My first post of the year focused on great new books features eight volumes published in 2020 and two published in 2021. (5.0) Faith After Doubt: Why Your Beliefs Stopped Working and What to Do About It by Brian D. McLaren (St. Martin's Press, 2021) (4.5) The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism by Katherine Stewart (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2020) (4.5) Future Church: Seven Laws of Real Church Growth by Will Mancini and Cory Hartman (Baker Books, 2020) (4.5) Read More …
Brian McLaren
Top 5 Tweets of 2020 (#1903)
The following five tweets by @SoWhatFaith generated the most impressions in 2020. These top tweets are all quotes from books or sermons by William J. Barber, II; Anna Woofenden; Brian McLaren; and Barbara Brown Taylor. I invite you to share which of these quotes you found most interesting or engaging, and why. Read More …
Blogging in the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic (#1869)
After blogging for 10+ years and publishing nearly 1,900 posts here at So What Faith, writing content about matters of faith that matter has become part of my identity. COVID-19 COVID-19 has disrupted all areas of life, and impacted how people experience community, including communities of faith. In recognition of this, I shifted from wide ranging content to focus on a series of posts about differing aspects of what is happening in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic alongside a continuation Read More …
Top 10 Books of 2016 (#1660)
There are so many good books published every year. The best of the best among those I read this year follow in my seventh annual listing of my top ten books of the year. Top 10 Books of 2016 Author Title Lillian Daniel Tired of Apologizing for a Church I Don’t Belong To Robert P. Jones The End of White Christian America Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, and Douglas Carlton Abrams The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World Brian McLaren The Great Spiritual Migration: How the Read More …
Shaping the Future of Christianity (#1647)
Dying Some say Christianity is dying. I won't argue with them. If Christianity is defined narrowly and if it should be replicated in every time and place in identical ways then we can rest assured Christianity is dying and will soon be dead. Living Christianity, inasmuch as I understand what the Way of Jesus is about, is living. The only way any person or group of people can authentically live as followers of Jesus is to do so within their time and Read More …
July Book Recommendations (#1451)
The last few weeks have been a time of transition for me. I have used the occasion to read the books in my "must read" stack, which had been growing for some time. They follow in the order I have rated them (using a 1-5 scale). (5+) The Rebirthing of God: Christianity's Struggle for New Beginnings by John Philip Newell (2014) (5) We Make the Road by Walking by Brian D. McLaren (2014) (5) Sabbath as Resistance: Saying No to the Culture of Now by Walter Read More …
Review of Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha & Mohammed Cross the Road (#0855)
Meet the Author Brian McLaren served in pastoral ministry for twenty years as the founding pastor of Cedar Ridge Community Church. In 2006, he stepped down from that role to devote his time to writing and speaking. McLaren has written over a dozen books, including Naked Spirituality: A Life with God in 12 Simple Words (2011 - read my review), A New Kind of Christianity (2010), and Everything Must Change: When the World’s Biggest Problems and Jesus’ Good Read More …
Review of Living the Questions (#0835)
Meet the Authors David M. Felten (pictured at right in a black shirt) and Jeff Procter-Murphy (pictured at right holding a tablet) are United Methodist pastors who serve theologically progressive congregations. Together they created a video resource that brought together some of the "most provocative and authoritative voices" (p.xiii). Known as Living the Questions, this resource seeks to "help people wrestle with the questions they hear asked in their congregations - Read More …
12 Marks of Convergence Christianity (#0814)
Eric Elnes, Senior Minister of Countryside Community Church (UCC) and host of Darkwood Brew, has recently written several blog posts on Convergence Christianity. His latest post features twelve defining characteristics, which are evenly divided into three categories: Love of God, Love of Neighbor, and Love of Self. Elnes attributes resonate with others, including Brian McLaren, Phyllis Tickle, Frank Schaeffer, and Diana Butler Bass. Love of God They are letting go Read More …
Review of Naked Spirituality (#0363)
Meet the Author Brian McLaren served in pastoral ministry for twenty years as the founding pastor of Cedar Ridge Community Church. In 2006, he stepped down from that role to devote his time to writing and speaking. McLaren has written numerous books, including Naked Spirituality: A Life with God in 12 Simple Words (2011), Finding Our Way Again: The Return of the Ancient Practices (2010), A New Kind of Christianity (2010), and Everything Must Change: When the World's Read More …