NPR's "Morning Edition" did an interesting story this past Friday on an event hosted by the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary to discuss Brian McLaren's recent book, A New Kind of Christianity. Professors from SBTS (including the President, Al Mohler) rightly question McLaren's view of Christ crucified. While McLaren still wants to hold on to the labels of Christian and evangelical, it is abundantly clear in this most recent book that he has departed from anything close to what can be considered historic Christian orthodoxy. His view of the cross fails to understand the holiness of God, the sinfulness of man, and the triune nature of the Godhead (among other things). Ironically enough, his "new kind" of Christianity sounds a lot like something we've heard before - it sounds like twentieth century theological liberalism dressed up in postmodern clothes. And in the words of Southern professor, Jim Hamilton, "It is a new kind of Christianity that is no Christianity at all."
On the whole, NPR covers the story with a fair degree of accuracy and balance (though they appear to be sympathetic to McLaren's viewpoint, even calling the Southern professors "angry").
You can both read the story and/or listen to it here.
HT: Church Matters
