A New Kind of Christian

I just finished reading Brian McLaren's A New Kind of Christian. In some ways, I feel way behind the times, since it was first published in 2001, and I just read it for the first time. In 2002, after some lengthy meaning-of-life-type talks in a car to and from a church retreat, a friend had recommended the book to me. To be honest, I didn't read it then for two reasons: 1) Until the last couple of years, I've been kind of non-committal about reading books; I like TV, and 2) I was a bit worried that what I would read would provide me with more questions than answers. Now that I have read the book, I can attest that my second reason for not reading it earlier was valid.

Still, I wouldn't go so far as to say it wasn't worthwhile reading. It was actually just the opposite, even if it was unsettling. In fact, many times, I was surprised to read things that seemed to be poured from my own experiences and my own exploration of Jesus. Maybe that's what's so unsettling about it: It'd be easy if I thought Brian McLaren and others like him were completely wrong. If I could simply dismiss these folks as liberals who've lost their minds and who clearly don't love God. But I can't do that. If Brian McLaren is guilty of anything, it's of asking the tough questions. I don't always agree with his conclusions or his leanings, but the conversation is refreshing.

In a truly postmodern style, this book is a narrative story, rather than a lecture set to paper - a nod to the fact that modernity often reduces truth to static propositions and accurate information stated in as neutral a tone as possible. The story centers around a frustrated pastor who becomes good friends with his daughter's high school science teacher. Over the course of their friendship, they talk about faith, and God, and Jesus, and the Church, and the way we perceive the universe. So A New Kind of Christian is not really a book on theology or Christian living. It's really more of an exploration of what the gospel really means and what true followers of Jesus looks like. As the characters talk and discover truth, the reader is invited to partake.

Nothing is off-limits either. This was the most unsettling element of the whole work. If you accept that some things are not right in the modern, contemporary church, then you have to be willing to explore the alternatives. The picture becomes clear: "fixing" the church really means reimagining how we do and think about almost everything. And that kind of change is scary. But, just so I don't give the wrong kind of impression, this book is not about fixing the church. It's about what it means to follow Jesus and be a part of the kingdom of God - what it means to be "a new kind of Christian."

Without getting into the specific discussions. I think this quote from the science teacher in the story, Neo (nicknamed because of his initials, not The Matrix) summarizes the overall theme well: "The lowest available risk that I see is the risk of journeying on in faith. You see, I believe in the Holy Spirit. I believe Jesus meant it when he said the Spirit of God would be with us, guiding us, to the very end. So I believe that he will guide us through these winds and currents of change, no matter what storms come. In fact, I believe that he is the wind in our sails, leading us into the change, because that's his way. He always moves ahead. He's not about taking us back into the past, some beautiful illusion of good old days. He has a purpose he is working toward, and I want to keep up with him. I suppose that's my greatest fear, not that I'll go too fast or too far, but that I'll lag behind."

McLaren is not alone in his understanding that change is coming. His popularity and his ability to draw criticism are likely due to his ability to communicate the coming tide of change so well. As I stated in my last post, I think that God is doing something huge and I suspect that someday soon nothing will be the same.

Source:

Brian McLaren, A New Kind of Christian.