"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" (source).
I liked the alternating point of view of Kevin and Ted. Ted's humorous, shorter chapters balanced out Kevin's deeper, longer ones. There's a lot to take in and I'll admit that some of it was lost on me. This is not a book to rush through but to take your time with. I had never heard of the Emergent movement until this book. While I'm familiar with several of those involved in the movement, I didn't realize there was a term for what they believe. Rob Bell is the biggest name but I've read books by Donald Miller, Erwin McManus and Leonard Sweet. And though the latter three don't seem to be on the same end of the Emergent spectrum as Rob Bell, it all still worries me. This book was published in 2008, before Rob's book Love Wins was published, making this spotlight shined through Why We're Not Emergent on what they believe all the more important. Because honestly, it's a little scary. To read how they choose to ignore key things from the Bible worries me. I know this one book doesn't cover everything - a fact that the authors point out. But they've done their research and it shows. A big difference is how we view the Bible. The Emergent church feels "the Bible is not the voice of God from heaven and certainly not the foundation. Rather, the Bible spurs us on to new ways of imagining and learning." Whereas "we mean the Bible settles our disputes. The Bible tells us what is true. Our thinking about God, ourselves, and the Word should start with the Bible and never contradict the Bible." This is just one example of what the Emergent church believes. While the book was a little heavy for me, I think it a great resource for someone wanting to know why the Emergent church is not the Evangelical church. There are some major differences and especially for a new Christian, it might seem confusing. Overall, a good and enlightening read.
You can learn more about the book from the website. Thank you to Dan King for the chance to win this book!
This is a very real and present issue. So glad to hear of this book.
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