Evangelicals Engaging Emergent, a review

reviewed by T. C. Pinckney                                                                                                                               Vol. XXIV, No. 6, June/July 2011

Most of us, perhaps all, have heard of “the emergent church” but not known just what that term meant. In Evangelicals Engaging Emergent each of the twelve chapters is by a different author, so a number of perspectives are included. Thom S. Rainer, president of LifeWay Christian Resources, sets out the basic need for the book:

Instead of hearing the depth of God’s righteousness, His offense at our sin, His demand for justice, and His great mercy, grace, and forgiveness extended to us through the blood of Jesus, people in churches are hearing lukewarm spiritual porridge offered as a way to help them feel better about themselves. In a day when people need big thoughts about an infinitely capable God, they seem to be gathering to themselves teachers who tell them what they want to hear instead of what they need to hear, which is that Jesus Christ came into this world to save sinners.”

The first chapter discusses two “streams” within the Emerging Movement: a doctrine-averse current and a doctrine-friendly stream. And the opening chapters prove very helpful in defining and clarifying the two emergent streams and the church as we have known it.

There is much more in the book than a brief review like this can cover, but I will offer just two more quotes from near the end of the book.

True spiritual freedom is not the right to do what you want; it is the supernatural enablement of Christ to do what you ought and enjoy doing so. [p. 267]

To be sure, being a student of one’s culture certainly is important. But the preacher will know how to prophetically tell his listeners what to do only by knowing the Word of the Lord, not by studying his culture! Scripture is what defines, determines and dictates relevance for every culture. [p. 299]

Hopefully these quotes and comments will whet your appetite to learn more about the Emerging Movement, the different views that comprise it, its positive aspects, and those elements that are no longer even Christian.

[William D. Henard & Adam W. Greenway, editors, Broadman & Holman, Nashville, 2009]