Understanding McLaren

It’s safe to say that Brian McLaren has received a good share of the criticism aimed toward the emerging church. One of the big questions has been whether that criticism is based on an accurate assessment of McLaren’s theology, or whether (in part) his position has been misunderstood.

Today, McLaren himself has weighed in:

When I read these confident statements of propositional truth about me and my work, I keep wondering, “Is there someone out there posing as an imposter, pretending to represent me?”

…Many things that are being confidently asserted as objective, absolute, propositional truth about “Brian McLaren” are actually the truth about a fictional character, not about me.

I’m sure that McLaren’s critics will protest, especially when it comes to some of his books that are completely nonfiction, such as a Generous Orthodoxy. Still, I am fairly confident that McLaren has been misunderstood at some key points. I hope this might be the start of some genuine dialogue that will clear up some of the misunderstanding, and highlight genuine areas of disagreement which can then be pursued in a spirit of goodwill and Olympic calm.