Christian author, activist Brian McLaren headlines EMERGE

University Ministries is hosting EMERGE next week from Sept. 13-15. EMERGE is a series of convocation events with this year’s keynote speaker Brian McLaren, chosen by Time Magazine as one of  the 25 most influential evangelicals in the nation.

“Some people are incredibly excited [about hearing McLaren speak], some people are more fearful,” university minister Guy Chmielski said.

McLaren will speak four different times during the three-day event on four different topics, all of which are based in Christian faith.

McLaren is an author, speaking and blogger whose books include “Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Crisis, and a Revolution of Hope,” “A New Kind of Christianity” and “Finding Our Way Again.” He is a liberal theologian and tends to have what is usually considered a progressive view of Christianity in today’s world.

“He thinks of God more outside of the box,” Chmielski said of McLaren.

Monday, Sept. 13, during the 10 a.m. hour, McLaren will speak in MPAC about the “Faith you inherited and the faith you will practice.” That evening at 7 p.m. at Belmont Heights Baptist Church, his topic is “Reading the Bible naked.”

On Tuesday, Sept. 14, McLaren will be in the Neely Dining Hall at 7 p.m. to talk about the “Four stages of faith development.” Wednesday morning McLaren will be back in MPAC at 10 a.m. to discuss “Christian faith as a revolutionary movement.”

For more information on EMERGE check out the Universities Ministry web page. Your BIC calendar also has information on the convocation events. McLaren also has a website (brianmclaren.net) for more information on him.