Let’s Talk About Faith and Doubt
Hi, friends –
So many people are experiencing a crisis of faith these days. We see evidence of it in the 65 million adults in the US alone who have dropped out of religious attendance, with 2.7 million more joining them every year.
Some see this is a problem to be solved. I see it as a growth opportunity to be seized.
Over these last few years, as I’ve poured my heart into my new book, Faith After Doubt, I have had the sense that I was coming to understand some deep core issues I had been digging toward for my whole career.
I feel that we are at a watershed moment now, and if enough of us create spaces for needed conversation, we could have a needed breakthrough that would not only help us as individuals and faith communities, but would also make a positive difference in our world.
The book comes out January 5. Of course, you can order it now.
Normally, I would get out on a speaking tour to help launch a new book, but this time, that’s impossible. So here’s what I’d like to try – with your help, of course.
If you can recruit ten or more friends to order the book and begin reading it, I would like to show up for an an online Q & R session with you.
We can do it via Zoom, Google Hangout, Skype, whatever you prefer. We can do it on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday night, or possibly at a different time that we can make work, in January, February, or March. Here's a simple proposed schedule:
- You as host would welcome the group. (It might be good if you could ask in advance 2 or 3 people to come prepared with their first questions.)
- To set the stage, I would read a few paragraphs from the chapters we're focusing on, offer a few ground rules, and then ask, "Who has the first question?"
- We would have some question and response for about 40 - 45 minutes. Then I would offer a few closing comments and turn it back to you for a final good-bye. I think we could pack a lot of learning and mutual encouragement into an hour.
If possible, I’d like to go deep in one or two chapters each week. So here’s a rough schedule. Obviously, I’ll be happy to respond to any question … but it would be of special interest to me if we could dig deeper according to the following schedule:
Week of – Focus
January 5 – Permission to Doubt Preface/Introduction
January 10 – Doubt as Loss, Doubt as Loneliness (1 – 2)
January 17 – Doubt as Crisis, Doubt as Doorway (3-4)
January 24 – Doubt as Growth (5)
January 31 – Doubt as Descent and Dissent (6-7)
February 7 – Doubt as Love, a Human Problem (8-9)
February 14 – Doubt, Beliefs, Revolutionary Love (10)
February 21 – Communities of Harmony (11)
February 28 – Theologies of Harmony (12)
March 7 – Spiritualities of Harmony for the Rising Generation (13)
March 14 – Harmony as a Survival Strategy, A Civilization in Doubt (14-15)
March 21 – Before Simplicity, Spirituality Through the Stages (Appendices)
Are you interested? It’s really easy!
- Fill out a quick form here.
- You’ll hear back from us within a few days.
- Start recruiting!
You might be interested in the Publisher’s Weekly starred review, here.
Here’s that link again to schedule a virtual visit with your group, class, fellowship, etc.
I’m looking forward to seeing you soon!
Brian
PS. We've had a lot of interest already, but we still have room to schedule some more, so please let us know if you're interested ASAP.
Here’s the Table of Contents:
Preface: Permission to Doubt
Introduction: Moments of Terror
Part 1. Your Descent Into Doubt
Chapter 1. Doubt as Loss
Chapter 2. Doubt as Loneliness
Chapter 3. Doubt as Crisis
Chapter 4. Doubt as Doorway
Chapter 5. Doubt as Growth
Part 2. All in Doubt
Chapter 6. Doubt as Descent
Chapter 7. Doubt as Dissent
Chapter 8. Doubt as Love
Chapter 9. A Human Problem
Chapter 10. Doubt, Beliefs, and Revolutionary Love
Part 3. Life After (and With) Doubt
Chapter 11. Communities of Harmony
Chapter 12. Theologies of Harmony
Chapter 13. Spiritualities of Harmony for the Rising Generation
Chapter 14. Harmony as a Survival Strategy
Chapter 15. A Civilization in Doubt
Appendices: Before Simplicity, Spirituality Through the Stages
I look forward to visiting your group!
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A week or two this summer in the wild? Consider Ring Lake Ranch!
