The past fifteen years have found me becoming more and more uncomfortable in the presence of those preaching or espousing a traditional Christian theology. I get down right squirmy, followed by a churning knot in the pit of my stomach. I haven't always been able to articulate why.
McLaren's book is one of several I have read in recent years that have helped clarify what I seemed to be growing into instinctively. Something about the "gospel" I was taught just doesn't seem like good news. Previous books I've read and reviewed (If Grace Is True by Gulley and Mulholland, and more recently, Thank God for Evolution, by Michael Dowd) move in a similar direction, though perhaps with broader language and metaphors.
McLaren stays closer to traditional Christian language. What he adds that was helpful for me was the exposure of the Greco-Roman paradigm which has shaped and distorted both the Hebrew image of God and the role and message of Jesus. His metaphor of Bible as Constitution or Bible as library was also helpful.
At this point in my journey, I can only embrace a spirituality that is willing to explore and practice faith in the manner of McLaren.
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2 comments:
Great review for A New Kind of Christianity. You might also be interested in Putting Away Childish Things, a teaching novel by Marcus Borg. Contact me if you'd like a review copy.
Sounds interesting. What is involved?
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