 |
| |
| |
|
Why We're Not Emergent: By Two Guys Who Should Be
|
|
|
Average Rating:  out of 42 Reviews
|
Price: $14.99
|
|
Sale: $8.85
|
| |
|
Manufacturer: Moody Publishers
|
|
EAN (European Article Number): 9780802458346
|
|
Number of Items: 1
|
| |
|
|
|
Binding: Paperback
|
|
Author: Kevin DeYoung::Ted Kluck
|
|
Publisher: Moody Publishers
|
|
Dewey Decimal Number: 270.83
|
|
Publication Date: 2008-04-01
|
|
Reading Level: 256
|
|
|
| |
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. |
| |
|
| |
| |
| |
| |
Customer Reviews
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
Review Summary: Informative and Eminently Fair |
Date: 2008-12-02 |
|
| |
Details: Much of the evangelical criticism of the emergent church movement has been ham fisted and uninformed. Many evangelicals in talking about the emergent movement seem to follow the pattern laid down for them back in the eighties and nineties, when alot of evangelicals would press anything that smacked of emotionalism or poetic license with charges of "new age." Now, these same folks, or their spiritual descendants, are labeling any worship service that includes a Rob Bell "Nooma" video or a song by U2 as "emergent" and heretical (and "New Age" to boot). The emergents complain alot that evangelicals are criticizing them unfairly, and there is more than a little justice in their complaint.
But there is little to nothing to complain about in DeYoung and Kluck's book, "Why We're not Emergent." DeYoung and Kluck have produced a critique of the emergent movement that is well informed, sensitive to the different streams of thought in the emergent movement, and even aware of the problems in mainstream evangelicalism that led, in part, to the emergent movement's ... umm ... emergence.
These guys know their stuff. They have read the emergent books and gone to the emergent churches. They have listened and thought. And the product of their efforts is a book that presents a thoroughly Biblical and thoroughly fair critique of the movement.
They have taken an interesting approach to their writing, with DeYoung, the minister, providing an analysis of the themes common in emergent writings, and comparing and constrasting them with (Warning to any emergent Christians reading this: your blood pressure is about to go through the roof. Sorry.) Biblical doctrine. Kluck, the sportswriter, presents in alternate chapters his own encounter with the emergent movement in a thoroughly narrative mode.
DeYoung is widely read in emergent literature, and presents a well-balanced view of its major emphases. He neither brushes under the rug the significant differences between emergents and evangelicals, nor does he go cherry picking for controversial emergent material, as many evangelicals spoiling for a fight tend to do. Space doesn't permit me to do justice to the knowledge and wisdom DeYoung shows. His ironic, and irenic, drawing of parallels between the emergent "conversation" and the theology of nineteenth and twenty century theological liberalism is his own indispensible contribution to the emergent conversation. He leaves no doubt that the emergent movement, with its claim to eschew modernism and update the gospel for the post-modern world, actually sounds very much like the theological liberals of the previous two centuries, who were consciously trying to update the gospel for the *modern* world. His rebuttal of the sloppy historical scholarship of some emergents, particularly Rob Bell, is also very helpful and completely fair. (DeYoung, if you're reading this, an entire little book on this one topic would be of great value.) Finally, he closes the book with an absolutely wonderful "sermon" on the letters to the seven churches in the book of Revelation. To summarize his point, there are many ways that churches can go wrong. It is wrong to be lifeless and loveless like the Ephesian (i.e. evangelical) church. And it is wrong to tolerate evil and falsehood, like the churches of Pergamum and Thyratira (i.e emrgents). Honestly, I think he makes his best point in a simple footnote: "I am not arguing that tolerance is a dirty word that is never befitting of Christians, only that ... [some] emergent leaders can scarcely imagine why intolerance would ever be justified. In so doing, they are more generous than Jesus."
I obviously like DeYoung's work and I agree with almost everything he says. But, in a way, Ted Kluck's narrative approach is even more to the point. Emergent theology, or conversation, camps out on the importance of narrative. Kluck's recounting of his own personal encounter with the emergent church, then, makes a surer point of contact with the movement. Kluck's own narrative brings to the forefront what I think emergents tend to forget: Narratives can compete. Narratives can even critique one another. Not all narratives are commensurate. And so, even if narrative is of primary importance in faith, it is still possible that some narratives are "better" than others, and it is completely possible to pick the wrong narrative. Kluck's encounter with the emergent movement, conveyed in chapters with titles such as "Why I Don't Want a Cool Pastor," is doubly important as a challenge to the emergent narrative and a sorely needed reminder to evangelicals of the importance of narrative. Read it, please!
