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Aug 08, 2011

Jeff added it

Brian McLaren once again writes a very thought provoking book to remind Christians of where we have come from and what we have to consider going forward. This book definitely raises important questions for the Church to be asking (and re-thinking) so that it once again becomes our faith in God, rather than just simplistic answers spewed out. The one thing that McLaren effectively points out is that sometimes others don't want to hear your views and to simply wait till people ask your view rath More...

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Jun 15, 2011

Mark rated it:

I don't think I get it. Maybe it's because I'm liberal, but much of McLaren's descriptions fit my current understanding of the Christian faith. His exposition of Romans fits my take on it. His discussion of hearing the word as opposed to just reading it fits what I know of living word in the Lutheran tradition. His take on Exodus as the informing story of liberation fits what I've learned from the works of Daniel Erlander.

McLaren's Christianity is often contrasted with the conserva More...

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Feb 26, 2011

Eric rated it:

Reading this book brings a stage of my journey to a close. I started reading the author's blog about half a year ago, when this book was first getting ready to be released. Because he hyped it so much (what else is an author to do?), I decided that it would be an interesting read. Previously McLaren had been a little taboo to me--he was the "bad" kind of "emergent" that doesn't take the Bible seriously enough. I resolved to read several of his previous books to understand the More...

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Apr 14, 2010

Adam rated it:

Though I'm quite sure he would deny that anyone owed him anything, I owe Brian McLaren a debt of gratitude. Over the years, Brian's writing has breathed fresh life and vitality into my faith. To say that I was excited when Viral Bloggers offered an opportunity to review his newest book would be an understatement along the lines of claiming that Bono is kind of interested in social justice, or that Glenn Beck exaggerates a little.

Reviewing the Reviews

As I was finishing the More...

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Feb 26, 2010

David rated it:

I have found Brian McLaren's books both thought-provoking and challenging, from A New Kind of Christian to the Secret Message of Jesus. Maybe it is not surprising, looking at the trajectory of where his thought has been moving, but this book frustrating and disappointing.

McLaren argues that we are moving into a new age of the Christian faith and this book looks at ten questions which this new kind of Christianity is dealing with. He does not claim to offer answers, but rather respo More...

2 comments like (5 people liked it)

Aug 09, 2010

Jay rated it:

I really enjoy Brian McLaren. He is a kindred spirit to me. He seems to be thinking the same thoughts, asking the same questions and moving in the same direction that I am. I love his vision for emergent Christianity. I liked his thoughts about rediscovering a more Hebraic view of the Biblical narrative and getting away from the Bible as constitution and towards the Bible as library record of a long conversation about the nature of God. He inspires me to press onward in my spiritual quest a More...

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Aug 05, 2011

Hansen rated it:

The argument is rather simple: Christianity has been perverted by certain cultural thinking, real devotion requires us to peel back those layers, and what remains will be the truth capable of changing one’s soul and the world. McLaren offers this fresh, exciting paradigm of the faith (much of which is rather obvious to Christians not cloistered in conservatism), for the most part with accessibility and wit. The devil, of course, is in the details, such as six-line narratives, Greek vs Hebrew tho More...

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Apr 18, 2011

Jay rated it:

This is a difficult book to review. The reason for three stars is that it is a well written, and well thought out book, written at a level that is approachable to the masses and yet makes no assumptions that its readers are ignorant. Everything in me wanted to give this book one or two stars because I found myself disagreeing more and more with it at every turn of the page, but the fact that the book was well written, and able to evoke from me a passionate disagreement makes this book worthy o More...

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Jun 21, 2010

Tim rated it:

if you know anything about Brian McLaren you know that the church has a love/hate relationship with him. some are quick (too quick) to call him a heretic, while others view him to be the post-modern/emergent leader who will bring the church to the place it needs to be.

Brian McLaren is neither.

But his latest book A New Kind of Christianity is certain to further the divide between progressives and fundamentalists. that being said, it was and is a book that needed to be More...

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Aug 06, 2011

Christopher rated it:

I could critique this book from about a hundred different angles. Like how I've never met a person in my life who believes the things about the Bible that he combats. Or how he uses some of the very methods that his own view of Scripture finds unacceptable to prove certain points. Or how he chooses to answer the questions he wants to answer, not necessarily the ones most people are asking. Or how he ignores almost every Scripture passage which his opponents would likely bring up to debunk hi More...

