Customer Reviews
Everything literally means everything! - By: Shawn Badger Burns, 16 May 2008 
I like the questions that McLaren asks, I just dislike his unwillingness to find answers. Nothing is sacred in this book & in a way it is always good to question everything that we see & hear to better understand & compute big concepts.
The biggest idea that McLaren tackles is the cross of Christ & he redefines [rather unhelpfully] the purpose of the cross. It is in his stated opinion that Jesus took that message to the cross, an instrument of torture & cruelty that He used "to expose the cruelty & injustice of those in power & instill hope & confidence in the oppressed." [page 122 - 123].
When in reality it is so much more than this. The Christian understanding of the cross is that we are sinners who can't pay the fine imposed upon us by God. That the cross is a legal transaction between Christ & God to pay the fine I can't afford to give me the grace that I don't deserve.
Brian's redefinition of this key doctrine is a huge butchering & over - complication of what is an essentiallly easy to grasp & fundamentallly foundational idea of Christianity. Christ died for my sins & rose again that I might not face the wrath of God but be accepted by God & gain a place in heaven. In short, this book either displays extreme naivete in Brian of this very basic doctrine or borders very dangerously on the edges of heresy. You decide.
a body of work - By: Philip P. Ascroft, 30 Dec 2007 
The first McLaren book I read was 'The New Kind of Christian' which is very good!! It was the book that attracted me to his work & his style of writing. In this book McLaren voices further thought on the Christian life in contemporary society; a critique of western values set against the back drop of Jesus' life & values. I always see McLaren's writings as a body of work which probes & asks questions about how Christianity works & even deeper philosophical ideas which do make people entrenched in organised religion such Christianity frustrated or angry. My message to anyone intersted in this book it READ IT...McLaren is one of the only guys out there I can find who is asking deeper quesitons of Christianity science & philosophy, its great to read alll his stuff, sure I don't agree with it alll, but that precisely the point, the new kind of Christian doesn't have to, the message is that Jesus finds us where we are & takes us from there. Christians in the postmodern may have different walks with Christ or very similar, it is Jesus' hope that propones change & a pradigm shift in the Christian outlook is what McLaren is driving at.
A brilliant deconstruction of consumer led society - By: P. Scott, 28 Dec 2007 I was inspired & challlenged by this book, which goes well beyond other McLaran books I have read in offering a trenchant critique of modern western values & an outline of what a Jesus centred alternative would look like. I can thoroughly recommend it.
An evening class with McLaren - By: Matt Wilson, 26 Dec 2007 
This is the third Brian McLaren book I've read. I thought 'A Generous Orthodoxy' was absolutely superb. Conversely 'A New Kind of Christian' turned me right off. So knowing what McLaren is capable of, both good & bad, this book would tip the scales one way or the other. Verdict? Its a mixed bag. It feels a bit like attending an evening class in 'Jesus & The World Today' delivered by a tutor who is generallly enthusiastic, at times prone to rambling anecdotes or detours into obscure technicalities but with frequent golden nugget of brilliance that keep you wanting more.