In short, "Why We're not Emergent" should present a challenge - a completely fair challenge - to emergents to think through the ramifications of their faith. Also, it will be a well balanced introduction to the movement for evangelicals who aren't familiar with it.
|
| |
|
Review Summary: Even tempered explanation and critique of the emergent movement |
Date: 2008-11-08 |
|
|
| |
|
Details: 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. |
| |
|
Review Summary: Fair and Balanced? Hardly |
Date: 2008-10-22 |
|
| |
|
Details: 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. |
| |
|
Review Summary: A contemporary look at the emergents |
Date: 2008-10-19 |
|
| |
|
Details: 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. |
| |
|
Review Summary: A Substantive (and Funny) Look at the Emerging Church |
Date: 2008-10-19 |
|
|
| |
Details: One of the books given to all who attended this year's Together for the Gospel conference in Louisville was Why We're Not Emergent (By Two Guys Who Should Be) (2008, Moody Press) by Ted Kluck and Kevin DeYoung. Out of the great number of books we received that week, Why We're Not Emerging quickly moved to the top of the list in my reading schedule.
I had my doubts about the book: Would this be a book that misrepresents the Emerging Church and its representatives? Or would this be a book that provides a thoughtful critique? Thankfully, the authors take the second route, and they have a little fun along the way.
The authors of Why We're Not Emergent focus on the "who" of the Emerging movement, not the amorphous, ever-changing "what" that the movement's followers believe. So DeYoung and Kluck interact with pastors and writers from within the heart of the movement as well as the periphery: Rob Bell, Brian McLaren, Tony Jones, Dan Kimball, Scot McKnight, Doug Pagitt, and others.
The result is actual dialogue. The authors do not merely throw hand grenades into the Emerging Camp. They listen thoughtfully to the Emerging perspective and then very simply explain "why they are not emergent."
Pastor Kevin DeYoung provides the substantive look at the Emerging Church. Ted Kluck provides the humor. The two authors take turns writing. After reading a chapter of extensive research and commentary, you then enjoy a humorous chapter that pokes fun at much of the faddishness of the Emerging movement. I rarely enjoy books that change up the style so much, but for a book on Emergent, the eclectic positioning of the chapters provided insight as well as some entertainment. Listen to Ted Kluck's tongue-in-cheek description of the rise of Emerging Church:
"In the early 2000s the offspring of the 80s generation got disillusioned with their dads' arenas (where you can get a Christian haircut, a Christian oil change, and buy Christian clothes) and started blogging about their feelings. Let's meet on a beach (nothing wrong with that), let's meet in an empty warehouse with exposed brick and ductwork (nothing wrong with that either), and let's start a movement that won't have any leaders and that we won't actually call a movement. Instead of pastors we might have discussion leaders and worship gathering facilitators. Because non-movements are the new movements." (58-59)
DeYoung and Kluck actually agree with much of the Emerging Church's critique of today's evangelicalism. But they are able to make a contribution to the discussion by refusing to be bound to the "either-or" dichotomies so prevalent in Emerging literature. DeYoung writes:
"The emerging church will be a helpful corrective against real, and sometimes perceived, abuses in evangelicalism when they discover the genius of the `and,' and stop forcing us to accept half-truths. (75)"
DeYoung and Kluck are at times prophetic in their call to biblical faithfulness. They helpfully unmask some of the hype that surrounds the Emerging movement. Kluck pokes fun at Doug Pagitt's sharp distinction between storytelling and testimony time. "So, let me get this straight. They aren't testimonies, just stories that serve as testaments to what God is doing in our lives. Sounds like a testimony to me. (154)" They also ask tough questions about why this movement (for all its talk about incarnational living) tends to reach out to only one segment of the American population, while mocking other segments (Nascar, rural, etc.) (230).
The authors sometimes generalize a little too much. Kluck believes that college students would rather read Donald Miller over Chuck Colson, Rob Bell over John Piper, Doug Pagitt over J.I. Packer (97). Perhaps. But the interesting phenomenon in the Emerging Church movement and the parallel Reformed Resurgence is that many college students are reading men from both perspectives.
Overall, I highly recommend that those inside and outside the Emerging Church read Why We're Not Emergent. It's a terrific addition to a growing number of books whose authors have accepted the Emergent invitation to dialogue. |
| |
|
| |
Similar Products
|
|
|
| |
This Product is similar to and may be found in the Following Categories:
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