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Jul 15, 2010

Thurman rated it:

Brian McLaren has written a most thought provoking book and is asking for a collective response from the church to help find solutions. He acknowledges the fact that we have in the church, "something real and something wrong". He is challenging the church to a kind of faith deeper than mere beliefs. In modern language he is asking the church universal, "are we there yet"? He says we need a new kind of reformation, not like Martin Luther who said, "here I stand" whic More...

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May 26, 2011

Michael rated it:

I think the second Emergent book I read was "A Generous Orthodoxy" (the first was "Velvet Elvis", although I know Rob Bell rejects the Emergent label). I enjoyed it, just because McLaren was asking questions that resonated with me. He jostled me a few times, but the book was at least as attractive as it was concerning.

I have generally felt that many of the points Bell and McLaren have been attempting to make in recent years have been very valid. I agree that my walk with Chri More...

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Apr 29, 2010

Andrew rated it:

Brian McLaren advocates a form of Christianity he refers to as "the emerging church". It is clear that McLaren has spent most of his life thinking about the history of Christianity. Consequently, the book is well researched. The core of most of McLaren's arguments seem to rest on his assertion that Christians still have a lot to discover about the meaning of the stories in the bible and Jesus' original message. He shares many specific elements he feels have been missed, which I have to More...

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Jun 17, 2010

June rated it:

Wow, this book made me think.

I really dislike McLaren's style (I've read one of his other books before which had the same annoying chatty-as-you-read comments), but he is worth reading for his ideas. Graham tells me that he has to do this because so many American Christian readers will be terrified to even pick up the book, let alone get past page one, given how he's famous for being a dangerous heretic.

He tries to challenge why it is that so many Christians have such a More...

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Dec 22, 2010

Phyllis rated it:

I have to admit, I thought this book was interesting, and started reading it wondering why so many people around me don't have faith, and was feeling discouraged, and so I picked up this book I saw at the library. McLauren was convincing at first until I read out he was comparing Jesus with Paul. I then brought this book up to one of my Sunday school teachers to see what she thought, and even she was skeptical just by looking at the title.
I can see now how he rationalizes everything wit More...

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May 17, 2011

Callie rated it:

To say that the Word of God is in the biblical text doesn't mean that you can take verses from the text at will and call them "God's words" It means that if we enter the text and feel the flow if its arguments, get its twists and turns, God's revelation can happen to us.

on denominations: Some see this as a division to be remedied, but there's another way to see it, as diversification to be celebrated. What if the Christian faith is supposed to exist in a variety of More...

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Jun 02, 2011

John rated it:

The book reads like the diary of a fundamentalist who goes to college and discovers that the theological framework through which he has been taught to interpret the Bible is not the only framework, nor even the best framework. He then proceeds to write notes and draw diagrams about his discoveries from esteemed scholars, and to imagine new ways of interpreting scripture. McLaren's book has the feel of these course notes turned into a term paper. While there may not be many other students who ar More...

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Jul 18, 2010

Drew rated it:

McLaren is not a good writer and I didn't like many of his examples. Nonetheless, it is an important book. He centers it around ten "questions". While the questions are stated, the book is his answer--his polemic. BUT, the questions are indeed very important and do indeed need to be discussed. There is a lot of really good stuff in this book. For a person who wants a much broader introduction to Christianity and who might even be interested in becoming a Christian, this could be More...

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Jul 17, 2011

S rated it:

Let me first say that I am not a fan of the title of this book. Aside from that I really like it.

I don't know if Christians generally reflect on how history has shaped the way that the Church looks like today, and why we do things the way we do, why we emphasise the things we do. I love the critical look that McLaren takes on modern Christianity. It's when we most understand ourselves (individually and collectively) that we can understand HOW we fall short of God. When we see h More...

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Mar 30, 2010

Jason rated it:

A book that will cause controversy for some but insight for others. He answers some questions while posing many more. He is the LOST (tv show) of books. As he states this is just the beginning. Life change doesn't happen in a book but this might cause some to seriously reconsider their faith.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. His writing style is great. He draws in a lot of different fields of study which keeps one interested. If you are seeking to know more about Christianity, I More...

