Listening to the Beliefs of Emerging Churches: Five Perspectives

by Robert E. Webber

Book Overview

What are the beliefs of the new movement known as the emerging church? In thought-provoking debate, prominent emerging leaders John Burke, Mark Driscoll, Dan Kimball, Doug Pagitt, and Karen Ward... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0310271355
• ISBN13: 9780310271352
• Release Date: February 2007
• Publisher: Zondervan Publishing Company
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.1" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Outstanding read!

Listening to the Beliefs of Emerging Churches - Five Perspectives is a book edited by Robert Webber that contains theological essays by five leaders of the emerging church. Those of you who have any familiarity with the emerging church know how difficult it is to pin down anything, so this book provides a little glimpse into the theology of a few successful emerging churches. There are five essays, each followed by responses by the other four authors. The overwhelming tone of this book is one of friendship and respect. Even when there are radically different views the responses provide a glimpse of how I believe God intended us to work through these things. There is no shouting, no condemning, there is love and respect. It is wonderful to behold. There were a few quotes from Dan Kimball that I thought were worth sharing about the beliefs of the emerging church: ---- If we are only trying to be "relevant" (a word churches love to use), by adding candles and coffee, using art in worship, and playing hip music, this is not good. Those are only surface fixes. If we merely tweak the surface level of things, we are missing the whole point of cultural change and what the emerging church is about. That is only a re-fluffing of the pillows. I believe true emerging churches must go deep within, and from the inside out, rethink, reshape, and revalue how we go about everything as culture changes. We must rethink leadership, church structure, the role of a pastor, spiritual formation, how community is lived out, how evangelism is done, how we express our worship etc. ... But nevertheless, the emerging church needs to revere, teach, respect, discuss, and study the Bible. I think all the more in our emerging culture, do we need to create a culture of hungering for the Scriptures. ---- I really like what Dan Kimball had to say. I think he "nailed it" with regards to some of the common misconceptions about the emerging church (e.g. it's all about worship style). I also found this line from Webber's conclusion very intriguing: ---- First, these leaders remind us that we live in a new world. This assertion doesn't mean that emergents feel the old modern world is completely gone. They acknowledge we live in two worlds-the modern and postmodern. What they ask of us is to get ready for the new world, to recognize that we live in a time of transition, where the old Christendom is dying and the new postmodern world is emerging...the church is in a new missional setting. ---- I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in understanding the theology of the emerging church. Although I certainly disagree with some of the points these guys make (as do the other authors in the book), I found the overall tone and "feel" of this book to be very Christ-like and inspiring. God is doing great things with the emerging church. We need to praise Him for raising up leaders like the five essayists in this book and pray for more like them to lead the next generation

The Theologianhood Of The Believer...

...is what emerging churches are about, at least according to this book (with the exception of Mark Driscoll's contributions). I say "contributions" because each of the five contributors not only writes a chapter of his/her own, but responds to each of the chapters by the other contributors. So by the time you've finished the parts written by the contributors, you have a pretty good idea of what the contributors are thinking about things. In addition, this book contains some context for the conversations of the contributors, provided at the beginning and end by evangelical theologian Robert Webber. He contends American evangelical Christianity is at the beginning of the fourth of four roughly twenty-year cycles, seeking how to interact with a post-Christian, neo-pagan culture, finding that the questions to which they have answers aren't being asked anymore. The placement of the names on the cover is a pretty accurate reflection of where the contributors are theologically. The only change I would make is swapping Karen Ward and Doug Pagitt. Each of the five contributors have different diagnoses of the problems with American evangelical Christianity in the early 21st century: Mark Driscoll says the problem is watering down the truth of Scripture, giving Jesus a makeover to make him more attractive to our culture. His prescription is to unapologetically present the message of Jesus as told by an authoritative Scripture. As I read his words, I remembered Bible teacher J. Vernon McGee saying "The chief sin of the church is ignorance of the word of God." John Burke says the problem is that American Christians are both hypocritical, unchanged in their character and behavior, and judgemental, believing they have a monopoly on truth. His prescription is to invite people to come as they are, recognizing it might take a while for changes in people to take place. Dan Kimball says the problem is that we're still stuck with those dispensational end-time charts, and scared that someone is going to ask a question to which we don't know the answer. His prescription is to create a worshipping community of missional theologians, people who are well-versed in the study of the nature of God, and inquiring into religious questions. Doug Pagitt says the problem is any number of assumptions about the way we do theology, an unwillingness to address new questions raised by scientific advances, and an unwillingness to think about the increasing rate of cultural change. His prescription is to challenge these assumptions and address new cultural realities. Karen Ward says the problem is the modern pastor-as-CEO model. Her prescription is an apprentice model of discipleship, distributing as much of the mentoring as possible. Her prescription also involves a metaphor of theology as the cooking of tasty, nutritious food, as opposed to the metaphor of theology as architecture. Robert Webber provides a helpful summary of the contributions in his conclusion

