A Book Review

When I picked up Brian McLaren’s book, A Generous Orthodoxy, I was on my way out the door. Emotionally and theologically my bags were packed, and I was looking for, if not a divorce, at least a nice, long separation from the Church. My list of problems had just gotten too long. It seemed like we were missing the point on some deep level—not the people, or the leadership, but something down at the core. Something was fundamentally broken about every local church I had ever gone to. On top of this, there was a growing rage inside of me. I was so angry at what seemed to be Adventism’s propensity for elitism and exclusion. That people could think “we” could say that Christians of other denominations are somehow less right with God because they have different understandings about doctrine, made me want to slam the door on my way out.

Even in this state of mind, I felt a little strange reading a book with such an openly heretical-sounding subtitle: “Why I am a missional + evangelical + post/protestant + liberal/conservative+ mystical/ poetic + biblical + fundamentalist/calvinist + anabaptist/anglican + methodist + catholic + green + incarnational + depressed-yet-hopeful + emergent + unfinished Christian.” It sounded so ecumenical I have to admit I slipped the dust cover off so that I wouldn’t be caught reading it. Within a few pages I was hooked by its disarming, intriguing, and honest style. I knew immediately that this was a very special book.

In A Generous Orthodoxy I found an amazing new world of ideas. After signing off on Chapter O’s disclaimer, acknowledging that I realize it is “for mature audiences only”and that I am forbidden from using any of its ideas “in a dangerous or divisive way,” I entered into the world of A Generous Orthodoxy.

It wasn’t long before I slipped the dust cover back on the book. Brian McLaren is not spreading the kind of ecumenism that good Adventists are taught to fear. This is something entirely different. Generous Orthodoxy is all about realizing that as members of the Christian faith we share the same sicknesses in our different faith communities, and that we can grow stronger in our faith by learning from one another. In his book McLaren explores the different churches and denominations that he has been a part of and the different ways he has seen God clearly through them. Those different perspectives have informed and enriched his walk with God.

McLaren gives a glimpse of the “seven Jesuses” he has met. The Jesus of his youth is surrounded by children of all races. The conservative Protestant Jesus saves us by dying for us. The Pentecostal Jesus saves us by his presence in the Holy Spirit. The Roman Catholic Jesus saves us by his resurrection. The Eastern Orthodox Jesus saves us by being born into humanity. The liberal Protestant Jesus leads us in service by example. The Anabaptist Jesus shows us how to be disciples in community. The Jesus of Liberation Theology commissions us to fight injustice and free the oppressed. Each faith group has its own unique slant on just who God is and what he is about.

McLaren then proceeds to dive into each of these and other realms of Christianity, claiming and affirming the positive contributions while pointing out areas where difficulty often arises. Most interesting to me was the chapter that addressed remnant theology. I have struggled with Adventism’s view of itself as “The Remnant” for some time. I felt that this leads to a kind of built-in recipe for pride and exclusion, a constant slippery slope toward the swamp of an “us and them” mentality. In this chapter McLaren, who himself comes from a tradition with a strong ingrown view of the remnant, affirms the importance of the remnant message, but from a very different angle. He paints the picture of Moses before God when the people of Israel had once again turned away from God. The Lord was going to reject them and make a new people out of Moses. At this point Moses is the remnant—the last one loyal to God. McLaren suggests that a biblical view of the remnant would be more like Moses, who says at this moment, “Lord, blot me out instead of them.” True remnant theology always reaches outward, not inward. We Adventists have much to offer if we can get this right.

The solution is not in sloughing off all of our differences, but in learning from each beautiful distinctive. Those who do so in each faith community will cultivate an attitude of humility and gentleness, renewing our focus on the mission, as always, to bring more and more people into relationship with our Savior, Jesus Christ.

This book helped me see that the reasons I was leaving were not solely Adventist problems, but problems shared by all my fellow Christians. I can best help heal those core problems right here, in my own faith community. Adventism has a lot of beautiful things to share and a lot of beautiful things to learn, and it’s exciting to be a part of both processes. McLaren’s attitude is truly contagious. I strive now to be less angry and more gentle, a little less “right” and a lot more generous in my thinking.

pp.23,24 adventist today | vol. 14 issue 1