I heard and read alot about Why We’re Not Emergent (By Two Guys Who Should Be), long before I ever actually read the book. In all honesty, though I am interested in the subject matter (that of the Emergent Church Movement), I had my doubts that the book could live up to the hype.
I was wrong.
This is a phenomenal book. Kevin DeYoung is a great writer and his research into the subject of the Emergent Church Movement shows through the pages he contributes. And, if DeYoung is a great writer, Ted Kluck is not lacking either. Not only does he show his perspective from a non-clergy position, he shows himself to be well informed and passionate about the subject.
DeYoung’s major contribution is his academic approach and his pastoral insights. Kluck, as a sports-writer, writes about the emergent movement with the same kind of wit and narrative that would fit well in ESPN the Magazine. This style of writing and the alternating chapters mean that you will be mentally strained in some of the reading, bu the next page my prove to be an embarrassment because it makes you laugh out loud in the airport (that’s what happened to me).
In the writer’s reaction to the Emergent Church, one of their most telling observations is that many in the Emergent Movement are seeking from Christians and the church something that Christ never promised to deliver.
But we should not expect somethign God has not promised, especially when He has promised the opposite. Jesus said the poor would always be with us (John 12:8) and wars and rumors of war would continue to the very end (Matt. 24:6). This doesn’t mean we are pro-poverty warmongers. But it does mean that wars wont go away just because we follow the secret message of Jesus.
Kluck and DeYoung point out that there are things to be learned from the Emergent Church Movement and remind their readers that most leaders in the movement are at least sincere in wanting change. Sincerity, however, does not equal truth and Why We’re Not Emergent reveals many errors within the Emergent Church Movement.
If you are interested in the Emergent Church, this is a MUST READ!
