The Universal Christ by Richard Rohr

I am writing this review to let non-Christians know that you won't find a faithful Christian or Catholic theology in this book.

This was chosen for my book club. Early on, I could see it was problematic from a Christian point of view but I found it fascinating because I know it has been a best seller. I was interested to see what appealed to people. I'm not actually sure, now that I've read it, because I found it bafflingly illogical. However, one thing became clear. If people are looking for Christian theology, they won't find it here. This is not a Christian book.

Richard Rohr combines Nestorianism (treating Jesus and Christ as two separate people, which is an old heresy), gnosticism, paganism, and pieces of Eastern religions to serve up his vision of who Christ really is. In support of this, he cherry-picks much of the quoted Scripture, as well as several philosophers, saints, and authors (including G.K. Chesterton and C.S. Lewis) in order to give his theory authority.

The result is something that people may find attractive, but it is not Christian and it is most definitely not Catholic.

For a more detailed description of what is not Christian about the book, read these reviews:

• ‘Everything Is Christ’—and Other Muddled Messages from Richard Rohr
• The False Christ of Richard Rohr