From 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. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Liberal evangelicals McLaren and Campolo share chapters on topics related to, as the three section titles indicate, "God" (religious philosophy), "World" (society), and "Soul" (personal spirituality). In each chapter, one man offers his perspective on a topic, and the other briefly concurs, dissents, or differs. Never is there sharp disagreement, since McLaren and Campolo always agree that too many evangelicals miss the Christian point involved in the topic under discussion. For instance, on evangelism McLaren opines that most people don't know how to evangelize, so he offers some do's and don'ts; Campolo endorses this advice but regrets McLaren's failure to emphasize that the most important element in evangelizing is personal testimony. Such a thumbnail description may make the dialogue seem drier than it really is, and on such subjects as the kingdom of God, prophecy, homosexuality, women and ordination, sin, worship, doubt, and truth, McLaren and Campolo's exchanges are so compelling that anyone interested in contemporary American Christianity might profitably take them to heart for their own reflections on the issues. Ray Olson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Book Description
There is a stirring among churchgoers. Many are looking at how the Christian faith is being played out, wondering if somehow were 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 thats 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?

From the Back Cover
If you’re brave enough to take an honest look at the issues facing the culture–controlled church–and the issues in your own life–read on. Do you ever look at how the Christian faith is being lived out in the new millennium and wonder if we’re not doing what we’re supposed to be doing? That we still haven’t quite "gotten it"? That we’ve missed the point regarding many important issues? It’s understandable if we’ve relied on what we’ve been told to believe or what’s widely accepted by the Christian community. But if we truly turned a constructive, critical eye toward our beliefs and vigorously questioned them and their origins, where would we find ourselves? Best-selling authors Brian McLaren and Tony Campolo invite you to do just that. Join them on an adventure–one that’s about uncovering and naming faulty conclusions, suppositions, and assumptions about the Christian faith. In Adventures in Missing the Point, the authors take turns addressing how we’ve missed the point on crucial topics such as: Salvation, The Bible, Being Postmodern, Worship, Homosexuality, Truth, and many more…

About the Author
Brian D. McLaren (M.A. University of Maryland) is founding pastor of Cedar Ridge Community Church, an innovative nondenominational church in the Baltimore-Washington region.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

If you're brave enough to take an honest look at the issues facing the culture-controlled church-and the issues in your own life-read on.

Do you ever look at how the Christian faith is being lived out in the new millennium and wonder if we're not doing what we're supposed to be doing? That we still haven't quite "gotten it"? That we've missed the point regarding many important issues?

It's understandable if we've relied on what we've been told to believe or what's widely accepted by the Christian community. But if we truly turned a constructive, critical eye toward our beliefs and vigorously questioned them and their origins, where would we find ourselves? Best-selling authors Brian McLaren and Tony Campolo invite you to do just that. Join them on an adventure-one that's about uncovering and naming faulty conclusions, suppositions, and assumptions about the Christian faith. In Adventures in Missing the Point, the authors take turns addressing how we've missed the point on crucial topics such as:

Salvation, The Bible, Being Postmodern, Worship, Homosexuality, Truth, and many more...

Author Biography: Brian D. McLaren is a sought-after speaker and highly respected author focusing on the church and the postmodern cultural shift surrounding it. He's founding pastor of Cedar Ridge Community Church, an innovative nondenominational church in the Baltimore-Washington region. He's author of The Church on the Other Side: Doing Ministry in the Postmodern Matrix, Finding Faith, A New Kind of Christian, More Ready Than You Realize. He's also a senior fellow with emergent, a growing generative friendship of missional Christian leaders. Brains is married to Grace. They have fourchildren.Tony Campolo 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 Christian Are Afraid to Touch".

SYNOPSIS

Are you missing the point? Do you ever look at how the Christian faith is being lived out in the early 21st century and wonder if, somehow, we're missing the point? It's easy to rely on what we've been told to believe or what is widely accepted by the Christian community. But if we took an honest look at our beliefs and truly questioned them and their origin, where would we find ourselves?

Best-selling authors Brian McLaren and Tony Campolo invite you to do just that. Join them on an adventure-one that is about discovering our misguided conclusions about the Christian faith. In Adventures in Missing the Point, the authors take turns addressing such topics as:

￯﾿ﾽ Missing the Point of Salvation

￯﾿ﾽ Missing the Point of the Bible

￯﾿ﾽ Missing the Point on Postmodernism

￯﾿ﾽ Missing the Point of Worship

￯﾿ﾽ Missing the Point on Women in Church Leadership McLaren and Campolo are both skeptical and sympathetic as they describe the church in which they've spent their lifetimes preaching. They lovingly and honestly describe how evangelicalism (and its even more conservative cousin, fundamentalism) has let down Christians and thoroughly alienated non-Christians.

Yet this book isn't about pointing fingers or giving you the answers. It is about stretching your thinking and discovering what lies ahead.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly