If you enjoy Brian McLaren’s works (e.g. A New Kind of Christian, A Generous Orthodoxy, etc.) I would like to recommend a book by one of the thinkers who seems to have greatly influenced his works.  His name is Lesslie Newbigin and he was a fellow "tour-guide" (wink-wink, nudge-nudge) in India for forty years or something crazy-long like that…

I am currently reading his book entitled The Gospel in a Pluralist Society and only four chapters into it I think it’s pretty phenomenal.   I have to admit, at first it was difficult overcoming my prejudice in distrusting a guy with the name Lesslie, but when I started reading his arguments I was so taken aback I started just thinking of him as Mr. Newbigin.  And let me tell you Mr. Newbigin is a genius.  I’m so glad he’s family!

Anyway, he has a lot to say about plausibility structures in society, paradigm shifts (e.g. the Reformation,)  and the ways in which reality must be explored experientially with "universal intent."  (If that’s a bit hard to follow, no worries.  I’ve had to read a few of his paragraphs/chapters multiple times to really process them.)  Newbigin also stresses the importance of "story" as exemplified in language, images, concepts, history, culture, and society as a crucial means of interpreting revelation and approaching theology.  (IT’s the "dialogue" Brian McLaren talks about often…)

Anyway, I’d rather you read the book for yourself.  I’ll try to put some quotes up in the next few weeks to entice you further…