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A review by reemeyer
Do I Stay Christian? by Brian D. McLaren
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
I was required to read this for the spiritual direction training program I am just about to finish. Tough assignment, I’m very glad to be done with this book.
I’ve read Brian McLaren before, he is a universalist, and for me, he has not been a safe guide for reimagining faith (aka deconstruction, but that’s a word that’s mostly lost shared meaning.) Also: I’m not the audience for this book, as I’m not asking the questions it’s asking. I love Jesus and am going to keep following Him. So yes, I’m staying Christian.
However I am asking a question that he lands on in the end: What kind of humans do we want to be (whether we’re Christian or not)?
And I appreciate the gentleness with which this book approaches the real, hard, justifiable, questions being asked by others who are wondering if they can stay with the faith they were raised in.
This book was challenging (he starts with 10 reasons not to stay Christian, all valid points), depressing (he presents an ironically apocalyptic vision of where white Christian nationalism and ecological disaster are leading us.) But it was also hopeful, particularly the third section on how to stay Christian. And he has a generous orthodoxy, which I always appreciate. I’m glad I read it, and it will definitely help me host space for people in spiritual direction. But it’s going to mess with me for a while I think…
I’ve read Brian McLaren before, he is a universalist, and for me, he has not been a safe guide for reimagining faith (aka deconstruction, but that’s a word that’s mostly lost shared meaning.) Also: I’m not the audience for this book, as I’m not asking the questions it’s asking. I love Jesus and am going to keep following Him. So yes, I’m staying Christian.
However I am asking a question that he lands on in the end: What kind of humans do we want to be (whether we’re Christian or not)?
And I appreciate the gentleness with which this book approaches the real, hard, justifiable, questions being asked by others who are wondering if they can stay with the faith they were raised in.
This book was challenging (he starts with 10 reasons not to stay Christian, all valid points), depressing (he presents an ironically apocalyptic vision of where white Christian nationalism and ecological disaster are leading us.) But it was also hopeful, particularly the third section on how to stay Christian. And he has a generous orthodoxy, which I always appreciate. I’m glad I read it, and it will definitely help me host space for people in spiritual direction. But it’s going to mess with me for a while I think…