A Generous Orthodoxy

Chapter 15: “Why I am Catholic”

elizachub — Mon, 03 May 2010 02:31:36 +0000

1. What do the words in the opening line of the Nicene Creed mean to you? Do you embrace them as written? How do you reconcile the words “one”, “holy”, and/or “catholic” with the way that Christianity looks today?

2. How do you understand the concept of “sacrament”? What aspects of our world/lives/church are sacramental to you?

Chapter 14: “Why I am Methodist”

elizachub — Mon, 03 May 2010 02:26:25 +0000

1. What (if anything) did you learn about the Methodist movement?

2. What factors played a role in the shift between the diagrams on pages 242 and 243? What do you think we can learn from this?

3. What or who has played a major role in your spiritual formation thus far?

Questions for Chapter 10: “Why I am Biblical”

elizachub — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 15:06:58 +0000

As you read (or review) this chapter, please make notes on anything that stands out to you . . . whether you agree, disagree, feel confused, or have an “aha!” moment, mark the things that McLaren says that speak to you the most.

Elizabeth’s ideas for discussion:

1. McLaren talks about what he wants from the Bible and what modern Western Christians want from the Bible. (pp. 177-178)

Do you share his perspective of the Bible’s role or purpose in the lives of Christ-followers?
Do you think he is accurate in his list of what we (“modern, Western, moderately educated people” want from the Bible?
What do you want from the Bible?

2. McLaren gives a “dual origin” perspective of the origins of Scripture (pp. 179-181). What do you think of his ideas? How does this compare with your own understanding of the Bible’s source(s)? What impact do these ideas have on how we respond to Scripture?

3. Early on (p. 177) McLaren states his belief that the purpose of the Bible is to equip believers “so that we can play our part in the ongoing mission of God.” Near the end of the chapter (p. 185), he deals with his inner conflict over passages that portray God and those who follow him as barbaric by saying, “We need to reclaim the Bible as narrative.”

What do you think of his second statement?
Do you see any conflict or disconnect between these two perspectives?
Does any of what McLaren says help you to reconcile the “God of the Old Testament” with the “God of the New Testament”?

Questions for Chapter 9: “Why I am Mystical/Poetic”

elizachub — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 23:44:27 +0000

1. McLaren echoes another author’s call for a “new kind of preaching” (pp. 162ff).

How would you describe the kind of preaching they want to hear?
Would you like it?
What do you see as its strengths/weaknesses?

2. In some circles, the ‘gift of prophecy’ has been considered the gift that a preacher needs in order to speak the heart of God to His people. A quote from Hans Urs von Balthasar (p. 163) states, “What a prophet has to say can never be said in prose.”

Why would someone make a statement like this?
Do you agree or disagree?

3. Do you personally gravitate more toward reason and direct statement or poetry and metaphor? Why do you think that is so?

4. McLaren says, ” . . . the Bible itself contains precious little expository prose” (p. 172) Instead, he believes that it is predominantly composed of ” . . . parable, poem, . . . vision, dream and opera, personal letter and public song . . .”.

Does this fit with how you generally think of the Bible?
Does it change the way that you would read or respond to Scripture?

Questions for Chapter 8: “Why I am Liberal/Conservative”

elizachub — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 23:34:51 +0000

First let’s sum up McLaren’s background information on the path taken by Protestant Christianity to arrive at two polarized versions of itself: Conservative Christianity and Liberal Christianity. As our world (and the church) turned a corner from medieval thinking to modern, the crucial question that would determine where to find the answers to all other questions was, “How do we know that what we know is true?” In medieval times, truth was sought from established authorities, such as the Pope, the King, ecclesiastical councils, etc. Modernism embraced self-directed discovery of truth through research, logical reasoning, etc. Within the Protestant churches, the Bible was still considered authoritative when combined with human interpretation. The question was, who could say how the Bible should be interpreted? Enter Conservativism, stage right, and Liberalism, stage left.

1. After reading McLaren’s discussion of the distinctions between liberals and conservatives, list the strengths and weaknesses he ascribes to each group.

2. Share which group (if either) you identify with. Do you agree or disagree with the list from question #1?

3. Share your thoughts on McLaren’s “parable”.

Questions for Chapter 7: “Why I am Post/Protestant”

elizachub — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 01:07:15 +0000

1. What new information or ideas did you learn about the roots of Protestantism as you read this chapter? Is there anything you understand differently?

2. McLaren lists three (or more) significant problems that he believes were “unleashed” by the Protestant Reformation (pp. 136-138). Do you agree with his assessment? What impact do you think each of these problems has had on the non-Catholic Christian church?

3. What do you think of McLaren’s idea of redefining “protestant” as “pro-testifying” (p. 140)?

Chapter 6: “Why I am Evangelical”

elizachub — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:20:39 +0000

1. McLaren says (p. 129) the true fundamentals are “loving God and loving neighbors”. What are the fundamentals of your faith, and why?

2. What kinds of experiences have you had with evangelicals and/or Evangelicals?

3. What areas of your life (if any) could use more passion?

Questions for Chapter 5: “Why I am Missional”

elizachub — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 05:39:16 +0000

1. After reading this chapter, how do you understand the term “missional faith?”

2. Compare the diagrams on pages 117 and 118. What is the significance of each?

3. McLaren lists several things that the concept of “being missional” gets rid of (pp. 118-119). Do you agree that eliminating these things is an improvement? Why or why not?

4. On p. 124, McLaren says, ” . . . my mission isn’t to figure out who is already blessed, or not blessed, or unblessable. My calling is to be blessed so I can bless everyone.” What do you think of his view that we don’t need to focus on whether or not someone else is going to heaven?

Questions for Chaper 4: “Jesus: Savior of What?”

elizachub — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 05:30:54 +0000

As promised, this round will be short and (hopefully) sweet!

1. In what ways did this chapter speak to you?

2. What difference might there be in preaching the gospel to “all the world”, vs. preaching the gospel to “all of creation?”

Questions for Chapter 3: “Would Jesus be a Christian?”

elizachub — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 04:39:47 +0000

Okay, before we start with this week’s questions . . . did anyone else wonder if the word “irenic” in the first paragraph was a typo?! (Confession: With the help and support of my American Heritage Dictionary, I discovered that it is a real word and it means “promoting peace”.)

On to the questions:

1. When you read McLaren’s first three statements (on pp. 87 & 88) about modern Christianity, how do you feel? Do you agree? Disagree?

2. How does McLaren describe what it means to call Jesus “Lord” or “master”? What aspect of this description is most difficult for you to relate to? What appeals to you the most?

3. McLaren offers another list of ‘criminal charges’ against modern Christianity on pp. 94 & 95. How do you feel when you read this list? Do you agree? Disagree?

4. How do our cultural values of democracy and personal freedom interfere with our understanding of who Jesus is? What other values are ingrained in our society that may get in the way?

5. Do you have any additional comments or questions that came up while reading this chapter?