Why We’re Not Emergent
July 2nd, 2008
(Review by Nathan Williams)
Book Review: Why We’re Not Emergent (By Two Guys Who Should be)
You can tell a lot from the title of this book. You can tell that it’s going to be straightforward, honest, winsome, and a little bit sarcastic in the right kind of way. Why We’re Not Emergent is written by two men who by all counts should be embracing the emergent church movement, but have refused for a variety of reasons.
Kevin Deyoung serves as the senior pastor of University Reformed Church in East Lansing Michigan. Ted Kluck has authored three books and also written for ESPN the Magazine and ESPN.com’s page 2. These guys take a unique approach to co-authoring a book. They were each responsible for a group of chapters and wrote them independently of the other. Throughout the book the chapters rotate from Kevin to Ted and then back to Kevin again. As one reads it’s easy to tell who wrote each chapter and each author makes notable contributions with every chapter.
One of the things I appreciated most about this book was the perspective given by Ted as a layman analyzing the emerging church. His interaction with the movement provided another layer of depth to the discussion and demonstrated the responsibility the pastor has for those in his church. Seeing the movement through the eyes of a layman helped me to see that this movement doesn’t only touch pastors and bloggers. When a pastor begins to adapt the mindset and methods propagated by those in the emerging church it directly affects his flock, which he is responsible to lead correctly. In this case Ted has obviously been influenced by Kevin, his pastor, in a profoundly biblical way.
Throughout the pages of Why We’re Not Emergent the authors interact with many of the major works done by those in the emerging church. As you read, you get the feel that these guys have read much and thought long and hard about this movement. The emerging church is certainly hard to pin down and their own disdain for creeds makes them unusually tricky to figure out. The leading figures in the movement dislike doctrinal affirmations and so it’s hard to make generalizations that will apply to all or even most of those who consider themselves emerging.
Having said this, one of the greatest benefits to this book is the ability of Kevin and Ted to organize the thought of those who are emergent and present the major distinctives of the movement. Some of these major distinctives include a love of mystery, a loathing of propositional truth, a hatred of modernism, and a desire to ignore the wrath of God and focus on the love of God. These distinctives, plus several more, are demonstrated to be believed by the majority of those who hold the label emergent. Then, they are discussed from a biblical perspective. The discernment and biblical understanding displayed in the analysis of the emerging church is extremely helpful.
I’ll just mention a couple of chapters which were particularly beneficial. Kevin writes a chapter dealing with the hatred those in the emerging church generally have for modernism. He explains some of the misunderstanding those in the emergent movement have about modernism–namely, that they consistently overstate the case and create straw-men. One of the most interesting sections of this chapter is a quick overview of how some of the differences between modernism and postmodernism are merely semantics. Overall it is a clear and thoughtful analysis of the emergent fascination with the destruction of modernism.
Perhaps my favorite chapter was written by Ted and is entitled, “Why I don’t want a cool pastor.” In this chapter Ted offers two different stories for us to consider. The first story takes us to a class he took with Tony Jones on postmodernism and youth ministry. The second story follows him to New Jersey where he attends Sunday church with a friend of his from college who is now a pastor. Without stealing his thunder I’ll just say that the difference between the two stories is worth considering. Ted ends this thought provoking chapter by relaying a conversation he had with his wife in which he is so thankful that instead of having a pastor who is “with it”, they have a pastor who is “committed to being with God.”
I found Why We’re Not Emergent to be an engaging read that I was genuinely excited to pick up each time as a I continued through it. I think this book is fair in featuring the problems of the emerging church, but also in offering solutions for dealing with those problems.
I am about half way through the book and am so glad to see two young men tackle this issue.
They do so in a kind but no nonsense way.
As I have read many of the stories about and quotes from emergent writers it reminds me of my unsaved mother in law.
For forty years my husband and I have tried unsuccessfully to share the gospel with her. She believes with all her heart she is a Christian.
She has been an Episcopalian for most of her life and they have convinced her that she is just fine in God’s eyes. The Bible is just a storybook that God gave us because we really cannot understand Him anyway. Only murderers and those like them commit what could be called sin.
I have never heard any woman that can curse and take God’s name in vain like her. She has no conviction of sin and absolutely no fruit of righteousness, yet she truly believes she is on her way to heaven.
Her church has taught her that she does not need a Savior from sin, because she is not a sinner. God is love and he has is not judging anyone. We make our own heaven or hell right here on earth.
Her church has taught her that God really just wants us to make this world a better place by loving and accepting everyone. Jesus came for no other purpose than to teach us how to love.
I guess because there was never any real relationship with God in her life she ended up going to seances, fortunetellers, and reading horoscopes to find meaning in her life. But never has she been open to the true gospel and the real Jesus who is Lord an Savior.
Now she is 80 and fearful of dying. So much for the comfort a false gospel delivered through an apostate church can give.
What her church teaches is called Apostasy and that is where I believe the emergent church is headed. So much of what they do disclose about what they believe sounds like what my mother in law has been taught.
As Solomon said there really is nothing new under the sun!
I read this book about a week ago. As someone who has done significant amount of study on the emergent church and postmodernism, I recommend this book with high regard. The authors do a great job explaining the epistemological and philosophical underpinnings of the emergent church and the subsequent effect on the movements theology (or conversation).