A good peek into the emerging movement

The candor and grace of the writers is wonderfully refreshing. The reason this book is helpful is that it presents a critique of the movement from within. While only Driscoll, Burke and Kimball seemed to stick to the topic at hand, Driscoll and Burke were the most theological and consistent. While I would be considered one of those sitting in the coffeeshop eavesdropping on the "conversation," my exposure to the last two writers left me troubled. I think Driscoll's critique to be very helpful and honest, dealing with issues without attacking personalities. That said, I'm not sure where Chrisitan distinctives fit into Doug Pagitt's or Karen Ward's congregations. They talk about God, the Kingdom, and Jesus, but in varied and often redefined ways, according to their own opinions with liitle authority outside themselves. Good exposure to be able to see what's really going on amidst all the buzz.

Demonstrates the Diversity within the Movement

Listening to the Beliefs of Emerging Churches is a well-writing book that represents the diversity within the movement. The writings of Mark Driscoll were the real highlight of the book. There were a number of times that this pastor surprised me with his insight and intellectualism. A first example is found in his response to Kimball's chapter. Kimball references his adherence to the Nicene Creed a number of times and he gives the impression that he is unwilling to be dogmatic on theological points that are outside the scope of this ancient statement of faith (i.e., the role of women in ministry). I praise Kimball for his commitment to the Nicene Creed, but Driscoll is right in pointing out that the Nicene Creed is silent on a number of important doctrines. Driscoll writes, "For example, when a gay couple walks in and expects their lifestyle to be accepted, a Wiccan walks in and invites people to attend her pagan eco-spirituality festivals, or The Da Vinci Code fans start inviting people from the church to their house to learn about Jesus' wife and kids, the Nicene Creed, though true, is not sufficient because it does not answer any of these sorts of current issues (107)." Driscoll is correct that Kimball's adherence to the Nicene Creed is not enough. Another example of Driscoll's intelligent analysis is found in his response to Burke's assertions that religion (including other religions) and morals can lead a person into a relationship with God. Driscoll states, "But Jesus stands against religion and morality as enemies of the gospel because, as Martin Luther said, religion and morality are the default mechanisms of the human heart to pursue righteousness apart from him" (70). Lastly, Driscoll calls some of the other writers out on the carpet for not fulfilling the purpose of the book, which is to address theology within the movement. After reading Pagitt's chapter, he writes, "we were assigned to articulate our views on the Trinity, the atonement, and Scripture, and having read Doug's chapter, I remain uncertain of his position on these issues" (144). Addressing Ward's chapter, Driscoll responds,"Karen's chapter raises the important question of what exactly is the level of authority that Scripture holds in the church. Karen's chapter uses only three Scripture references, an old worship song, an indie rock band, a postmodern philosopher, a church blog, a movie, an obscure theologian, and Hindu Ghandi as her authorities(184)." Here, Driscoll addresses a concern that many within the established church have raised about the emerging church, "What is its view on the authority of Scripture"? The book is a good read, however Ward and Pagitt were a disappointment.

a book "by" not just "about" emerging churches

I gave this a five-star rating not because "I loved" everything the contributors wrote but because it is a must read by anyone wanting to become truly conversant with emerging churches. So many books, reviews, blogs, and watch dog websites have created a caricature, a monolithic "Emerging Church" straw man. They then set their fictional creation ablaze to be warmed in their hearts as they discern the truth. The truth is, emerging churches are all over the theological spectrum and this book shows some of that spread in their own words. As a middle-aged evangelical who was raised in a thoroughly modern world, I find (a lot of) the beliefs and tactics described in this book to be encouraging. Not all post-moderns are sacrificing biblical truth on the altar of relativity. Most of the contributors show their belief in historical orthodox Christian doctrine. On the other hand, one contributor in particular shows a markedly lower view of the Scriptures - but he's being consistent since he shows a low view for written words in general. This is played out as he reads additional meanings into the writings of others (meanings that are far beyond the original intent) then attacks what he has added. Bottom line: regardless of your starting point, whether you see the emerging church as a new reformation or the great end-times apostasy, either way - if you want to make an informed decision on these streams of the emerging christianity... listen to them... read this book.