I hate to admit it, but God built me up to be a blogger. I’m really at my best when I am at 3 pages or less in final content (about 1500 words) and I try to stick to one subject — even by analogy.
Kevin DeYoung may be my fellow blogger here at Evangel, but he’s not really a blogger. he’s at his best in the 10-12 page range (about one decent chapter of a book), and he shows us why with this review and rebuttal of Brian McLaren’s A New Kind of Christianity.
It’s a PDF, it’s very elegantly formatted, and it speaks directly to the Gospel and why it is important.
Yes: I know JT already linked it at his blog. I linked it here because it’s that important.
Carry on.
February 18th, 2010 | 3:06 pm | #1
Okay now you have piqued my curiosity, and I am going to download and print this out to read. from a cursory skim of the first two pages, it seems like the people who like Brian McLaren’s ideas also like The Shack. Okay, I will say no more until I have read this critique of his work.
February 18th, 2010 | 7:44 pm | #2
Alison,
Some who like The Shack remain orthodox. McLaren has progressed well beyond that point. The Shack is like McLaren in the late 90s. This is what happens 15 years later.
February 18th, 2010 | 8:42 pm | #3
Theological liberalism constantly tries to shape God as liberator. They focus on how God is with the oppressed and seeking their freedom. Few would disagree.
Of course, as they progress they realize that the liberation of some means the condemnation of their oppressors. This often means that they move to a vague or even outright universalism. At this point though, they rarely comment upon how their universalism diminishes the very liberation that they previously argued for.
The problem is that their universalism comes from their anthropology. Man is “basically good” and shouldn’t be judged by any other people, or even God. At this point though, since man has become the center of their theology the only remaining liberation is man from God.
This appears to be where McLaren has “progressed.” Humanity has liberated itself to the point that it must be liberated from the God of Scripture who McLaren clearly repudiates.
February 20th, 2010 | 4:39 am | #4
Grateful I took the time to read through the 12 page link. Well researched and written. A wolf in sheep’s clothing – so it was important to have the sheep’s clothing kindly but firmly removed.
And sad that a wolf was what was there. Not that Brian is the BBW (big, bad wolf) but his theology surely is for those who are young in the faith or not well grounded in the faith or disappointed by the traditional faith, or, or, or.
While he seems simply a confused and confusing man, what he presents as truth is dangerous.
I’m glad I read this post.
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