A New Kind of Christianity: Ten Questions That Are Transforming the Faith

by McLaren, Brian D.

• ISBN13: 9780061853999
• ISBN10: 0061853992
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-02-01
• Publisher: Harperone

Summary

We are in the midst of a paradigm shift in the church. Not since the Reformation five centuries ago have so many Christians come together to ask whether the church is in sync with their deepest beliefs and commitments. These believers range from evangelicals to mainline Protestants to Catholics, and the person who best represents them is author and pastor Brian McLaren.

In this much anticipated book, McLaren examines ten questions facing today's church—questions about how to articulate the faith itself, the nature of its authority, who God is, whether we have to understand Jesus through only an ancient Greco-Roman lens, what exactly the good news is that the gospel proclaims, how we understand the church and all its varieties, why we are so preoccupied with sex, how we should think of the future and people from other faiths, and the most intimidating question of all: what do we do next? Here you will find a provocative and enticing introduction to the Christian faith of tomorrow.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. xi
Between Something Real and Something Wrong	p. 1
The Quest and the Questions	p. 14
A Prayer on the Beach	p. 24
Unlocking and Opening
The Narrative Question
What Is the Overarching Story Line of the Bible?	p. 33
Setting the Stage for the Biblical Narrative	p. 46
The Biblical Narrative in Three Dimensions	p. 55
The Authority Question
How Should the Bible Be Understood?	p. 67
From Legal Constitution to Community Library	p. 78
Revelation Through Conversation	p. 87
The God Question
Is God Violent?	p. 98
From a Violent Tribal God to a Christlike God	p. 108
The Jesus Question
Who Is Jesus and Why Is He Important?	p. 119
Jesus Outside the Lines	p. 127
The Gospel Question
What Is the Gospel?	p. 137
Jesus and the Kingdom of God	p. 147
Emerging and Exploring
The Church Question
What Do We Do About the Church?	p. 161
The Sex Question
Can We Find a Way to Address Human Sexuality Without Fighting About It?	p. 173
The Future Question
Can We Find a Better Way of Viewing the Future?	p. 191
The Pluralism Question
How Should Followers of Jesus Relate to People of Other Religions?	p. 207
The What-Do-We-Do-Now Question
How Can We Translate Our Quest into Action?	p. 225
Living the Questions in Community	p. 242
Conclusion: A New Kind of Christianity	p. 252
Notes	p. 261
Index	p. 299
Reading and Discussion Guide	p. 307
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