You left out "pithy"...

I know very little about Brian D. McLaren other than that he is a Christian author and founder of of Cedar Ridge Community Church, an "innovative, nondenominational church" in the Baltimore area. What struck me, upon stumbling across it, is the title of his recent book:

A Generous Orthodoxy: Why I Am a Missional, Evangelical, Post/Protestant, Liberal/Conservative, Mystical/Poetic, Biblical, Charismatic/Contemplative, Fundamentalist/Calvinist, Anabaptist/Anglican, Methodist, Catholic, Green, Incarnational, Depressed-yet-Hopeful, Emergent, Unfinished CHRISTIAN

Yes, that's the entire title. Clever, fun, eye-catching, etc., etc. But McLaren left out "Thomist," and probably for good reason. In addition to not being pithy (one of St. Thomas's great virtues), he admits a certain suspicion for clarity: "I have gone out of my way to be provocative, mischievous, and unclear, reflecting my belief that clarity is sometimes overrated" (p. 23; quote from online review). Well, perhaps. Maybe. Could be. But I suspect that trying to be everything is a sign that one is on the road to believing little or nothing. I hope that's not the case with McLaren (again, I know very little about him). In the meantime, he has recently left his position as pastor of Cedar Ridge and is now a head of ILS Coaching and Consulting. He states:

At ILS Coaching and Consulting, we are committed to walking with you on the journey of organizational culture change over time. Our coaches have years of experience working with churches and their leaders. Our approach is based on helping you understand the modern to post-modern transition, facilitating your discernment of a new vision for your unique culture, and then helping you alter leadership roles and systems to realize your God-given dreams.

Like I said, definitely not a Thomist. But, I suspect, Unfinished.

Comments

[clive]

Oh Dear, as you say; unfinished. Also mixed up, unsure, not certain. Certainly indecisive about his God and who/what he himself might be.

And his career-change move is to go into coaching!!!??? Doesn't that rather imply taking a few decisions on behalf of others?

[Mik]

Hey Carl, I see where they are looking for a senior pastor...why don't you just go ahead and apply. It sounds they are so confused at their decision making now, you might stand a chance at converting a few of them! It will be amazing to see how middle of the road these guys are until we spring a little "Catholic" on them.
You know what scares me? These places fill up and fill up fast. The real issue is it is many of our own leaving our pews and filling theirs.