A Generous Orthodoxy: Why I am a missional, evangelical, post/protestant, liberal/conservative, biblical, charismatic/contemplative, ... emergent, unfinished Christian (emergentYS)

A year ago, if I had known this book existed, I probably would have given it 1 star without even reading it (as many people have done; just read a few of the 1-star reviews and you'll see what I'm talking about--it's obvious). Right now, it's overall rating on Amazon is 3.2. I would venture to guess that there are few books on Amazon as underrated as this one! McLaren writes with clarity, relevance, and refreshing insight. This book is helpful and important. Even if one does not agree with him, I think they could learn something by thoughtfully reading it. The way he integrates his knowledge and experience into addressing the major issues that confront Christianity today is practically unmatched. And perhaps most importantly, he exudes a contagious Christ-likeness.So if McLaren is so brilliant and relevant and Christ-like, why is this book rated only 3.2 stars (currently)? Frankly, it is quite evident that people who do not see the world the way McLaren does are attacking him. In most cases, this is a personal attack and has nothing to do with his ability as a writer or this product in general. And their attacks are not Christ-like. And they are not relevant. And they are rarely brilliant. As I read through some of them, I thought to myself, "Do Emergent Christians gang up on the latest conservative-evangelical author and bombard his or her books with 1-star ratings, simply because they disagree? Actually, I have never seen this. And it's not because Emergent Christians couldn't do this if they wanted to: Emergents and conservative-evangelicals have radically different presuppositions and understandings of the world; they could argue back and forth all day. I would like to think the reason that this type of attacking doesn't go both ways is because Emergent Christians are nicer. I hate to say that; I love conservative-evangelicals and have proudly bore that banner myself. But in honesty, I have to say that many conservatives value "truth" more than people. And McLaren addressed this issue in his book, if only those reviewers had actually read it.So maybe this book is truly a 4.5-star book, whether you agree with him or not. I'm more than happy to give it five to countervail my captious evangelical brethren.

The author in his, 'A Generous Orthodoxy' seeks to show his 'connections' with the various aspects of the church universal. We who believe and associate with one or another branch of Christianity are reminded that there is really only 'One church,' but it has various dimensions and expressions. When a particular interest in thought or doctrine has emerged and takes on a more prominent role in the expression of the faith, it may become a new denomination, or a new assembly of believers, with a different emphasis and a more distinct presentation of an old thought. But that old thought has it's origin somewhere in the scriptures which then becomes their primary focus. I believe this is why Mr. McLaren is expressing himself as being to some degree allied to the church-at-large with it's many divisions, without committing himself totally to all that one group or another may be continually trumpeting. He recognizes that we are all still growing in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord. He has an interesting approach and if the book is read all the way through without a quick 'reactionary' charge of heresy, it will prove to be of value to any thoughtful believer. Thurman L Faison, author "To The Spiritually Inclined," "Be Spiritually Bold."

Brian Mclaren is a prolific supporter of the emrgent movement, which is sort of a rhizome of modern Christianity. Despite the tiny, tiny type and the annoyingly clustered format, this book is important to Christians seeking identifiers for new Christian thought.Although not a scholarly work, Mclaren's book, small, but-- neither simple nor short--requires study and reflection. In this work, Mclaren defines many of the words floating around our theosphere these days --emergent Christian, evangelical, fundamental, post- modern, and most importantly for me: liberal and conservative. McLaren seeks to honor both liberals and conservatives, but doesn't want to be trapped in either category. He lauds liberals for following the teachings of Jesus by tackling difficult social issues. He praises conservatives for work in individual conversion and basic discipleship. In terms of Biblical authority, conservatives see the Bible as ultimate authority which can be interpreted by leaders and recognized teachers. Liberals, on the other hand, welcome free inquiry and explorative interpretation of scripture using recent archaeological and historical discoveries. He offers the opinion that mistakes on both sides are the focus on "our" best and "your" worst. The book divides into two parts of unequal length: "Why I Am a Christian" (four chapters) and "The Kind of Christian I Am" (sixteen chapters). The first part begins with "The Seven Jesuses I Have Known" In essence, McLaren tells the story of his interaction with people of each of the Christian traditions mentioned in the title. The second part is an elaboration of the ideas identified in the first part.. McLaren wants to find a middle way between existing extremes of religious thought and practice. Although he often sounds "liberal", he is no fan of relativism and believes in the authority of Scripture and the Trinity. The part about Anglicanism is quite short and to the point. Anglicans, he writes, seek discernment in the "dynamic tension of Scripture, tradition, reason and experience." Anglicans practice compromise and tolerance, "keeping a high level of respect for brothers and sisters who do not agree with you. It acknowledges that not everyone will reach the same conclusions at the same pace on every issue." What binds together the diversity of Anglican thought is the beauty of the liturgy. Anglican liturgy with its elegant mystery unites us in worship, if not dogma. One can only hope that current schisms will be resolved over time, as was previous turmoil over issues like transubstantiation in early Anglican history and the role of women in recent Church history. McLaren explains the term emergent by relating it to saplings that grow up in the shadow of mature trees. Over time, as the mature trees die, the emergent are already planted, ready to receive the now exposed abundant light and begin to grow toward fullness. As we approach the Christmas season, we will do well to remember the Incarnation, which binds us together as Christians. Jesus, the human voice of the Trinity, tells us to love others, even those whose faith does not have the same dimensions as ours. He says that all religions are threatened by fundamentalists which seek to eradicate all beliefs but their own. He reminds us that Jesus came not to destroy the law, but to fulfill it; not to condemn people but to save them.

