Brian D. McLaren – författare

Det är sällan Jesus ger klara besked. Gång på gång verkar han dölja sitt budskap. Han talar ofta i liknelser och istället för att ge tydliga svar ställer han utmanande motfrågor. De han möter har svårt att förstå honom. Varför valde han att tala på det sätt han gjorde? Varför återkommer Jesus ständigt till Guds rike? I ljuset av den tidens politiska och sociala landskap återupptäcker Brian McLaren Jesus budskap på nytt: Guds rike är verklighet för alla. Det är en faktisk, social, politisk, ekonomisk, kreativ och vardaglig verklighet. Alla kan få del av det nya livet i Jesus Kristus. Men om Guds rike är här och nu, hur gestaltar det sig i vår vardag? Var går gränsen? Finns den? McLaren är distinkt och tydlig och visar på det kristna livets nya gränser, språk, framtid och frukt. Jesus hemliga budskap är en bok både för den som på nytt vill upptäcka kristen tro och den andligt upptäcktsresande som tar de allra första stegen mot Kristus. I översättning av Mattias Agnesund. Brian McLaren är pastor och en tongivande röst inom Emergent-rörelsen, en ekumenisk och global konversation om hur tro och kyrka kan gestaltas i vår tid. Brian McLaren har på Marcus Förlag tidigare utkommit med Kristen på nytt sätt och En generös radikalitet. För mer information om Brian McLaren, se www.brianmclaren.net

'If you're new to the faith and seeking a good orientation, here you'll find the introduction I wish I had been given. If you're a long-term Christian whose current form of Christianity has stopped working, here you'll find a reorientation from a fresh and healthy perspective. If your faith seems to be a lot of talk without much practice, I hope this book will help you translate your faith to action. And if you're a parent trying to figure out what you should teach your kids and grandkids, I hope this book will fit the need.' We Make the Road by Walking is a year's worth of reflections on the Bible, each one easily read aloud in ten to twelve minutes. Working with the framework of the church year, they provide a Genesis-to-Revelation overview of the Bible that can be used in a variety of ways: a year of church services, a year of weekly dinner-dialogue gatherings, a year of classes or online interactions, a series of retreats, or simply a rich reading experience.Join Brian McLaren as he explores what it means to be alive in the way of Christ - reading, praying, meditating, discussing and acting our way through God's word to us, the Bible.

WARNING: This is not just another book on evangelism. It's a simple idea of evangelism through friendship first, and the opportunities to share your faith that follow. It will bring friendships you already have to a new levels, and create opportunities for new, authentic friendships with those you will eventually meet.OUT: Evangelism as sales pitch, as conquest, as warfare, as ultimatum, as threat, as proof, as argument, as entertainment, as show, as monologue, as something you have to do.IN: Disciple-making as conversation, as friendship, as influence, as invitation, as companionship, as challenge, as opportunity, as conversation, as dance, as something you get to do.You're more ready for this than you realize, and so are your friends!

What should the church look like today? What should be the focus of its message? How should I present that message? We live in as pivotal and defining an age as the Great Depression or the Sixties–a period whose definition, say some cultural observers, includes a warning of the church’s influence. The result? A society measurably less religious but decidedly more spiritual. Less influenced by authority than by experience. More attuned to images than to words. How does the church adapt to such a culture? Or should it, in fact, eschew adapting for maintaining a course it has followed these last two millennia? Or something in between? These are exactly the questions asked in The Church In Emerging Culture by five Christian thinker-speaker-writers, each who advocate unique stances regarding what the church’s message should be (and what methods should be used to present it) as it journeys through this evolving, postmodern era. The authors are: Andy Crouch–Re:Generation Quarterly editor-in-chief Michael Horton–professor and reformed theologian Frederica Mathewes-Green–author, commentator, and Orthodox Christian Brian D. McLaren–postmodernist, author, pastor, and Emergent senior fellow Erwin Raphael McManus–author and pastor of the innovative and interethnic L.A.-based church, Mosaic Most unique about their individual positions is that they’re presented not as singular essays but as lively discussions in which the other four authors freely (and frequently) comment, critique, and concur. That element, coupled with a unique photographic design that reinforces the depth of their at-once congenial and feisty conversation, gives you all-access entrée into this groundbreaking discourse. What’s more, general editor Leonard Sweet (author of SoulTsunami and AquaChurch, among several other acclaimed texts) frames the thought-provoking dialogue with a profoundly insightful, erudite introductory essay–practically a book within a book. The Church In Emerging Culture is foundational reading for leaders and serious students of all denominations and church styles.

