Book Recommendation - A New Kind of Christianity: Ten Questions that are Transforming the Faith

Recommended by Rev. Lee Anderson-Harris

Brian McLaren has written books, delivered presentations and led discussions that have helped form the faith of Christians around the world. He wrote the book that began my journey to understanding Jesus in a whole new way, thus reviving my faith. I was privileged to hear him speak at an Annual Conference — yes, our own Rocky Mountain Annual Conference held each June. And in this book, he has once again breathed new life into a faith that is so dear to many, but so often misunderstood.

Don’t let the title mislead you: McLaren is not creating a new kind of Christianity, but I would say he is going back to the roots of it to help modern Christians understand it in a way that is new to us, perhaps the way it was originally intended to be understood all along. He unpacks the long-held (but not necessarily original) and commonly understood meaning of the overarching message of the Christian Bible, showing readers where this may be in error and the consequences of that misunderstanding. He presents another interpretation, one that I believe is life-giving. It is a thorough book, exploring questions such as “Is God violent?” “Who is Jesus and why is he important?” “Can we find a way to address human sexuality without fighting about it?” and more. As a faith leader who loves the Bible and seeks to be faithful to the teachings of Jesus Christ, I appreciate McLaren’s knowledge, pastoral guidance and support, and experience shared in this book.

Staff Pick Book Recommendation

From Wayne Brown, Director of Adult and Family Formation

The Hungering Dark, by Frederick Buechner (Seabury Press, 1969)

Link to order online: http://www.tatteredcover.com/book/9780060611750

In 1979, when I was a student at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, I literally stumbled on my first Frederick Buechner book at the annual book sale in the library courtyard. In the midst of the book-buying chaos, the book was bumped from its perch on one of the tables, and onto my tanned and sandaled California beach toes. The book was The Hungering Dark, and my foot (and, eventually, my mind and spirit) were never so painfully grateful.

In The Hungering Dark, Buechner (pronounced BEEK-ner), draws on texts from both Old and New Testaments to help us encounter the gracious, sometimes hidden face of God in refreshingly honest ways. 

One sample from chapter 2, Confusion of Face: “The voyage into the self is long and dark and full of peril, but I believe that it is a voyage that all of us will have to make before we are through. Either we climb down into the abyss willingly with our eyes open, or we risk falling into it with our eyes closed.”

Author, Professor, Pulitzer Prize nominee, Poet, Philosopher, and lover of Christ: Frederick Bueckner. Read Him. You’ll be grateful from your head to your toes. Also, for a more personal sense of this extraordinary man, view Walter Brueggemannʼs interview with Buechner here: http://www.frederickbuechner.com/content/walter-brueggemann-interviews-frederick-buechner

Enjoy!