Adventures in Missing the Point: How the Culture-Controlled Church Neutered the Gospel »

Brian D. McLaren (MA, University of Maryland) is founding pastor of Cedar Ridge Community Church, an innovative, nondenominational church in the Baltimore-Washington region. He's also a senior fellow with emergent (www.emergentvillage.org), a growing generative friendship of missional Christian leaders.

Tony Campolo (Ph.D., Temple University) is professor emeritus of sociology at Eastern University in suburban Philadelphia, a media commentator on religious, social, and political matters, and the author of a dozen books, including Revolution and Renewal, Let me Tell You a Story, and 20 Hot Potatoes Christians Are Afraid to touch. Dr. Tony Campolo es profesor emeritus de Sociologia en el Eastern College de St. Davids, estado de Pennsylvania. Es Tambien fundador y presidente de la Evangelical Association for the Promotion of Education, una organizacion educativa que ayuda a ninos y adolescentes 'en situacion de riesgo', en las ciudades de Estados Unidos de America y en otros paises en desarrollo. El Dr. Campolo tiene escritos mas de 20 libros y es un orador popular tanto a nivel nacional como internacional. el y su esposa, Margaret, residen en Pennsylvania.

There is a stirring among churchgoers. Many are looking at how the Christian faith is being played out, wondering if somehow we're missing the point. What if there is more to our faith than just getting our souls into heaven? What if there is a power in the gospel that's been kept under lock and key because of our culture-controlled church? If we placed our beliefs and their origins under the microscope, what would we see?

Publishers Weekly

Many Christians, argue McLaren and Campolo, have missed-and keep missing-the point of the very Gospel they are called to proclaim. They mistake the Bible for a simple answer book. They mistake salvation for political liberation or celestial fire insurance. They mistake worship for feelings of personal intimacy. But the emerging postmodern culture provides an opportunity and an impetus for the church to revisit some of these topics and discover again what the Gospel is all about. In this volume, McLaren (A New Kind of Christian) teams up with Campolo (20 Hot Potatoes Christians Are Afraid to Touch) to opine and stimulate thought and discussion among their conservative colleagues. They take turns writing chapters about a variety of topics that are sometimes mundane (sin, culture, seminary) and sometimes more controversial (homosexuality, the Bible). Not every chapter includes an actual "missed point," and several contain straw men. Sometimes a favorable uptick on the accessibility meter is matched by a corresponding downturn in the one measuring theological depth. Still, the book offers much sharp insight, is solidly biblical and is helpfully illustrated by stories-it's easy to see why both authors are sought-after preachers. The writing is lively, and the back-and-forth between Campolo and McLaren is often quite interesting. They aren't afraid to disagree with each other, which encourages the reader to think a bit harder about being a Christian today-which is probably the point. (Mar.) Copyright 2003 Cahners Business Information.

CONTENTS Missing the Point about Missing the Point GOD MISSING THE POINT: Salvation (Brian D. McLaren)
MISSING THE POINT: Theology (Tony Campolo)
MISSING THE POINT: Kingdom of God (Tony Campolo)
MISSING THE POINT: End Times (Tony Campolo)
MISSING THE POINT: The Bible (Brian D. McLaren)
WORLD MISSING THE POINT: Evangelism (Brian D. McLaren)
MISSING THE POINT: Social Action (Tony Campolo)
MISSING THE POINT: Culture (Brian D. McLaren)
MISSING THE POINT: Women in Ministry (Tony Campolo)
MISSING THE POINT: Leadership (Brian D. McLaren)
MISSING THE POINT: Seminary (Tony Campolo)
MISSING THE POINT: Environmentalism (Tony Campolo)
MISSING THE POINT: Homosexuality (Tony Campolo)
SOUL MISSING THE POINT: Sin (Brian D. McLaren)
MISSING THE POINT: Worship (Brian D. McLaren)
MISSING THE POINT: Doubt (Brian D. McLaren)
MISSING THE POINT: Truth (Brian D. McLaren)
MISSING THE POINT: Being Postmodern (Brian D. McLaren)