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. A confession and manifesto from a senior leader in the emerging church movement. A Generous Orthodoxycalls for a radical, Christ-centered orthodoxy of faith and practice in a missional, generous spirit. Brian McLaren argues for a post-liberal, post-conservative, post-protestant convergence, which will stimulate lively interest and global conversation among thoughtful Christians from all traditions. In a sweeping exploration of belief, author Brian McLaren takes us across the landscape of faith, envisioning an orthodoxy that aims for Jesus, is driven by love, and is defined by missional intent. A Generous Orthodoxy rediscovers the mysterious and compelling ways that Jesus can be embraced across the entire Christian horizon. Rather than establishing what is and is not “orthodox,” McLaren walks through the many traditions of faith, bringing to the center a way of life that draws us closer to Christ and to each other. Whether you find yourself inside, outside, or somewhere on the fringe of Christianity, A Generous Orthodoxy draws you toward a way of living that looks beyond the “us/them” paradigm to the blessed and ancient paradox of “we.” Also available on abridged audio CD, read by the author.

How the Culture-Controlled Church Neutered the Gospel If you’re brave enough to take an honest look at the issues facing the culture–controlled church—and the issues in your own life—read on. Do you ever look at how the Christian faith is being lived out in the new millennium and wonder if we’re not doing what we’re supposed to be doing? That we still haven’t quite “gotten it”? That we’ve missed the point regarding many important issues? It’s understandable if we’ve relied on what we’ve been told to believe or what’s widely accepted by the Christian community. But if we truly turned a constructive, critical eye toward our beliefs and vigorously questioned them and their origins, where would we find ourselves? Best-selling authors Brian McLaren and Tony Campolo invite you to do just that. Join them on an adventure—one that’s about uncovering and naming faulty conclusions, suppositions, and assumptions about the Christian faith. In Adventures in Missing the Point, the authors take turns addressing how we’ve missed the point on crucial topics such as: salvation, the Bible, being postmodern, worship, homosexuality, truth, and many more.

Does having faith mean abandoning reason? It's easy to get that impression. Still, it seems reasonable that a supremely intelligent God would want you to use your God-given intellect on your spiritual journey as much as in any other aspect of your life.Faith may not stand on rational thinking alone, but a solid faith should walk hand in hand with intellectual integrity.Does it really matter what I believe?What is the relationship between faith and knowledge?Why are there so many religions?Do all paths lead to the same God?This book helps you sort through the questions, objections, and concerns you can't help but raise. A Search for What Makes Sense will help you think your way clearly and honestly to answers that satisfy because they're your answers--conclusions you've arrived at personally without manipulation, coercion, or game-playing.For faith to exist and grow it's got to make sense--good sense, carefully-thought-out sense. And chances are it does.FINDING FAITHThe Finding Faith books A Search for What Makes Sense and A Search for What Is Real don't try to tell you what to believe; they are guides in learning how to believe. If you think the spiritual journey requires turning your back on honesty and intellectual integrity, these two companion volumes will speak to both your mind and your soul.

