In this next chapter of McLaren’s he makes a number of good points which, taken in isolation, would simply be good. But in the context he places them in, the direction is quite dangerous. It is kind of like admiring the discipline and marksmanship of a pirate crew. “Yes, quite. That was well done. But …
The Old “Me and C.S. Lewis” Ploy
In Chapter 2 (Chapter 3, but who’s counting?) Brian McLaren starts to say some good things about the manifestation of God in Christ. Not surprisingly, he doesn’t get very far. Compared to the superlative language of less generous orthodoxy, his praise sounds comparatively anemic — “I believe God was in Jesus in an unprecedented way” …
41 Kinds of Tylenol
“This premise leads business writers to emphasize rapid product introduction as a key to corporate success. According to Peters, healthy corporations are roiling hives of gutsy executives called ‘product champions,’ each one enraptured by a delphic vision of superficial novelty — perhaps of a soft drink with an advanced sweetner or unprecedented hue . . …
Rejecting Affectation
“But in the same way, simple reaction back is not reformation either. Some die-hard traditionalist defenders of orthodusty have no more understanding of what they are doing than do the contemporary worship dervishes. And this is why we need the simple honesty of satire. Pietism is an inadequate protector of piety, which is why pietism …
Water From the Cartesian Well
“However, while the temptation has been present a long time, succumbing to the temptation as a way of life is the fruit of modern rationalism. And while we do not wish to blame everything on Descartes, who is, for example, not directly responsible for the Spice Girls, we may certainly mark the ascendancy of Cartesian …
Rich Christians In An Age of Expensive Authenticity
Chapter One of A Generous Orthodoxy is actually Chapter Two, because of that odd Chapter Zero, and is a chapter which, for our purposes here, I will be calling Chapter Six. No, not really. The chapter is titled “Seven Jesuses I Have Known,” and is an outstanding example of the dabbler approach to truth that …
As Ever, the Logic
“For all the tattoos, Details message is no different than any other lifestyle magazine: Who you are depends on what you consume, and how hip you are depends on how enthusiastically you keep up with the new. Nonconformity may be the language, but fashion is, as ever, the logic.” [Frank and Weiland, editors, Commodify Your …
McLaren the Censorious
There are book reviews and there are book reviews. As I undertake a review of Brian McLaren’s A Generous Orthodoxy, I believe that it is best for us to be frank. As my son put it in a discussion last night, my review mode is that I have apparently put on the hockey mask and …
Rock and Roll Samurai
“Despite the whirlwind of trends, Details retains a unifying philosophical viewpoint — the archetypical American male is a rebel consumer . . . ‘These guys are not only musicians, or even rock stars,’ the magazine affirmed, ‘but modern men, emblems of a new masculinity.’ These ‘rock and roll samurai live outside the law, but are …
Don’t Sugar Coat It. Just Tell Them.
“The late Joseph Bayly wrote a delightful little book some years ago called The Gospel Blimp, which lampooned the earlier forms of this kind of evangelistic absurdity, back when inane evangelicalism was still slogging it out in the minors. It is hard to imagine what a man of his gifts would do with the embarrassment …