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Why We're Not Emergent: By Two Guys Who Should Be
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Average Rating:  out of 41 Reviews
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Price: $14.99
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Sale: $8.85
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Manufacturer: Moody Publishers
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EAN (European Article Number): 9780802458346
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Number of Items: 1
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Binding: Paperback
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Author: Kevin DeYoung::Ted Kluck
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Publisher: Moody Publishers
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Dewey Decimal Number: 270.83
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Publication Date: 2008-04-01
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Reading Level: 256
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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. |
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Customer Reviews
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Review Summary: Even tempered explanation and critique of the emergent movement |
Date: 2008-11-08 |
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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. |
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Review Summary: Fair and Balanced? Hardly |
Date: 2008-10-22 |
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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. |
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Review Summary: A contemporary look at the emergents |
Date: 2008-10-19 |
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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. |
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Review Summary: A Substantive (and Funny) Look at the Emerging Church |
Date: 2008-10-19 |
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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. |
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Review Summary: A Much-Needed Examination of the Emergent Church |
Date: 2008-10-19 |
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Details: Why We're Not Emergent: by Two Guys Who Should Be is a much needed book. With the Emergent Church gaining the popularity it has and with so many people reading the books of its leaders, someone needed to take a deep hard look at what they believe. Especially considering the lengths the Emergent Church goes to avoid pinning down its own theology.
This book takes a systematic look at each of the theological beliefs of the Emergent Movement. It uses published quotes from the leaders of the movement to define the edges of its belief system...leaders like Brian McLaren, Rob Bell, Donald Miller, Doug Pagitt, and Peter Rollins, to name a few. I have read books by McLaren, Bell, Miller, McKinley, Kinnamon, and Rollins, so this book was a timely read for me and added much depth and understanding to my reading experience. It also helped me see that the authors were not giving the discussion the fair take it deserves.
My only qualm with this book is that while it claims in the beginning that it wants to be balanced and avoid attacking the Emergent Church because they are, after all, believers in Jesus, Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck go on to do just that. They do right to call out the areas the Emergent Movement has taken things too far, but they fail to give credit (real credit) to the areas the Emergent Movement has awakened old-school Christianity to its shortcomings.
I was greatly pleased to arrive at the closing pages where the authors zoom out and finally give credit and blame to both sides of the spectrum. They turn to the book of Revelation to offer a word of Unity to the Conservative Evangelicals and the Emergent Christians, urging both sides to pursue the TOTALITY of the Gospel of Jesus and what that means toward living in Christ, instead of clinging to our dogma at the poles, which is incomplete and drains the Kingdom of God of its effectiveness.
I think a great companion book to this would be Why I WAS Emergent: an Insider's Take on the Movement (or something). That said, I will be recommending this book to all my conservative friends who don't yet understand the Emergent Church Movement and would like clarity regarding its leaders, their theology, and what they should think of the whole situation. On top of that, the two writers employ completely different writing styles, one theologicalish...one sports writingish, but both quality, engaging, and easy to understand. Happy reading.
--- Reviewed by Jonathan Stephens |
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