My pastor, Kevin DeYoung, and a fellow congregant Ted Kluck have written a compelling, insightful and occasionally funny book, Why We're Not Emergent, a critique of the emergent/emerging church movement. Several of the emergent leaders they discuss include Brian McLaren, Rob Bell, Doug Pagitt, Leonard Sweet, Dan Kimball, among others. DeYoung and Kluck thoughtfully analyze the theology (or lack thereof) of the emergent leaders.

I found the book to be fair and even-handed. From what I know of my pastor, this did not surprise me. His desire is to preach the Gospel each Sunday, and I assumed he would want to do the same in his book – he did. Kluck, a sportswriter, is insightful and funny. He writes like I hope to one day.

They unashamedly come from a reformed point of view and critique the emergent leaders and their writings from that perspective. The two views are worlds apart.

I read the book in three days; if my family had been willing to go without dinner I would have finished it sooner. I found it a compelling yet fun read. Who knew theology could be such a page-turner?

Regardless of where you stand on the emergent church I highly recommend the book. It gave me insight into the thoughts of those in the emerging church, and helped me see the good and the bad therein. I hope those who are so excited about emerging will read it as well and see while we can experience church differently, there is no need to throw doctrine and orthodoxy out with the pipe organ and hymnals.