Emerging Churches: Creating Christian Community in Postmodern Cultures Review

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Emerging Churches: Creating Christian Community in Postmodern Cultures ReviewEddie Gibbs and Ryan K. Bolger's *Emerging Churches: Creating Community in Postmodern Cultures* (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2005) is a much-needed book.
For all the antagonism and/or paranoia about the Emergent Movement or Conversation or Churches, Gibbs and Bolger give a 5 year researched-based presentation.
Guess what? Their book gives scant attention to Brian McLaren or any of his books. Shock of all shocks! What? I thought Brian McLaren WAS Emergent?? You mean there's more people involved than just Brian?? Over 50 leaders are interviewed and quoted and it's hard to find Brian McLaren among them. Shock of all shocks.
The nine (9) core practices of emerging churches are well-defined and illustrated with comments from those who are "practitioners" of contextualizing the gospel of the kingdom of God in the postmodern world.
The nine (9) core practices are:
1. Identifying with Jesus (and his way of life)
2. Transforming secular space (overcoming the secular/sacred split)
3. Living as community (not strangers in proximity at a church service)
4. Welcoming the stranger (radical and gentle hospitality that is inclusive)
5. Serving with generosity (not serving the institution called "church," but people)
6. Participating as producers (not widgets in the church program)
7. Creating as created beings (this is a great chapter!)
8. Leading as a body (beyond control and the CEO model of leadership)
9. Merging ancient and contemporary spiritualities.
"Emerging churches destroy the Christendom idea that church is a place, a meeting or a time. Church is a way of life, a rhythm, a community, a movement" (236).
For those who might be fearful of "the emerging church" and who want to learn about what the Spirit is up to in this global movement, then Emerging Churches is the book to read. If read with an open mind and a teachable heart, readers may just find themselves persuaded to "get in on" an epoch of change that gives Jesus Christ, community, the Bible, creation and other people back to them in fresh and exciting ways.
Gibbs and Bolger show that "modernity" began with the creation of the idea of secular space, that is, space where God does not reign or is not welcomed. With that idea the church was marginalized to the private sector and perpetuated the myth of secular space. Rather than the world and all in it belonging to God as the Psalms declare, the modern church create "God's house." The modern church is God nicely packaged and parceled out as the church sees fit. "Come in here, to us to find God."
Postmodern Christianity exposes the lie of "secular space" and celebrates the reign and imminence of God everywhere and at all times.
Get Gibbs and Bolger's book. Read it. Reflect and have fun thinking about it
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