of these things in this book. There are some things that I definitely disagree with, and I have heard that since this time Brian has gone on to universalism and some other theological intricacies that I wo More...

0 comments like

Mar 21, 2010

Riz rated it:

This book must be read with open eyes and with a critical mind.

To echo Teri's commentary:

"The journey is poorly presented - the discussions were with no commitment to resolution for fear of offending or excluding those who don't share our exact beliefs."

It was too safe almost saying, "everything's ok if you can rationalize it." Somewhat existentialist.

"The redeeming quality of this book is that it presents ideas worth cons More...

0 comments like

Sep 18, 2009

Sandra rated it:

Prior to reading this book, I knew very little about the "Postmodern Era" and the "Emergent Church," so I appreciated the opportunity to find out more about both. I agree with a lot of what McLaren says and I particularly liked his statement, "In my thinking, church doesn't exist for the benefit of its members. It exists to equip its members for the benefit of the world. To do that it is about three things: community, spirituality, and mission--a kind of triangle, where More...

0 comments like

Aug 29, 2010

Kent rated it:

There are some interesting questions and ideas in this book. Makes you think about what is from God and what is cultural inheritance. The book points out some real problems with modern Christianity.
I found it hard to follow a lot of the argumentation though. One of the reasons is the disorganised way in which it is presented.
I am not impressed by the defence of 'the old ways'. An experienced evangelical pastor should be able to give more solid objections to some of the radical ideas More...

0 comments like

Feb 23, 2011

Simon rated it:

This was a very ordinary effort. This book is ten years old now, and the trajectory at this point was worrying. McLaren's barrow is Christians and the church becoming postmodern, and spends much of the book subtly berating the "modern church" and Christians who he perceives as stuck in the modern mindset. Chocked full of bad caricatures of "fundamentalists" (ie. those who take truth seriously), fuzzy theology, and left-leaning, social gospel-type ideas. A couple of chapters w More...

0 comments like

Feb 10, 2010

David rated it:

McLaren understands ministering to a post-modern world pretty well. He sees the problem, but overall fails at the solution in two ways. 1) He quotes and values Scripture when it helps his argument, but when it doesn't, he reinterprets it to fit his matrix. 2) He puts all conservative evangelical Christians (fundamentalists??) in the same "pot." I consider myself a conservative evangelical Christian, but I am not what he paints me to be. I do share his concerns with some of "conser More...

0 comments like

Jun 09, 2009

Wes rated it:

I heard this guy (Brian McLaren) speak at my work last year.

McLaren's 'New kind of Christian' does not believe in the atoning work of Jesus but a more friendly, soft, mushy, less judgmental and less defined deity. Kind of a bologna god.

DA Carson in his book 'Becoming Conversant with the Emerging Church' destroys all of McLaren's weak arguments. You almost feel sorry for McLaren after Carson. Also see, 'Why We're Not Emergent: By Two Guys Who Should Be' Kevin DeYoung. More...

1 comment like

Jul 21, 2011

Randy rated it:

The author said nothing that convinced me his conclusions are correct or workable in today’s culture and faith community – he did have a few (very few) comments that made me think a bit. But he had a poor writing style and was scatter-brained in how he presented his material. Clearly he is coming from a very conservative Christian Evangelical perspective and I can only conclude that his faith experience has been hurtful to him. I think he does further damage to the Evangelical tradition - I am More...

0 comments like

Aug 31, 2008

Teri rated it:

I'm in the minority with my thoughts on this book as related to those people I read the book with and participated in many discussions with. But, that's part of what I think this book intends: discussion with no commitment to resolution for fear of offending or excluding those who don't share our exact beliefs.

The redeeming quality of this book is that it presents ideas worth considering when thinking outside the box of Christian faith. How we worship, is it okay to think outside of More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 29, 2012

Adam rated it:

An important (if occasionally corny) book that will be seen as eye-opening and challenging by a lot of people and downright dangerous by others...

A little personal background. I first read this book when I was 16 or 17--I'm 24 now--and it was a real eye-opener for me at the time. It was one of a few books I read as a young Christian that taught me that it was okay to have the doubts I was having and still try to lead a life of faith.

A lot has happened since then, of cours More...

0 comments like

Jun 04, 2008

Dion rated it:

I thought this was a helpful book. I think it would've been more helpful to read 5 years ago or so, closer to the time it was written, but still it helped to galvanize some thoughts I've had and reinforce some convictions about the trajectory of the church.

It also addressed me in a more personal way in some of my disappointments and struggles with the current state of the church. It has kept me praying for patience and compassion while I deal with the pains of change.

Tw More...

0 comments like

Aug 09, 2011

Ryan added it

This could be a textbook on the integration of post modernity and faith. It was very relevant and timely in it's concepts. McLaren is very thoughtful and thought provoking throughout. The church needs people like him to at times push the limits and cause us to evaluate our effectiveness. I am grateful to have had the experience of being a part of a post modern ministry that is doing it right and connecting with a disconnected generation.

0 comments like

Aug 02, 2011

Melissa rated it:

This book was my "red pill". I've never been able to look at Christianity the same way after reading this book. The second one was even crazier and I had to put it up for a while, because it was rocking my world way too much. If you are brave, and not afraid for your beliefs to be challenged, examined, tested, then you have GOT to read this book. If not, take the blue pill and pretend nothing ever happened!

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 13, 2010

Henry added it

"I firmly believe that the top question of the new century and new millenium is not just whether Christianity is rational, credible, and essentially true (all of which I believe it is) but whether it can be powerful, redemptive, authentic, and good, whether it can change lives, demonstrate reconciliation and community, serve as a catalyst for the kingdom [of heaven:], and lead to a desirable future."

0 comments like

Jun 30, 2009

Rhi rated it:

McLaren is at the forefront of the postmodern, emerging church community that is increasing in popularity. This book is basically an outline of what he believes, and of the direction he believes the church need to be moving in, written as a piece of fiction. One long drawn out 'conversation' between two characters who develop of a friendship. It is one of a trilogy, but having only read the first two so far, I can say that this is definitely the more thought provoking.

Certainly there More...

0 comments like

Nov 09, 2007

Warnie B. rated it:

I realize that I'm kind of in the minority here, but yeah, I HATED this book. I had a really hard time getting through it, simply because I thought it so poorly written, and I didn't really find any of the ideas all that new or interesting (although I did find some of them disturbing). I understand that a lot of people really connected with it, and, in fact, the reason my husband and I read it in the first place is because people in the new church we were going to thought so highly of it. But More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 31, 2011

Sara rated it:

Once you can get past the beginning and the awkward philosophy overview (clearly written by someone who doesn't have a great grasp of the material) the book gets quite good. Raises some interesting questions and theories. As a Lutheran, I found this very intersting as I see the split in the Lutheran church and the struggle of modernity/postmodernity taking place right now. Get past the first part--it's worth it.

0 comments like

Sep 10, 2009

Carla rated it:

Very easy to read, and really opened my perspective on Christianity and the balance between traditional outward Christian expressions vs. heart attitude and day-to-day faith. "...where faith is more about a way of life than a system of belief..." This book is more to the left of where I find myself, but definitely stretched my thinking.

0 comments like

reviews