Brian McLaren’s tenth and final question in his book A New Kind of Christianity asks ‘how we can translate our quest into action?’ He acknowledges that many will reject the quest but asks that we take Gamaliel’s view into consideration – if the quest is of God then it will flourish, if not then it will wither and die (Acts 5:36ff). Much of this chapter contains practical advice for people who share some of the same questions – especially people who find themselves in the midst of those aren’t.

With God on a quest

While acknowledging that his questions have partly arisen from an intellectual curiosity he also says that they have been bathed in much prayer and reflection. That is, he believes that God is in the quest somewhere. He also believes that the journey has a long history and has many saints who could act as our guides. Many are entering the quest out of desire for honesty in the face of some tough questions and are dissatisfied with the answers offered by more conservative minded theologians. But he cautions all who embark on the journey to be aware of the danger of criticising all that has gone before them and putting themselves as the new defenders of truth. We should, instead, see the past as the rungs of a ladder without which we would not have reached where we have come.

Negative responses

He also acknowledges that for many the journey is far from easy as the old ways are left behind. To such people he says, ‘Understand how hard this process is, and provide yourself with the kind of care you would want for a friend so engaged’. In undertaking the journey many will be faced with strong, negative reactions. In such circumstances it is important to respond well without bitterness and anger. Part of the problem lies in the fact that the negative responses stem from ‘inherited paradigms’ which cannot be outflanked but must ‘confronted, questioned and opened up’.

Unsatisfying answers

This is what McLaren does in this volume, of course, and this is what he encourages us to do. ‘It is time to reinvigorate the dialogue by having many of us come out of our closets and admit we have been asking these and other important questions in secret. We must stop being ashamed of our questions, and we must stop pretending to be content with unsatisfying answers … We must let our questions be the picks and shovels of a Spirit-inspired jailbreak.’

Not all the answers McLaren proposes have been satisfying in my opinion – though I haven’t been supplying a commentary or critique on his ideas. But his willingness to face the questions with honest inquiry is indeed very refreshing. It is a book that I can heartily recommend. I have been inspired by much of its content and want to follow up many of the trails he has opened. In that respect this book is certainly worth reading.

Brian McLaren, A New Kind of Christianity (London, 2010).


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