I've been a little discouraged lately as I've been reading the words of people who hate Christianity (not to mention Christians) and interacting with others who go round and round in circles of pseudo-intellectual misdirection, avoiding God at all cost.  Then I came across this passage in Ezekiel:

I am sending you to them who are stubborn and obstinate children, and you shall say to them, "Thus says the Lord God."  As for them, whether they listen or not--for they are a rebellious house--they will know that a prophet has been among them.  And you, son of man, neither fear them nor fear their words, though thistles and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions; neither fear their words nor be dismayed at their presence, for they are a rebellious house.  But you shall speak My words to them whether they listen or not, for they are rebellious (Ezekiel 2:4-7).

On the one hand, this is encouraging.  I'm not experiencing anything unusual, here, and just as Ezekiel was commanded to speak God's truth regardless of the results, I should also speak the truth as God has commanded me.  It's valuable for me to honor God by proclaiming His truth even if nobody turns toward it.  But, oh, the grief and frustration!  After all my efforts and prayers--no matter how intense, only the Holy Spirit can change people, not I.  And when He chooses not to draw people to Himself, all I can do is look on helplessly as people refuse to see the truth and, instead, grow darker and darker.  I fully believe that God has good, just, and merciful reasons for this, but that doesn't always make it emotionally easier, as Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, could tell you. 

Nor does it make it easier to continue.  I've had times when I've been able to put hope aside and simply honor God with my work and be satisfied, but the hopelessness is starting to drain me, leaving in its place something that scares me even more--apathy towards the lost.  I don't want to stop caring about people or trying to help them, but lately I've caught myself shrugging my shoulders and thinking, "What's the use?"

I can only pray for God's mercy through Psalm 51:10-13:

Create in me a clean heart, O God,

And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Do not cast me away from Your presence

And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of Your salvation

And sustain me with a willing spirit.

Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,

And sinners will be converted to You.

May it be, Lord Jesus!

