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Title: Finding Faith by Brian D. McLaren ISBN: 0-310-23838-2 Publisher: Zondervan Pub. Date: 01 July, 2000 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $15.99

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Average Customer Rating: 4.5 (14 reviews)

Rating: 5
Summary: Among the best of it's kind
Comment: Finding Faith is rare in that it takes seriously the issues that modern people have with christianity and presents a point of view that isn't tone deaf. McLaren has feeling and sensitivity to issues that educated 21st century people find troubling.

These include doubt, sexism and hypocrisy in the church, abhorrent church culture, postmodernism, atheism, intellectual certainty, are handled respectfully and seriously, without the author descending to smug polemic. McClaren actually allows people to disagree with him and form their own opinions. And he's quite open that the christian church sometimes seems very embarassing.

Ironically, insiders may find this book even more helpful than it's intended audience. His chapters on the personality types of churches, stages of faith and how God might be experienced should be must reading for those who already believe. McLaren is honest about his own struggles in his journey. These chapters alone could give hope to many older christians if only the church at large was aware that there's more depth to the journey with God than conservative christianity usually presents.

Finding Faith is not as highbrow intellectual as some might wish, but that's not it's intention, and will reach a wider audience. It's a good starting point to lead into more heavy-duty works. My only reservation is that Finding Faith occasionally uses christian jargon like "grace" without explanation, and that it's style is sometimes more wordy than needful. But I'm being picky: Until someone writes the perfect "Might belief in God make sense?" book, this is as good as it gets.

I'd also recommend "Why Believe?: Reason and Mystery As Pointers to God" by C. Stephen Evans. It's a little more intellectual, but still very readable and user friendly. Like Finding Faith, Evans' book deals with issues like "is Christianity sexist?", "is it just a psychological crutch?", and how the mysteries of life point us to God. It also deals effectively and simply with more classic arguments for and against God. The two books complement each other very well and I recommend both highly.

Rating: 5
Summary: Get this book & suggest that all your friends read it!
Comment: I certainly wish this was the first book I read when I began my spiritual quest (which eventually led me to become Christian). It would have made certain things a lot easier! To someone who is interested in "finding faith" but has no real experience with anything spiritual (the position I was in), I recommend this book. It covers a lot of issues that "beginners" are going to want to explore, and it does so in an open, patient and caring manner.

I would also like to respond to the review "SELF-motivated SPIRITUALITY". The reviewer complains that McLaren says: While this is clearly not the proper motivation for seeking God, it is often true that people begin their search for God for these reasons! Mr McLaren is not saying that this is the proper motivation; he points out only that it is common and must therefore be acknowledged. While I now know that this sort of initial selfishness is not right, it can very well lead a person to come to faith ... as it did for me!

In sum, I recommend this book wholeheartedly for all readers: atheists, agnostics, seekers and committed Christians. One of the few books I've read that deserves 5 stars!

Rating: 1
Summary: SELF-motivated SPIRITUALITY
Comment: The book says<>
This smacks of Self-Motivated Spirituality: Placing your own character and well-being above your desire to know God.
"What I want is anything God can do for me to make me desirable in my own eyes." There is no complete abandon to God in that. God's Word tells us:
"For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again.
So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer." 2 Cor. 5:14-16

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