"Do I Stay Christian?" (Brian D. McLaren)

TITLE: Do I Stay Christian?: A Guide for the Doubters, the Disappointed, and the Disillusioned
AUTHOR: Brian D. McLaren
PUBLISHER: New York, NY: St Martin's Press, 2022, (272 pages).
 

Discouragement, disillusionment, and disappointment. These are increasingly common sentiments among evangelicals. As the author travels around major cities in America, he recalls familiar messages of people, especially clergy, who are not only questioning their own faith, they were contemplating leaving both ministry and belief altogether! The author invites us to ponder over the very question, which is also the title of the book: "Do I Stay Christian?" This may seem like a silly question, especially for those of us who have taken the label for granted. One needs to read the book further to discover the many nuances of Christian beliefs. In his typically frank manner, Brian McLaren probes deep into the heart of the cultural Christian, people who call themselves evangelicals but find it increasingly difficult to justify their association with the institutional Church or even the faith itself. From his own diverse backgrounds and varied experiences, he shares with us his own search for identity and probes with us the current state of faith and identity crises. He pushes the envelope further by saying that the question posed as the title of the book is not simply an intellectual exercise but involves matters of the heart, identity, and ultimate concern. Like a liberal arts professor, he prevents the different views as objectively as possible. He then argues from the two main positions before showing us the way forward that brings together the positives from both angles. Like a debater that argues back and forth between both positions of opposing and affirming the resolution, McLaren aims to show the best of both sides in the hope that we can find a reasonable path forward that does justice to both. Above all, whether one affirms or denies the faith, the gospel of love is to love both sides regardless.