Rating: 
Summary: A New Kind of Christian
Review: This book is one of the best books I have ever read on how the postmodern era that we currently find ourselves living in is impacting the church. This book should be required reading in our churches and seminaries. Buy this book today!
Rating: 
Summary: Questionable
Review: McLaren asks some good questions, but does more time positing these questions then giving a well-rounded thoughtful response. In an Erasmian manner, he hides behind prose to deal with some questionable issues in the church. I would rather have him throw some unorthodox views in my face than talk about them through characters and have his personal view hidden. I didn't find McLaren to have a clue as to what postmodernism is, and he seemed completely unaware of the historical answers as well as present answers to the issues he raises.
Rating:
Summary: What does a postmodern Christian look like?
Review: If you are growing restless with the hang-ups and idiosyncracies of conservative evangelicalism this book is for you. If you find that you are still as committed to the person of Jesus Christ as ever, but have a really hard time swallowing half the things his followers claim you'll find hope in this story. If you are wondering whether there is a third option besides close-minded conservative and wishy-washy liberal you'll find the answer here. "A New Kind of Christian" is the first steps of author/pastor/conference speaker Brian McLaren at spelling out exactly how the postmodern revolution might substantially alter what it means to be a devoted Christ follower. Previous books both by this author and by other well known spokespeople for postmodern Christianity have really focused primarily on ministry issues and broad cultural trends. These books have dealt mainly with the question of how to minister to a postmodern culture as an outsider who is not fully immersed in it, but they have rarely asked what postmodernism looks like from the inside. In other words, what does it look like for a conservative evangelical Christian to "lose his faith" in conservative evangelicalism and undergo a personal postmodern transformation, while at the same time attempting to hold on to the core of their faith in Christ? Can it be done? One thing I greatly appreciated about this book, and something that sets it apart from the vast majority of other books on postmodern Christianity, is that it goes beyond the trite formula "postmodernism changes the methods but not the message of Christianity". While there is a sense in which this is true (i.e. there is a core of Christian doctrine that must be preserved in order to maintain a semblance of Christian identity - probably not much more complex than the Apostles Creed), in another sense it is far to simplistic. The fact is that postmodernism will change the message as well as the methods if we are taking it seriously as a genuine worldview with valuable insights for our understanding of our faith. To put it another way, Christian theology has been developing and maturing for nearly 2000 years (despite the claims of some denominations that the perfect set of doctrines were laid down in 1530 or 1646 or 1833 or whenever), and there is no reason to think that it should stop now. As I said, there is a core that should never change, but on the other hand many doctrines currently held as sacrosanct are really artifacts of the modern era and its particular obsessions. McLaren uses "A New Kind of Christian" as a kind of case study to see how and why a postmodern evangelical might begin to question these so-called "essentials". Some of the hang-ups that McLaren's protagonists, Pastor Dan and Neo, begin to explore include:
- How we read and understand scripture (can we stop worshiping the Bible and start worshiping the God that the Bible reveals? Could it be that the question of inerrancy really misses the whole point of scripture?)
- What the nature of sin is (can we get past the idea of absolute morals to see that right and wrong may be relative to how the principles of love and justice are applied to particular circumstances?)
- How we relate to other religions (can we stop trying telling people what's wrong with their beliefs and just start telling them what's so right about Jesus?)
- How we interact with cultures, including our own (is it possible for Christ to redeem and even reveal himself in cultures other than white American suburban culture? Is it possible that different is not always wrong?)
- Whether we can learn from Christian spiritual traditions other than our own (is liturgy always ritualism, can a postmodern faith embrace ancient expressions of worship, can a Baptist worship with an Episcopalian?)
- The nature of salvation (is the process of salvation much more mysterious and involved than simply praying a prayer to "accept Jesus as my personal Lord and Saviour"? Could it be that God is just as concerned about redeeming the whole of creation as he is about getting individual butts into heaven? And also, perhaps it's not our job to determine who goes to heaven and who goes to hell?). Be forewarned, if you are contented conservative evangelical you may not like this book. You may be rocked by the fact that despite how radical and "liberal" McLaren's suggestions are, they all seemed to be grounded in a genuine desire to be more faithful to the God of the Bible rather than merely a weak attempt to accomodate postmodern culture. If you are a liberal you may not like this book since no matter how many questions he raises McLaren never wavers on his commitment to the historical core of orthodox Christian belief. However, if you've been longing for a picture of how to be a committed follower of Christ without all the baggage of modern conservative Christianity, you will find hope here.
