An emerging church webliography

Although I’ve been acquainted with (and I mean this in the sense of having heard about and having read both proponents and detractors, and not in the sense that I’m affiliated or have actually seen an expression of) the “emerging church” for a while, it’s not something that really registers with my everyday life. Most of my friends have never even heard of the term, never mind have an opinion in it.

Nevertheless, I’ve noticed that is starting to change, and I have been asked what it is, and what I think about it. Considering men and women far wiser and more experienced than I have struggled to answer such questions, I would prefer to defer judgment on this one. Instead, I thought it best to offer a webliography of what I think might offer the best summaries and flavours. There is, and I guess this is due to the nature of the Web as well, some rather ill-informed and hasty stuff out there, and I hope that the below would separate the gold from the dross. And then, I’ll offer a few preliminary thoughts. For the record, I don’t necessarily agree with every single thing stated in the webliography below.

If you only read two, then I suggest reading the McKnight and Taylor pieces; the former being more sympathetic while the latter having more reservations. If you are Malaysian, then do read Ps. Sivin’s take as well.

• What is the Emerging Church? – Scot McKnight
  Scot McKnight is a well-regarded biblical studies scholar, having written commentaries on 1 Peter and Galatians and co-edited the Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels. He has also written a few popular works, including The Jesus Creed, which is also the name of his blog. He delivered this at Westminster Seminary, which is considered one of the major conservative seminaries in the Western world. The metaphor he employs, that of four rivers, has proven very helpful in bringing out more of the nuances.
  
  
• An Emerging Church Primer – Justin Taylor
  Justin Taylor used to work for Desiring God Ministries and is now an editor for Crossway, in addition to being an influential blogger in Reformed circles. You’ll notice that he covers much of the same ground as McKnight, but from a different angle.
  
  
• Understanding the emerging church - Ed Stetzer
  Ed Stetzer is a missiologist, and in this article, divided the “emerging church” into 3 categories which have become influential – the Relevants, Reconstructionists, and Revisionists. (Also referenced in Taylor). Not everyone agrees with the way he divides things up, but I personally think it largely right.
  
  
• The Emerging Church Movement: A Quest for Authentic Faith and Community – Ps. Sivin and friends (Also found in Kairos Magazine)
  In some ways I think the emerging church has gained a higher profile in Malaysia than in the UK! :) This article looks at what it means to be “emerging” in Asia and stresses the creation of a safe space where topics considered taboo can be discussed, and where one disillusioned with some aspects of the modern church can find a way forward.
  
  
• Explaining Emerging – Mark Heath
  This one isn’t so well-known because Mark hides himself well! I think the value of this overview is the fact that Mark probably falls into the category of many who might be reading this – those who have been oblivious to “emerging church” but who have now been overhearing things. Unlike many though, Mark’s investigation was pretty careful, although one might quibble here and there, and I think his distance from the conversation in general helps.
  
  
• The Emergent Mystique – Andy Crouch
  This was an article originally published in Christianity Today in 2004 (wow, time has really flown!) It’s quite an interesting snapshot and shows, in some ways, how the fundamental themes that the emerging conversation has centered on have not changed.
  
  
• Essential Concerns Regarding the Emerging Church – Brett Kunkle
  Brett works for Stand to Reason, a ministry committed to defending the faith. This has been considered by both sides of the debate as one of the sounder critiques.
  
  
• Emerging Church (Wikipedia)
  When in doubt, consult wikipedia! :-p People generally have seemed fairly happy with the wikipedia entry.
  
  [Rest of the links are more peripheral and might help give you a flavour or sense of history]
  
• A Response to recent criticism – Brian McLaren et al.
  
  
• What I mean when I say Emerging-Missional Church – Andrew Jones aka TallSkinnyKiwi
  
  
• Horton on Emerging Church – TSK
  
  
• John Wesley in conversation with the emerging church
  No one has really picked up on this yet.
  
  
• A Quiet Reflection on QROH – Dr. Alex Tang
  Reflections in Brian McLaren’s recent visit to Malaysia

I shall offer a few thoughts tomorrow, since this is pretty long!
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