Does Brian McLaren Believe that Sinners Need Salvation in the Likeness of the Protestant Reformers?

The Reformation argued in favor of man's need for salvation because of his sin;[1] and this need has been a central theme for Christianity ever since redemption's prophetic inception in Genesis 3:15.[2] Sometimes the Reformation cry has been for a tangible here and now salvation, but overwhelmingly the cry has been for an eternal salvation from sin and its curse, a salvation that begins now but is fully realized in eternity. McLaren believes in salvation from sin, but he does not believe in original sin or the Fall.[3] He also does not believe that sinners are the enemies of God because of their sin; rather they are His friends that He wants to use to create a utopia on earth for everyone. Concerning the real reason why God sent Jesus to earth, McLaren writes:

"Instead, he [Jesus] came to announce a new kingdom, a new way of life, a new way of peace that carried good news to all people of every religion. A new kingdom is much bigger than a new religion, and in fact it has room for many religious traditions within it. This good news wasn't simply about a new way to solve the religious problems of ontological fall and original sin (problems, remember once more, that arise centuries later and within a different narrative altogether). It wasn't simply information about how individual souls could leave earth, avoid hell, and ascend to heaven after death. No, it was about God's faithful solidarity with all humanity in our suffering, oppression, and evil. It was about God's compassion and call to be reconciled with God and with one another-before death, on earth. It was a summons to rethink everything and enter a life of retraining as disciples or learners of a new way of life, citizens of a new kingdom.[4]"

McLaren believes God sent Jesus to establish His kingdom on earth. The church is to continue His work for the good of all humanity, both Christians and non-Christians. Thus, the exclusivity of Christianity is foreign to McLaren. "It bothers me," he writes, "to use exclusive and Jesus in the same sentence. Everything about Jesus' life and message seemed to be about inclusion, not exclusion."[5] So, Jesus came to earth, not to save sinners from the wrath of God, but to save sinners from themselves and each other. Since McLaren does not believe that the Fall transformed anything, he argues that man simply is not as good as he once was due to sin, and that he needs to work toward being better in the likeness of Christ for the good of everyone in order to continue bringing about God's Kingdom on earth.[6]

[1] Timothy George, Theology of the Reformers, (Nashville, TN: Broadman and Holman, 1988), 213-216, 221. John Calvin argued that God's wrath and love towards the elect are held in juxtaposition. God loves sinners even while hating them because of their sin.

[2] The judgment of God is detailed in Genesis 3:15 after the Serpent's deception, and the Fall of Adam and Eve. There will be a Seed of woman coming that the Serpent will bruise, but the Seed will crush him. Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of this prophecy.

[3] McLaren, A New Kind of Christianity, 139.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Brian McLaren, The Last Word and the Word after That: A Tale of Faith, Doubt, and a New Kind of Christianity, (San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2005), 35.

[6] McLaren, A New Kind of Christianity, 41-43.