I've had my fill of superficial religiosity. But deep religion, authentic, naked spirituality - that's what I'm thirsty for, and so, I think, are you.In our busy lives we often sideline prayer and spiritual practice, or wrap the subject up in a tangle of guilt-driven showmanship and 'self-motivation'. Stripping away the jargon that we can often get caught up in, NAKED SPIRITUALITY presents the core concepts of prayer in a fresh and accessible way.Brian D. McLaren has spent years working with these concepts in his own life and shares candidly his own experiences and insights as well as challenge in this very applicable book. Using twelve words as a structure, he shows how we can connect with God in practical, doable and durable ways, and use that connection to serve others.

What is the overarching storyline of the Bible?Is God violent? What is the Gospel?Can we find a way to address sexuality without fighting about it? At the opening of the twenty-first century, Christianity in the West is more fractured and beleaguered than ever. Groundbreaking author Brian McLaren suggests that if we are to get beyond doctrinal statements towards the life to the full that Jesus promised us, we need new paradigms for thinking and believing - and he invites us on a radical quest for a new kind of faith. Using ten key questions, McLaren boldly proposes what a future Christianity could look like. Radical yet orthodox, outspoken yet generous. This is a wise, compassionate book for all who are looking for an authentic, loving faith.

Discover afresh the transforming message of Jesus—an epic story that is good news for everyone, whatever their gender, race, class, politics, or religion.“What if many have carried on a religion that somewhere along the way missed the rich and radical treasures hidden in the essential message of Jesus?”When Brian McLaren began offering an alternative vision of Christian faith and life in books such as A New Kind of Christian and A Generous Orthodoxy, he ignited a firestorm of praise and condemnation that continues to spread across the religious landscape. To some religious conservatives, McLaren is a dangerous rebel without a doctrinally-correct cause. Some fundamentalist websites have even claimed he's in league with the devil and have consigned him to flames.To others though, Brian is a fresh voice, a welcome antidote to the staleness, superficiality, and negativity of the religious status quo. A wide array of people from Evangelical, Catholic, and Mainline Protestant backgrounds claim that through his books they have begun to rediscover the faith they'd lost or rejected. And around the world, many readers say that he has helped them find—for the first time in their lives—a faith that makes sense and rings true. For many, he articulates the promise of what is being called "emerging Christianity."In The Secret Message of Jesus you'll find what's at the center of Brian's critique of conventional Christianity, and what's at the heart of his expanding vision. In the process, you'll meet a Jesus who may be altogether new to you, a Jesus who is…Not the crusading conqueror of religious broadcastingNot the religious mascot of partisan religionNot heaven's ticket-checker, whose words have been commandeered by the church to include and exclude, judge and stigmatize, pacify and domesticate McLaren invites you to discover afresh the transforming message of Jesus—an open invitation to radical change, an enlightening revelation that exposes sham and ignites hope, an epic story that is good news for everyone, whatever their gender, race, class, politics, or religion. "Pastor and best-selling author McLaren revisits the gospel material from a fresh-and at times radical-perspective . . . He does an excellent job of capturing Jesus' quiet, revolutionary style."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)"Here McLaren shares his own ferocious journey in pondering the teachings and actions of Jesus. It is McLaren's lack of salesmanship or agenda that creates a refreshing picture of the man from Galilee who changed history."—Donald Miller, Author of Blue Like Jazz"In this critical book, Brian challenges us to ask what it would mean to truly live the message of Jesus today, and thus to risk turning everything upside down."—Jim Wallis, Author of God's Politics and editor of Sojourners"Compelling, crucial and liberating: a book for those who seek to experience the blessed heat of Christianity at its source."—Anne Rice, Author of Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt

Why have certain spiritual disciplines been in use for centuries, and why are they so important?It is questionable if one can ever be exactly the same person waking up on two consecutive days. How are spiritual sojourners to cope with the constant change? Many are beginning to explore the ancient Christian spiritual practices, such as fixed-hour prayer, fasting and sincere observance of the Sabbath. What is causing this hunger for deeper spirituality?Brian McLaren guides us on this quest for an explanation of these spiritual practices, many of which go all the way back to Abraham and the establishment of Israel. In the midst of contemporary Christianity, we discover the beauty of these disciplines and the transformation through Christ that each can provide.Includes foreword by Phyllis Tickle and leads into seven additional titles, The Ancient Practices, a classic series featuring some of the leading writers on spirituality in the world today.

