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    A Generous Orthodoxy: Why I am a missional, evangelical, post/protestant, liberal/conservative, biblical, charismatic/contemplative, fundamentalist/calvinist, anabaptist/anglican, incarnational, depressed-yet-hopeful, emergent, unfinished Christian
    A Generous Orthodoxy: Why I am a missional, evangelical, post/protestant, liberal/conservative, biblical, charismatic/contemplative, fundamentalist/calvinist, anabaptist/anglican, incarnational, depressed-yet-hopeful, emergent, unfinished Christian
    A Generous Orthodoxy: Why I am a missional, evangelical, post/protestant, liberal/conservative, biblical, charismatic/contemplative, fundamentalist/calvinist, anabaptist/anglican, incarnational, depressed-yet-hopeful, emergent, unfinished Christian
    Audiobook (abridged)3 hours

    A Generous Orthodoxy: Why I am a missional, evangelical, post/protestant, liberal/conservative, biblical, charismatic/contemplative, fundamentalist/calvinist, anabaptist/anglican, incarnational, depressed-yet-hopeful, emergent, unfinished Christian

    Written by Brian D. McLaren

    Narrated by Brian D. McLaren

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    A confession and manifesto from a senior leader in the emerging church movement. A Generous Orthodoxy calls for a radical, Christ-centered orthodoxy of faith and practice in a missional, generous spirit. Brian McLaren argues for a post-liberal, post-conservative, post-protestant convergence, which will stimulate lively interest and global conversation among thoughtful Christians from all traditions.In a sweeping exploration of belief, author Brian McLaren takes us across the landscape of faith, envisioning an orthodoxy that aims for Jesus, is driven by love, and is defined by missional intent. A Generous Orthodoxy rediscovers the mysterious and compelling ways that Jesus can be embraced across the entire Christian horizon. Rather than establishing what is and is not “orthodox,” McLaren walks through the many traditions of faith, bringing to the center a way of life that draws us closer to Christ and to each other. Whether you find yourself inside, outside, or somewhere on the fringe of Christianity, A Generous Orthodoxy draws you toward a way of living that looks beyond the “us/them” paradigm to the blessed and ancient paradox of “we.”
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherZondervan
    Release dateFeb 7, 2006
    ISBN9780310269250
    A Generous Orthodoxy: Why I am a missional, evangelical, post/protestant, liberal/conservative, biblical, charismatic/contemplative, fundamentalist/calvinist, anabaptist/anglican, incarnational, depressed-yet-hopeful, emergent, unfinished Christian
    Author

    Brian D. McLaren

    Brian D. McLaren (MA, University of Maryland) is an author, speaker, activist and public theologian. After teaching college English, Brian pastored Cedar Ridge Community Church in the Baltimore-Washington, DC area. Brain has been active in networking and mentoring church planters and pastors for over 20 years. He is a popular conference speaker and a frequent guest lecturer for denominational and ecumenical leadership gatherings in the US and internationally.

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    Reviews for A Generous Orthodoxy

    3.5/5

    343 ratings19 reviews

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    • 5/5
      This is a very helpful book, he seems to be reacting to many of the difficulties we feel with Christian belief at the beginning of the 21st century. He starts by describing how he has benefited from various different brands of Christianity he has been involved with, but more usefully he then reports on the way the contrasting views show up each others deficiencies. One underlying and contentious idea is that the faith is not static but does change as history goes on. The priorities of TULIP give way to the five principles of the fundamentalists. The "unchanging gospel" is not as stable as we thought.He warns us about the dangers and misunderstandings that can results from the way we use some words, judge, father, king, about God.He reckons our main enemy is the reductionist ideology of modernism, no doubt that's why he is so accepting of post-modernism! By the end of the book he has almost abandoned cross cultural evangelism, or at least he would repudiate any pushy, forceful version of the gospel.I think his version of the gospel appears a bit feeble - Gods love to us and to all of creation- but there is an awful lot to be learned for the modern church in this book.
    • 5/5
      I resisted reading this for a while as it looked rather 'heavy'...but having read McLaren's pseudo-fiction trilogy, I was interested enough to try it. Well worth reading, in my view. It starts with an overview of the author's journey in faith, from flannelgraph pictures at Sunday School through teenage doubts, the 'Jesus movement', through different views of Jesus, beginning with the Conservative Evangelical one, and moving outward, to embrace more and more viewpoints, before considering the idea of a 'generous' orthodoxy, open to all, encompassing much.

