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Part I is divided into ten chapters providing ten reasons to say no. The chapter titles provide short descriptions of their contents. I've provided the ten chapter titles (i.e. ten reasons to say no) in the following spoiler. 1. Because Christianity Has Been Vicious to Its Mother (Anti-Semitism) Jana Riess, author of Flunking Sainthood and The Next Mormons; senior columnist for Religion News Service Not surprisingly, the Roman Empire saw Jesus and his nonviolent movement as a threat to their violent regime, so they had him tortured and publicly executed as a matter of standard procedure. By pinning a naked human being to wood the way a dead butterfly or grasshopper is pinned in a display case, the empire showed its own absolute dominance and its victim’s absolute defeat. The message was clear: Jesus’ message of truth and love meant nothing in the face of the empire’s crushing power and domination.
Do I Stay Christian?: A Guide for the Doubters, the Dis…
In short, I was taught my religion’s historical upsides and few of its downsides, and I was taught about other religions’ historical downsides and few of their upsides.
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What lies ahead is speculative, but it involves change both institutionally and personally. Any change, however, will rest on the foundation that proceeds from an honest assessment of what is. And that assessment is the most valuable contribution by McClaren..." Christianity can be defined moralistically, as a shared set of moral values or precepts. To be a Christian is to live your life by a moral or ethical framework.
Christian? Has Brian McLaren stayed Christian?
I explained all this not as an excuse but as part of my apology, because I now see how some aspects of my parenting were insensitive, unwise, and hurtful. I’ve told all my children, “I sincerely did my very best for you as a father, but you deserved so much better.” If only I knew when they were born what I know now! In some ways, my Christian commitment probably helped me be a better parent than I would have been otherwise, but in others, I think it made me worse. The situation recalls a time Jesus spoke of religious people traveling over land and sea to make converts, only to make them “twice the sons of hell” they were before (Matthew 23:15). As you may know, Brian once served as an evangelical preacher. So it’s only fitting that the final paragraphs of his book have the feel of a revival meeting altar call. He invites his readers “to become the most just, kind, and humble version of ourselves that we can, day by day . . . to practice a faith that expresses itself in love . . . to lean with others into a new kind of humanity, open to every good resource that can help us, explicitly Christian or not.” His closing words are, “A new humanity—humble, just and kind—can be born. Can you imagine that, fellow human?”I would recommend this book for anyone doubting within their religious tradition. However, it lost a star for me because despite his promise that he wouldn't try to convince you either way, the last third is him trying to convince you to follow his brand of enlightened living (which you can do from within or without Christianity, so he did keep that promise). While his ideas for a way forward had merit, I thought he came on a little too strong, especially in a book where he promised to let you reach your own conclusions. In his conclusion, Brian calls for a radical redefinition of Christianity. He says, “I could not stay a Christian if my only option was the old way, the old way of white Christianity, the old way of patriarchal Christianity, the old way of theo-Capitalistic Christianity; the old way of violent, exclusive, and authoritarian Christianity with its suppressed but real history of cruelty.” Important book…Helps you find a deeper and wiser faith " — Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, author of The Universal Christ The Great Spiritual Migration: How the World’s Largest Religion is Seeking a Better Way to Be Christian
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