Though still, technically, on vacation my mind is slowly engaging things church and ministry related. One of the
books I’vepicked up for a later read (probably September) is, Why We’re Not Emergent (By Two Guys Who Should Be). Kevin DeYoung, co-author of the book offers this wonderful synopsis on how you might know if you are emergent…
After reading nearly five thousand pages of emerging-church literature, I have no doubt that the emerging church, while loosely defined and far from uniform, can be described and critiqued as a diverse, but recognizable, movement. You might be an emergent Christian: if you listen to U2, Moby, and Johnny Cash’s Hurt (sometimes in church), use sermon illustrations from The Sopranos, drink lattes in the afternoon and Guinness in the evenings, and always use a Mac; if your reading list consists primarily of Stanley Hauerwas, Henri Nouwen, N. T. Wright, Stan Grenz, Dallas Willard, Brennan Manning, Jim Wallis, Frederick Buechner, David Bosch, John Howard Yoder, Wendell Berry, Nancy Murphy, John Franke, Walter Winks and Lesslie Newbigin (not to mention McLaren, Pagitt, Bell, etc.) and your sparring partners include D. A. Carson, John Calvin, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, and Wayne Grudem; if your idea of quintessential Christian discipleship is Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, or Desmond Tutu; if you don’t like George W. Bush or institutions or big business or capitalism or Left Behind Christianity; if your political concerns are poverty, AIDS, imperialism, war-mongering, CEO salaries, consumerism, global warming, racism, and oppression and not so much abortion and gay marriage; if you are into bohemian, goth, rave, or indie; if you talk about the myth of redemptive violence and the myth of certainty; if you lie awake at night having nightmares about all the ways modernism has ruined your life; if you love the Bible as a beautiful, inspiring collection of works that lead us into the mystery of God but is not inerrant; if you search for truth but aren’t sure it can be found; if you’ve ever been to a church with prayer labyrinths, candles, Play-Doh, chalk-drawings, couches, or beanbags (your youth group doesn’t count); if you loathe words like linear, propositional, rational, machine, and hierarchy and use words like ancient-future, jazz, mosaic, matrix, missional, vintage, and dance; if you grew up in a very conservative Christian home that in retrospect seems legalistic, naive, and rigid; if you support women in all levels of ministry, prioritize urban over suburban, and like your theology narrative instead of systematic; if you disbelieve in any sacred-secular divide; if you want to be the church and not just go to church; if you long for a community that is relational, tribal, and primal like a river or a garden; if you believe doctrine gets in the way of an interactive relationship with Jesus; if you believe who goes to hell is no one’s business and no one may be there anyway; if you believe salvation has a little to do with atoning for guilt and a lot to do with bringing the whole creation back into shalom with its Maker; if you believe following Jesus is not believing the right things but living the right way; if it really bugs you when people talk about going to heaven instead of heaven coming to us; if you disdain monological, didactic preaching; if you use the word “story” in all your propositions about postmodernism—if all or most of this tortuously long sentence describes you, then you might be an emergent Christian.
Buy the book.
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I believe I am emergent. Thanks, Steve. Welcome home, for now.
If I ever have any questions of who I am in Christ Jesus I take myself back to my Baptism. It’s very simple. It’s just as I am. All the fancey words and groupie designations mean nothing to me and nothing to God. The big question for this convention and these dogmatic manipulators is. Who is the Head of the Church and are you going to respect His Word or not?
I like Newbigin. Brennan Manning’s book essentially led me to Christ(Ragamuffin Gospel). However, Rob Bell et al have left the building.
Welcome back Steve! I’ve always been confused about what “emergent” means, so this is good clarification although it seems like the definition is a bit broad.
Yes, the definition is a bit broad. Ironically, I have a Wendell Barry book in the book column to the right; I have been blessed by many of the authors listed as emergent – and non-emergent; I share some of the same political priorities, etc. Where I find the clarity of this short clip helpful is the presentation of the fuzzy understanding of the “emergent” culture regarding the nature of salvation, the work of Christ and the larger purposes of God in the world. Having just come from General Convention I am amazed to watch the “emergent” guys walk the same path (25 years later) that the Episcopal Church has walked this past half-century.
Since noone answered my question I’ll answer it myself. I’m allowed to do this as I was Baptised over 50 years ago. Christ is the Head of the church and we participate as the body of Christ in our communion as we take of his body and blood. Those who try to subvert this communion will fail.We may Emerge like we’re in the market for something else but it ain’t goin to happen.
I find it fascinating that we are constantly finding new ways to rename the church or our discipleship, it is no wonder that we are not emergent or as emergent as we would like. A long time ago before the church was even called the church those disciple’s of Christ who were preaching the goods news were called simply “the Way” (Acts 19:23). During that time others (non-believers) referred to us (disciples) as “these who have turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6b KJV). Instead of redefining what a new age Christian is or looks like, let’s continue to find a way to turn the world upside down.
I am always suspicious of any movement which describes itself as the [fill in the blank] church or the new [fill in the blank] theology. I recently had a converstaion with a friend who is taking some classes at a Catholic College. Apparently, the teacher is an advocate of Liberation and Feminist Theology and is, unfortunately, having an impact on my friend. All of these movements seem to be the same: see a problem, then adjust the Gospel to provide a solution to the problem. Whatever they don’t like gets explained away as the ‘traditions of men’, including biblical standards of sexuality, the call to sacrifice of self, and so forth. The focus, all too often, is on what’s wrong with everyone else and how the leaders of the ‘new way’ have figured it all out. It all points out the importance of remaining grounded in God’s Word and adjusting our lives to what God wants. (Thanks Henry Blackaby!)
Wow that’s quite a list. I’ll have to add that to my “I hope it’s available at the library” list.
Have a relaxing and enjoyable break!
Been wanting to read it for so long
Are you sure that wasn’t written by Jeff Foxworthy?
I guess that makes me non-emergent, so don’t call 911.
Ummm yeah. I identified with the U2, Moby, Johnny Cash’s cover of Nine Inch Nails “Hurt”…because I hear God in some of that music and I have read a few of the authors listed but watering down scripture is not attractive to me in the least. I guess count me amongst the non-emergent.
he left out radiohead and brian mclaren.
I could relate to, and felt good about relating to about 99% of this description. I’m not too excited about his thoughts about the scriptures being inerrant, though. It’s one thing to not like what they say. It’s another thing to change their meaning to suit every person who reads them.
So I picked up this book at your reccomendation (since I go to St. A’s and enjoy your teaching). It is quite engagaing and informative. I’d been wanting to learn more about the Emergent Church and this book has been helpful. Thanks for the post. Hope you enjoy the book when you read it.
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