Brian McLaren, mencionado como uno de los "25 evangélicos más influyentes en los Estados Unidos" por la Revista TIME regresa y esta vez para llevar a los lectores en una travesía que será turbulenta y estremecedora, como también emocionante y transformadora. Sin temor a la controversia o a los tabúes de la vida, McLaren busca encontrar la esencia del mensaje de Jesús, aunque esto signifique un vuelco a nuestras ideas convencionales, prioridades y prácticas.

It's 2056 and international oligarchs have pushed the world to the precipice of ecological, economic, and nuclear catastrophe. But two philanthropists have teamed up to establish a long-term colony on Mars. Could this daring outpost be the next chapter in the story of the human race?Assembling a crack team of experts including scientists, engineers and ecologists, the colony begins to establish a viable outpost on our nearest planet. But the team quickly runs into problems as they bear the responsibility of creating a new humanity. Can they work out what has gone wrong before it's too late? And will the passengers of the last voyage from earth bring what's needed for this fledging community to flourish?This first volume in a thrilling new trilogy from Brian McLaren, explores what it means to be human and what would we choose to bring with us or leave behind, if we were to start all over again.

What does faith look like when cynicism seems more plausible?What does hope look like when hope seems irrational?What does love look like when hate becomes more popular?In recent years, author and activist Brian McLaren has sensed a widespread emotional shift among growing numbers of people. More and more friends, colleagues, students, and readers confess their sense of futility, their feelings of frustration bordering on despair. They feel that human civilization has passed certain tipping points and that a tide of doom is inexorably rising. This feeling creates a deep inner divide, a tension between a sincere and hopeful commitment to action for the common good on the one hand, and on the other, a feeling that no actions can prevent the arrival of an undesirable or even dystopian future.Life After Doom is a sober analysis of how things stand in relation to climate breakdown, and a deeply insightful exploration of the challenge of living well, maintaining resilience and growing in wisdom and love in the face of nations, ecosystems, economies, religions, and other institutions in disarray. Brian McLaren is the author of Faith After Doubt and Do I Stay Christian? and is a leading and authoritative voice at the intersection of religious faith and contemporary culture.'A book of rare wisdom, genuinely profound in depth and scope'DIANA BUTLER BASS

What does faith look like when cynicism seems more plausible?What does hope look like when hope seems irrational?What does love look like when hate becomes more popular?In recent years, author and activist Brian McLaren has sensed a widespread emotional shift among growing numbers of people. More and more friends, colleagues, students, and readers confess their sense of futility, their feelings of frustration bordering on despair. They feel that human civilization has passed certain tipping points and that a tide of doom is inexorably rising. This feeling creates a deep inner divide, a tension between a sincere and hopeful commitment to action for the common good on the one hand, and on the other, a feeling that no actions can prevent the arrival of an undesirable or even dystopian future.Life After Doom is a sober analysis of how things stand in relation to climate breakdown, and a deeply insightful exploration of the challenge of living well, maintaining resilience and growing in wisdom and love in the face of nations, ecosystems, economies, religions, and other institutions in disarray. Brian McLaren is the author of Faith After Doubt and Do I Stay Christian? and is a leading and authoritative voice at the intersection of religious faith and contemporary culture.'A book of rare wisdom, genuinely profound in depth and scope'DIANA BUTLER BASS

