Why We're Not Emergent: By Two Guys Who Should Be
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book, as the title suggests, is written by a couple of guys who are from the sort of background where they've come into contact with the emergent church - and they explain not only why they are not emergent but also why they believe emergent thinking to be potentially dangerous to the gospel.
The authors take it in turns to speak, with authorship of chapters alternating between them. This gives two very different styles and 'takes', which is quite refreshing - DeYoung is a pastor and his chapters are more theological; Kluck is a journalist and writes more from his own experiences. The book never goes particularly deep, so although there are chapters of theological 'stuff', it's not overly hard to understand.
The book doesn't spend too much time examining what the emerging church is - as it explains, it's difficult to pin that down and even the leaders of the movement have resisted doing so. Instead, the authors generally take quotes from emergent literature and discuss the strengths and flaws that they see in it.
I've never read most of the books they talk about (e.g. Velvet Elvis, Blue Like Jazz etc.), so I can't say whether it's a fair representation of what those say or not, but a lot of what they mentioned as the potential failings of the movement did strike a chord with me as I thought about friends who would describe themselves as emergent. I do think that to get a balanced viewpoint, it would be a good idea to read some emergent-type writing, but this is definitely a useful introduction to the more questionable aspects of some of what the movement has produced.
One thing I didn't like so much about the book (and why I gave it 4 stars and not 5 - would've given 4.5 if I could though) was that at times the tone felt a bit 'snarky'; they seemed to be poking fun at the emergent leaders rather than engaging with its teachings. This wasn't overbearing, but it did come through a few times and seemed a bit harsh.
Overall, a useful introduction to the emerging church and to the potential dangers of wholeheartedly embracing it; if you're really interested in finding out in depth stuff you'd probably need to find a more detailed discussion, but this is a good starting point. It would probably also be fair, as I said above, to balance this account with a more 'pro-emergent' one.
The authors take it in turns to speak, with authorship of chapters alternating between them. This gives two very different styles and 'takes', which is quite refreshing - DeYoung is a pastor and his chapters are more theological; Kluck is a journalist and writes more from his own experiences. The book never goes particularly deep, so although there are chapters of theological 'stuff', it's not overly hard to understand.
The book doesn't spend too much time examining what the emerging church is - as it explains, it's difficult to pin that down and even the leaders of the movement have resisted doing so. Instead, the authors generally take quotes from emergent literature and discuss the strengths and flaws that they see in it.
I've never read most of the books they talk about (e.g. Velvet Elvis, Blue Like Jazz etc.), so I can't say whether it's a fair representation of what those say or not, but a lot of what they mentioned as the potential failings of the movement did strike a chord with me as I thought about friends who would describe themselves as emergent. I do think that to get a balanced viewpoint, it would be a good idea to read some emergent-type writing, but this is definitely a useful introduction to the more questionable aspects of some of what the movement has produced.
One thing I didn't like so much about the book (and why I gave it 4 stars and not 5 - would've given 4.5 if I could though) was that at times the tone felt a bit 'snarky'; they seemed to be poking fun at the emergent leaders rather than engaging with its teachings. This wasn't overbearing, but it did come through a few times and seemed a bit harsh.
Overall, a useful introduction to the emerging church and to the potential dangers of wholeheartedly embracing it; if you're really interested in finding out in depth stuff you'd probably need to find a more detailed discussion, but this is a good starting point. It would probably also be fair, as I said above, to balance this account with a more 'pro-emergent' one.
20 of 28 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Kevin Deyoung and Ted Kluck dont like "emergents". In an introductory caveat they reassure us they dont see emergents as the "bad guys" but the other 252 pages could have you fooled. The book is an exhaustive answer to the question "what irritates us about the emergent church?". We discover that emergents are lazy on doctrine and weak on tough issues. They've abandoned offering answers and keep asking more questions. They use annoying new jargon. They see the rest of us as exclusivist and worse still outdated. They try to make church feel mystical with candles and projected images on the walls. They are often leftists. Worst of all you dont know who is in charge and therefore who to blame for how annoying the emergent church is.
Although I think they often misunderstand what emergent writers are saying the authors do raise some important questions about the emergent church. Unfortunately the lack of grace in its pages may deter most emergent thinking people from getting through them. For many it will read as, well, annoying.
The authors have taken the lazy option. They offer a polarised grumble without considering any positives. But more importantly they fail to empathise with a whole generation of young followers of Jesus who are questioning much of what evangelicalism has done with him- intellectually, religiously and politically. Emergents are asking good questions, potentially reforming questions. I'd suggest that rather than scorning the questions the authors would do better to listen to them.
Although I think they often misunderstand what emergent writers are saying the authors do raise some important questions about the emergent church. Unfortunately the lack of grace in its pages may deter most emergent thinking people from getting through them. For many it will read as, well, annoying.
The authors have taken the lazy option. They offer a polarised grumble without considering any positives. But more importantly they fail to empathise with a whole generation of young followers of Jesus who are questioning much of what evangelicalism has done with him- intellectually, religiously and politically. Emergents are asking good questions, potentially reforming questions. I'd suggest that rather than scorning the questions the authors would do better to listen to them.
11 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A superbly written and engaging review of the emergent movement and what it may or may not stand for. This is a must for all Christians, especially those who sit under an emergent ministry but also those who revere the Bible as God's revelation of Himself and who are driven nuts by the emergent capitulation to post-modernism's lack of absolutes and pluralistic obsession.
Very easy to read and not too theologically complex. The authors graciously and often amusingly take emergent leaders to task showing they cannot continue to justify their supposed position of humility of lack of understanding but ought to accept that they too need a theological framework that is Biblically based.
Highly recommended!
Very easy to read and not too theologically complex. The authors graciously and often amusingly take emergent leaders to task showing they cannot continue to justify their supposed position of humility of lack of understanding but ought to accept that they too need a theological framework that is Biblically based.
Highly recommended!
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