Synopsis: Len's Star Rating: 6 out of 10. A work of fiction about two friends who are growing their faith in Jesus beyond mainstream beliefs and practices.

BY LEN LANTZ, MD / 12.27.2022; No. 101

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Star Rating – 6 out of 10

Rating guide: 1 = horrible, 5 = average and 10 = wow

Author

Brian McLaren

About the author

Brian McLaren is a best-selling author of two dozen books, a former pastor, a speaker, and a leader in driving conversations on postmodern Christianity and the emerging church movement. He achieved his BA and MA in English from the University of Maryland and has been awarded two honorary doctorates in divinity.

General description

Published in 2001, A New Kind of Christian is Brian McLaren’s first work of fiction and has become a classic text for learning about and understanding the emerging Church or emerging Christianity. The book involves a series of conversations between a disillusioned Christian pastor (Dan) and his daughter’s soccer coach (“Neo”), who [spoiler alert] also turns out to have been a former minister.

The book follows a progression of friendship as Neo challenges Dan to grow in his faith beyond the bounds of mainstream Christianity and explore the concept of postmodern Christianity. The gist of the book is that the main characters are not faced with a single decision – to accept or reject modern Christian culture – but instead can choose to grow beyond the current traditions that leave them feeling conflicted. Following the commercial success of A New Kind of Christian, the author completed a trilogy with The Story We Find Ourselves In (Book 2) and The Last Word and the Word After That (Book 3).

Unique and most important aspects

Brian McLaren is both famous and controversial in pushing forward the conversation to the very edge on what is acceptable in Christian spiritual development. Even though A New Kind of Christian is a work of fiction, it is essentially a vehicle for the author to share his perspective on the emerging Church. In the introduction, Brian McLaren acknowledges that he started his book as a nonfiction work but changed the book to a novel to convey his ideas more effectively. Blurring the boundary of fiction and nonfiction may have contributed to its appeal to readers. The fictional aspect encourages the reader to suspend disbelief and be more open to the ideas and conversations presented. Readers will find that the dialogue feels forced at times and that the narrative arc is not strong.

In full disclosure, I’m neither an acolyte of Brian McLaren nor an informed critic. I would guess that he received the most negative feedback for this book from his characters challenging the belief of the centrality and infallibility of the Bible, questioning theological positions commonly held by many mainstream Christian denominations, and criticizing other Christians.

Best quotes

“There is a dimension to this experience of disembedding from modern Christianity that none of us can fully understand or describe. That’s the theological dimension. What if God is actually behind these disillusionments and disembeddings? What if God is trying to move us out of Egypt, so to speak, and into the wilderness, because it’s time for the next chapter in our adventure?”

“This book started as a work of nonfiction but evolved steadily toward fiction with each revision. Knowing that I was not trying to commit a work of artistic fiction from the start will help lower your expectations about character development, plot, and other artistic concerns. Things will go much better for both of us if you consider this more in the category of a philosophical dialogue than a novel.”

“I want you to invest your lives not in keeping the old ship afloat but in designing and building and sailing a new ship for new adventures in a new time in history, as intrepid followers of Jesus Christ.”

“The fact is, to have some televangelist with erect hair make snide comments about the Buddha – that isn’t my idea of Christian maturity.”

“I think some Christians use Jesus as a shortcut to being right.”

Who would enjoy this book?

Readers looking for a different approach to Christian development and maturity than that of mainstream Christian churches and theology are likely to enjoy A New Kind of Christian.

Who would not enjoy this book?

Readers who would be offended by criticisms of mainstream Christian culture and theology or a view of the Bible as fallible are unlikely to enjoy A New Kind of Christian.

Conclusion

A New Kind of Christian is a work of fiction about two friends who are growing their faith in Jesus beyond mainstream beliefs and practices.

Buy this book at your local, independently-owned bookstore (or below)