Rating: 
Summary: Post-Modern Mess
Review: Brian McLaren is a pastor and author who is leading the church's charge into postmodernism and is one of the foremost voices of the emerging church movement. His book More Ready Than You Realize was recommended to me by several people. One called it "the best book I've ever read on evangelism" and another went almost as far, calling it "one of the best books" he had read on the subject. In my discussion of the book I am going to avoid speaking about the emerging church, since evangelism is the true focus of this volume. Though it is difficult to separate the emerging church from McLaren's approach to evangelism, I will seek to do so. The back cover begins with a warning. It says "This is not just another book on evangelism. This book contains fresh, encouraging, challenging, groundbreaking and doable ideas you'll want to share with your pastor, your small group or class, your board, or your parachurch organization." The next heading is Out. Under Out it lists: evangelism as sales pitch, as conquest, as warfare, as ultimatum, as threat, as proof, as argument, as entertainment, as show, as monologue, as something you have to do. As what is In the book lists: disciple-making as conversation, as friendship, as influence, as invitation, as companionship, as challenge, as opportunity, as conversation, as dance, as something you get to do. Clearly this book is trying to bring a fresh perspective to a topic many Christians regard as stale. McLaren uses the term "spiritual friendship" to describe evangelism that will be effective in our postmodern society. Where in the past people have, with varied degrees of success, used many other methods, today we need to rely on friendships and relationships. We need to change our way of thinking so that we no longer regard unbelievers as "the lost" by instead see them as "the precious ones" that God is seeking. When we regard them as lost, we necessarily place ourselves in a superior position to them and this impacts our attempts to evangelize them. We also need to stop speaking about "winning" people for the Lord, as postmoderns hate the old-fashioned terms of conquest and warfare. We need to regard evangelism as a dance where the believer and the unbeliever move in harmony, first one taking the lead and then the other. The book is based on a spiritual friendship the author shared with a young woman he calls Alice. Their relationship was carried on almost entirely via email and went on for some two years (at which point the book was published). McLaren holds this relationship as a model for spiritual friendship. He shows how initially Alice is filled with questions and with disgust for traditional Christianity. By the end of the book she has just as many questions but has respect for God and claims to have developed some sort of faith. Interestingly, the author makes no claim that Alice ever became a believer. McLaren's theology is poor at best. At one point he is faced with the question of "why did Jesus have to die?" He realizes that all his standard answers to this question would make no impact on a postmodern mind, so he asks for two weeks to come up with an answer. He pulled out his theological volumes by Stott, Packer and Boice and found no answers. Fortunately his brother provided the answer he needed. His brother told him that we do not really know why Jesus died and that even Jesus didn't know, hence His question to God in the Garden of Gethsemane where he asked God if there wasn't some other way He could accomplish His mission! This revelation opened McLaren's eyes and also made a great impact on the person who originally asked him the question. Of course this is terrible theology that shows McLaren (and his brother) are open theists. The book is filled with other strange and theologically erroneous quotes. At the very beginning of the book we find this strange quote: "If you are not a committed Christian yourself, I am sure you will understand that since Christian commitment is where I'm coming from, it is the approach of this book. This is not to say there isn't a place for Buddhist or Hindu or Jewish evangelism, but someone else will be better suited to write on those topics." (page 15) On page 142 we read "This is not to say that questions of heaven and hell are unimportant. It is that they are not as exclusively important as modern Christians have tended to proclaim them to be." I have to wonder what could possibly be more important. Without heaven or hell there is no gospel and no need for a gospel! These are just a few of multitudes of examples. At the back of the book he lists movies that are great (and recommended) for group discussion. One of these is The Big Kahuna." He writes "brace yourself for some tough language..." (page 187). It would seem that sinning by watching and endorsing such films is an effective evangelistic technique for postmoderns. In the final analysis there are two major issues with McLaren's evangelistic technique. Traditional evangelism has always regarded relationship as the absolute best way to reach unbelievers. McLaren's approach has no sense of urgency. He was content to allow Alice to go two years without ever challenging her with the heart of the gospel. He allowed her to fumble her way through, often leaving her for weeks or months without guidance as she tried to piece it all together herself. So the first issue I take is the lack of urgency. Though I have little doubt that many evangelistic opportunities have been ruined by moving too quickly, I believe you can also move far too slowly. The second issue is that McLaren's technique does not teach the gospel. There is never a mention of sin or repentance, of heaven or hell. Why should people want to be saved if we never share with them what they need to be saved from? His approach is destined to produce many shallow, ignorant "Christians" who really do not know the gospel. While I approve of the idea of spiritual friendships, I have to conclude that McLaren's approach is faulty. An approach that regards the gospel message as outdated and unnecessary simply cannot please the Lord. I believe we still need to preach the gospel in all its power and force - as much now as at any other point in history. While it may be necessary to abandon some techniques while creating new ones, we can never lose the central focus of the gospel which is sin, death, forgiveness and life!
Rating: 
Summary: A new kind of evangelism
Review: Brian McLaren, author of "A New Kind of Christian", here presents a new kind of evangelism (a word he hopes falls into disuse) for post-modern society. Rather than the old "Four Spiritual Laws" or mass-evangelistic models, McLaren offers an alternative that may indeed become the wave of the future. The major portion of this book is based on e-mail conversations over a two-year period between Rev. McLaren and a musician he hires for a particular service at his church. As he befriends this person, who has many questions about the Christian faith, he is respectful of her misgivings, does not pressure her when she goes through periods of seemingly moving away from faith rather than toward faith, and indeed he seems to learn as much from her as she learns from him (thereby the "dance" metaphor). This is not to be confused with "friendship evangelism", it is simply a friendship in the context of community where the light of Christ is allowed to shine through rather than being used to beat people into submission. This type of "evangelism" can be done by people who shy away from "evangelism" per se, and may be more effective in the long run than the traditional styles of bearing witness to the gospel. I guess that remains to be seen, but this is an eye-opening book that gives much food for thought.
Rating:
Summary: A new kind of evangelism
Review: Brian McLaren, author of "A New Kind of Christian", here presents a new kind of evangelism (a word he hopes falls into disuse) for post-modern society. Rather than the old "Four Spiritual Laws" or mass-evangelistic models, McLaren offers an alternative that may indeed become the wave of the future. The major portion of this book is based on e-mail conversations over a two-year period between Rev. McLaren and a musician he hires for a particular service at his church. As he befriends this person, who has many questions about the Christian faith, he is respectful of her misgivings, does not pressure her when she goes through periods of seemingly moving away from faith rather than toward faith, and indeed he seems to learn as much from her as she learns from him (thereby the "dance" metaphor). This is not to be confused with "friendship evangelism", it is simply a friendship in the context of community where the light of Christ is allowed to shine through rather than being used to beat people into submission. This type of "evangelism" can be done by people who shy away from "evangelism" per se, and may be more effective in the long run than the traditional styles of bearing witness to the gospel. I guess that remains to be seen, but this is an eye-opening book that gives much food for thought.
Rating:
Summary: Close Enough to Listen, Far Enough to Lead
Review: Do we hear what people are really saying? Often our intent is to get people so quickly to our "position" we get too far out front to hear well. Do we know where we would lead someone who wonders what it would look like to follow Jesus? Many of us who have hoped to "lead someone to Christ" have, in Brian McClaren's words, "parked across the finish line" (that is actually the starting line). "More Ready Than You Realize" offers a challenge to all who would hope to "evangelize" people in need of a relationship with the God who made them. Are you following Jesus, or have you become a prepared presenter of ingested material that you simply regurgitate at an opportuntistic moment? Jesus spent time close enough to listen and certainly far enough to lead people to follow Him. McClaren uses a real life story to unpack what it would look like to be close enough to listen and far enough to lead. Knowing what you believe is not disdained in this story. Instead, living what you believe is encouraged. In that context you may engage in dance those who would long to enjoy a loving relationship with the God who made them. In the image of the "dance", one is close enough to listen and far enough to lead. Get the "dancing" conversations started and see what God does. What a great thing to hear from someone invaded by the God who made them, " . . . feeling like your heart is going to explode when you start to see just how wonderful Jesus is . . . when you start to understand that Jesus ISNT dead." A must read. More than that a must do.
Rating: 
Summary: Learning How To Dance
Review: For many non-Christians, just the thought of encountering a Christian "evangelist" is likely to incite discomfort, if not anger. One reason for this is that the church's attempts to "preach the gospel" have all too often come across as arrogant, overly intrusive, condescending, high pressured, and, well, just plain irrelevant. Indeed, too often our ecclesiastical traditions work against even our best motives, and we end up hindering the progress of the gospel, unnecessarily offending those who most need help. It seems that in our desire to share the truth, we have somehow forgotten that, among other things, we are to share it "in love," that is, in a way that is personal, easy to hear, and applicable to the particular situation we are addressing. Likewise, we have become overly content with our own brands of ministry, even to the point of being critical of anything that disrupts the status quo. Unfortunately, much of the church has failed to come to grips with the many societal shifts that have taken place over the past few decades. In short, we've been unable (or unwilling) to approach postmodernism in an evenhanded fashion. Some of the worst features of "modern" Christianity include the tendency to engage in manipulative techniques, to force-feed Bible verses, and to offer simplistic solutions to life's dilemmas. Many postmoderns have rightly rejected such practices, which is a good thing. Unfortunately, though, many postmodern people have come to equate Christianity with its worst adherents and its most unbiblical routines. As a result, many turn a deaf ear to the Christian gospel, or at least to the modernistic formulation of it. How, then, should we respond to this situation? In what way can we reach today's world with the gospel of Jesus? While many have opted for "the old time" (but worn out) religion, and though others only recognize the worst elements of postmodernism, surely there must be a better way. What we need, is a serious (yet careful) rethinking of the biblical data, an honest appraisal of the best (and not just the worst elements) of postmodernism, and a fresh application of ancient truth to our postmodern situation. Rather than defending the status quo, we are in desperate need of believers who are willing to be postmodern trailblazers, people who take seriously both God's word and His world. One of these trailblazers is Brian McLaren, and we ought to thank God for people like him. Although McLaren clearly recognizes the dangers that abound, his approach to postmodernism is primarily positive. Indeed, he treats postmodernism less like something to be avoided-though some of it obviously should-and more like an opportunity to engage in ministry that is refreshing and new. It just might be that God is providing us with some wonderful opportunities during this postmodern phase of history. In More Ready Than You Realize, McLaren is not interested in mere theory. Rather, he is concerned to explain and demonstrate how Christians can best spread the unchanging gospel of Jesus Christ within a postmodern matrix. This he accomplishes by recounting a series of email discussions between himself and an inquiring individual named Alice. At one level, Alice is clearly interested in Jesus, but she is simultaneously skeptical and filled with doubts, questions, and the gnawing feeling that the "Christianity" she has heretofore encountered is actually a deterrent to faith. In these discussions, McLaren allows Alice to follow her postmodern inclinations. Then, instead of debating Alice, he agrees with many of her contentions, acknowledging that there are many flaws in the typical tactics used to reach non-Christians. As McLaren notes, modern evangelism became so enamored with logic and evangelistic slogans that it began to sound like "a commercial on radio or TV or a political slogan in a campaign or a scientific formula in a classroom" (p. 16). In contrast, "good evangelists . . . are people who engage others in conversions about important and profound topics" (14). In other words, a better (and more biblical) way of reaching those outside of the faith is to treat the gospel more like a song, something you move to. In such an approach, the gospel subtly impacts a person who-if he/she truly hears from God-can't help but dance. According to McLaren, our evangelism must recapture this original posture. Through his conversations with Alice, McLaren accomplishes a number of things. Among these are the following: * Identifying weaknesses of the modern-version of Christianity and evangelism. * Making clear the differences between modern and postmodern versions of the faith. * Pointing out the need for Christians to learn these matters. Christians often need to be "converted" to a more vibrant (more postmodern) form of Christianity. * Showing that spiritual awakening, especially in postmodern context, is-from our perspective at least-more of a process than an event. * Demonstrating that we can and should trust that God is at work in the lives of the people we encounter. * Perhaps most relevant, emphasizing the need to build spiritual friendships with those whom we encounter. Throughout this excellent little book (188 pages), McLaren utilizes this dialogue with Alice to display a more postmodern friendly version of the faith. This postmodern perspective can be observed both through the specific words McLaren shares with Alice, and even more so in the real-life conversations we are privileged to listen in on. Here is a fitting follow-up to McLaren's previous works (The Church on the Other Side, Finding Faith, A New Kind of Christian). In More Ready Than You Realize, McLaren shows us that the people we meet, even the most irreligious of them, might be more ready to hear the gospel than we realize. And, maybe too, we might be more ready to lovingly, compassionately, gradually, and humbly, share it with them. Perhaps, we are prepared to dance. And maybe, others-who see us dancing-will join us. Brian McLaren has written More Ready to foster this concern, and to tell us, and even more show us, how to dance. Carmen C. DiCello
Pastor, New Hope Christian Fellowship
Master of Divinity (Apologetics), Columbia Evangelical Seminary
Rating:
Summary: A New Kind of Evangelism
Review: Get ready for something completely different. This is not an evangelistic techniques book. This is not a traditional questions-answers apologetics manual. It's not even a book about how to do "friendship evangelism". It's a book that radically alters what we think evangelism is all about. It's a book that presents an exciting new vision of what spreading Christian faith will look like in this postmodern era. McLaren even avoids using the term evangelism - with all of its connotations of confrontational street preachers, formulaic spiritual laws, or guaranteed soul-winning methodology - preferring the concept of spiritual friendships. In other words, McLaren points out that in today's postmodern world what we need is not more formulas or more hit-and-run evangelists; what we need is more Christians willing to invest the hard work of building authentic relationships with non-Christians, not for the sheer purpose of converting them, but out of genuine love and friendship. Such spiritual friendships should become places where seekers can feel free to ask hard questions of their friends without being given easy answers; where they can share their struggles without fear of condemnation; where they can have questions and doubts without being pressured for a quick decision. McLaren recognizes that coming to faith is a process, a journey, and almost never a one time event. This book is really more of an extended case study of a real life experience McLaren had with this kind of spiritual frienship. It is not a comprehensive treatise on evangelism or even a thorough study of all the implications of McLaren's approach. I'd recommend this book primarily for small group discussions where you can apply the principles he derived from this case study to your own personal situations. I'd also recommend it to anyone who is discouraged by traditional approaches to evangelism, perhaps thinking that they're really only suitable for ultra-extroverts or neo-Billy Grahams. This book gave me hope that even an introverted intellectual like myself can in fact lead people to faith in Christ.
