Why We're Not Emergent: comments on DeYoung and Kluck's work

Finally. A couple of days ago I finished We We're Not Emergent (By Two Guys Who Should Be) by Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck. DeYoung is a pastor at University Reformed Church in Lansing, MI. Kluck is a sports journalist and member of DeYoung's congregation.

(I Know. I took forever finishing the book.)

In order to facilitate two completely different writing styles, DeYoung and Kluck rotate chapters, each writing every-other (mostly). DeYoung's chapters are lengthy, and could be considered "heavy" for the book's target audience. Kluck, as a sports journalist and church layman, writes much shorter and "readable" chapters. I found both authors engaging and informative, and I enjoyed the change-of-pace between two distinct methods of writing.

Why We're Not Emergent reveals many dangerous aspects in the Emerging Church. Rightly, however, DeYoung and Kluck celebrate the positives coming from the movement, although the two authors are decidedly against the Emergent Movement as a whole. The most glaring negative of the book is that the authors (understandable though it may be) cite only the most egregious examples of poor theology within the Emerging Church. However, the authors do commend, even recommend, Scot McKnight's works as examples of good theology from a(n) (semi)Emergent voice.

I found myself agreeing with almost everything in Why We're Not Emergent, and I highly recommend it to anyone who reads Bell, Sweet, McLaren, Kimbell, etc.

Here is a review of Why We're Not Emergent by Amy Sondova on TheOoze, which is the flagship website of the Emerging Movement. The review is surprisingly positive. Here.

And here is the book: Why We're Not Emergent

May growth and critical thinking ensue!