Is Brian McLaren a Contemporary Reformer in the Likeness of the Protestant Reformers?

Concerning the Reformation, McLaren claims to respect the tradition. He argues in favor of continually reforming; and has even been heralded by some sympathizers of the Emergent Church Movement as a contemporary reformer in the likeness of the Protestant Reformers.[1] Furthermore, McLaren "humbly" purports that his book A New Kind of Christianity is of greater substance and motivation than the 95 Theses of Martin Luther, but exists in the same vein of "something new":

"But the ninety-sixth thesis for today must be very different from the original ninety-five, because we already have more hate than we need, and a surplus of debate too, much of which is inversely proportional in intensity to the actual importance of its topic. At this moment in history, we need something more radical and transformative than a new state: we need a new quest. We need more than a new static location from which we proclaim, "Here I stand!" Instead, we need a new dynamic direction into which we move together, proclaiming, "Here we go!" We need a deep shift not merely from our current state to a new state, but from a steady state to a dynamic story. We need not a new set of beliefs, but a new way of believing, not simply new answers to the same old questions, but a new set of questions. Again: new statements (theses, propositions, answers) can inspire debate and bring us to a new state. But only new questions can inspire new conversations that can launch us on a new quest. So, in homage to Martin Luther, this new statement, or ninety-sixth thesis, is humbly offered, in fear and trembling, to my fellow Christians of all denominations around the world: It's time for a new quest, launched by new questions, a quest across denominations around the world, a quest for new ways to believe and new ways to live and serve faithfully in the way of Jesus, a quest for a new kind of Christian faith."[2]

McLaren at least considers his motives and declarations comparable to the spurring and desires of the Protestant Reformers. It is difficult for McLaren to make such claims whenever he argues against the central salvific theme of the Reformation. What he argues is foreign to Zwingli, Luther, or Calvin. His doctrines are indeed new, but they are not a New Kind of Christianity, as his book purports; instead, they leave Christianity altogether for the sake of "McLarenism."

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[1] Anthony B. Robinson, "Review of A New Kind of Christianity: Ten Questions That Are Transforming the Faith," The Christian Century, (20 April 2010): 37. http://www.proquest.com/ (accessed May 31, 2010).

[2] Brian McLaren, A New Kind of Christianity, (New York, NY: HarperOne, 2010), 17-18.