Brian McLaren’s new book of said name prefaces darkly: “the Christian faith in all its forms is in trouble“, da-da-da-duuuuuuh. But don’t worry: “the Christian faith in all its forms is pregnant with new possibilities.” And since one can’t be a little bit pregnant, it looks like McLaren will unpack a lot of possibilities. Will they be legitimate spawn, or pomo orphans? Will they be embraced by the church or made victim of choice? I wonder if he will address the issue of abortion. But I’ll hold my horses.

I’m here to witness this birth, midwiving as he pushes away. He begins with a testimony (where else for an evangelical to begin?) that he grew up in conservative evangelical churches, passionately committed through the ’70s Jesus movement, did a stint in mainline Protestant and Catholic churches, married a Catholic woman and has been around the globe loving every tradition on the various continents. Still, he believes in “one, holy, catholic and apostolic church.” So this book is written from the inside by one who happily embraces the Apostles’ Creed. Ten questions, five “profound and critical” with the “potential to unlcock us from a prison in which we have been held for a long time”, and five “less profound or theologically radical” but still important as they address “down-to-earth practicality”, comprise the book.

The first three chapters are preparatory for the questions. Think of them as quiet contractions. I’ll tackle them all next post. Remember the breathing exercises.