One of the places I've come to love most on the planet - both because of its natural beauty and because of the community that hosts gatherings there - is Ring Lake Ranch. This August, we're hoping to be able to gather there in person. One week, I'll be co-leading a session with my amazing daughter Jodi on "Unleashing Your Inner Artist," and the following week, I'll be co-leading with my amazing friend Mickey Scottbey Jones on "Cultivating the Inner & Outer Work of Community." The rest of the summer has fantastic events too. You can learn more by downloading this newsletter ...
Ring Lake Ranch 2020 Fall Carillon
Or you can go directly to the site, here.
Horseback riding, hiking, kayaking, fishing, relaxing on a rocking chair, exploring petroglyphs, breathing fresh air ... you just might need this in 2021!
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Friends in the UK and Europe – Faith After Doubt info …
Faith After Doubt releases on January 7 in the UK. Here is ordering information:
John Murray Press:
https://www.johnmurraypress.co.uk/titles/brian-d-mclaren/faith-after-doubt/9781529384475/
Waterstone’s:
https://www.waterstones.com/book/9781529384451
Eden:
https://www.eden.co.uk/faith-after-doubt-brian-mclaren/
Aslan:
Amazon:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Faith-after-Doubt-Beliefs-Stopped/dp/1529384451
And you'll find US ordering information here:
https://read.macmillan.com/lp/faith-after-doubt/
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Christmas Gifts I Can Help You With …
If you have a child or grandchild ... consider Cory and the Seventh Story, a beautifully illustrated tale of a village of diverse animals in search of a better story to live by. You may also be interested in the adult version of the book for yourself, The Seventh Story: Us, Them, and the End of Violence.
If you or people on your Christmas list are people of faith who struggle with questions and doubt, my newest book is a perfect gift. It releases January 5, but you can preorder and we'll send you a letter and signed bookplate that you can give on Christmas in anticipation of the books arrival a few weeks later. Here's the link for the book - https://bit.ly/FaithAfterDoubt. And here's the link for the signed bookplate and letter. I should add that I recently recorded the audiobook, and it's a great format to give for Christmas, downloadable starting January 5.
If you have an outdoor enthusiast -- a fisherman, birder, hiker, kayaker, camper, herper, wildlife photographer, or nature mystic - I think they'd love my book The Galapagos Islands: A Spiritual Journey.
If it's the last minute, and you have a political junkie on your list, I have two short e-books readers should enjoy: Why Don't the Get It? (Overcoming Bias in Others -- and Yourself) and The Second Pandemic: Authoritarianism and Your Future. Special offer: You can buy both books for $9.99 here.
And of course, any of my other books would make great gifts too. Here are some of them by category:
A Fresh Overview of the Bible: We Make the Road By Walking
A Daily Devotional: Seeking Aliveness (This is the content of We Make the Road by Walking reformatted as a daily devotional).
Books on the Future of Christianity: The Great Spiritual Migration and A New Kind of Christianity
A Trilogy of Creative Fiction on the Future of Christianity: A New Kind of Christian Trilogy -- A New Kind of Christian, The Story We Find Ourselves In, The Last Word and the Word After That This trilogy is still an excellent portal into a fresh understanding of Christian faith.
Books on Spirituality and Spiritual Formation: Naked Spirituality and Finding Our Way Again
Two Books on Jesus: The Secret Message of Jesus and Everything Must Change
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Table Grace (Web of Life): Thanksgiving 2020
This is a simple table grace I've been using for the last few years. You can choose one, two, three, or all four stanzas. The leader can say a line and everyone can repeat, or the leader can say the first three lines, and all respond with the fourth.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
Web of Life (Table Grace)
For this breath, for this heartbeat
For this meal with these companions
For the web of life of which we’re part
We give thanks with all our heart.
For sun and rain, for soil and season,
For ocean, mountain, forest, meadow,
For the web of life of which we’re part
We give thanks with all our heart.
For all to whom this food connects us
From field and farm to store and table
For the web of life of which we’re part
We give thanks with all our heart.
For bread and wine upon this table
For this deep mystical communion
For the web of life of which we’re part
We give thanks with all our heart.
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