Shifting Culture Ep. 322 Brian McLaren Returns - The Polycrisis and Imagining a Better Future
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Jul 15, 2025 
Brian McLaren, a bestselling author and advocate for a new kind of Christianity, returns to discuss his speculative novel The Last Voyage, which imagines a world facing ecological collapse and authoritarianism. He emphasizes the power of fiction to foster moral imagination and resilience. McLaren explores themes like generational conflict, the necessity of interdependence over extraction, and transforming notions of security. He presents storytelling as a vital tool for envisioning a hopeful future, urging a collective shift towards community and environmental responsibility.
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Imagining Post-Capitalist Life
- Our identity is fused with capitalism, making it hard to imagine life beyond exploitation and growth.
- Imagining societies without money and abundance rooted in nurturing Earth is possible.
Generational and Gender Conflicts
- Character dynamics explore generational and gender struggles about science, ethics, and power.
- Older generations’ arrogance contrasts with younger generations’ ethical and diverse perspectives.
Necessity of Generational Shift
- Generational shifts sometimes require breaking traditions to reject inherited evil.
- Older generations should support younger ones to change outdated systems and resist harmful legacies.
