Book Review of The New Christians: Dispatches from the Emergent Frontier (Part 5--or, "The Dispatches, Continued")

The emergent phenomenon began in the late 1990's when a group of Christian leaders began a conversation about how postmodernism was affecting the faith.

Well, Tony...while I appreciate your desire to recognize the influence of current leadership, please allow me to suggest that folks like Francis Schaeffer were writing about this stuff when you were 9 years old. It's nothing new, really. But Dr. Schaeffer (and many others) were already onto what this "postmodern" influence in the church would be back when Gerald Ford was in the White House. Anything the "E"mergents are doing is an application of their insights.

I'd also suggest that George Barna's research on "Today's Teens" in the late 1980's was asking the same questions your group is championing.

You guys have the Internet and technological advances in publishing/media to have your voices amplified...for good or bad.

The emergent movement is not exclusively North American; it is growing around the globe.

Granted. I love what's going on in Western Europe and my observations of the church there. And, I gotta say it, techno-rave-trance worship is beautiful.

Emergents see God's activity in all aspects of culture and reject the sacred-secular divide.

Amen, Tony! For years we've had "Christian" publishing/music/television/magazines, etc. They were seen as a "better alternative" than the "secular" stuff out there. But for those of us who were told that Rez Band was "just as good" as AC/DC...well, it didn't take long to get jaded. I even had parents tell me about their daughters' "church" swimsuit and their "regular" swimsuit.

It's all life, folks. And to make distinctions between what is sacred and what is "worldly" might be helpful verbage, it does long-term damage to how we engage the culture. It's seen as "us vs. them." And makes people "evangelistic targets" rather than people we love anyway. One of the strengths of the book is this discourse.

Emergents believe that an envelope of friendship and reconciliation must surround all debates about doctrine and dogma.

Again, this involves humility, but within our own Tribe. So, for example, the "issue" of women in ministry is significant. I have certain beliefs that I'm comfy with, and a former student I discipled disagrees in both theory and practice. We're friends. I do love her. And we're free to disagree, but it hasn't affected our friendship one iota that I can tell. She's very bright, articulate and well-educated and funny and insightful. She needs to rock on with what she believes God has called and equipped her to do where she believes God has called her to be.

But this doesn't mean that I should champion her cause in the church I attend. Her denomination believes differently, which is why they're the denomination they are. The danger, Tony, is in allowing that friendship and reconciliation to put all our doctrinal beliefs in a blender and melt them into one blend. The "flavors" are not a bad thing.

Emergents find the biblical call to community more compelling than the democratic call to individual rights. The challenge lies in being faithful to both ideals.

I'd agree that we need to be giving more of our "time, talents & treasures" and be more socially active. Our church has even hired someone to head up our "salt & light" ministries to get more folks involved in our community. I know of a church in Portland that has endeavored to improve and maintain a public park in their city. Wells in Africa is the mission of another church. I could go on.

But you're right about that balance. What's wrong with buying a boat with the fruits of your labor? What's wrong with a nice vacation/wedding/honeymoon/trip/blah/blah/blah? Nothing. I heard a local pastor chide a TV preacher for raising money for Sudan relief while wearing diamond cuff links. That's a perfect example of finding that balance. Maybe those cuff links were a gift from his wife, man. I have a nice watch given as a gift from my former students that I wouldn't sell and give the money to the Sudanese people. But, then again, that might be a way to give sacrificially. See? It isn't so easy finding that balance, but it preaches well and rallies the troops by making people feel guilty for working hard and enjoying the fruit of their labor.