Rating: 
Summary: an unsettling dialogue
Review: I read this book shaking the whole time. For the first time in my 29 years someone put his finger on the unsettledness inside me. I grew up as a pastors kid, and have been a christian almost all of my life, and even work in a church right now, but yet there was something that didn't quite fit. What this book made me helped me articulate and also wrestle with, is that there is much in the way we do church that isn't necessarily the only way, or even, in some cases, the biblical way. The difference that this has made in my life is palpable, I have found new life in the Bible, a new hope for the church, and even the grace to rejoice with those who don't see things the way I do. Post-modernism isn't just a fad, it is the emerging era, and a state of being. And I, for one, think Jesus died for the post-moderns as well as the moderns, and I am REALLY GLAD that I am not alone in struggling with these issues. I also thought that this book did a good job of not pointing the finger, or saying one was better than the other, but instead defining the difference between the two. Brian's book made me hunger, and think, and struggle, and yearn for something more, and it has been a long time since something has made me do this.
The only problem I had with it is his description of the perfect seminary. I want to go there so bad, and it doesn't exist...yet.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing insights page after page
Review: Drawn to seek out God, but not in church? Then read this book. It containing amazing insights to a future worldview of celebrating God in the third millenium. Although written by a Christian, it speaks to many religions and points out how traditional Christianity may be keeping us from better knowing God's purpose. I'm amazed at how simply the dialog cuts through my religious ennui. This is the most exciting motivational/spiritual stuff I've read in years! Praise God! Everyone who has religious questions and doubts as to why their religious practices isn't "cutting it" should read this book.
Rating:
Summary: Christians in Conflict?
Review: McLaren has a compelling storyline about two friends who are like "iron sharpens iron" in sharing their feelings, ideas and lives. That in itself is a worthwhile reason to read this book. However, I didn't like the way that Dan, the burned out pastor, gave in so easily to his friend, Neo. I really was waiting for him to put in a stronger fight, but he capitulated too easily. I was waiting for Neo, the visionary science teacher, to admit that he might be wrong on an issue, or that he was stretching too much. A flaw might have been more endearing. The fact that Neo had his own regrets does not come until much later into the book, but he seems more willing to confront his buddy Dan. Transference is a common problem in relationships. But the real purpose of the book was to explore postmodernism and the conservative evangelical's response to it. In my opinion, no matter how you look at it, the point becomes moot when ineffective churches start emptying and the more effective ones take up the banner and run with it. Inevitably, someone starts to figure it out--probably a lot sooner than they know--if they spend any time outside their church walls interacting with real people. You don't need a visionary high school teacher, no matter how cool he is, to point it out if you are really paying attention. And that's why I got bored with most of the dialogue. I kept wondering what rock Dan was hiding under. But, a sequel about Dan and Neo's friendship, and some adventurous exploits in ministry instead of just talk, would appeal to me.
Rating: 
Summary: "There is nothing new under the sun"
Review: This book is a pragmatic "straw man" which is not at all related to orthodox Christianity. It is an attempt to keep pace with changing times by changing the message of the Faith. I find it theologically and philosophically untenable. I would prefer to believe nothing (atheism)rather than adhere to a system created or changed by men/women ("objective truth" is lost, which leads to subjective truth, which leads to nothing with eternal structure and intrinsic value upon which one can stake his/her life). "A New Kind Of Christian" is truly a work well acquainted with Post Modern culture, as it is indeed the result of Post Modern thinking. "A New Kind Of Christian" posits a belief system that will provide little succor for those in the midst of personal trial. It is easy and even fashionable to toy with theology in affluent times; it is much more challenging in times of pain. Tim Chastain
Indianapolis
Rating:
Summary: Postmodernism is part of the problem
