Kingdom People

Listening to the Beliefs of Emerging Churches lays out the theological foundations for five different “emerging churches.” The book features five Emerging pastors explaining some of the core beliefs of their congregations. Mark Driscoll, John Burke, Dan Kimball, Doug Pagitt, and Karen Ward each contribute a chapter and responses to the other chapters.

Mark Driscoll goes first. His chapter is a no-holds-barred “This is what the Bible says and that’s what we believe” statement of faith. He focuses on three areas: Scripture, the Trinity, and the penal-substitutionary view of the atonement. He ends with a call for the emerging church to maintain belief in the traditional understanding of hell. Mark challenges the idea that theology must be changeable in order to reach a postmodern generation.

John Burke goes next. His chapter is a call to Christians to be involved in “messy ministry.” We are called to welcome people into our fellowship and lead them out of their brokenness. He, like Driscoll, believes Scripture is the foundation of all we do.

Dan Kimball also affirms Scripture as the ultimate authority for Christians, though he places more emphasis on the Nicene Creed than the others do. Where Kimball differs from Driscoll and Burke is in his call to humility and the embrace of “the mysterious.” He believes that the afterlife is mysterious, the ways God work are mysterious, and that we should not try to be people who have all the answers.

Doug Pagitt’s chapter focuses on “embodied theology” and epitomizes the current movement towards an “everchanging” theology that is never permanent. Within a few pages of space, he criticizes the Reformation, Augustine and the idea of Scripture as ultimate authority. He also leaves as an open-ended question the issue of sexual behaviors expressly condemned in Scripture.

Karen Ward goes last. Her chapter is the most creative, as it incorporates blog posts from people in her congregation. Of most interest in her chapter is her failure to mention “sin” as our biggest problem and her downplaying of the significance of preaching and the cross of Christ. Still, she has some good ideas to offer, such as seeing the idea of discipleship as a life-transforming apprenticeship.

I appreciate Robert Webber’s oversight of the book. He was right to choose pastors as contributors. I would’ve liked to see Erwin McManus and Rob Bell included, but I suppose there wasn’t enough room for everyone.

Theologically, I am closest to Mark Driscoll, (though with a somewhat different tone). Throughout the book, Driscoll sticks out like a sore thumb, but I’m not sure that’s necessarily a bad thing. I was surprised Mark would still fit the “emerging” category, but I guess it is difficult to ignore his incredible ministry to postmodern Seattle.

After reading Pagitt’s and Ward’s chapters, I was left scratching my head and wondering, “Why did Jesus have to die? And why is Christianity any better an option than the other religions out there?”

I predict that many of the more vocal and prominent Emerging churches and pastors will continue heading down the path of last century’s liberalism and that the Emerging pastors who hold to traditional theology will continue to distance themselves from the label. This is already happening in some circles. “Missional” is now a term for many who like the incarnational aspect of “emerging” but don’t want to be associated with all the sloppy theology.

Anyone who wants to know more about the Emerging Church should read this book. The debates are civil, and the conversations are enlightening. At the end, though, one sets down the book, puzzling over the profound diversity within this movement and wondering how long such diversity can be sustained.

written by Trevin Wax. © 2007 Kingdom People Blog