Thomas Nelson, 2007, 256 pp., $21.99, www.thomasnelson.com

Regardless of your pre­conceptions of Brian McLaren, this book will challenge you. In his “most worldly” effort yet, he departs from the “intramural religious arguments” of his previous books to grapple with two much bigger ques­tions: What are the biggest problems in the world today? and What do the life and teach­ings of Jesus have to say about these global problems?

McLaren takes a penetrating, unsettling look at the state of our world and offers hope through a renewed vision of the Kingdom of God. This fitting sequel to McLaren’s The Secret Message of Jesus packs the same punch as Ron Sider’s Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger.

While he spends more time exposing the prevailing “destructive framing story” and articulating Jesus’ alternative than he does providing practical responses, he rightly points out that “the revolution we need starts in us.” This provocative, important book is not one to “like,” but one to heed.

 — Review by Paul Randall