With triumph, I'm able to cross off another book on my reading list (at the bottom of this site). I had been about half-way through A New Kind of Christian by Brian McLaren, and decided to sit down and finish it this morning.
On a scale of 1-5, I'd give it about 3 stars. It was thought-provoking, but a little discombobulated at times and not as articulate as it could have been. I tend to be slightly skeptical of "Christian Fiction" in the first place. I can see why, though, a lot of people appreciate this book. I agreed with a lot of aspects that McLaren brought up, and I'm encouraged by it, too. Still, though, it's not very practical, yet it's full of much-needed vision. This is a significant time of transition for the Church, as we look toward the global south and realize how we, too, are suspect to cultural syncretism (something we often critize in other regions) to an enormous--and perhaps diseased--extent.
Not sure which my next book will be. I have to admit, regardless how I actually rate the book, it is definitely refreshing to get my theological muscle working. :) I need to do that for myself more often-- even CS Lewis encourages working through a bit of theology for "devotions" and that it can be much more effective for us than simply reading a random bit of Scripture!
Time to take a long shower, organize some notes, do some Barnabas-ing, and perhaps begin another book :)
Betsy
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