What the "Emergent Church Movement" is all about-and why itmatters to the future of Christianity Following on the questions raised by Brian McLaren in A New Kindof Christian, Tony Jones has written an engaging exploration ofwhat this new kind of Christianity looks like. Writing "dispatches"about the thinking and practices of adventurous Emergent Christiansacross the country, he offers an in-depth view of this new "thirdway" of faith-its origins, its theology, and its views of truth,scripture and interpretation, and the Emergent movement's hopefuland life-giving sense of community. With the depth of theologicalexpertise and broad perspective he has gained as a pastor, writer,and leader of the movement, Jones initiates readers into theEmergent conversation and offers a new way forward for Christiansin a post-Christian world. With journalistic narrative as well asauthoritative reflection, he draws upon on-site research to providefascinating examples and firsthand stories of who is doing what,where, and why it matters.
Autorentext
Tony Jones (tonyj.net) is the author of many books on Christian ministry and spirituality, including The Sacred Way: Spiritual Practices for Everyday Life. He is a theologian-in-residence at Solomon's Porch in Minneapolis and a doctoral fellow in practical theology at Princeton Theological Seminary. Tony is a sought-after speaker and consultant in the areas of emerging church, postmodernism, and Christian spirituality. Tony has three children and lives in Edina, Minnesota.
Klappentext
Praise for The New Christians
"Jones provides the single best introduction to the Emergent Church Movement."
Publishers Weekly
"Reading these words you feel things bursting back to life inside you. It is some kind of re-enlightenment, an awakening in the most noble and holistic sense of the world, a thing coming to take hold. Tony's writing is generous and clear."
David Crowder, singer, songwriter, and leader of the David Crowder Band
"The New Christians shows how the influence of Jesus of Nazareth is moving among a new generation hungry for something real and desperate to move beyond simplistic polarities inherited from the past. Tony Jones stands at the crossroads of theology, philosophy, and culture, tackling the issues...with depth, humility, and grace?"
Jim Wallis, author, God's Politics; president, Sojourners/Call to Renewal
"I devoured this book! Just as A New Kind of Christian gave words to the experiences and thoughts of so many early in this decade, The New Christians provides language, theology, and a nudge toward a path out of our bipolar morass of left vs. right, liberal vs. conservative, mainline vs. evangelical.... Tony's book will provide...new hope for those who cannot (or refuse to) continue trudging numbly along the cattle paths of the American church."
Mark Oestreicher, president, Youth Specialties
"Every thinking Christian should read this book either for the explication or the explanation. Wise ones will read it for both."
Phyllis Tickle, compiler, The Divine Hours, and author, The Words of Jesus
Zusammenfassung
What the "Emergent Church Movement" is all about-and why it matters to the future of Christianity
Following on the questions raised by Brian McLaren in A New Kind of Christian, Tony Jones has written an engaging exploration of what this new kind of Christianity looks like. Writing "dispatches" about the thinking and practices of adventurous Emergent Christians across the country, he offers an in-depth view of this new "third way" of faith-its origins, its theology, and its views of truth, scripture and interpretation, and the Emergent movement's hopeful and life-giving sense of community. With the depth of theological expertise and broad perspective he has gained as a pastor, writer, and leader of the movement, Jones initiates readers into the Emergent conversation and offers a new way forward for Christians in a post-Christian world. With journalistic narrative as well as authoritative reflection, he draws upon on-site research to provide fascinating examples and firsthand stories of who is doing what, where, and why it matters.
Inhalt
"A LIVING WAY: Emergent Visions".
Series Foreword.
PREFACE.
INTRODUCTION: What Is "Emergent"?
CHAPTER 1: Leaving the Old Country.
"Church Is Dead".
Signs of Deathand Life.
The Problem on the Left.
A Case Study: Go Where I Send Thee.
The Problem on the Right.
A Case Study: Don't Ask Us About the Chickens.
The Real Problem: Left Versus Right.
Caught in the Crossfire.
Dispatch from the Blogosphere: Musings of a Postmodern Negro.
CHAPTER 2: Dispatches from the Frontier of the American Church.
An Allegory.
An Alternative Ending.
Geological Musings.
What Exactly Is Emerging?
The Beginnings.
"The Bible Is Propaganda".
The New Kind of Christian Effect.
Meanwhile, Across the Pond.
Then till Now.
The Church's Choice.
Dispatch from the Rocky Mountains: Katie and Kristen.
CHAPTER 3: Who Are the Emergent Christians?
Hunches and Intuitions.
Influencing Culture or Influenced by Culture?
An "Envelope of Friendship".
An Emergent Voters' Guide.
Dispatch from I-35: The Terrific Tale of Trucker Frank.
CHAPTER 4: The Theology, Stupid.
Dartmouth Days.
What, Exactly, Is Theology?
Theology on the Rise.
Going Deep.
Skiing the Slippery Slope.
So, a Biblicist and a Relativist Walk into a Pastors' Conference.
The Expurgated Lectionary.
Dispatch from Seminary: Legalisms of the Left.
CHAPTER 5: After Objectivity: Beautiful Truth.
The Thrill of Interpretation.
Reading the Whole Bible.
"Sonny, It Ain't Nothing till I Call It".
Truth (a.k.a. God).
After Objectivity: Dialogue.
Beautiful, Messy, Incarnational Truth.
Paradoxes.
Dispatch from the End of a Three-Mile Dirt Road: Recovering "Church".
CHAPTER 6: Inside the Emergent Church.
It's a Great Day at Jacob's Well!
Wikichurch.
Tightly Knit: Journey.
Binitarians.
The People's Liturgy: Church of the Apostles.
Time to Rethink Seminary.
MyChurch: A Paean to Solomon's Porch.
EPILOGUE: Feral Christians.
APPENDICES.
Appendix A: "Emergent Village Values and Practices".
Appendix B: "A Response to Our Critics".
Appendix C: "Disastrous Statements".
NOTES.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.
THE AUTHOR.
INDEX.