Emerging Church: A Review

Many want to know what the “emergent church” is all about. One way to find out is to read all the works by such people as Brian McLaren, Steve Chalke, Dan Kimball and others. Perhaps a simpler way (in addition to reading some of their works) is to read D. A. Carson’s, Becoming Conversant with the Emerging Church, subtitled “Understanding a Movement and Its Implications” (Zondervan, 2005).

Carson tells us that behind this movement, or better “conversation” (McLaren’s word), “lies the conviction that changes in the culture signal that a new church is ‘emerging.’ Christian leaders must therefore adapt to the emerging church. Those who fail to do so are blind to the cultural accretions that hide the gospel behind forms of thought and modes of expression that no longer communicate with the new generation, the emerging generation” (p. 12).

In the opening pages, Carson states he views the emerging church as a protest movement—protesting in particular, traditional evangelicalism, what it understands by modernism, and the seeker sensitive church—mega church (p. 36). Much of the above protest emanates from the emerging church’s conviction that the present evangelical church is not equipped to evangelize postmoderns. “The attempt to break out of what is perceived to be the holy huddle of traditional evangelicalism is driven, at least in part, by evangelism, in particular the evangelism of a new generation of people who are shaped by postmodern assumptions” (p.52). Carson is exceptionally laudatory of the emerging church in this regard.

Much of Carson’s book also concerns itself with modernism, postmodernism and the epistemological differences. If the reader is not accustomed to such terms (in addition to philosophical pluralism, relativism, etc.) this book may be a slow read. But, these terms should not keep one from reading this book as Carson graciously defines these terms as he goes along (p.27 for example). Some of Carson’s main concerns and criticisms of the emerging church lie in these areas of thought. Risking oversimplification, Carson faults the movement for a reductionistic view of modernism and little concern for truth claims in a postmodern approach. “It vehemently denounces modernism, but offers nothing very penetrating when it comes to postmodernism. In particular, it has wrestled unconvincingly with the related matters of truth, certainty, historical witness, and even with the nature of the gospel itself” (p. 125). All of this Carson supports by many examples.

Although praising the emerging church at many points, Carson has some biting criticism. Chapter 5, for instance, lists several failures of the movement. They are failures to 1. Come to terms with the importance of non-omniscient truth claims; 2. Face the tough questions, especially if they are truth related; 3. Use Scripture as the norming-norm over against an eclectic appeal to tradition; 4. Handle “becoming” and “belonging” tensions in a biblically faithful way; and 5. Handle facts, both exegetical and historical in a responsible way.
When it comes to truth issues, Carson says, “On what basis do emerging church leaders commend the gospel and invite others to join them if at most levels they are more than a little reluctant to say that Christianity is true” (p. 132)? On the truth of Christianity, Carson comments on McLaren, “Sadly, I find just about every step of McLaren’s argumentation on this point either factually questionable or frankly manipulative (p. 135).

Finally, the latter sections of Carson’s book challenge both McLaren and Chalke. In particular, he sees McLaren as the most articulate spokesman for the emerging church, but finds his doctrine to be weak (“wrong and silly”) on the atonement, hell and ethics (pp. 166-177). Concerning McLaren and Chalke on the cross, Carson says, “Given this mindset, repentance has to be redefined as well. It no longer has to do with renouncing evil. The call to repentance is the call to fulfill our natural potential, to improve ourselves by acting like God. . . . If words mean anything, both McLaren and Chalke have largely abandoned the gospel” (p. 186). In sum, Carson refers to McLaren with adjectives such as insightful, right, wrong and silly.

The book concludes with some very helpful and relevant biblical studies and comments by Carson.

For another and (probably) better review of this book, see the October 2005 issue of Christianity Today. The reviewer is Eddie Gibbs who has his own book on the emerging church coming out soon.

Your comments?