In Francis Schaeffer’s How Then Should We Live?,the author sees the two primary values of contemporary man as personal peace and affluence. Pastor Brian McLaren’s book New Kind of Christian, seeks to find personal peace between conservative and liberal Christians by describing a “new” kind of Christian. For readers familiar with the theology of George Eldon Ladd, the pastor seems to be seeking only half of the Kingdom of God.
In Greg Gilbert’s Brian McLaren and the Gospel of Here & Now, the author concludes
“McLaren’s gospel is too focused on the here-and-now. He charges evangelical Christians with putting too little emphasis on the world, but it is hard to avoid the conclusion that he himself winds up putting too little emphasis on God. The fact is, McLaren does not sufficiently call human beings to grapple with and exult in what God did for us in Christ. Put another way, he does not place concern for the here-and-now in the context of the eternal. That is a grievous error, for it is only when we have a deep understanding of our eternal relationship with God, won by Jesus Christ, that concern for the present world is placed in its proper perspective. The Bible could not be clearer about this. Good works apart from Christ’s saving work are nothing. But good works springing from a heart that has been changed by God’s regenerating power are the sweetest of fruit. To be sure, McLaren’s gospel calls us to action, and that’s good. But it does not well enough call us to worship. The true gospel, on the other hand, does both. It calls us to action, but only after it has called us to adore the One who acted on our behalf. ”
Read the rest here.
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