A Generous Orthodoxy
I've been reading Brian McLaren's latest book, A Generous Orthodoxy and thought I'd offer two cents' worth here on it.
First of all, I know some people are all up in arms about whether Brian has finally crossed the line in terms of whether or not he's "orthodox" or -- what? a heretic? That might be just a wee bit of an extreme reaction, methinks.
Basically, the book seems to be a thoughtful look at many different traditions and streams within Christendom, seeking to find things that are praise-worthy, and therefore important for all of us, in each of these traditions. Brian asks, through the way he's written this book, if we're humble enough, and teachable enough, to find something that "the others" are doing that might round out our own understanding of, approach to, and application of our faith.
What makes such an approach "generous", I think, is that many of these traditions have traditionally defined themselves in opposition to each other. "We're not charismatic" or "we're not cessationist", etc. These binary oppositions always create an "us vs. them" mindset, or a "orthodox vs. heretical" approach that finds no common ground and therefore sees nothing worthwhile or redeemable in the other. What Brian is attempting to do here, as I read it, is to get us out of our knee-jerk ecclesial reactions, which are often heavily coloured by whatever tradition we were raised in or came to faith in.
Many of the chapters were easy to assimilate, but others -- where my own personal history with various groups occurred -- were more difficult. This makes me pause to reflect that our personal histories (read: bad past experiences) really DO cloud our judgment, and our emotions can overtake even the staunchest of our philosophical and theological paradigms.
One thing I wish Brian had added to his list right after his "why I am emergent" chapter, which would have addressed an interesting binary opposition of our own, would have been "why I am modern/seeker". That seems to be the only ecclesial group that isn't included in the generous orthodoxy.
Yes, I know that some of the nice folks in the modern/seeker group don't have much, if any, use for pomergent types like yours truly, but if we're going to be truly consistent in seeking to learn from all streams...
Bottom line: I recommend this book. It'll make you think, and it will likely reveal some of your own prejudices towards certain streams or denominations (pay attention to your own emotional reactions to certain chapters for that one), which will provide opportunities for reflection, study, and further thought.
First of all, I know some people are all up in arms about whether Brian has finally crossed the line in terms of whether or not he's "orthodox" or -- what? a heretic? That might be just a wee bit of an extreme reaction, methinks.
Basically, the book seems to be a thoughtful look at many different traditions and streams within Christendom, seeking to find things that are praise-worthy, and therefore important for all of us, in each of these traditions. Brian asks, through the way he's written this book, if we're humble enough, and teachable enough, to find something that "the others" are doing that might round out our own understanding of, approach to, and application of our faith.
What makes such an approach "generous", I think, is that many of these traditions have traditionally defined themselves in opposition to each other. "We're not charismatic" or "we're not cessationist", etc. These binary oppositions always create an "us vs. them" mindset, or a "orthodox vs. heretical" approach that finds no common ground and therefore sees nothing worthwhile or redeemable in the other. What Brian is attempting to do here, as I read it, is to get us out of our knee-jerk ecclesial reactions, which are often heavily coloured by whatever tradition we were raised in or came to faith in.
Many of the chapters were easy to assimilate, but others -- where my own personal history with various groups occurred -- were more difficult. This makes me pause to reflect that our personal histories (read: bad past experiences) really DO cloud our judgment, and our emotions can overtake even the staunchest of our philosophical and theological paradigms.
One thing I wish Brian had added to his list right after his "why I am emergent" chapter, which would have addressed an interesting binary opposition of our own, would have been "why I am modern/seeker". That seems to be the only ecclesial group that isn't included in the generous orthodoxy.
Yes, I know that some of the nice folks in the modern/seeker group don't have much, if any, use for pomergent types like yours truly, but if we're going to be truly consistent in seeking to learn from all streams...
Bottom line: I recommend this book. It'll make you think, and it will likely reveal some of your own prejudices towards certain streams or denominations (pay attention to your own emotional reactions to certain chapters for that one), which will provide opportunities for reflection, study, and further thought.
posted by Robbymac at
11:41 AM
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