How to Be an Open-Minded Christian Without Losing Your Faith

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Summary: And it had such promise!
Review: I wanted to like this book. I really did. And for a while, I did. Chapters 1-4 offer solid ways for Christians to balance a commitment to openness with a commitment to classical Christianity.
But in chapter 5, where Linn seeks to find the same middle ground for divisive moral questions such as pre-marital sex, abortion, homosexuality, divorce, capital punishment, and the separation of church and state, everything begins to come undone.
In my estimation, Linn has too high a view of human nature; for instance, he counsels us to understand abstinence from pre-marital sex as a standard, not a rule. He seems to not realize that the prescriptive force of a rule--or any kind of discipline--makes that discipline (with the aid of God's Spirit) able to change a heart. For instance, it is because I view prayer as a rule, and thus do it even when I don't want to, that God can change me through prayer. If prayer was a standard, a norm, that I could choose or not choose, then it couldn't change me.
Specifically in the section on abortion, I feel Linn has an inadequate view of the state. He counsels us pro-lifers to recognize that Christians should "rely on God rather than the civil law to stop abortions." (101) Of course, the logical corollary is that we apply that to other issues. By his logic, neither then should Christians push for legislation to protect the post-birth defenseless of our society; we should be praying for those mean old slum lords to meet Jesus and stop charging too much for rent. We shouldn't pass laws for environmental protection; we should pray that those oil barons and greedy execs get converted. Though I haven't read his new book on the Christian Right, I can only imagine the treatment these classically conservative arguments get; and here he is making them, in the name of keeping peace among Christians who might disagree.
He also makes the church out to be ineffectually weak. While I wholeheartedly support his counsel to show compassion to those going through the anguish of divorce, I have to wonder about his hands-off policy: "You have no choice but to trust the integrity of people's assessments of the circumstances they face when making the decision to end a marriage" (86). Certainly, I agree that I shouldn't presume to know anything or even much at all about a person's struggles. But if I'm about to make a terrible mistake of some kind, or even if someone senses the potential for a terrible blunder on my part, I hope someone has the grace to call me on it; it would be the only Christian response. Not all, but some divorces are mistakes, borne out selfishness and greed. I hope that the Christian community can keep people from making mistakes in this situation, even if it does mean talking about how devastating divorce is (and how rare it should be) in Jesus' eyes. Here Linn counsels a non-Christian (anti-Christian?) individualism that takes God's gift of community and ironically wrestles it away from someone who may need the community's searching eye the most.
I love Linn's commitment to the theological middle ground; but having an opinion on moral issues is not in and of itself something that fractures community or endangers our unity, and I don't think he sees that.

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Summary: An Authentic Witness to the Faith we can proclaim
Review: Jan Linn's book is an authentic witness to the faith we can proclaim as Christians. It also is a timely reminder of the roots of our shared faith in an ever-changing world. He begins by saying that being open-minded does not require one to throw their faith convictions away to the whims of the loudest voice. Instead, he seeks a balanced approach to the basic tenants of faith without caving into the extreme of fundamentalism or liberalism. Those who want to be a witness to the truth, he says, can proclaim "the truth that they know without claiming to know all the truth there is." The book openly deals with the basics of faith such as the nature of: the Bible, God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Linn also deals with current controversial issues, such as, divorce, abortion, pre-marital sex, homosexuality, capital punishment and sepatation of church and state in a mature way that calls the church to join in the conversation. Being open-minded and open-hearted, as he calls us to be, is a compelling challenge for today's Christians. While he doesn't do it overtly he invites those who read to examine for themselves what they believe and join in proclaiming a credible faith among all the varied options without becoming condemning or being ambivalent. Having known Jan for many years this treatise of faith stands as an authentic and joyful witness to his own spiritual faith journey. This book was forged from his faith journey as well as his current pastoral ministry.