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Why We're Not Emergent: By Two Guys Who Should Be
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Product Description
“You can be young, passionate about Jesus Christ, surrounded by diversity, engaged in a postmodern world, reared in evangelicalism and not be an emergent Christian. In fact, I want to argue that it would be better if you weren’t.”
The Emergent Church is a strong voice in today’s Christian community. And they’re talking about good things: caring for the poor, peace for all men, loving Jesus. They’re doing church a new way, not content to fit the mold. Again, all good. But there’s more to the movement than that. Much more.
Kevin and Ted are two guys who, demographically, should be all over this movement. But they’re not. And Why We’re Not Emergent gives you the solid reasons why. From both a theological and an on-the-street perspective, Kevin and Ted diagnose the emerging church. They pull apart interviews, articles, books, and blogs, helping you see for yourself what it’s all about.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #7046 in Books
- Published on: 2008-04-01
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Binding: Paperback
- 256 pages
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Kevin DeYoung is the senior pastor at University Reformed Church in East Lansing, Michigan, across the street from Michigan State University. He is a graduate of Hope College and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He is the author of Freedom and Boundaries: A Pastoral Primer on the Role of Women in the Church and has written daily devotionals for Words of Hope: Daily Reflections. He and his wife, Trisha, have three children: Ian, Jacob, and Elizabeth. Ted Kluck's work has appeared in ESPN the Magazine, Sports Spectrum magazine, ESPN.com, Page2, and several small literary journals. A bi-monthly column for Sports Spectrum Magazine entitled "Pro and Con" won the Evangelical Press Association award for best standing column in 2003. Additionally, Ted has written two WGA registered screenplays and an award-winning (Damah Film Festival, Sabaoth Film Festival) short film. Ted lives in Lansing, Michigan with his wife Kristin, and son, Tristan.
Customer Reviews
Even tempered explanation and critique of the emergent movement
I picked this book up in the bookstore of a Christian college we were visiting with my high school aged children and devoured it in one week. After reading much about the emergent church on the web and some in print I was ready for an even handed approach with as much scripture to back up the premise that this "movement" is off base in some fundamental ways as feelings or worse, venom. The fact that the authors are in the target group for the emergent church gave them even more credibility. I was impressed by the homework done, authors read, conferences attended, actual friendship with some of the players in the movement and solid biblical background of the authors. The Epilogue regarding the seven churches in Revelation and how those could apply to current day churches was especially interesting. That is the section I am recommending to my husband and others who don't have time to read the whole book as it puts in a nutshell the problems with all churches in our fallen world and what we all need to continue to strive for in our churches regardless of the category they fall into.
Fair and Balanced? Hardly
It is an easy thing to construct a straw man, and then knock it down as evidence of one's ideological superiority. This book is a classic example of this oft used approach to argumentation. Being an evangelical who has read a good bit of the authors critiqued in this book, I found its characterizations of their ideas to be extremely incomplete and biased to support the authors pre-drawn conclusions. I found this book profoundly misleading.
A contemporary look at the emergents
With so much made of McClaren, Bell, etc, it's nice to be able to see books from the other side to consider the biblical perspective of the issue, especially since this movement is hard to figure out ("like nailing jello to the wall," they write in the intro). These two 30-somethings, one a pastor and the other a writer, take different perspectives but make the same conclusion: There's much to think about with the emergents, but no thanks, we just can't go Emergent. Especially worth the read are the chapters written by Deyoung, who is the pastor at University Reformed Church near Michigan State. His are the best, utilizing clear thinking and good analysis. They were very enjoyable. The chapters by Kluck were OK, but as I was reading the chapter, I was secretly hoping it would get over quickly so I could get on with Deyoung's next chapter (they alternated). The only other book that I highly recommend more is D.A. Carson's work on the movement written three years earlier. But "Why We're Not Emergent" is definitely worth a look, especially for those who are considering moving over to this type of worship/church.
