This bibliography contains many (and most) books written by Emerging/Emergent Church proponents. In addition, it contains many (and most) books by critics of the Emerging/Emergent Church. A few additional books deal more directly with postmodernism, pluralism, and relativism and were added because of their relevance in regard to the study of the Emerging Church.Anderson, Ray S. AnEmergent Theology for Emerging Churches. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2006.Bass, Diane Butler. ThePractici...

The following comments come from excerpts from Leonard Sweet’s Out of the Question . . . Into the Mystery. Quote 1: “The modern church has a propositional attitude rather than a relational attitude” (30).  Granted, no church should approach Jesus with the heart of a Pharisee that thinks one can earn one’s relationship with God. Nor can one take on a Gnostic attitude that search for a secret knowledge, propositional or otherwise, should be a means to access God. Sweet would ...

Leonard Sweet writes, "Invitation to discipleship is not made through propositions or arguments, but with feelings, moods, music, and energy" (Soul Tsunami, 215). How can we communicate the gospel of Jesus Christ apart from propositional truths? Some in the Emerging Church argue that the gospel should be communicated through actions and stories. Obviously, actions alone will fail to communicate the gospel alone. The actions of Jesus Himself were misinterpreted by many of the Jews. As far as ...

"The Hellenists used a tightly contained step logic whereby one would argue from premise to conclusion; each step in the process is linked tightly to the next in a coherent, rational, linear fashion. “The conclusion, however, was usually limited to one point of view - the human being’s perception of reality’” In contrast, Hebraic thinking tended to express concepts in self-contained units, or blocks, of thought. The blocks did not necessarily fit together in an obviously linear or harmonious pa...

Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola contend that "According to Scripture, Jesus Christ (and not a doctrine about Him) is the truth. In addition, Jesus Christ (and not an ethic derived from His teaching) is the way. In other words, both God's truth and God's way are embodied in a living, breathing person--Christ" (Jesus Manifesto, 80). Here, Sweet and Viola make a marvelous point--Christianity is a relationship with Christ as opposed to a set impersonal guidelines. Even so, their approach to making...

According to Leonard Sweet, "God speaks to humans through the human. All divine revelation is culturally mediated. This means that the Bible must be metabolized through the passions and polemics of the culture in which it will be lived out" (AquaChurch, 56). Okay, the Bible was certainly written by human agents, but those agents were inspired by the Holy Spirit. The Bible, therefore, speaks to humans through a Spirit-inspired human agency. Sweet admits that the Bible is divine revelation,...

"The news of the Kingdom was, in fact, the primary message of Jesus" (Rick McKinley, This Beautiful Mess, 30). This statement represents a major component of Emerging Church theology.  In the context of McKinley's statement, he makes the case for the gospel accounts being the primary teaching of Christ and His Kingdom. Certainly, the Gospels record Christ's actions and words, but the remainder of the New Testament offers spiritual insight into the meaning and application of those w...

According to Tony Jones, "panentheism . . . is evident in the practices of the emerging church movement" (The Church is Flat, 165). He further states that these practices serve to eliminate the divide between the sacred and the secular (Ibid., 166). Donald Miller offers one example: “I once listened to an Indian on television say that God was in the wind and the water, and I wondered at how beautiful that was because it meant you could swim in Him or have Him brush your face in a breeze...

"Our focus should be on the journey, not the destination" (Myers, Organic Community, 32). Is Myers correct? Should our focus be on the journey? The invitation to journey with Jesus is found in many emerging church writings and even evangelical churches often invite people to begin the journey. All Christians who accept Christ's call to follow Him are called undertake the journey along the narrow path. Even so, are Christians to focus on this journey or the destination to which they are ...

“The incarnation is the central mystery within the Christian tradition. However, I see no reason why faith in the incarnation necessarily hinges on, or is intrinsically bound up with, a belief in a miraculous conception and birth. I respect the views of people who do believe it to be true, but I agree with the overwhelming consensus of mainstream scholarly opinion that the birth narratives are metaphorical rather than historical” (Dave Tomlinson, Re-Enchanting Christianity, 49).  Here, ...