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September 26, 2008

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Home > 2008 > September | Christianity Today, September, 2008  |   |

McLaren Emerging

In his last two books, Brian McLaren presents more clearly than ever his vision of the gospel.

Scot McKnight | posted 9/26/2008 11:09AM

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Emergent is no longer just emerging. It has in many respects emerged. Though some things remain unclear, what you see is what it is and, more importantly, what you see is also where it is going. Where it is going is in the direction of gospel expansion. Is emergent "evangelical"? Some answer with a hearty, "By all means!" Others, a more moderate, "Well yes, on some level." Still others, a most definite, "No, of course not!"

The emerging movement, the larger movement of which emergent is a segment, remains more or less connected to the core of evangelicalism. It contains a variety of missional impulses; it remains concerned about the church; and its theological ideas will undoubtedly continue to impact evangelicalism. John Stott recently sketched three core practices of emerging churches: the way of Jesus, breaking down the sacred-secular divide, and community living. He says that "emerging churches are rediscovering [these core practices] and giving them a fresh emphasis." Rediscovering accurately describes what is going on, but those in the emerging movement feel these core practices are a fresh discovery. Furthermore, what Stott calls the "emerging churches" involves a spectrum that deserves a closer look.

I maintain a crucial distinction between two related streams: emergent and the broader emerging movement. Emergent is crystallized in Emergent Village and its leaders Brian McLaren, Tony Jones, and Doug Pagitt. Emerging is a mix of orthodox, missional, evangelical, church-centered, and social justice leaders and lay folk. When I think of this broader emerging movement, I think of Dan Kimball at Vintage Faith Church in Santa Cruz, Dave Dunbar at Biblical Seminary in Hatfield, Pennsylvania, Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch and their book The Shaping of Things to Come, and Donald Miller's Blue Like Jazz. Some of this was anticipated by Lesslie Newbigin's many writings and is now sketched in Tom Sine's The New Conspirators. Furthermore, I see emerging trends in megachurches like Willow Creek Community Church and Saddleback Church.

Despite what some critics assume, Brian McLaren, the most controversial of emergent leaders, does not represent all things emerging. But he does represent the more progressive wing, and his latest books offer a glimpse of where that movement might be heading.

To understand McLaren, one must appreciate two things. First, his books are "works in progress." He's working things out in front of us all, and he isn't offering final words on anything. Second, he's exploring how the gospel, seen as the kingdom vision of Jesus, impacts both global crises and Christian discipleship. So although I continue to have questions for McLaren (see below), I believe he can be a rich source for Christian imagination, vision, and reflection.

McLaren's two recent books, The Secret Message of Jesus and Everything Must Change, build upon his earlier works, such as Reinventing Your Church, his three-volume set of fiction, and his best-selling Generous Orthodoxy. If his fiction and Generous Orthodoxy questioned prevailing ideas, Secret Message and Everything Must Change try to construct a positive vision of his priorities and the foundation for future work. These two recent books are the focus of this article.

No one today better expresses, like a beat poet, both the ironic faith of emergents and a strong sense of how the gospel should be lived today. As emergent's pastor and confessing priest, McLaren has moved through this irony and come out the other side with a vision that has won over many.

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September 2008, Vol. 52, No. 9

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Pressley | Posted: September 26, 2008 7:32 PM

I enjoyed McKnight's conversation with McLaren's writings in this article. It is refreshing to see someone showing us how to interact with the emerging movement without fear, without condemnation, and without religiosity. Some of us may be profoundly uncomfortable with people rethinking and living the Way of Christ as their first fidelity, before any other. But there is an ancient-future congruence in doing so. To me, this movement is profoundly evangelical, and could be a sign of a Spirit-led refreshing within and without the traditionally defined Body of Christ. Christ's Kingdom vision with its emphasis on renewing all of Creation is a vital message in a time when we desperately need to look beyond our membership rolls and Sunday attendance records as defining the breadth of our responsibility in Christ's new Creation.

Jim | Posted: September 26, 2008 7:28 PM

There is an even bigger problem for McClaren and almost all other "emerging church" leaders: The supernatural. Is there a kingdom of darkness? (Jesus says there is) Does it impact the Kingdom of God in the earth? (Jesus says it does) Are there demons and evil spirits? (Jesus says there is) If so, what are we to do about it? (Jesus and Paul say we are to do battle with spiritual weapons). This is a HUGE hole in emergent theology and for that matter among the evangelical crowd who think that the devil and the Holy Spirit left the earth at the death of the last apostle. If anyone doubts that the enemy of our souls is alive and well, just engage the culture depply. It will only take a a minute in our political scene.

Carlene Byron | Posted: September 26, 2008 5:21 PM

It seems to me that the way to reconcile the questions raised about the relationship between the Cross and the Kingdom is the way Henry Fairlie does in The Seven Deadly Sins Today. Sin, he suggests, is at its core not an act which judicially wrongs God the lawgiver; it is a traitorous act against God the King. (Only a Brit could see that!) So, carrying it a little further than Fairlie does, what Christ has paid is the penalty for our treason -- an extremely high crime by which we betrayed our relationship not only to God but to all who live by his Rule -- that is to say, the Kingdom of God.

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