A New Kind of Christian, by Brian McLaren

In A New Kind of Christian, Brian McLaren tells the story of a friendship that develops between two men. Dan is an evangelical pastor who is living on the edge of burn-out. He is considering leaving the ministry because he finds himself beginning to question his faith. Dan develops a friendship with Neo. Neo is a Princeton Seminary grad who, in addition to his education in Religious Studies, holds a degree in History and a PhD in the Philosophy of Science. He is a former pastor who is teaching biology in the local high school. As the story unfolds, the reader discovers that Neo left his position in ministry because of personal problems similar to those Dan is experiencing. Neo, who has come to terms with these problems, is able to provide Dan with answers to the difficulties he is facing. And so this book is primarily a dialog between Neo and Dan in which Neo serves as Dan’s friend, confidant, counselor, and mentor.

Over the course of the book, Neo assesses Dan’s situation and explains that the questions with which he is struggling are the result of an epochal worldview shift that is taking place within his culture. Neo explains that the social context in which Dan finds himself is undergoing an epic change as it transitions from the modern to the postmodern era. Dan’s questions and frustrations have come about as a result of this shift. According to Neo, the Christian subculture is one that has been completely influenced by modernism. And so Dan’s position in a society that is being increasingly influenced by postmodernism has served to foster a postmodern mindset within him that is at odds with the modern form of Christianity that serves as the framework of his faith. Through this dialog between Neo and Dan, McLaren endeavors to promote his thesis that a new form of postmodern Christianity should be adopted in place of contemporary Christianity because contemporary forms of Christianity have been so completely influenced by modernism that they are no longer able to speak meaningfully to postmodern people.

On many levels, McLaren’s criticism of contemporary Christianity is well-founded. He is rightly critical of the degree to which current forms of Christianity have been influenced by modernism. He rightly criticizes the promotion of the gospel as the means to a self-centered end and recognizes that the gospel is not just about getting individual souls into heaven. But while much of McLaren’s criticism is on target, it seems that his solution is unhelpful.

There is an extent to which McLaren's evaluation of modernism is simply pragmatic (a very modern notion). Ultimately, Dan’s adoption and implementation of McLaren’s ideology (expressed through Neo) brings about a resolution to the spiritual problems Dan is experiencing at the beginning of the book. As Dan’s understanding of his situatedness between the transition from modernity to postmodernity increases, he experiences an enlightening that enables him to see his questions and his problems as they truly are.
This appeal to pragmatism is typical of McLaren’s argumentation. It is especially evident in McLaren’s notes on church leadership in the final chapter of the book. In this chapter, Neo explains how his integration of postmodern philosophy into Christianity should be practically applied. This is described in a series of emails to Casey who is a youth minister in the church that Neo attends. McLaren’s appeal to pragmatism is evident in much of Neo’s advice. Neo suggests that if Casey is going to become involved in church-planting that she should choose a denomination that will give her the most freedom to implement postmodernity into Christianity (p. 145). He suggests that it is important for congregations to come to hold church traditions loosely so that they can be easily phased out “in favor of new practices that will work” (p. 147). Neo proposes that emergent ideology should be gradually integrated into modern church settings so that people will not suffer shell shock (p. 148-49).

This appeal to pragmatism shows that McLaren’s assessment of problems and the solutions that he proposes to those problems have not escape the trappings of modernism. The degree to which McLaren implements modern thinking in the development of his thesis easily parallels the modern forms of Christianity which he condemns. This is evidenced both in his appeals to pragmatism as well as in his many appeals to human experience. With respect to human experience, Dan’s experience becomes the basis for the identification of the problem while Neo’s experience then becomes the basis for the solution. Dan experiences a waning devotion to his church and is having doubts about “what the truth is” (p. 12). But Neo understands that Dan suffers from the fact that he holds a modern faith within a postmodern context. This is substantiated by the fact that Neo has already experienced what Dan is experiencing. Thus, Neo’s experience serves as the basis for Dan’s redemption. This elevation of human experience establishes authority upon human autonomy, a primary characteristic of post-enlightenment modernist thinking. Consequently, McLaren becomes a victim of his own criticism. While it is true that modernism has tragically influenced contemporary forms of Christianity, McLaren’s methodology is no less modern than that of those on whom his criticism falls.

One of the most significant problems with McLaren’s argumentation is his constuction of straw men. McLaren uses the straw man argument to such an extent that his very thesis is a conclusion drawn directly from arguments he makes using this fallacy. McLaren looks at the worst extremes of Christian theology, method, and practice. And while his criticism of these things is generally warranted, he then associates all of contemporary Christianity with the extreme examples that he attacks and thus attempts to discredit it. In doing so, McLaren makes the hasty generalization that the baby should be thrown out with the bath water—the entire project should be discarded in place of a new kind of Christianity.

In my opinion, McLaren’s methodology is completely inconsistent with the methodology that should be employed by a Christian. While the Christian is called to depend upon God for his interpretation of life, the authority to which McLaren appeals is internal and human. Tragically, it is likely that this has come about because McLaren seems to deny a definitive point of contact between God and man. Neo says that while the Bible may be inspired by God, the authority lies in God and not in man’s interpretation (p. 50). Man’s interpretation, he says, is always fallible (Ibid.). Thus, McLaren seems to discard the doctrines of regeneration and illumination which serve as the basis by which man’s understanding of God’s revelation is established.

This again points to one of the most fundamental problems with McLaren’s thinking—a displacement of the role of God in the Christian faith. Ultimately, God Himself is the center of Christian faith and theology. Methodologically, McLaren rejects a theocentric approach to Christianity and encourages an anthropocentric approach. This is further evidenced in McLaren’s belief that theological training should be displaced within the Christian seminary. Neo’s conception of the ideal seminary essentially replaces theological training with “one part monastery, one part mission agency, and one part seminar” (p. 150). Human experience becomes the foundation of the religious education as a student undertakes a monastic spirituality, experiences ministry in different cultures, and interacts with other students in a great interchange of sharing during the seminar phase of the training.

In the end, although many of McLaren’s assessments of contemporary Christianity are rightly critical, his proposed solution seems a disastrous proposition which locates God to the periphery of the Christian life. McLaren suggests that modern forms of Christianity should be rejected and replaced with a new postmodern Christianity. However, as McLaren develops his proposal and argues for his thesis, it becomes clear that he is standing upon the very foundation which he is attempting to tear down.