Very perceptive look at Christianity in a postmodern age.

good buy

There's no doubt that McLaren is controversial, especially in the Christian community in his home country. They see him as a stirrer, someone making trouble, leading the church to the edge of spiritual bankruptcy, holding out a dangerous and relativistic message. "God is for you, so it doesn't really matter what you believe". For sure, it's a pretty hollow charicature.On the other hand, McLaren really is a stirrer - in the same way that fish die in an aquarium where the water is not oxygenated, the author understands that there is a type of stagnancy in much modern Christian thinking. All the important questions are perceived to have been asked, the answers have ben provided, so it's really just a question of who's in and who's out. And of course, if you are a protestant evangelical, the chances are that your particular tradition has had up to 500 years to define exactly who is out, with ever increasing degrees of theological hair-splitting.McLaren's key thought is that removing the message of Jesus from the constraints of a modern worldview and allowing it to breathe again in the relatively unconstrained emerging postmodern culture, allows for a deeper and better understanding of what it means to live collectively as Christians.Or to put it another way, Christians have spent so long worrying about the purity of our beliefs, the quality of our Orthodoxy, that we have in many instances become sub-Christian, in that we have forgotten HOW we must put our beliefs into action (Orthopraxy). The New Testament was written decades after the death of Jesus and is in many ways, the theology that emerged after reflecting on the mission that had happened. But somehow it has become a flat, historical record of detached 'truth' used to identify and judge outsiders.McLaren seeks to synthesise the very best theological elements from the traditions and movements in the book's title and make us aware, that all these benefits are open to us, rather than forcing ourselves to chose and defend the merits of one tradition over another. At heart is the direction that the church may move in and he hopefully charts a new form of ecumenism that is not based on down-playing our differences, but recognising the wonderful character of God that unites us.I found this a very thought provoking and encouraging read. We need more people like McLaren who reflect the generous character of Jesus in their work and writings.

As advertised. I will deal with this vendor again.

Judging by the photo of him on the cover Brian McLaren would probably make a very good Santa. However, unlike our festive father McLaren seems to be a guy with as many enemies as friends. Whatever you might've heard about him good or bad I'd advise you to approach this book with a genuinely open mind. (wasn't it Frank Zappa who said 'A mind is like a parachute - it won't work if it's not open!')It's fair to say that Generous Orthodoxy will most likely appeal to non-conformists - it begins with Chapter 0 which immediately appealed to the non-conformist in me (how shallow am I?). But seriously, right off the bat this book is full of superb insights for the contemporary Jesus follower. McLaren freely admits to being fairly unoriginal but quite good at collecting other people's thoughts, which is a fair self-assessment. For instance he cites Tom Wright, as follows:"We best understand something not merely by critiquing, dissecting and doubting it, but by trusting, loving and respecting it. In fact, when critiquing and questioning come in the context of love, they yield even more insight than otherwise."Take Tom's advice. From the moment you pick up this book make a decision that you're going to love it. If you do, I promise you will. The deeper you dig into this book the more you'll get out of it, don't just skim it, enjoy every word - and that includes the footnotes too!