1. Growing Pains by Mark Scandrette: Friendships and communities are the foundation for what is being done in the emerging church and are vitally important for the “Kingdom of God” being lived out. *Mr. Scandrette speaks of the questions being asked within these communities (such as “What is the message of Jesus?”) but does not attempt to explain how these questions are answered.
2. Meeting Jesus at the Bar by Heather Kirk-Davidoff: According to Mrs. Kirk-Davidoff, the best way to evangelize is through relationships. It’s not about “recruiting” people to Christianity, but conversing with others about life. *While she tries to deny “recruitment” mentality, her motivation for evangelism is still the same.
3. What Would Huckleberry Do? By Nanette Sawyer: Ms. Sawyer contends that we should not be concerned with categories or boundaries but with loving people. Traditional interpretations don’t work and are broken by paradoxes, but love guides all things. *The result of this perspective is a biblically uninformed view of love. A love not directed by biblical boundaries can become less than loving and lead away from the God of the Bible.
4. The Postmodern Parent by Carla Barnhill: Parents are not to be “instructors” but are to share life with their children. Children should be valued members of the community because of imago dei. Spiritual maturity isn’t really about being well-behaved but being socially acclimated and experienced. *This seems to promote the “parents as friends” model that offers few boundaries and direction from experienced authorities (parents). Parents should guide by example, but must also instruct and discipline.
5. The Art of Emergence by Troy Bronsik: Emergent is an exploration of faith (or story) and practice. It is like art in that it creatively explores fresh expressions on the canvas of the world. *The reader is left wondering what motivates the creative expressions of Emergent.
6. An Ever-Renewed Adventure of Faith by Sherry and Geoff Maddock: According to the Maddocks, salvation isn’t so much about “saving souls” as it is about manifesting God’s love and justice in the world. We must expand our notion of salvation to include local communal living and caring for the poor. *While Jesus did “reconcile all things to Himself,” He also redeemed the elect, and the approach of this perspective neglects the elect.
7. Jailhouse Faith by Thomas Malcom Olson: This chapter makes the point that jailhouse conversion and rehabilitation are examples of Christian community at work through stories from a prison ministry. *This chapter bears great testimony to the power of God to change lives, but it’s unclear what this has to do with the emerging church specifically.
8. The Existing Church/Emerging Church Matrix by Tim Conder: Traditional and emerging churches often clash resulting in little to no productivity. We can begin to work together by focusing on three things: 1) common cultural criticism 2) openness to historical traditions/theologies 3) Allowing for diverse theological discussion. *Mr. Condor points out some good ways forward. “Traditional” and emerging churches should realize more often that we’re on the same page in criticizing modernity and some times post-modernity. But biblical boundaries for theological discussion must be emphasized.
9. The American Catholic Merger-Church by Brian Mitchell: The Roman Catholic practice of merging smaller parishes has unforeseen consequences for ministry. There is an urgent need to address questions of leadership and membership. *This chapter may be good and accurate, but I have no idea what it’s doing in this book.
10. Presbymergent by Adam Walker Cleaveland: Reflections are offered from Mr. Walker’s struggle to be PC(USA) and Emergent. He sees himself as a “loyal radical.” *It’s unclear whether he can be both well, especially considering how clashes occur as noted in Tim Condor’s chapter.
11. Following Jesus into Culture by Ryan Bolger: Dr. Bolger offers five aspects of godlike movements that the Emergent Church seeks to live out: communal, reconciliation, hospitality, freedom, and spirituality. *Most of the insights offered here are good and helpful. However, the goodness, truth, and beauty of God are absent. Without Him in the picture, there’s nothing necessarily Christian about the movement being described.
12. Church Emerging by Brian McLaren: It’s time to stop debating “postmodern epistemology” and shift to postcolonialism. We must make right the errors of the past through progressive faith and “proper confidence.” *Mr. McLaren makes some interesting points but never defines what his “proper confidence” looks like as opposed to the extremes he criticizes. Some of his controversial points are unsupported and he continues (as he has in the past) to say things about his critics and then refuses to defend what he says.
13. The End of Reinvention by Will Samson: How we join in God’s work is determined by our prior understanding of who God is and what He’s doing. The desire for certainty, doctrines such as Sola Scriptura, and creedal division have led us to misunderstand God and His work. Instead of seeking to be right, we should seek to understand God within our current context and community experience. *Though the chapter asks some good questions, the diagnosis of the problem offered here is misguided and results in a socially relativistic solution.
14. Converting Christianity by Barry Taylor: Traditional religion cannot sustain Christian faith into the future. We must seek an open faith lived out in real world contexts. *The chapter is vague (the “religion” it rails against is never defined) and borders on relativism. What is clear is that the Christianity it advocates lacks biblical boundaries.
15. Leadership in a Flattened World by Sally Morgenthaler: The mechanical CEO style of leadership has been damaging the church. A crucial part of flattening leadership is to promote more women into leadership. *We can agree about the problems with CEO style leadership, but the solution commanded by the Bible is to seek a plurality of male elders who serve their community.
16. The Sweet Problem on Inclusiveness by Samir Selmanovic: Western Christians have made an idol of Christianity. We must humble ourselves and accept that there are truths we can learn from other religions. *Christianity is the whipping boy never defined. Instead of looking to the Bible to explain the Gospel and its relation to the world, Mr. Selmanovic argues for unbiblical inclusivism.
17. Orthoparadoxy by Dwight J. Friesen: Christians should seek to practice orthoparadoxy- the right holding of tensions, paradoxes, and contradictions. Good conversations and relationships are more important than converting or debating. *There seems to be little value for knowledge and seeking truth in this perspective. It ends up affirming orthopraxy at the expense of orthodoxy.
18. Humble Theology by Dan Kimball: It should be okay to explore theology with humility. We must believe and discuss theology with humility, realizing that our methodology flows from it. *An excellent chapter with important correctives for those on both sides of the theological spectrum.
19. Leading From the Margins by Tim Keel: The world is changing and requires leaders who understand it. They must be able to shape environments where people can grow in diverse ways. *A good but brief chapter with an excellent emphasis on balancing the “left” and “right” brain in forms of leadership.
20. Digging Up the Past by Chris Erdman: We must realize that our future is connected with our past. Karl Barth provides some historical context for doing theology freely in urgent times. *Mr. Erdman offers a good perspective on the importance of history and helpful application of Barth’s methodology.
21. A Pound of Social Justice by Rodolpho Carrasco: God is very serious about social justice, so if we are concerned about doing God’s work, we must invest in long-lasting relationships in our local communities with a giving heart. *Mr. Carrasco offers the ministry of Harambee as an example of how this can be done well and the result is an excellent picture of how biblical social justice can happen today.
22. Emergent Kissing by Karen E. Sloan: Too often the church only offers superficial reflection on sexuality. We need to create environments where people are able to discuss sexual sin and think critically about it. *This is a good chapter that challenges the church to deal openly and aggressively with sexual sin.
23. Our Report Card in the Year 2057 by Deborah and Ken Loyd: We have opportunities to help women, the poor, and the oppressed. The church is called to recognize, seek out, and act in ways that bring justice to these people. *The emphasis on helping the poor and oppressed is an important reminder for the church today. Though some claims here lack support (particularly controversial ones regarding women), the general call for Christians to advance God’s Kingdom in these areas is necessary for the church to hear.
24. Practicing Pentecost by Anthony Smith: Racial division still infects the North American church because it’s still clinging to the teachings of modernity. We must repent and seek reconciliation. *The description of the problem is not well argued- it’s not clear what acts of racial injustice are being criticized. It is clear, though, that racial division is something that must be crushed by the advancement of God’s Kingdom.
25. Restoring Honor in the Land by Randy Woodley: Native Americans are still suffering the consequences from having their land stolen and identities broken. The Emergent Church has shares some core values with Native Americans and they may be able to help each toward a better future. *The plight of the Native Americans is often ignored or forgotten. There are at least some good suggestions offered here for moving forward that should be heeded by the church universal, not just the Emergent Church.

One thing that should become clear to readers of this book is that the Emergent Church is not, nor is it seeking to be, a monolithic movement. Voices in this book range in their views of theology and the role of the Bible in their ministries- some calling the church to fulfill its biblical mandates and some others straying from biblical teaching.

An Emergent Manifesto of Hope is valuable in that it presents a variety of Emergent practices and theologies in the words of its promoters. Those who are looking to participate or to better understand the movement will benefit from reading the volume.