      After outlining his impressions and experiences with different flavours of Christianity, McLaren then outlines why he considers himself to be missional, Biblical, Contemplative, and so on, including his understanding of more controversial terms such as Calvinist, Charismatic, and even Liberal/Conservative. It's all good stuff, based on solid Biblical foundations, infused with the wisdom of tradition and a great deal of rational thinking. Wisely, he does not touch on current 'issues' over which the church is sadly divided, but emphasises instead the message of Jesus, and the importance of demonstrating God's love to the world, seeing the Kingdom of Heaven as now, rather than simply trying to focus on eternity as so many seem to.

      There's a lot of wisdom in this book, and a great deal to think about. Definitely recommended, particularly for those who have already written off McLaren due to his sometimes controversial actions (albeit based on love).
    • 4/5
      I won't deny that I am a fan, so to speak, of Brian McLaren, that I constantly find him refreshing, offering fresh perspectives that I thoroughly enjoy time after time, especially since I, myself, tend to not believe in the more literal, doctrinal, typical representations of Christianity. So I really do enjoy the way he explains concepts and terms in a way that I find much more relate-able for those of us who do understand the message of Jesus differently.The approach of this book, as we are told on page 22, "seeks to find a way to embrace the good in many traditions and historic streams of Christian faith, and to integrate them, yielding a new, generous, emergent approach that is greater than the sum of its parts." Starting with a chapter focused on an overview of the seven main examples of Jesus the author has encountered, the Conservative Protestant, Pentecostal/Charismatic, Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Liberal Protestant, Anabaptist, and Jesus of the Oppressed representations, the book then goes on to look at different ideas when it comes to concepts such as "Son of God," what we mean when we call Jesus "Lord/Master," and what we mean when we speak of the idea of salvation or being saved, before going on in Part Two to the different kinds of Christianity (Missional, evangelical, Post/Protestant, Liberal/Conservative, Mystical/Poetic, Biblical, Charismatic/Contemplative, Fundamentalist/Calvinist, (Ana)baptist/Angelican, Methodist, catholic, Green, Incarnational, Depressed-Yet-Hopeful, Emergent, and Unfinished), explaining in each chapter what aspects of each strain of Christianity resonates with him and which parts perhaps could be improved upon, looking into the different histories and doctrinal distinctives of each, continuing to offer throughout his refreshing perspective and understanding.I do understand that the intended audience, as we are told, are those in the fray, so to speak, those "who are about to leave (or have just left) the whole business because of the kinds of issues I raise in this book" as well as those who may be "spiritual seekers who are attracted to Jesus, but they don't feel there is room for them in what is commonly called Christianity unless they swallow a lot of additional stuff" (page 44), but I do think that this is a book (as are so many of his others) that offers ideas and perceptions that would benefit any Christian open enough to discussion and new ideas, and any non-Christian open to seeing Christianity through a different kind of lens, regardless of what one ultimately concludes upon completing the book. I really did enjoy the glimpses into the various traditions of faith, and I love his explanations of what a generous orthodoxy is/entails:"To be a Christian in a generously orthodox way is not to claim to have the truth captured, stuffed, and mounted on the wall. It is rather to be in a loving (ethical) community of people who are seeking the truth (doctrine) on the road of missions (witness, as McClendon said), who have been launched on the quest by Jesus, who, with us, guides us still. Do we have it? Have we taken hold of it? Not fully, not yet, of course not. But we keep seeking. We're finding enough to keep us going. But we're not finished. That, to me, is orthodoxy - a way of seeing and seeking, a way of living, a way of thinking and loving and learning that helps what we believe become more true over time, more resonant with the infinite glory that is God."(pages 333-334)And:"So perhaps orthodoxy will mean not merely correct conclusions but right processes to keep on reaching new and better conclusions, not just correct ends but right means and attitudes to keep on discovering them, not just straight answers but a straight path to the next question that will keep on leading to better answers. This kind of orthodoxy will welcome others into the passionate pursuit of truth, not exclude them for failing to posses it already."(page 335)I must say that though I have always strongly considered myself to be unorthodox, I could gladly find myself embracing this kind of orthodoxy. :)
    • 4/5
