Authors EDDIE GIBBS AND RYAN K.BOLGER
Publisher BAKER ACADEMIC
ISBN0-8010-2715-2
This is a book chronicling the development of what are known as ‘the emergent churches’. The authors have used the testimony and statements of various leaders of these developing churches to portray what is happening in these assemblies. There is so much in the book speaking of true aspiration in the heart of these leaders to be God’s people in this age. The authors spent five years from 2000 researching their subject matter. They collected information in interviews and uncovered important patterns among these churches. Their research was conducted on both sides of the Atlantic and the picture presented is that these communities, some large, some small, are attractive, ever evolving and a contain some of the most vibrant and open minded, service oriented young Christians. There are three core practices shaping these churches and they are identified as identifying with the life of Jesus, transforming secular space and commitment to community as a way of life. These three practices are expressed in six main ways, welcoming the stranger, serving with generosity, participating as producers, creating as created beings, leading as a body and taking part in spiritual activities. Each of these practices hit at much that has been ‘church’ in the modern era. For instance, ‘participating as producers’ is quite the opposite to the general trend in churches impacted by modernity where the congregation sits as an ‘audience’ and is ‘entertained’ by the band and the specialist ministers who also make the majority of decisions for the congregation. Those reading this ‘book brief’ who come from a ‘house fellowship’ type background of thirty or so years ago would recognize in the this book certain elements which resonate with the initial impetus of those churches and from which a departure has taken place. The mention above of ‘transforming secular space’ is a statement indicating the strong desire to remove the ‘sacred/secular’ dualism resulting from the impact of modernity upon the church of the last four hundred years. Those who read this book will find much that will cause questioning and reflection and will lead to further reading of some of the authors who are the standard fare of many of these emergent church leaders such as Dallas Willard and N.T. Wright. The book concludes with ninety pages of testimony on the part of a number of these emergent church leaders. These testimonies are vital reading to gain some insight of the quality of life and burden under-girding what is taking place in this grass roots movement in the church of the western world.
