Raised in
Rockville, Maryland, in the conservative
Open Brethren, part of the
Plymouth Brethren, McLaren became attracted to the countercultural
Jesus Movement in the 1970s. He is a faculty member and Dean of Faculty for the Centre for Action and Contemplation. McLaren attended the
University of Maryland where he received both a B.A. (1978) and M.A. (1981) He holds an honorary
Doctor of Divinity from Carey Theological Seminary, Vancouver. In 2010 he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Virginia Theological Seminary (Episcopal). From 1978-1986 McLaren taught college English. He helped form Cedar Ridge Community Church, a non-denominational church in
Spencerville, Maryland, in 1982. He was founding pastor and served in that capacity until 2006. The church eventually grew to include 500 members. In 2011, McLaren defended
Rob Bell's controversial book
Love Wins against critiques from figures such as
Albert Mohler, who argued that Bell advocated
universalism. In 2013, McLaren stated that he did not believe homosexual conduct to be sinful. In 2015, McLaren was recognized by
Time magazine as one of the 25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America. ==Personal life==