Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Review and Revelation

Why We're Not Emergent (by two guys who should be) by Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck


I finished this book last week while my computer was "in the shop" (coincidence?), and wanted to jot down a few thoughts. I won't go into great detail - you pretty much just have to read it for yourself - but if you've ever wondered about the emerging / emergent church (non)movement, and what its leaders (don't) stand for, this is an excellent resource. Kevin DeYoung (the pastor)'s chapters are very intellectual and full of quotes from a plethora of emergent authors, pastors and leaders. Ted Kluck (the writer) has an easy, Donald Miller-esque style as he focuses more specifically on his impression of books like Rob Bell's Velvet Elvis and his visit to Mars Hill.

I also found it refreshing that in the midst of their thoughts on the emergent church, they lay out the gospel numerous times, and always use the Bible as their reference point. The book is very solid and fair; the authors are extremely well-read and thoughtful. I found the whole book quite fascinating; in addition to increasing my knowledge of emergent beliefs & practices, it also gave me a deeper understanding of my own faith. I highly recommend it.



And just for the fun of it ... this cracked me up so I had to pass it along.

Last night, the kids and I were driving back from Wal-Mart, and somehow, the topic of "teenagers" came up (conversations around here are often random and not entirely coherent!). Zeke ends up asking, "When will I be a teenager?" And Rachel, always eager to impart wisdom to her adoring fans, replies, "Oh, that's not until you're in college."

"Actually," I say, "You will become a teenager in junior high and you'll be a teenager up through the first couple years of college. But you can also be 20 or 21 or 22 and still be in college." (I didn't add that you can also be much older and in college. This conversation seemed to be mind-blowing enough and I didn't want to risk their little brains exploding.)

At this point I hear strange noises of exclamation coming from Rachel's seat, and finally, unable to contain herself, she screeches out, "Oh my word! That's like . . . a grown-up!" The funny thing is, I remember being in 2nd grade and thinking I would never be as old as the 5th & 6th graders, so I can only imagine how it must have messed her up to know one of her favorite babysitters, who she apparently thought had just become a teenager, is actually . . . a grown-up!

5 comments:

Chris said...

I imagine she thinks Moses and I were in the same graduating class. I won't bring up the subject of age or weight to her.......I don't think I want to hear what she has to say.

Anonymous said...

Well, Chris, she might not think we are as old as MOSES, but MAYBE George and Martha Washington were our friends!

I thought my Grandma was a sweet, OLD darling but when I look back on her photos and realize she was younger than I am now, well, it just does something to the 'old' psyche!!!!

Charity, how did you perceive ME? And how did Danny perceive Chris? (NO smart mouthing, DJW!!!)

mm

~~anna~~ said...

I can remember our daughter asking my dad, if he met Abraham Lincoln when he went to school!

marissa finch said...

hahaha...i dont know what else to say! haha

they ask me all the time how old i am and how old i will be when they are my age...thats when their jaws really drop..you should try that sometime!!

shoemama said...

Rachel cracks me up. Esther has started saying "oh my word" also and it just sounds so funny. Right now, everything is "when I'm 5, I can do this or that." She is always saying that when she is 5 she can do all kinds of things. I guess for her, 5 is the magic age right now. Esther also says "actually" all the time! I wonder where she got that?? Her mom and her aunt I guess :-)