Book Review: Becoming Conversant with the Emerging Church

 
Becoming Conversant with the Emerging Church: Understanding a Movement and Its Implications by D.A. Carson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Brian McLaren calls himself “post-Protestant” and others have talked about our society as “post-Christian.”  I identify as “post-postmodern” and “post-emerging.”  There was a time of several years that, while terribly discouraged with the state of the evangelical church as I understood it, I was definitely in the emergent camp.  My book shelves are still replete with the ruins of that time: books by McLaren, Marcus Borg, Rob Bell, Dan Kimball, Shane Claiborne.  They testify to a time when I was searching.

Rob Bell on Resurrection

SEE ALSO: Rob Bell: Resurrection Revisited

It may be too much to ask to agree on the significance of this day.  Among believers in Jesus Christ this is a day to be celebrated, because it was on this day so many years ago that Christ conquered death and became the first fruits of the resurrection.  Yet, there are those who do not agree that this day is a day to commemorate the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Rob Bell may actually be a skeptic of sorts.  Having written much about, not the man, but his theology, I have been cautious and concerned about what he teaches and holds as basic belief.  In one particular case I asked this question specifically: “Do you believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ.”  While I got no response to this question, which is so basic and easy if the response were to be in the affirmative, Mr. Bell posts this new video for the holiday: