Marsha Lynn
30th April 2006, 09:05 PM (21:05)
OK, I've talked about reviewing this book long enough. It's time to do it. However, it's not an easy book to review. Even the subtitle will give you a clue as to why.
The complete title is: A Generous Orthodoxy: Why I Am a missional + evangelical + post/protestant + liberal/conservative + mystical/poetic + biblical + charismatic/contemplative + fundamentalist/calvinist + anabaptist/anglican + methodist + catholic + green + incarnational + depressed-yet-hopeful + emergent + unfinished Christian Obviously, this is not a book easily categorized and summarized.
A couple of the buzzwords of our postmodern age are "tolerance" and "diversity". Sometimes this manifests itself in terms of saying that Christianity is not necessarily the only path to God - that everyone has to find their own path and different religions all have something to contribute to our spiritual conversation. Perhaps it's less frequently that we encounter the mindset that says one particular branch of Christianity does not have a corner on the truth, that every denomination/doctrine/tradition/methodology/movement that falls within the realm of Christian orthodoxy has something to contribute to our total understanding of what it means to be a Christian in the 21st century. McLaren mines the positive contribution of many traditions in this book to formulate an orthodoxy that has room for diverse voices. It's an orthodoxy of inclusion rather than exclusion.
G. K. Chesterton published the original book called Orthodoxy in 1908 and McLaren includes many quotes from that book in this one as he explores the Christian faith.
McLaren obviously enjoys wordsmithing and isn't afraid to have fun while doing it, which is one of the reasons I enjoy reading what he writes. However, I also appreciate that he says gives voice to where my own path has led me in combining with my Christian faith an appreciation for diversity and for the freedom to think.
I'll include one quote from the disclaimer of "Chapter 0" as a sample of the tone of this book:
Scandalously, the generous orthodoxy you will explore (if you proceed) goes too far, many will say, in the direction of humility, charity, courage, and diligence: humility that allows us to admit that our past and current formulations may have been limited or distorted. Charity toward those of other traditions who may understand some things better than our group -- even though we are more conscious of what we think we understand better. Courage to be faithful to the true path of our faith as we understand it even when it is unpopular, dangerous, and difficult to do so. Diligence to seek again and again the true path of our faith whenever we feel we have lost our way, which seems to be pretty often. While I see this practice as a way of seeking and cherishing truth, some will interpret this approach as an abandonment of truth, doctrine, theology, etc. You are free to be among them.
The complete title is: A Generous Orthodoxy: Why I Am a missional + evangelical + post/protestant + liberal/conservative + mystical/poetic + biblical + charismatic/contemplative + fundamentalist/calvinist + anabaptist/anglican + methodist + catholic + green + incarnational + depressed-yet-hopeful + emergent + unfinished Christian Obviously, this is not a book easily categorized and summarized.
A couple of the buzzwords of our postmodern age are "tolerance" and "diversity". Sometimes this manifests itself in terms of saying that Christianity is not necessarily the only path to God - that everyone has to find their own path and different religions all have something to contribute to our spiritual conversation. Perhaps it's less frequently that we encounter the mindset that says one particular branch of Christianity does not have a corner on the truth, that every denomination/doctrine/tradition/methodology/movement that falls within the realm of Christian orthodoxy has something to contribute to our total understanding of what it means to be a Christian in the 21st century. McLaren mines the positive contribution of many traditions in this book to formulate an orthodoxy that has room for diverse voices. It's an orthodoxy of inclusion rather than exclusion.
G. K. Chesterton published the original book called Orthodoxy in 1908 and McLaren includes many quotes from that book in this one as he explores the Christian faith.
McLaren obviously enjoys wordsmithing and isn't afraid to have fun while doing it, which is one of the reasons I enjoy reading what he writes. However, I also appreciate that he says gives voice to where my own path has led me in combining with my Christian faith an appreciation for diversity and for the freedom to think.
I'll include one quote from the disclaimer of "Chapter 0" as a sample of the tone of this book:
Scandalously, the generous orthodoxy you will explore (if you proceed) goes too far, many will say, in the direction of humility, charity, courage, and diligence: humility that allows us to admit that our past and current formulations may have been limited or distorted. Charity toward those of other traditions who may understand some things better than our group -- even though we are more conscious of what we think we understand better. Courage to be faithful to the true path of our faith as we understand it even when it is unpopular, dangerous, and difficult to do so. Diligence to seek again and again the true path of our faith whenever we feel we have lost our way, which seems to be pretty often. While I see this practice as a way of seeking and cherishing truth, some will interpret this approach as an abandonment of truth, doctrine, theology, etc. You are free to be among them.