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A Generous Orthodoxy: Why I Am a Missional, Evangelical, Post/Protestant, Libera
by Brian D. McLaren | Religion & Spirituality
Registered by seethroughfaith of Turku, Varsinais-Suomi Finland on Sunday, October 28, 2007
Average 8 star rating by BookCrossing Members 

status (set by potok-fan): reserved


2 journalers for this copy...

Journal Entry 1 by seethroughfaith from Turku, Varsinais-Suomi Finland on Sunday, October 28, 2007

8 out of 10


The author of this book, Brian McLaren, is a leader in the emerging church movement.
Love it or hate it - this book made me think :)

Whether you find yourself inside, outside or somewhere in on the fringe of Christianity this book draws you toward a way of living that looks beyond the "us/them" paradigm, to the blessed and ancient paradox of "we".


A provocative, stimulating and challenging account of a committed Christian orthodoxy that is truly inviting

I'm wondering what Potok-Fan will say as a response to that! I'm giving this book to her as a gift and looking forward to some discussion and healthy debate.



 

Journal Entry 2 by seethroughfaith from Turku, Varsinais-Suomi Finland on Sunday, October 28, 2007

This book has not been rated.

Brian McLaren's introduction states:

You may not be a Christian and wondering why anyone would want to be.

That's a fair question though I don't think most readers actually fit into that category. And indeed he lists (and explains) 5 other categories of people who might be reading the book.

He then goes on to say

If I seem to show too little respect for your opinions or thought, be assured I have equal doubts about my own (real post modernist here I think) and I don't mind if you think I'm wrong. I'm sure I am wrong about many things, although I'm not sure exactly which thinks I'm wrong about. See chapter 0 for additional disclaimers!

And after several pages he adds

The people I'm primarily writing for are the Christians (or former Christians)-evangelical, liberal, Catholic whatever - who are about to leave (or have just left) the whole business because of the kind of issues I raise in this book. And equally, I'm writing for the spirtual seekers who are attracted to Jesus, but they don't feel there's room for them in what is commonly called Christianity ... (p 39)

and then goes on to say - at great length - why he is a Christian - albeit of the emergent variety. 

Journal Entry 3 by potok-fan from Turku, Varsinais-Suomi Finland on Saturday, November 03, 2007

This book has not been rated.

Ok, Lorna, I finally got the stickers into the book this evening! I've read his two introductory chapters, which got very tiresome very fast (falling over himself to acknowledge his own faults), and chapters one and two. I liked chapter one a lot, with the seven Jesuses he has known (I don't really understand why the child-like view of flannel-graph Jesus didn't count, though). I too grew up believing in the Jesus who healed the paralytic who got let down through the roof by his friends... and then when I was grown up was in a subtle way encouraged to put away childish things and focus much more exclusively on his atonement for my sins.

So far my verdict is that I love some of McLaren's writing, and find the rest of it pretty irritating. I suspect I will like a lot of his ideas, but am probably glad I don't have to deal with him in person ;) 

Journal Entry 4 by potok-fan from Turku, Varsinais-Suomi Finland on Wednesday, February 27, 2008

This book has not been rated.

I got waylaid and stopped reading this right around the time of that last journal entry. Now I've picked it up again, and ... still find the chatty tone irritating rather than endearing, but also am encouraged by and agreeing with a lot of his message.

This really struck me, and I wanted to copy it down: How many children in Sunday school learn that radical sense of Christian servant identity as opposed to "Christians are nice people who know the truth and do good. Non-Christians are bad people who don't. Therefore we need to avoid non-Christians or convert them as fast as possible or try to pass laws to keep them under control and protect ourselves from them - until we can escape them forever in heaven"? (p.85) I'm sorry to say that a lot of what I learned in Sunday School was just that, and to this day I am sometimes surprised at how good (and non-judgemental and even respectful and/or appreciative) some non-Christians can be. 

Journal Entry 5 by potok-fan from Turku, Varsinais-Suomi Finland on Monday, March 10, 2008

This book has not been rated.

I know, I know - we're not really supposed to use BC as a book journalling site but move to the Library Thing or somewhere... but I'm not set up there, and this way stf gets to read my comments.

I've now read three of the "Kind of Christian" chapters: Missional, catholic (which I skipped to, out of order), and evangelical. The Missional chapter is definitely challenging! And needs thinking through.

One minute I'd be feeling pleasantly convicted ("Amen. You're right. We need to shift our focus"), and then suddenly I'd find myself snapping like a rubber-band that's been stretched too far. But I agree that surely Jesus did not come with the aim of making each individual person care for his own soul than anything else. I wonder if one could even rephrase the saying, "He who wants to save his own soul will lose it"??!!!?? (more rubber-bands snap in the background!) I remember hearing about a young Catholic who genuinely tried to bargain with God, "I'd be willing to go to hell in this person's place if you would just save them". What love! And far more Jesus-like than typical Evangelism.

But it'll take a long time before I can merrily and easily accept McLaren's focus, although I very much like the idea of trying to bless people rather than 'merely' convert them, of focussing on moving them closer to God rather than crossing some magic line in the sand. I remember speaking to a wise woman of faith years ago and telling her frustratedly, "I don't know what to do with people whose faith I'm uncertain about." She just calmly said, "Oh I tend to assume other people *are* Christians until they tell me otherwise." My Evangelical mind just boggled.

Which brings me to McLaren's evangelical chapter, which I thought was wonderfully loving. It makes me proud to come from an Evangelical background, even though I have since moved elsewhere. 

Journal Entry 6 by potok-fan from Turku, Varsinais-Suomi Finland on Thursday, November 06, 2008

This book has not been rated.

I got waylaid by other reading material and this gradually fell to the bottom of the pile. But my Mom's just been for a visit, and read most or maybe even all of this while she was here. She really enjoyed it, found it thought-provoking and I think much more encouraging than some of what she hears at her church right now. I think she's probably going to buy her own copy. 



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