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    Why We're Not Emergent: By Two Guys Who Should Be
    Why We're Not Emergent: By Two Guys Who Should Be
    Why We're Not Emergent: By Two Guys Who Should Be
    Audiobook7 hours

    Why We're Not Emergent: By Two Guys Who Should Be

    Written by Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck

    Narrated by Adam Verner

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    About this audiobook

    You can be young, passionate about Jesus Christ, surrounded by diversity, engaged in a postmodern world, reared in evangelicalism and not be an emergent Christian. In fact, I want to argue that it would be better if you weren't.The Emergent Church is a strong voice in today's Christian community. And they're talking about good things: caring for the poor, peace for all men, loving Jesus. They're doing church a new way, not content to fit the mold. Again, all good. But there's more to the movement than that. Much more.Kevin and Ted are two guys who, demographically, should be all over this movement. But they're not. And Why We're Not Emergent gives you the solid reasons why. From both a theological and an on-the-street perspective, Kevin and Ted diagnose the emerging church. They pull apart interviews, articles, books, and blogs, helping you see for yourself what it's all about.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherChristianAudio.com
    Release dateOct 1, 2015
    ISBN9781633894631
    Author

    Kevin DeYoung

    Kevin DeYoung (PhD, University of Leicester) is the senior pastor at Christ Covenant Church in Matthews, North Carolina, and associate professor of systematic theology at Reformed Theological Seminary, Charlotte. He has written books for children, adults, and academics, including Just Do Something; Impossible Christianity; and The Biggest Story Bible Storybook. Kevin’s work can be found on clearlyreformed.org. Kevin and his wife, Trisha, have nine children.

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    Reviews for Why We're Not Emergent