Review: This is highly interesting but it's also the same old stuff. Even postmodernism is starting to wash up now as everyone turns into irrational mystics. In every age there has been a battle between current but ever changing "scientific" or better, "popular" thought. And the unchanging "truths" of religion. This book, howeer, is a promotion of having your cake and eating it too. It is a dreamland that intelligent people need to wake up out of. I urge you to find the truth! Who needs to hear the current trend presented as serious answers? What a joke. Live in reality. Jesus was not a postmodern man, and taking his words out of context may be fun but it doesn't create a respectable belief system. Modernism hasn't necessarily been helpful to finding out what the Bible means by what it says, but Postmodernism is much worse. Postmodernism, a serious world view? It's laughable; kiss your brain good-bye. Postmodernism is just the disillusionment of modernism. When you find out your wife is cheating on you, go find a prostitute right? That would be a cool headed thing to do. That's what our culture has done and the cutting edge lies with that multifarious troupe of 18 year old pop stars who are given the world as their playground. Essentially, another illusion to grope for. Unfortunately to back up our mess, the science of our highschool teachers is too often archaic in relation to the real scientists who are too busy to come on tv. There is no doubt something wrong with the modern "Christian" church in America. No doubt. But reform that takes religion out of it's context is a pipe dream. A dream world for those seeking comfort while unwilling to face facts. One false assumption contained in our rational disillusionment with modern Christianity, is that modern Christianity is following the ideas presented in it's sacred book. Namely, the Bible. This is in my experience, a dangerous false assumption. Our modern Christianity, or shall I say, postmodern Christianity, is a subculture. Like any subculture or culture, it has a whole attitude, mood, feeling, sound, pretense, etc..., to it. And as a subculture, it's surrounding culture is postmodern. Christians are already very limited in their interpretation of the Bible. First by their "Christian" subculture and ultimately by the postmodern culture of this country. It's only in taking off these restrictions (colored glasses) that Christians can genuinely begin to see clearly into what Biblical Christianity is all about. And from there decide if it's true or not. If it is true, then follow it. If not then why waste any more time with it? "A Tale of Two Friends..." will be forgotten and replaced in a few years as our American culture gropes for something more workable than postmodernism. But there will always be a group of people out there who take Jesus words, "I am the way, the truth, and the life" literally. Whatever else you believe, at least this group is riding above the motley whirlpool of pop star philosophy.
Rating:
Summary: It's like he read my mind! Wonderful book!
Review:
In this book, McLaren describes how the World is on the verge of social, economic, and technological change heading into the 21st century and describes why the practice of Christianity will also change as a result. In spinning this story he compares our current social, political, economic and religious landscape to that at the time of the Protestant Reformation and puts forth some ideas on what the church will look like going forward and what the New Kind of Christian will be like. Using a story about a pastor who is losing his faith, McLaren peels away the cultural trappings that we have attached to Jesus' words, in effect deconstructing them to their barest form. He demonstrates how the cultural trappings of the last 100 or so years are wearing out and suggests some new ones that will breathe new life into Christ's message going foward. Although I've been a Christian for most of my life I've never been able to fully embrace the traditional implementation of Christianity. As I began to read this book it was if McLaren was reading my mind. He gathered up all of the concerns I've had and suggested new ways of looking at things, and provided me with a new framework that I can get behind. YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOK IF YOU: * Have trouble taking the Bible literally * Have trouble reconciling the loving God of the New Testament with the vengeful God of the Old. * Have trouble reconciling the Bible with mounting scientific evidence that seems to contradict it. * Are looking for a holistic Christian philosophy that rises above the simplistic heaven v. hell, saved v. non-saved, right v. wrong construct that characterizes most implementations of the Christian message. * Are embarrassed by the Christian image created by zealous and unyielding fundamentalists and tv evangelists. * Are concerned that the Christian message seems to have been co-opted by those who seem rigid and judgemental rather than loving and compassionate. * Are committed to Jesus but are open to new ways of getting his message out to the world. DON'T READ THIS BOOK (actually though it would do you good) IF: * You're convinced you already know the truth and it's entirely black and white to you. * You're satisfied with the "we're going to heaven, they're going to hell" simplicity of your current beliefs. * You're convinced that if Jesus were here today he'd be a right- wing, fundamentalist with lots of Jewelry and his own tv show. * You're uncomfortable with change and afraid of considering new ways of doing things. Overall it's just about the best book on the subject of Christianity that I've ever read. McLaren has breathed new life into my faith and inspired me to do some rethinking of my own beliefs and the way I practice Christianity.
Rating:
Summary: Thought Provoking and Eye Opening
Review: I absolutely loved reading this book!
Not only did it open my eyes to some of the problems that I have in my own church it also helped me to realize that the vague feeling of pessimism I was feeling was due to my church and pastor not accurately reflecting the society we live in today. McLaren might not have all the answers, but he certainly knows what questions to ask!
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