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Jan 16, 2012

Karen rated it:

A book that seems to be both the culmination of McLaren's spiritual journey AND the stepping off point for a move forward which many others can join. It suffered a little from trying to do too much in one book and I am sure that two books, rather one book of parts, would have been easier to work with as the underlying theological (re)interpretation could be tackled with a little more structure, and the 'ten questions' given an even more practical focus. As it is I think those looking for somethi More...

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Jan 05, 2011

Casie rated it:

My faith journey is as strange as the pilgrim herself. But I found a friend in Brian McLaren who is not afraid to hold the relevance of the life and death of Jesus well above the issues relevant to contemporary conservative Christians. Love your gay neighbor would be an understated summary, for sure! There is much more to this book, historically and philosophically. I thought it was bloody brilliant. It is thought-provoking and sophisticated but readily understandable as he the foregos prete More...

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Aug 09, 2011

Al rated it:

Outstanding!! McLaren articulates ideas and directions for faith and spirituality that I have had for years, but sometimes had trouble expressing in an orderly and coherent manner. His belief that faith has always been evolving, from the early faith of Abraham, through the faith of David, the prophets, the exiles, as well as the developing Way of Jesus, means that we, as a people of faith, have not arrived, but are still learning towards the fullest understandings of God. As he suggests quest More...

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Aug 07, 2011

Teresa rated it:

I've read several of Brian McLaren's books, and I find a lot of his ideas interesting, but I also find his thinking frustrating. I'm in general agreement with him on the importance of rethinking and revisiting our beliefs, and I'm usually on his side when it comes to "hot issues" like the environment, sexuality, and so on.

However, I get frustrated with his tendency to insist that we need to disregard all traditional beliefs and ideas. For one thing, there's a great deal more More...

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Jan 14, 2011

Nathanael rated it:

McLaren artfully critiques what he calls the “Graeco-Roman narrative”—the old story of creation-fall-redemption-consummation—in favor of a less determined, more free-flowing understanding of the Gospel and of God’s work in the world. His suggested answers are not always wholly satisfactory (and his story of the “Graeco-Roman” line, while charming, smacks of oversimplification) but the disarming way he asks the questions more than makes up for it. And, truth be told, these are questions that nee More...

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Aug 19, 2010

Kathleen rated it:

I took notes while I was reading this book, and have just had a quick look at them to see if maybe I'd written a summary or a semi-review (I'm writing this 9 days after having finished reading the book). No summary. No semi-review. Only 13 pages of notes!

The author of this book is apparently someone who has stirred up controversy. Great! This is my kind of guy. And though I'm fortunate enough to be surrounded by progressive Christians who enjoy nothing more than asking stimulat More...

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Aug 06, 2010

Scott rated it:

I've finished my reading of 'A new kind of Christianity', I've written a few thoughts on the question which Mclaren puts forward.

The authority Question
http://nursepastorfatherhusband.blogspot...

The Jesus Question
http://nursepastorfatherhusband.blogspot...

The God question
http://nursepastorfatherhusband.blogspot...

The sex question
http://nursepastorfatherhusband.blogspot...

The gospel question
http://nursepastorfatherhusband.blogspot... More...

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Apr 08, 2010

Travis rated it:

I consider myself a huge fan of McLaren's work, and I admire him for talking about things a lot of Christians are afraid to talk about. I also recently had the chance to interview him for my podcast Coffee Chats, and he is a very nice man. Having said all that, his new book "A New Kind of Christianity" both inspired and puzzled me.

In the book, McLaren proposed ten questions that are transforming the Christian faith:

1. What is the overarching story line of the B More...

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Jul 21, 2010

Brandon rated it:

I was really looking forward to reading this book. So I think I went into it with great expectations. Not all of those expectations were met. I think he could have spent more time on some chapters and less on others. There were some subjects that I felt were not completely dealt with. However, this was addressed in the final parts of the book.

McLaren is right. Christianity as a whole is in a weird transition. Something is in the process of being birthed, and I am hopeful that wh More...

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Jan 14, 2011

Heather rated it:

I almost didn't finish this book because I couldn't follow much of the opening chapters. Some of his points didn't make sense to me at all, and others I thought were way out-there. However, I'm glad that I stuck with it because I got a lot out of the second half of the book. Overall, I found that I disagree with some of McLaren's thoughts (concerning absolute truth, for one: he seems less certain that believing in Jesus is the only way to heaven than I am) and agree with some of his others (for More...

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