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    • 4/5
      In this book, the Emergent church and many of its fallacies are challenged from a biblical perspective and they are found wanting...more on this later.To begin with, however, I want to say that if I was to give this book a rating, I would give it an 8 out of a 10. I would have given it a 10 but, personally, I did not feel that the two authors were able to effectively mesh together their viewpoints. I would say that this book is more like two books in one! As far as recommendations go, I highly recommend the book, but mainly for the contributions of Kevin DeYoung. His chapters make the book worthwhile. You see, the authors took turns writing the chapters and it is clear in the reading that DeYoung is intent on giving a biblical analysis of the movement, whereas Ted Kluck seems almost confused. Perhaps that is unfair, but I went away from his chapters feeling like Kluck knew the emergent movement was wrong but boy does he think it is attractive and it's leaders brilliant! It reminded me of a married man who knows he should not be speaking flirtatiously with a woman but can't help himself 'cause she's so beautiful and physically enticing! Again, though, DeYound makes the book worth reading and his chapters are engaging, thoughtful, and well presented.One of the main points which DeYoung addresses is the reluctance of emergent leaders to be straightforward about what they believe...how they question everything and make it seem like this questioning is a virtue...he says "I'ts one thing for a high school student to be in process with his theology. It's another thing for adults to write books and speak around the world about their musings and misgivings." (pg. 17) And this is in the introduction! :)Later on in the introduction, DeYoung discusses how a number of emergent leaders, including Tony Jones, Doug Pagitt, Spencer Burke, Brian McLaren, and others, wrote an article in which they asserted that each spoke only for himself as an emergent and that they did not even "endorse everything said or written by one another." DeYoung responds as follows: "Fine. But if seven men get together to respond to their critics in one article, they should at least admit they not only share much common ground, but they are also some of the lead influencers (if we can't say spokespersons) in the conversation. Call it a friendship, or a network, or a web of relationships, but when people endorse one another's book and speak at the same conference and write on the same blogs, there is something of a discernible movement afoot." (pg. 18-19)Some of the issues which DeYoung challenges the leaders in the emergent church movement about are the following:Is it possible to know God?Can we take a stand on anything?Is doctrine important?Is the Bible authoritative?From my own ignorant perspective, these are questions I find troublesome in the sense that I cannot believe a professing Christian would ask...but DeYoung does more than be troubled by them. He responds to them. And he does a fine job in doing it. The following are quotes from throughout the book:"The God of the Bible is nothing if He is not a God who speaks to His people. To be sure, none of us ever infinitely understand God in a nice, neat package of affirmations and denials, but we can know Him truly, both personally and propositionally. God can speak. He can use human language to communicate truth about Himself that is accurate and knowable, without ceasing to be God because we've somehow got Him all figured out." (pg. 37)"...by saying the Bible is our foundation. We mean the Bible settles our disputes. "The Bible tells us what it true. Our thinking about God, ourselves, and the Word should start with the Bible and never contradict the Bible. In that sensed, what's so wrong with calling the Bible our foundation?" (pg. 81)"Emergent leaders like to point out Paul's accommodating missional strategy among the Athenians at Mars Hill...[but] [a]fter Paul did his cultural engagement thing, he proclaimed the gospel in no uncertain terms...[t]he apostles never preached with the double-talk and ambiguity you find in so many emergent books." (pg. 109)"I understand the emergent concern about living rightly in this life. That was a concern of Jesus. But why are heaven and hell as eternal destinations so routinely marginalized in emergent books? If heaven and hell are real and endure forever, as Jesus believed them to be, they ought to shape everything we do during our short time on earth." (pg. 186)"...Christians on both sides [speaking of Republicans and Democrats] must be careful that the message of Jesus isn't over-identified with politics. Isn't this why the Religious Right is being chastised (sometimes fairly, sometimes unfairly)? American Christianity has at times sounded a lot like the platform of the GOP. Emergent leaders need to be careful they do not make the same mistake in the opposite direction. Emergent Christians shouldn't position themselves as the neutral middle ground when their concerns read like talking points of the Democratic National Committee..." (pg. 189)One of my favorites quotes from the book:"The main problem in the universe, according to many emergent writers, seems to be human suffering and brokenness. Make no mistake, suffering and brokenness are a result of the fall, but the main problem that needs to be dealt with is human sin and rebellion. Where pain and brokenness are the main problems, we need to learn to love ourselves. God is no longer a holy God angry with sin, who, in His great mercy, sent His Son to die on our behalf so that divine justice might be satisfied. God becomes a vulnerable lover who opens Himself up to hurt and rejection in order to be with us because we are worth dying for.I have no doubt that this message will find a receptive audience, but it is not the message the apostles proclaimed and for which they died. Christians don't get killed for telling people that God believes in them and suffers like them and can heal their brokenness. They get killed for calling sinners to repentance and proclaiming faith in the crucified Son of God as the only means by which we who were enemies might be reconciled to God." (pg. 194-195)This is just a sampling of the richness to be found in DeYoung's chapters. The book helped me better understand (I already had some serious concerns) why the emergent church movement is such a danger...though I say this only in the sense of it misleading the lost into a sense of false security, for despite all things, we know that the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ will endure unto the end. And our Lord will always raise up men like DeYoung to contend rigorously for the faith, as He has in every age. I once pondered the question of who would succeed the giants who contend for the Truth in our own day and age...I wondered what would happen when we begin to lose men like MacArthur, Piper, Mohler, Zacharias, and others. Well I am now confident that there are young men out there who will step up and fill those places. I look forward to hearing more from Mr. Kevin DeYoung.
    • 5/5
      Why We’re Not Emergent: By Two Guys Who Should Be, by Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck is a great resource if you want to find out about Christianity’s Emergent Movement. In eleven chapters DeYoung and Kluck tag-team their way through the maze that is the Christian postmodern (emergent, emerging) belief system.

      It’s tricky in that it comes from no one spokesperson but a network of people across denominations who endorse each other’s books, interview each other, and seem to be generally affiliated.

      DeYoung is definitely the heavy hitter of the two authors. Using examples from the writings of prominent emergents such as Brian McLaren, Rob Bell, Tony Jones, Spencer Burke, Leonard Sweet, Doug Pagitt and more, he ferrets out the emergent position. With his gifts for analysis and logic he exposes it as: against formal doctrinal statements; for questions, doubts and uncertainty; super-critical of the modern evangelical church; controversial concerning Jesus especially regarding the significance of His death and resurrection; almost completely silent on what happens after we die, and more. As a Reformed pastor he has a rich and broad-based knowledge of the Bible and church history, and is able to compare the teaching of postmodern Christianity to what the Bible says and previous theological movements.

      Kluck is the color commentator of the two. His chapters consist of vignettes of his experiences, visiting an emergent church, interviewing apologist D. A. Carson, attending the funeral of an old saint etc. They give us a break from the DeYoung’s heavy braininess and do a little showing versus telling.

