McLaren wraps up his New Kind of Christian trilogy with a volume that focuses on what it means to be "saved," to follow Jesus, to face judgment, and to believe (or not) in an afterlife, specifically focusing on the doctrine of hell.

As with the two preceding books in the set, McLaren has chosen the genre of "creative non-fiction," as he calls it: most of the theology is unpacked via the characters' conversations about the main ideas, and the same characters demonstrate the relative praxis through the ins and outs of the story.

The ideas McLaren espouses come as a breath of fresh air to some of today's evangelicals who have become disillusioned with the current direction of the evangelical movement, namely interpretations of Scripture that reinforce western consumerism and empire thinking. The dominant thread seems to be that whatever our nuanced beliefs are about judgment, hell, and salvation, they are no good if they cause us to focus on the afterlife instead of working for love and justice for all in this life. ( )

Wow.

Controversial stuff, yet at the same time oddly reassuring.

In his slightly strange 'creative non-fiction' style, McLaren gently introduces doubts about the conservative evangelical viewpoint of hell - the kind of thing that many of us have puzzled about over the years. Featuring the pastor Dan - who, McLaren declares, really isn't himself - his friend Neil, and a host of other interesting characters, the history and theology of hell are discussed at length.

There's room for disagreement; at one point Dan bemoans the fact that if he figures out how to help his daughter Jess in her understanding, he will upset his wife Carol, who continues in a fairly conservative exclusivist viewpoint. And there's also room for a great deal of thinking and pondering, and searching of the Scriptures.

Whatever the truth - or otherwise - of hell, many excellent points are made about the importance of living for Christ, of caring about justice on earth, of showing love and kindness to all. Far too many Christians come across as angry and judgemental, almost seeming to rejoice in the idea of the condemnation of the unsaved, and while people of that persuasion would probably consider this book heretical, it's important that those of us who tend towards the more inclusivist viewpoint should not judge or condemn those who are more conservative or intolerant in their view.

Powerful stuff, leaving open as many questions as it answers. The fiction part is rather lightweight, more a vehicle for the theology and history than anything else, but it works. And is very readable.

Highly recommended. ( )

An exploration of beliefs about hell, and how (in his opinion) many Christians have got things backwards -- and why.

This book, like the others in the series are quite incredible. Although McLaren is not exactly the best fiction writer, there are so many rich moments in these books that bring up points which cause you to stop and think. This ability more than makes up for the story, which seems to lack in some points and drag on with parts that don't really seem necessary. Overall, I would say that there is much that can be learned from this series, and it is a shame that many refuse to read it and solely criticize him because he can be controversial at times. ( )