Life After Doom by Brian McLaren is a deeply insightful guide on navigating our turbulent times with wisdom, resilience, and love. The book is not only a helpful personal guide but also a tool for community contemplation and action. McLaren ends each chapter with a set of reflective questions, making this an ideal book to work through as a small group.

As a Christian pastor, activist and theologian, McLaren candidly addresses the uneasy feeling many have about the future, describing this sense of doom as an awareness that humanity has significantly harmed our civilisation and planet. He combines deep analysis with practical advice, drawing from philosophers, poets, scientists, indigenous thinkers and theologians to explore hope and grief, and the need for new ways of thinking and belonging.

One confronting aspect of the book is McLaren’s willingness to paint a bleak vision of the future. He outlines how he has come to the conclusion that civilisation as we know it is now doomed to collapse. He goes on to explain the ways in which that collapse could happen, suggesting four scenarios: collapse avoidance, collapse rebirth, collapse survival or collapse extinction. They really are bleak scenarios, which is why McLaren is at pains to take a compassionate approach to his readers. He provides a range of ideas and strategies on how to engage with the book as many people may find the early, more sobering chapters overwhelming.

The book is honest, confronting, gritty, imaginative, poetic and reflective. Life After Doom offers a roadmap for facing the present and the future with courage and hope, making it a must-read for anyone committed to making a positive impact in their personal lives and beyond.