Spirited Book Club discusses The Great Spiritual Migration by Brian D. McLaren
Discover how the world’s largest religion is seeking a better way to be Christian.
Book Overview
The Christian story, from Genesis until now, is fundamentally about people on the move—outgrowing old, broken religious systems and embracing new, more redemptive ways of life.
It’s time to move again.
Brian McLaren, a leading voice in contemporary religion, argues that— notwithstanding the dire headlines about the demise of faith and drop in church attendance—Christian faith is not dying. Rather, it is embarking on a once-in-an-era spiritual shift. For millions, the journey has already begun.
Drawing from his work as global activist, pastor, and public theologian, McLaren challenges readers to stop worrying, waiting, and indulging in nostalgia, and instead, to embrace the powerful new understandings that are reshaping the church. In The Great Spiritual Migration, he explores three profound shifts that define the change:
- Spiritually, growing numbers of Christians are moving away from defining themselves by lists of beliefs and toward a way of life defined by love
- Theologically, believers are increasingly rejecting the image of God as a violent Supreme Being and embracing the image of God as the renewing Spirit at work in our world for the common good
- Missionally, the faithful are identifying less with organized religion and more with organizing religion—spiritual activists dedicated to healing the planet, building peace, overcoming poverty and injustice, and collaborating with other faiths to ensure a better future for all of us
With his trademark brilliance and compassion, McLaren invites readers to seize the moment and set out on the most significant spiritual pilgrimage of our time: to help Christianity become more Christian.
Reviews for The Great Spiritual Migration
“Provocative and powerful.”—Nicholas Kristof, the New York Times
“This is Brian McLaren’s finest book: a beautiful exploration of a hopeful, joyful, mystical, and just faith that invites Christians to move from fear to love. On every page, he calls out to longing readers, ‘Don’t give up. A better world, a better way of belief is possible.’ And he is right.”—Diana Butler Bass, author of Grounded: Finding God in the World: A Spiritual Revolution
“Anything written by Brian McLaren is always filled with insight, courage, and creative theology, refining the meaning of orthodoxy in our time. Read this and surely enjoy it, for it will assure you that you are not crazy making in what you are seeing and suffering today.”—Richard Rohr, author of Falling Upward, founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation
“The Great Spiritual Migration puts into words what so many people of faith are experiencing, and in a way that is at once accessible and profound, challenging and deeply comforting. You will reach the final page feeling inspired, understood, and a little less alone. McLaren’s writing has long been a gift to the Church, and to the world. This may be his most important work yet.”—Rachel Held Evans, author of Searching for Sunday
“A refreshingly honest, totally committed, enriching and profound analysis of the Spiritual Moment that is changing all our lives. If you are concerned—and at the same time excited—by what is going in churches these days, read this book. Both hope and a path to it await you here.”—Joan Chittister, author of Between the Dark and the Daylight
Club Discussion Dates
FIRST BOOK CLUB MEETING for June 16: Parts I and II
SECOND BOOK CLUB MEETING for June 30: Part III and Appendices
++Book discussion facilitated by Sheri Brown
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About the author
Brian D. McLaren is an author, speaker, activist, and public theologian. A former college English teacher and pastor, he is a passionate advocate for “a new kind of Christianity” – just, generous, and working with people of all faiths for the common good. He is a faculty member of The Living School and podcaster with Learning How to See, which are part of the Center for Action and Contemplation. He is also an Auburn Senior Fellow and is a co-host of Southern Lights. His newest book is Faith After Doubt (January 2021), and his next release, Do I Stay Christian? (May 2022) can be preordered now. His recent projects include an illustrated children’s book (for all ages) called Cory and the Seventh Story and The Galapagos Islands: A Spiritual Journey.
Born in 1956, he graduated from University of Maryland with degrees in English (BA, 1978, and MA, 1981). His academic interests included Medieval drama, Romantic poets, modern philosophical literature, and the novels of Dr. Walker Percy. In 2004, he was awarded a Doctor of Divinity Degree (honoris causa) from Carey Theological Seminary in Vancouver, BC, Canada, and in 2010, he received a second honorary doctorate from Virginia Theological Seminary (Episcopal).
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