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When four religious leaders walk across the road, it's not the beginning of a joke. It's the start of one of the most important conversations in today's world.
Can you be a committed Christian without having to condemn or convert people of other faiths? Is it possible to affirm other religious traditions without watering down your own?
In his most important book yet, widely acclaimed author and speaker Brian McLaren proposes a new faith alternative, one built on "benevolence and solidarity rather than rivalry and hostility." This way of being Christian is strong but doesn't strong-arm anyone, going beyond mere tolerance to vigorous hospitality toward, interest in, and collaboration with the other.
Blending history, narrative, and brilliant insight, McLaren shows readers step-by-step how to reclaim this strong-benevolent faith, challenging us to stop creating barriers in the name of God and learn how affirming other religions can strengthen our commitment to our own. And in doing so, he invites Christians to become more Christ-like than ever before.
1 The Scene of a Thousand Jokes 1
2 Conflicted Religious Identity Syndrome 13
Part I The Crisis of Christian Identity 25
3 How a Muslim Boy Converted Me 27
4 How a Book in the 1970s Anticipated the Story Line of the Early 21st Century 34
5 How a Mentor Shocked Me-and Gently Nudged Me toward Higher Ground 40
6 How Your Friends Can Be More Dangerous Than Your Enemies (And How You Can Be More Dangerous Than Both) 46
7 How an Atheist Made-and Missed-an Essential Point about Religion 54
8 How (Not) to Create a Strong-Benevolent Christian Identity 64
9 How a Liberal Arts Education Ruined My Opinion of Christopher Columbus 73
10 How Constantine Prepared the Way for Columbus 81
11 How Constantine Prepared the Way for Today's Headlines 87
Part II The Doctrinal Challenge 97
12 How the Doctrine of Creation Can Create Humankind(ness) 99
13 How the Doctrine of (Un) Original Sin Can Help Christians Be Less Sinful 105
14 How the Doctrine of Election (or Chosen-ness) Can Help Christians Choose Benevolence 115
15 How the Doctrine of the Trinity Can Foment Harmony and Unity 125
16 How a Deeper Christology Can Save Christians from Hostility 133
17 How the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit Can Empower Our Encounter with the Other 145
18 How Faithful Doctrinal Reformulation Can Make Orthodoxy More Generous 155
Part III The Liturgical Challenge 165
19 How the Christian Year Can Become More Christian 167
20 How Baptism Differs from Sitting on Santa's Knee 179
21 How Songs, Prayers, Sermons, and Sunday School Classes Can Save Lives 188
22 How Reading the Bible Responsibly Can Look Irresponsible (and Vice Versa) 196
23 How the Table Differs from the Altar 208
Part IV The Missional Challenge 221
24 How Subversive Friendship Can Change the World 223
25 How God's Commonwealth of Peace Confronts Earthly Empires of Hostility 232
26 How With-ness Complements Witness 239
27 How Mission Can Reorganize Organized Religion 248
28 How Evangelism Is Like a Windmill 254
29 How a Hindu Can Help Christians Discover Their True Identity in a Multi-faith World 265
Acknowledgments 275
Anonymous
Posted September 17, 2012
An excellent book every serious Christian should read.
6 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted September 16, 2012
Funny, everything this book says is the way to be, is in direct conflict with the actual word of GOD in the Bible.....
3 out of 12 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Can you be a “good Christian” without condemning members of other faiths? How should followers of Christ treat members of other religions? These are the questions that Brian McLaren tries to address in this book. I have read a lot of Brian’s books and I do appreciate him as an author and for what he brings to the table, but in a lot of ways this book felt much like his previous title A Generous Orthodoxy. In AGO, Brian tries to argue for the center of many of today’s Christian denominations and in Cross the Road, Brian now attempts to do that same thing for other faiths.
If you don’t know, Brian McLaren is an author, speaker, pastor, and networker among innovative Christian leaders, thinkers, and activists. He is the author of A New Kind of Christian, A Generous Orthodoxy, The Secret Message of Jesus, and Everything Must Change. Time magazine called him one of America’s top twenty-five evangelicals and he has been a guest on Nightline and Larry King Live.
In his new book, Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha and Mohammad Cross the Road, McLaren begins each chapter with the word “how.” How did a Muslim boy convert me? How your friends can be more dangerous that your enemies, How the doctrine of creation can create humankind(ness.) etc.
Through each chapter, McLaren shows the reader “how” to navigate this culture where seemingly competing religions butt up side to side and he does it, not by showing our differences, or how other faith practices are wrong, but he does it by showing how in many ways we are similar. This book is about building bridges, not walls.
McLaren argues that Christianity should be built on “benevolence and solidarity rather than rivalry and hostility.” It’s the old adage that Christians should be known for what they are “for” and not for what they are “against.”
This book is an easy and simple read, McLaren’s voice is easy to listen to and compels you to keep turning pages. I think each generation calls us to reexamine our language and our methodology (not our doctrine) and certainly McLaren has a voice for this generation.
I loved this book and highly recommend it. Thank you to Jericho books for a free copy for a fair and honest review.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted November 19, 2012
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Overview
When four religious leaders walk across the road, it's not the beginning of a joke. It's the start of one of the most important conversations in today's world.
Can you be a committed Christian without having to condemn or convert people of other faiths? Is it possible to affirm other religious traditions without watering down your own?
In his most important book yet, widely acclaimed author and speaker Brian McLaren proposes a new faith ...