Internet Sophism

In his book, A Generous Orthodoxy, Brian McLaren attempts to take a kind of positive pluralist approach to the different orthodoxies within the Catholic (meaning here universal) Christian Church. McLaren analyzes several orthodoxies from Roman Catholic to evangelical to green to Lutheran to Anabaptist, and looks for the good within all of these traditions. This book introduced me to several Christian traditions that I was not acquainted with (or only nominally acquainted), and also challenged some of my assumptions concerning traditions more familiar to me.

The underlying assumption of this book is that there is beauty to be found in all of these traditions, and by focusing on the few negative aspects we miss out on a greater experience and understanding of God. McLaren embraces an epistemelogical relativism, meaning that our understanding of the world is created and limited by our unique experiences. By actively and positively listening to other traditions, we gain a fuller and more profound experience of God. While still holding firmly to the belief that Christ’s life and redemptive work through his death and resurrection is the only path to God, he questions whether one has to be a part of the culture of Christendom in order to be a follower of Christ. Could individuals within other religious communities such as Islam, Buddhism, or Hinduism also be Christ-followers? McClaren is optimistic about this. I am reminded of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s incisive question, “What is religionless Christianity?”

McLaren provides a wonderful example of living out a positive pluralism. Our culture today is in a state of unrest in both politics and religion. The two political parties in our country are more violently divided today than ever. Churches have firmly planted themselves in the warring camps of fundamentalism, evangelicalism, or ecumenicism. All the while, people are talking over each other with megaphones and picket signs, and no one is listening.

If we were able to view the world optimistically (glass half-full) and honestly believe that within the confines of our limited humanity we are each trying to do good, perhaps we would see that, at the core, we are all on the same side.