I read this in
NPR's report on the book:
"whatever happens to the institutional churches, individual Christians can try to essentially be better Christians, and honor the complications and paradoxes and tensions of this ancient faith a little better, and not just go as quickly to the easy answer"
He raises a lot of good points, but this quote is a heresy unto itself. There is no Christian apart from the Church. This individualist heresy is what gives rise to all the others. So, while his critiques may turn back the clock to a more confessional type of Protestantism (which is better than nothing, I suppose), it does not fix the problem.
"We are saved together; we are damned alone." But it will be nigh impossible for people give up their radical individualism in their religious beliefs.
Yes, I totally agree, it is best not to water down your faith. I think, though, he is a writer for the New York Times and maybe won't risk his job by being so blunt. Also, the audience of this book is primarily non-Orthodox. Perhaps other non-Orthodox need to hear what he is saying, such as the message: to pass on your faith you need strong institutions and must not rely on a superstar pastor building a "parachurch". Also, to just pick and choose from Christianity to build a psuedo-Christian religion maybe isn't such a good idea. He certainly has a lot to ponder, such as to not tie in religion so much with a political outcome, or to a national identity.