From a dying Earth, ten pioneers launch into the void, racing against extinction. Their destination: a fragile Martian settlement clinging to life. At the helm, the fearless visionary Thurman - and the enigmatic spiritual guide Eve -must keep their crew from tearing itself apart.But space is merciless. A meteor storm strikes without warning, forcing a desperate, heart-stopping manoeuvre. When they finally land, a darker horror awaits: a colony gripped by a wave of suicides, and whispers of a deadly conspiracy - addictive substances, corporate sabotage, and a looming coup from Earth itself.Against the odds, these settlers fight to build a new world: one fuelled by art, ecological ingenuity, and a spiritual vision that defies the greed and corruption of the planet they left behind. Life blooms under the red sky as the first children are born, carrying hope where Earth's cities flicker and die.In a saga of survival, betrayal, and revelation, humanity must confront the ultimate question: can we rise above our destructive past and achieve a "noble success" - becoming true partners to life itself on a new world?

How can the life and teachings of Jesus impact the most critical global problems in our world today?For the last twenty years, Brian McLaren has been unable to escape this life-shaping question. In Everything Must Change, he unveils a fresh and provocative vision of Jesus and his teachings, and how his message of hope can ignite purpose and passion to change the economic, environmental, military, political, and social crises that have overtaken our world.The Good News is more than a ticket to heaven. It is an invitation to personal change and a radical challenge for global transformation. Imagine what would happen:if we believed that God's will really could be done on earth and not just in heavenif the world's leading nations spent less on weapons and more on making peace, alleviating poverty, and caring for creationif a renewed understanding of Jesus and his message sparked a profound spiritual awakening in a global movement of faith, hope, and loveIf you are hungry for a fresh vision of what it means to be a person of faith, Everything Must Change shows what would happen when Jesus' Good News collides with a world in need.

Christians and Muslims together make up about 57% of the world's population today, and by the end of the century they will constitute about 66% of the world's population. More than any other single factor, the wellbeing of our children and grandchildren may depend on how well Christians learn to relate to Muslims - and Hindus, the next largest faith, not to mention Buddhists, Jews, people of indigenous faiths, and the nonreligious. We know how to have a strong Christian identity that is intolerant of or belligerent towards other faiths, and we know how to have a weak Christian identity that is tolerant and benevolent. But is there a third alternative? How do we discover, live, teach, and practise a Christian identity that is both strong and benevolent towards other faiths?In this provocative and inspiring book, author Brian McLaren tackles some of the hardest questions around the issue of interfaith relations, and shares a hopeful vision of the reconciliation that Jesus offers to our multi-faith world.

Many people experience Christianity as a system of belief, focused on an exclusive Supreme Being who favours some and rejects others, and is defended by a set of change-averse, self-protecting institutions. In The Great Spiritual Migration, Brian McLaren proposes that this conventional understanding of Christianity is ripe for a conversion: from system of belief to way of life, from exclusive Supreme Being to the loving, healing, reconciling Spirit embodied in Jesus, and from an organised institutional religion that supports an unjust status quo to an organising movement-building religion that helps a better world be born. Drawing from his work as a pastor, speaker, ecumenical networker and activist, McLaren issues a call and offers a plan for radical change that can shift the direction of Christian faith to be more in sync with its founder, more life-giving for individual Christians and congregations - and more of a life-giving resource for the whole world.

Praise for We Make the Road by Walking: 'innovative and refreshing' - Christianity magazineIn his 2014 book We Make the Road by Walking Brian McLaren gave a basic orientation on what it means to be 'a new kind of Christian' through 52 sermons, working within the framework of the church year and providing a Genesis-Revelation overview of the Bible. It was designed to be used in church services and small groups, and was praised by New Testament scholar Paula Gooder and enthusiastically adopted by many. Seeking Aliveness is a repurposing of this material for use by individuals, breaking up the text into daily devotions, along with the original suggested Bible readings and with a prayer, thought or action point for each day. Brian's original writing is transformed beautifully into a daily read, for admirers of the original book as well as a new audience. 'An ideal resource' - Church Times