They also highlight the fact, through figures and fleshed out stories, that much of the emergent movement is made of disillusioned, white, and affluent evangelicals. In many ways, and I do not wish to make a blanket statement here about all emergents, the prevailing sense is that this movement is spawned in some ways as simply being bored with the God of the Bible.
Thanks Very Much
I am going to try to get this book today,we live in a very unique area of Ohio the heartland/miami valley.
It was very crucial in the 2004 presidential election.
My own smaller area zip 45383 has many churches (dozens) in our small population area that appear weakened,and dysfuntional.One semi- mega church near by that is has been drawing progressively large crowds is having a conference in october 24 & 25 with Brian Mclaren and 2-3 others. The pastor in his blog describes himself as “missional”. Here is the info … this church has connections with many churches through various ministry.
http://ginghamsburg.org/home
Conference web page
http://ginghamsburg.org/changetheworld
CHANGE the WORLD…a missional movement that is taking the Church into the world instead of coaxing the world into the church.
Friday & Saturday, October 24 & 25
with a special Ministry by Strengths early intensive on Thursday, October 23
Adam Hamilton - In the minds of many nonreligious people…
In the minds of many nonreligious people in America, Christianity is not associated with love or grace or justice, but with a particular view of homosexuality, or a particular stance on abortion….Christianity has become a wedge that drives people from Christ, rather than drawing them to him….There are a growing number of Christians who believe the gospel calls us to be healers and bridge builders, not dividers.
– Adam Hamilton
Brian McLaren - Why are so many religious people arguing…
Why are so many religious people arguing about the origin of the [human] species, but so few are concerned about the extinction of the species?
– Brian McLaren
Jim Wallis - Faith is not just for the new life…
Faith is not just for the new life, the hereafter; it is precisely intended to transform the world in the here and now—otherwise, most of the Bible makes no sense at all.
– Jim Wallis
Mike Slaughter - The time has passed when we can define
ourselves on the tired old labels…
The time has passed when we can define ourselves on the tired old labels of conservative or liberal, evangelical or charismatic, Catholic or Protestant. All who have faith in Jesus belong to him. Everyone who serves the mission is a follower of his. It is time for all of us to CHANGE the WORLD together.
– Mike Slaughter
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C.G.S.
Please be in prayer and please offer help if led.
In the spirit of conversation generated by this post, and the book, I posted a Top 10 list of emergent/missional/post-evangelical sound bites from the last few weeks. Thought you might be interested.
Grace and Peace,
Raffi Shahinian
Parables of a Prodigal World
In case there may have been a misunderstanding I have asked my library to reserve the “Why we are Not emergent” Book yesterday.I have no confidence in those who “deconstruct” God Living Holy Word or are skeptical of the person of Jesus Christ and His word.I saw just yesterday on at the previous website mentioned above in my previous post.A blog addressing the doubts and disegards for Jesus Christs word in John 14:6- Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
I agree totally with John MacArthur that the emergent movement is tainted and most times false teaching of the worse kind..Another source of good material for the layman and others is
CARM
http://www.carm.org/emerging.htm
In case there may have been a misunderstanding I have asked my library to reserve the “Why we are Not emergent” Book yesterday.I have no confidence in those who “deconstruct” God Living Holy Word or are skeptical of the person of Jesus Christ and His word.I saw just yesterday on at the previous website mentioned above in my previous post.A blog addressing the doubts and disegards for Jesus Christs word in John 14:6- Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
I agree totally with John MacArthur that the emergent movement is tainted and most times false teaching of the worse kind..Another source of good material for the layman and others is
CARM
http://www.carm.org/emerging.htm
I read the book about a month ago and really enjoyed it. However, I was often lost in the chapters Ted wrote and wondering what his primary point was. Strangely enough, his chapters seemed to have the same touchy-feely air about them that you find in many emergent books. They kind of wandered around seemingly aimlessly, making interesting points here and there and then sort of ending abruptly. It seemed to me that he was using language, thought processes and cultural references that would appeal to emergent types. Perhaps that was the reason for adding his contribution, so that more emergents would read the book. In any case, Kevin’s chapters were where the substance of the book seemed to lie and the ones I truly enjoyed reading.
I read this in June, and really enjoyed it. I had read D.A. Carson’s take on the emerging church two years ago, and found this book a great companion to that book. The combination of the two writers really made it a great balance. My favorite chapter was also “Why I Don’t Want a Cool Pastor.”
I’d like to see this in the hands of high school and college students, because from the rumblings I hear among the kids in our youth group, the emerging church is very attractive to them.
It seems like the most “cool” popular, biggest church in our country type setting is automaticly morphing from hip’
to emerging mystique…very deadly kids, love the “transformer” type movies.But some people have been leaving as the top name Emerging village leaders are being invited in. (se previous post)
I skimmed through this book at Borders the other day and, if I wasn’t planning to eviscerate global warming and psychoanalysis, I would put it at the top of my list. I found Mac’s series on the church enlightening. We need to be focused on expositing the word of God, discipling and, gasp, even church discipline if necessary. This emergent/Buddhist/valley girl claptrap has seeped into our church and we’re always trying to help and impress the heathen’s. The best thing we can do for the heathen’s is to preach the Word, in and out of season. We do not need anymore “relevant” anything other than the faithful preaching and living of the Word. I’m no Biblical scholar by any means but our church is, I believe, Biblically illiterate, to a significant extent. When a church is taught properly, missions and evangelism will follow.
God Bless,
Chris