Brian & Spencer’s Excellent Adventure

I started reading Brian McLaren about eight years ago. I was drawn in by his probing, unconventional, and sometimes-controversial questions about Christian faith and practice – his, ours, everyone’s. Reading Brian morphed into friendship with Brian, and today I’d say he’s one of the top half-dozen living people who’ve had the greatest impact on my faith and life. I wasn’t alone in finding his work compelling: Many people worldwide were asking similar questions; the conversations and action that followed have created conversations and (arguably) movements. From The Church On The Other Side and his New Kind of Christian novel trilogy, to A Generous Orthodoxy and Everything Must Change, Brian has been on a journey to re-envision what it means to faithfully follow Jesus in the 21st century. For many of us in emerging, missional, and ‘progressive’ faith circles, Brian needs no introduction – and in some ways, that’s a problem, isn’t it? Presumed familiarity can sometimes breed narrative contempt, especially in our world of high-profile authors who basically rewrite the same book over and over again. But I can honestly say that, in light of Brian’s back-catalog, this book breaks some new ground and is written with fresh candor and synthesis. That’s why I’m so happy with this ten-minute video of Brian and Spencer Burke, driving around Santa Monica and discussing where they’re at with faith and life these days.  I hear a wiser, more no-nonsense McLaren who’s grown more comfortable in his own skin, more comfortable as a voice and statesman for a new generation of Christianity coming of age in the 21st century. What hear ye?

Brian isn’t finished questing and questioning. Whether you love his work or it makes you nervous, whether you’ve read his every book or have lost track with him these past few years, his latest offering is his most important and striking to date: A New Kind of Christianity. In it, Brian asks ten questions that attempt to integrate our inner lives with our outward actions, to align our beliefs with how we live in increasingly interconnected global community. Questions like

  • The Narrative Question: What Is the Overarching Storyline of the Bible?
  • The Authority Question: How Should the Bible Be Understood?
  • The God Question: Is God Violent?
  • The Jesus Question: Who is Jesus and Why is He Important?
  • The Gospel Question: What Is the Gospel?
  • The Church Question: What Do We Do About the Church?
  • The Sex Question: Can We Find a Way to Address Sexuality Without Fighting About It?
  • The Future Question: Can We Find a Better Way of View the Future?
  • The Pluralism Question: How Should Followers of Jesus Relate to People of Other Religions?
  • The What Do We Do Now Question: How Can We Translate Our Quest into Action?

We at TheOOZE are teaming up with Brian to bring these questions into your churches, coffee shops, pubs and living rooms. In addition to the Think:FWD episode here (go here for show notes BTW), we’re going to be launching an entire Brian McLaren channel devoted to exploring these questions starting in February. Stay tuned!

Want more links?

4 Responses to Brian & Spencer’s Excellent Adventure

  1. Julie Ferwerda January 20, 2010 at 10:04 pm #

    Mike,

    Sorry to post here but I couldn’t find any other contact info.

    Last year I participated with you on a blog tour for Frank Viola’s “Eternity To Here.” This year, it’s my turn for holding a blog tour.

    One Million Arrows: Raising Your Children to Change the World is a newly released inspirational and visionary book for Christian parents. Through moving testimonies of young people and families worldwide who are making significant impact, OMA shows parents what’s possible when they disciple their children and use their family’s God-given talents and resources to engage in the Great Commission.

    What’s in it for you?

    • A highly inspirational book recommended and endorsed by some of America’s top spiritual leaders such as Josh McDowell, Franklin Graham, Dennis Rainey, Ron Luce, Thelma Wells, and many others.
    • The chance to help promote sales of a book where 100% of profits benefit orphans, including orphans in Haiti (we are personally vested in orphan work there)!
    • A GREAT GIVE-AWAY with gift certificates from Amazon, free books, and paper bead necklaces from Uganda from one of our featured “arrow” orphans.
    • The chance to encourage your readers with a great message for raising world-changers!

    If you would like to participate, please reply asap and I’ll send your free review copy. The blog tour is scheduled for the week of March 1 (whenever convenient for you) and I have made participation super easy—everything you need to post is provided at: http://onemillionarrows.com/The-Book/Blog-Tour/. By following this link, you can also find all the details, including the current list of more than 30 successful bloggers already signed up for this tour, the list of prizes, and complete instructions.

    To see a recent review go to Christian Book Notes: http://christianbooknotes.com/2010/one-million-arrows-by-julie-ferwerda/

    Thanks so much for your consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.

    Julie Ferwerda
    info@onemillionarrows.com

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. A New Kind of Christianity – Book Wish List « Christianity – the New Covenant - January 21, 2010

    […] zoecarnate […]

  2. On the McLaren Nay-sayers « zoecarnate - February 11, 2010

    […] Quaker, sadness, Seth Godin It’s a new year; A New Kind of Christianity is out. I highly recommend it; it’s a fantastically thought-provoking book. Not everyone would agree, though – which […]

  3. The Excellency of Christ in ‘A New Kind of Christianity’ « zoecarnate - February 12, 2010

    […] I’ve noted here and here, I think that many readers will find in ANKoC the seeds of a wiser, more loving approach […]

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.