Rating:
Summary: A New Kind of Evangelism
Review: Get ready for something completely different. This is not an evangelistic techniques book. This is not a traditional questions-answers apologetics manual. It's not even a book about how to do "friendship evangelism". It's a book that radically alters what we think evangelism is all about. It's a book that presents an exciting new vision of what spreading Christian faith will look like in this postmodern era. McLaren even avoids using the term evangelism - with all of its connotations of confrontational street preachers, formulaic spiritual laws, or guaranteed soul-winning methodology - preferring the concept of spiritual friendships. In other words, McLaren points out that in today's postmodern world what we need is not more formulas or more hit-and-run evangelists; what we need is more Christians willing to invest the hard work of building authentic relationships with non-Christians, not for the sheer purpose of converting them, but out of genuine love and friendship. Such spiritual friendships should become places where seekers can feel free to ask hard questions of their friends without being given easy answers; where they can share their struggles without fear of condemnation; where they can have questions and doubts without being pressured for a quick decision. McLaren recognizes that coming to faith is a process, a journey, and almost never a one time event. This book is really more of an extended case study of a real life experience McLaren had with this kind of spiritual frienship. It is not a comprehensive treatise on evangelism or even a thorough study of all the implications of McLaren's approach. I'd recommend this book primarily for small group discussions where you can apply the principles he derived from this case study to your own personal situations. I'd also recommend it to anyone who is discouraged by traditional approaches to evangelism, perhaps thinking that they're really only suitable for ultra-extroverts or neo-Billy Grahams. This book gave me hope that even an introverted intellectual like myself can in fact lead people to faith in Christ.
Rating:
Summary: Very, very good - eye opening!
Review: Great, great book! I couldn't put it down. This book is not the typical "evangelism" book. This is a "must-read" for any pastor on the verge of or in the middle of transition. It really does a great job explaining the "modern" mindset of Christianity (which is not a bad thing) and how to effectively reach out to a "postmodern" mindset. His concept of "spiritual friendships" is excellent! The concept of "belonging before believing" is also very good. His ideas/concepts are, in my opinion, completely Biblical and most representative of the techniques of Christ when He walked this earth.
Rating:
Summary: Keep your focus, Brian
Review: I appreciated many of Brian's insights and his packaging as the story of his interactions with a seeking friend coming to faith. Especially significant concepts for me were:
*Deemphasize differences while building relationships
*Building spiritual friendships should be a main life focus for us
*Steer away from pat answers that Jesus wouldn't be so pat about
*The Holy Spirit doesn't need our help convicting people of sin
*Coming to Christ is (scripturally) more of a process than event
*If God is at work, then everyone has a significant story
I believe McLaren's lengthy discussion of God's foreknowledge (he apparently doesn't think God knows too much about the future) distracts from this helpful book. The discussion may serve as an example of having an honest and open discussion about a particularly mysterious area of theological truth. And I agree with him that the scriptures provide less clarity on the subject than many Christians argue for. (God's truth has difficulty fitting into our reasonable theological boxes.) I just believe that the questions about McLaren being even a heretic in some people's eyes is likely to deprive some readers of the sound help he has given us.
Keep the focus on your message instead of chasing off those who may be troubled by your theology.
The rest of you: buy the book, eat the wheat.
Rating:
Summary: very very helpful
Review: i'd just like to add my voice to those saying how helpful this book is. very easy to read - i just devoured it - and found that it expressed many things i've been trying to express myself in my own ministry. will be sharing it far and wide and i appreciated its insight, wisdom and hopefulness for the future of our calling to share jesus.
|