      In this classic of the Emergent Church pantheon, Brian McLaren presents his famous analysis of the Seven figures of Jesus which he has known: Conservative/Protestant, Pentecostal/Charismatic, Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Liberal Protestant, Anabaptist, and Jesus of the Oppressed.With two Forewords, one by Phyllis Tickle, and one by John Franke. No Index.
    • 4/5
      I knew going into this that McLaren has been pegged with a lot of red flags. The bad publicity alone piqued my curiosity and therefore I wanted to see for myself what the issues were. From my perspective there wasn't any glaring unorthodox views that has caused me to toss the book aside or label McLaren a heretic as so many have done. I have agreed in most part with McLaren's views about salvation. I also like how McLaren draws on the strengths and weaknesses of all the different traditions of the Christian faith and encourages us to come together on our strengths rather than part ways on our weaknesses. I was struck by his assessment regarding the hermeneutics of Scripture. We have an inerrant and infallible Scripture, but we have errant and fallible men who interpret them. Therefore, nobody can lay claim on the proper interpretation of Scripture. I also liked how McLaren expanded upon Calvin's acronym of TULIP. He didn't replace it or redefine it, but interpreted it in such a way that becomes more generous rather than exclusive. A few things I disagreed with McLaren on was some of his church history. It seemed his history of the Anabaptists and Reformed traditions were a bit off on some points. I was taken a bit back about his incessant apologies for the masculine use of God throughout the book. Why the apology when Scripture alone utilizes the masculine pronouns? Furthermore, McLaren devoted an entire chapter to being "green" which I take issue with. Sure, let's be good stewards of the earth, but let's not allow our stewardship of earth and nature take precedence over our care for people. Chopping down a few trees so people without homes can now have a place to live doesn't make me any less generous or compassionate than someone who nurtures our earth's resources. McLaren lost me when I got to the "Why I Am Emergent" chapter. A lot of new jargon I did not understand, but some of which I did. Even though he was trying not to sound pluralistic, he really is. Personally, I find nothing wrong with being pluralistic in our theological beliefs. It is my hope that most Christians are pluralistic, primarily in their distinctives and secondary issues. Although I thoroughly enjoyed the book, I was somewhat disappointed with the fact that McLaren spent most of the time describing what a generous orthodoxy is not, but little time on what it is. It seems only the last and final chapter was dedicated to defining this generous orthodoxy. And perhaps the best definition I found is this:"To be a Christian in a generously orthodox way is not to claim to have truth captured, stuffed, and mounted on the wall. It is rather to be in a loving community of people who are seeking the truth on the road of mission and who have been launched on the quest by Jesus, who, with us, guides us still." (page 333).
    • 1/5
      McLaren really made his course clear here: headed down the lane of pluralism and an abandonment of Biblical authority. So why two stars? Because his opening picture of the different Jesuses he sees in the different streams of Christianity was very good.
    • 5/5
      This is a very helpful book, he seems to be reacting to many of the difficulties we feel with Christian belief at the beginning of the 21st century. He starts by describing how he has benefited from various different brands of Christianity he has been involved with, but more usefully he then reports on the way the contrasting views show up each others deficiencies. One underlying and contentious idea is that the faith is not static but does change as history goes on. The priorities of TULIP give way to the five principles of the fundamentalists. The "unchanging gospel" is not as stable as we thought.He warns us about the dangers and misunderstandings that can results from the way we use some words, judge, father, king, about God.He reckons our main enemy is the reductionist ideology of modernism, no doubt that's why he is so accepting of post-modernism! By the end of the book he has almost abandoned cross cultural evangelism, or at least he would repudiate any pushy, forceful version of the gospel.I think his version of the gospel appears a bit feeble - Gods love to us and to all of creation- but there is an awful lot to be learned for the modern church in this book.
    • 2/5
      I might have given this a better review the first time I read it. I love McLaren's desire to question the status quo. But, like many questioners, he erodes many foundations with his inquiries and replaces them with absolutely nothing. This isn't entirely a criticism; deconstruction is the first step for any important movement. But in hindsight it seems like the Emergent movement was all about deconstruction and didn't really provide an alternative. That said, I found myself often highlighting and writing the word, "YES" boldly in the margins. I appreciate McLaren but a good chef doesn't just bad mouth the food of others, he provides an alternative dish.
