Q & R: Which book should I read first?

July 21, 2017

Here’s the Q, via Twitter:

If I was to read a @brianmclaren book, which one would you recommend I read first? The latest?

Here’s the R:

Thanks for asking! If you’re among the 7 billion+ people who have never read one of my books, here’s what I’d recommend …

I think writers are almost always most partial to their most recent books, and for me, that would be …

The Great Spiritual Migration

We Make the Road by Walking

Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road

But here’s another way to offer a recommendation:

If you’re a conservative Christian (Catholic, Protestant, or other) who would like a gentle introduction to my work, I’d recommend A Generous Orthodoxy, A New Kind of Christian, The Secret Message of Jesus.
If you’re theologically oriented and want to get to the meat of my theological concerns, I’d recommend A New Kind of Christianity; Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road; and The Great Spiritual Migration.
If you’re oriented toward activism and social justice, I’d recommend Everything Must Change, the Great Spiritual Migration, and The Secret Message of Jesus.
If you’re interested in spirituality and spiritual formation – Naked Spirituality, Finding Our Way Again.
If you’re interested in what Evangelism might look like in today’s world, I’d recommend More Ready than You Realize, Finding Faith (A Search for What Makes Sense, A Search for What is Real), and The Great Spiritual Migration.
If you’re interested in what the Bible looks like from a fresh perspective, I’d recommend We Make the Road by Walking, The Great Spiritual Migration, and The Story We Find Ourselves In.
If you are ready to rethink the issue of hell, The Last Word and the Word after That, and A New Kind of Christianity are a good place to start.
If you are ready to rethink the issue of LGBTQ inclusion, The Great Spiritual Migration, The Story We Find Ourselves In, and We Make the Road by Walking would help (indirectly).
If you’re interested in how my thinking has developed since my first book, I’d recommend Church on the Other Side, New Kind of Christian, Generous Orthodoxy, Great Spiritual Migration.
Finally, if you want to read the books that I think contain my best writing … Story We Find Ourselves In, Naked Spirituality, Great Spiritual Migration.

Ok … more than you wanted to know, but I hope it’s helpful.