Do I Stay Christian? A guide for the doubters, the disappointed, and the disillusioned
Brian McLaren
St. Martin’s Publishing Group, New York, NY, 2022
One of the tasks of aging that I am tackling is sorting out my spiritual life. Like most of us, I have had ups and downs in the quality. I have been an on-fire believer and I have been lukewarm.
While I have never questioned the existence of God, I have evaluated the place of faith in my life. Partly caused by negative church experiences, part by difficult life experiences, I have indeed questioned God’s plan and purpose for life and suffering. But I was attracted to the title of a book outright asking whether or not to stay Christian.
Brian McLaren is a free-thinking Christian who questions everything.
One of the first questions he asks is this: Would Jesus be embarrassed by what we have made church and religion? While it is above our pay grade to speculate on this, it’s surely an interesting question.
Belief systems are complex. McLaren outlines the ways Christianity can be described as follows: Historically or culturally, institutionally, doctrinally, liturgically or pragmatically, spiritually or experientially, moralistically, missionally, demographically, politically, socially, linguistically. Spend a moment contemplating each of these and you’ll understand why we find it hard to understand one another!
McLaren divides the book into three sections. The first third of the book explores the “horrific idiocies and atrocities have already been done by Christians and in Christ’s name, and not just once, but again and again and again across history.”
He describes himself as a self-proclaimed religious jerk, noting, “Nobody is born a religious jerk. It takes a religion to help someone become that way”
He transparently discusses his approach to parenting – what he called biblical was actually authoritarian. He now sees how “some aspects of my parenting were insensitive, unwise, and hurtful.”
He goes from exploring the harm done personally in the name of religion to a discussion of Christianity in history – from the Inquisition to colonization. Clearly, we have not always behaved well
The middle portion of the book answers the question in the affirmative. Should I stay Christian? McLaren concludes Yes!
An unexamined Christianity is not worth it. McLaren concludes, ”The only way I can stay Christian is to do so as part of a creative movement forging a new kind of Christianity.”
Noting that change only happens through failure, he is “simultaneously humbled by my religion’s failures and inspired by its treasures.”
Christianity is really in its infancy. Christ was born 200 years ago. In the history of the universe, it was like yesterday. Too soon to give up
We can evolve, or become extinct
Looking to the future, McLaren sees a different Christianity, one in which we “uncage God.”
The final third of the book is the HOW to stay Christian. He notes that in our faith journeys, there are typically four phases: Simplicity, complexity, perplexity, harmony.
While I am still navigating perplexity, I can see a path to harmony. This book helped.
I am confident that as I wrestle with God, the struggle is oh so worthwhile.
Pick up your copy of Do I Stay Christian here