Over the last few weeks I have been reading Brian McLaren’s trilogy ‘A new kind of Christian’. It’s very good, stimulating, (for more info have a look here and here) but the disconcerting thing is how close most of the material is to what I have been trying to cover in my own book.

(Later addition: lots of material also here.)

McLaren seems to be writing from a perspective emerging out of fundamentalist evangelicalism; my perspective is the polar opposite – a history of emerging out of a fundamentalist scientism – but the place we end up in is similar. Which raises the question – do I need to write my book at all? Because now, when I want to point people towards an understanding of Christianity which I’m not ashamed of I can say ‘have a look at Brian McLaren’s stuff’. There are interesting links with some of the Radical Orthodoxy material, which I also appreciate, although I’d never send a novice in their direction. Perhaps that’s where my book has something to say – not so much the shift away from the Reformation emphasis, which McLaren covers pretty thoroughly, as towards the high-medieval roots that the RO people identify. Maybe I have one or two other things to add.

I’m going on retreat next week, and I’m going to be taking his ‘A Generous Orthodoxy’ with me, (along with Peterson’s ‘Christ Plays…’). This’ll be one of the main things I’ll be reflecting on.