      Here are a few quotes that give a flavour of some of the conclusions DeYoung comes to (of course where needed he cites footnotes for statements like the below, and examines and explains the ideas at length):


      Postmodernity: “The postmodern Way, as Leonard Sweet puts it so candidly, is an experience. The journey is more wandering than directional, more action than belief, more ambiguous than defined” - Kindle Location 417.

      Propositions: “Few things are so universally criticized in the emerging church than propositions” – K.L. 1033.

      Theology: “The task of theology in the emergent model is to express communal beliefs and values, to set forth that community’s particular ‘web of significance,’ and ‘matrix of meaning’” – K.L. 1161.

      Kingdom of God: “For those in the emerging church, Jesus’ message of the kingdom is a manifesto about God’s plan for humanity here and now. It is the secret, and subversive announcement that God is working out His plan for peace, justice, and compassion on earth …. Joining the kingdom is not a move in status (i.e. from unsaved to saved) but a move in practice” – K.L. 2847.

      Atonement: “So the atonement did not accomplish anything on our behalf. God’s attitude toward us didn’t change. Jesus simply enacted and represented the forgiveness that was already in the heart of God” – K.L. 3037.

      Hell: “…hell is just one imagery among many to describe the negative consequences of rejecting God’s way” – K.L. 3075.

      If, up till now, you’ve only heard about the emergent church or skimmed the surface of what its champions believe and teach, DeYoung and Kluck’s book will take you deeper.

    • 4/5
      This book would land somewhere around 7 stars. It is a bit of a slow read, especially at the beginning. The chapters alternate - one by Kevin followed by one by Ted. Kevin's chapters are very deep (although not always that content laden...) while Ted's chapters are very fluffy and fun (and definitely not content laden). They definitely make a good case against the Emergent teachings, although the book is written specifically for those in Emergent circles and therefore is a bit weak in some areas. Overall, it is a good book with a good message and hopefully one that is widely read amongst young, dissatisfied evangelicals as well as those solidly in the Emergent camp.
    • 1/5
      Does offer a few decent critiques of Emergent (and a few bad ones as well), but what they would replace it with is often undesirable. I'm also unconvinced that they understand Emergent that well.
    • 4/5
      Kluck and Wells do a good job looking at the flaws of the Emergent Movement. What they don't seem to do is show much grace about it. They seem far more intent on showing inconsistencies, silly stances, and general problems than they do on looking at why the Emergent Movement exists and what we can learn from it. The book is well worth reading for Evangelicals who are wondering curious about Emergent thought, but I would recommend reading some Emergent works as well.
    • 4/5
      DeYoung and Kluck seek to provide corrective boundaries for the theological exaggerations and abuses that they perceive within the emergent movement. While seeing some perspectives and emphases to be admired, DeYoung and Kluck identify a number of themes within the emergent church that seem contrary to historical orthodoxy, whether explicitly or by omission. Why We’re Not Emergent is generally fair and accurate, if at times a bit uncharitable in its characterizations (Kluck’s chapters seems especially quick to mock rather than engage emergent leaders). The book asks, appropriately, where are the theological boundaries of the emergent church, a movement which often spurns theological definitions and creeds. B+
    • 5/5
      After reading "Jesus for President", I needed some sound theology to cleanse my palate. I found it in "Why We're Not Emergent" by Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck. Their style is hip, their tone is gentle, and their critique relentless. DeYoung is a pastor, and Kluck is a sportswriter. Together they offer two perspectives on the Emerging (or Emergent) Church--a movement that at times defies definition ("trying to nail jell-o to the wall" is one way it is put in the book). The chapters written by DeYoung are quite theological, while those written by Kluck are personal and anecdotal. Both authors go out of their way to be fair, and to express areas where they think the Emergents have good points. Their chapters are extensively documented with copious footnotes. If you are unaware of what the Emergent movement is or represents (and considering that the leaders of the movement consistently refuse to define it, I suspect many fall into this category) pages 20-22 will be quite helpful. If you have encountered the movement through the numerous blogs of it's adherents, then the rest of the book will provide you with some thoughtful, biblical analysis and critique.I highly recommend the reading of this book by Christian leaders and laymen alike.
    • 5/5
      This is a relatively balanced view of both the pros and cons of the Emerging Church "discussion" currently under-way in the Western world. The authors try to address both the material and those with differing views with respect in their choice of words and tone of the material. This should be a good read for anyone wanting a relatively thorough review of the Emergent movement and what that means for Christian religions.