    • 4/5
      "McLaren is a self-described follower of Jesus Christ. In his book he journeys through many of today’s Christian churches. He is both frustrated and hopeful in what he sees. He is both free with praise and criticism. However, foundational to it all is his commitment to the unity he sees that we should and must exhibit as true followers of Christ. He might make you angry but my guess is he will always extend his hand in fellowship and genuine love. If your frustrated with many of your experiences in church but needing encouragement in your spiritual life this is a good book to read.Make no mistake; McLaren is one who states his belief in Jesus Christ as Savior. However, he quickly moves to that of Lordship and what he believes that should look like. Much of what he argues for is for Christians to acknowledge the distinctive and wonderful gifts that each tradition brings to the table. This is very important and sadly lacking in Christians today as we present ourselves to an unbelieving world.McLaren is very much left of center in his politics. He claims not to be all that nice of a person. However, he believes that Christ is in the business of changing him and also requiring that he become nicer. He is a genuine proponent of a mature, vigorous and at times somewhat naive unity in Christ; a unity that is much deeper than doctrinal agreement, a unity that lifts up Jesus Christ while showing deference and the need to keep as a goal our requirement for a personal position of humility.McLaren is not an Erasmus, Chesterton, or Lewis, but he does get it right on how we on a personal level should genuinely treat one another. If you don’t get that right as a Christian you just don’t get it."
    • 3/5
      The title being based from G. K. Chesterton's classic Orthodoxy, McLaren in this work writes in a series of short chapters what he finds appealing in each Christian tradition. I think it gets to be a bit fluffy and that McLaren knows very little about many of these traditions and may actually stand in some opposition to them if he were more knowledgeable, but I really enjoyed the thesis and attempt.
    • 5/5
      One of the forwards suggests that this book could be the equivalent of Luther's 95-point theses for the emerging church. I'm not qualified to comment on that, but its a provocative starting point for a provocative book. For those of us who feel that the organized church has polarized into two unbalanced entities, picking and choosing limited parts of the good news of Jesus Christ, this book offers a middle path. You are never sure the extent to which McLaren emphasizes to make a point, but I urge readers to have an open mind.
    • 5/5
      This book summarizes and expounds on every major movement in the Christian faith, up to and including the Emergent movement, and goes into what we can learn from them, both good and bad. Recommended for anyone wanting to learn more about the breadth and diversity of Christian spirituality.
    • 1/5
      A book that has the potential to do untold damage to orthodox Christianity.
    • 5/5
      A very helpful example of employing both continuity and change as we allow the Spirit to lead us somewhere genuinely new, while still relying heavily upon the faithfulness of our traditions.
    • 2/5
      A basic introduction to the Emergent church. Interesting ideas, thought-provoking. However, like the Emergent Church movement, it lacks clear theology, depending rather on warm fuzzies of can't we all just get along?
    • 5/5
      We need this voice in this messy body we call the body of Christ(catholic church). In this book, he speaks of the different denominations/ideologies involved within Christianity and speaks to how each one is very important and has it's place within faith. The uniqueness of these different groups is beautiful in that it allows us to see the many facets that encompass faith. Surely embracing each other's differences and appreciating them is the start to a reconciliation that is so necessary for us to truly be effective and live up to what Jesus had in mind.
    • 5/5
      McLaren examines orthodox Christianity and shatters the myths of it being exclusive and judging. He repositions the good news of Jesus of Nazareth in such a way that the Kingdom of God appears as a welcoming place, not as one that has its doors locked tight.
    • 4/5
      Seeking to move beyond denominational distinctives, McLaren asks what is valuable in particular Christian traditions. Chapter 1, “The Seven Jesuses I have known,” highlights this approach by speaking to the different emphases of traditions McLaren has experienced. The following chapters offer a smorgasbord of Christian values, as seen in unique, sometimes seemingly contradictory, traditions. McLaren’s work values paradox and charity, but at times could be charged with cafeteria-style faith, which choices what it likes, sometimes overlooking the associated negatives. Good discussion starter A-
    • 4/5
      You may not agree with him but it's worth reading. Good writer. We can all follow his example in how he conducts himself and the tone he models for dialogue.