Synopses & Reviews
For all those who are burned out on church or who want to be spiritual without being "religious," A New Kind of Christian offers a tale of spiritual renewal that both instructs and inspires. After many years as a church planter and pastor, author Brian McLaren has found-as more and more Christians are finding-that neither the conservative evangelical nor the liberal mainline stream of Christianity fully expresses his own developing faith. McLaren's engaging story gives voice to this emerging understanding of what it can mean to be a Christian in these dynamic times, offering a constructive vision of what a postmodern Christian might look like. A New Kind of Christian recounts a lively and intimate conversation between a pastor and his daughter's high school science teacher, in which they reflect together about faith, doubt, reason, mission, leadership, and spiritual practice in the emerging postmodern world. The pastor is forced to grapple with the deeper source of his dissatisfaction with Christianity as he has understood, practiced, and taught it -his reluctance to let go of the "modern model" of Christianity. Ultimately, he comes to understand that beyond the constricted categories, cliched rhetoric, and rigid mechanisms of modern Christianity lies a new possibility: a revitalized and vibrant faith that explores and expresses the teachings and mission of Jesus in a fresh, engaging way for third-millennium people.The author reminds us that this is but the beginning of the journey, and "whatever a new kind of Christian is, no one is one yet. . . . But every transformation has to start somewhere." For all who are searching for a deeper life with God and a more honest statement of authentic Christian faith, A New Kind of Christian will open the way for an exciting spiritual adventure into new territory and new ways of believing, belonging, and becoming.Brian McLaren is the founding pastor of Cedar Ridge Community Church in the Washington-Baltimore area and the author of two previous books on contemporary Christianity, including The Church on the Other Side: Doing Ministry in the Postmodern Matrix (2000).
Review
"Finally, an approach to Christianity that walks its walk by presenting Jesus' message of unconditional love in an open and non-threatening way. A New Kind of Christian offers tremendous tools for breaking down walls built fromprevious experiences with judgmental and fear-based religion." —Kim Corbin, Skipping activist and founder of iskip.com
Review
This is a milestone in interfaith relations -- a warm hand reaching out to other men and women in this Abrahamic family of faiths. (http://www.readthespirit.com/explore/2008/06/187-conversatio.html)
Synopsis
A Leadership Network PublicationA New Kind of Christian's conversation between a pastor and his daughter's high school science teacher reveals that wisdom for life's most pressing spiritual questions can come from the most unlikely sources. This stirring fable captures a new spirit of Christianity--where personal, daily interaction with God is more important than institutional church structures, where faith is more about a way of life than a system of belief, where being authentically good is more important than being doctrinally "right," and where one's direction is more important than one's present location. Brian McLaren's delightful account offers a wise and wondrous approach for revitalizing Christian spiritual life and Christian congregations.
If you are interested in joining a discussion group devoted to a A New Kind of Christian please visit groups.yahoo.com/group/NKOC.
Synopsis
A successful pastor has found that neither the conservative evangelical nor the liberal mainline stream of Christianity describes his own developing faith. This work gives voice to this emerging understanding of what it means to be a Christian in confusing times.
Synopsis
A New Kind of Christian
Book One in The New Kind of Christian Trilogy
The first installment of Brian McLaren's trilogy recounts a lively and intimate conversation between fictional characters Pastor Dan Poole and his daughter's high school science teacher, Neil Oliver. They reflect together about faith, doubt, reason, mission, leadership, and spiritual practice in the emerging postmodern world. A New Kind of Christian offers a tale of hope and spiritual renewal for those who thought they had to give up on faith, God, and church.
"A New Kind of Christian is a landmark in twenty-first century Christianity. This book has and will continue to provoke conversation, debate, even conversion. McLaren charts a new course for the faith. In short, he is a prophet, and this is a prophetic text."
Tony Jones, author, The New Christians: Dispatches from the Emergent Frontier
About the Author
The Author
Brian D. McLaren is a speaker, author, activist, and networker exploring the intersection of Christian faith and contemporary life. He has written or co-written over a dozen books, including A Generous Orthodoxy, The Secret Message of Jesus, and Everything Must Change. For twenty-four years, he served as the founding pastor of Cedar Ridge Community Church in the Washington-Baltimore area. He was named by Time magazine as one of America's twenty-five most influential Evangelicals. He is a founding member of emergentvillage.com. See www.brianmclaren.net. .
About Leadership Network
The mission of Leadership Network is to identify and connect innovative church leaders and provide them with resources in the form of new ideas, people, and tools. Contact Leadership Network at www.leadnet.org.
Table of Contents
Preface to the Paperback Edition.
Acknowledgments.
Introduction: The True Story Behind This Story.
1. Sometime the Peacock Wish to Be the Seagull.
2. Entering That Awkward Age, or Does Jonah Eat Bagels?
3. Dan Discovers Where the Cross Meets the Dream Catcher.
4. What a Difference a Worldview Makes.
5. Neo Worries About Keeping Up with Jesus.
6. Hot Words About Biblical Interpretation.
7. Letting the Bible Read Us.
8. Yeah, But What About the Other Guys?
9. Redeeming Our Culture over Dinner.
10. C. S. Lewis in the Pulpit, or What Is Heaven About Anyway?
11. Getting Beyond Righteousness.
12. French Fries and the Kingdom of God.
13. Spiritual Practices: Secret and Shared.
14. It’s None of Your Business Who Goes to Hell.
15. Beginning the Journey into Terra Nova.
16. Notes on Church Leadership from One Certified Nobody to Another.
Afterword.
Notes.
About Leadership Network.
Leadership Network Titles.
The Author.