2006-07-11 Emerging Church Sympathetically and Authentically Portrayed

An excellent book. Gibbs and Bolger very firmly identify emerging churches with postmodern church and then offer nine areas which they have in common. The book is based on a five-year project in which they interviewed 50 emerging church leaders in UK & US. A feature of the book is the mini-autobiographies of those leaders, which gives added depth to the work.

Gibbs & Bolger identify three core practices: identifying with the life of Jesus; transforming secular space; and commitment to community as a way of life. These lead to six other shared areas: welcoming the stranger; serving with generosity; participating as producers; creating as created beings; leading as a body; and taking part in spiritual activities. The book is enlivened throughout by frequent quotes from the practitioners.

The treatment is sympathetic and perceptive and offers excellent theological reflection, noting, for instance, a shift from a 'gospel of salvation' to a 'gospel of the kingdom' in emerging churches - fuelled in part by N. T. (Tom) Wright's work, particularly in "Jesus and the Victory of God".

If you want to 'get' emerging church, read both this and Doug Pagitt's "Reimagining Spiritual Formation" and you'll have a pretty good sense of it.