Off the Shelf March 2009

OFF THE SHELF Quitting Church

By Julia Duin Baker Books

Reimagining Church

By Frank Viola David C. Cook Reviewed by Erika Bai Siebels There is no perfect church, because each church is comprised of imperfect people and practices. But is that reason enough to up and leave? Is there instead a way to dump our old ideas of what church is and start over? What would that look like?

Those are the questions being asked by Julia Duin in Quitting Church: Why the Faithful Are Fleeing and What to Do about It and answered by Frank Viola in Reimagining Church: Pursuing the Dream of Organic Christianity.

Julia Duin, religion editor for the Washington Times, is great at citing statistics and polls of who’s leaving church and why. She learned that people quit church for many reasons: they can’t bear any more shallow sermons on the same

subject; they are hungry for something more than being spectators at a show; they feel de-valued as women or singles; they don’t like the pastor; they miss the Holy Spirit.

She’s not as stellar, however, at developing the “what to do about it” part of her book’s subtitle. Duin fails to ask the next likely questions of her sources. Can the church be saved? What can be done to prevent people from leaving? How can we help those who quit church? She does offer quick speculations and suggestions.

For example, Duin thinks singles ministries convey confusing messages to unmarried adults, on the one hand saying things like “God has a plan for you” and “God knows the desires of your heart” while on the other hand encouraging singles to celebrate celibacy and consider that it might be God’s will for them.

She suggests that instead singles ministries should be matchmaking services to affirm those family values and roles so esteemed by the church: that of husband, wife, father, and mother.

Matchmaking aside, Duin offers no real clear ideas of what to do about the fleeing faithful. She tries to address the subject in her last chapter, but it’s brief and inadequate. Only one chapter to address nine previous chapters worth of gripes? While she admits house churches might be on to something, the chapter and book end without satisfactorily explaining why that might be so.

Thankfully, Reimagining Church by Frank Viola is a good companion reader to Duin (it’s also his follow-up to Pagan Christianity: Exploring the Roots of Our Church Practices, which he wrote with Christian pollster George Barna). The church system is broken, he says, and a big part of that is due to church leadership. Jesus is the head of the church, period, and everyone in the church is called to be a priest; that is, each member of the church is called to actively edify and be subject to each other out of reverence for Christ (Eph. 5:21). This is PRISM 2009

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how the church is supposed to function, Viola says, as demonstrated by the biblical models of first-century Christians.

When Paul writes to the churches in Ephesus or Philippi, he greets the whole church. He recognizes that the church, not one person (known as “pastor,” for example), needs to take care of its problems.

It’s refreshing to affirm the notion that all believers, regardless of gender or willingness, are called to be priests; that is, all members of the body of Christ can hear from, encounter, and tell others about God. In an egalitarian body, everyone functions according to his or her gifts without lording it over one another or holding special offices.

Nevertheless, it seems to me that the roles of overseers, apostolic workers, and elders that Viola reimagines are still in danger of getting set apart as extra-special offices. I suspect those roles might become the new clergy system that Viola so vehemently opposes.

Nevertheless, it is exciting to hear Viola reimagine church as we know it.

Fittingly, he calls it “organic church” and imagines it as something more like the New Testament church. In such a model, everyone is encouraged to participate

when meeting together, and the concept of church is more like a family— and a good biblical one at that. Family members spend time together—more than once each week—and in the intimacy of their own homes. They share meals together, which is the true meaning of breaking bread together.The Lord’s Supper wasn’t meant to be an appetizer, as it has tended to become, Viola says.

Where Duin does a good job researching the reasons why people quit church, Viola suggests what might be done. He calls for a paradigm shift in reconsidering how to do church from a biblical perspective. He talks about creating new wineskins rather than using old ones such as the institutional church’s practices and systems. In essence, readers might want to leave church altogether and start new ones that look and function differently. Or maybe pastors will read his book and want to remake their church into something more organic by giving up their titles, Sunday morning rituals, and church buildings.

But what can be done in the meantime, between quitting church and starting a new organic church? There are no stories in either book about what people are doing while they’re considering leaving church but haven’t yet done so. Are they suffering in silence or are they expressing their frustrations, concerns, and yearnings in the context of their current community, even if it isn’t the ideal one? More than starting new organic churches, should Duin’s and Viola’s readers say something to the larger institutional church in the meantime?

Hopefully, those who read these books will have the courage to speak truth into their current congregations,and Christian leaders will humbly take notice. Or perhaps Jesus will make all things, including the American way of doing church, new. n Erika Bai Siebels lives in Troy, N.Y., where she is working on a novel.

Why We’re Not Emergent framed glasses. Heck, Kluck even wears

a beret! (Yes, I googled them, admittedly expecting to find a couple of nerds.) So

By Kevin Deyoung and Ted Kluck why haven’t these two jumped on the EC Moody Publishers bandwagon? Deyoung, pastor of a church in the evangelically saturated town of East Reviewed by Al Tizon Lansing, Mich., and Kluck, a writer for When people ask what I think about the ESPN Magazine and other popular pubemerging church movement, I usually lications, tell us why.

Taking turns writing chapters, they qualify my answer, but for the most part point out what they consider wrongI give the EC a moderately positive headed trajectories of the EC, includthumbs-up. And I’m sticking to it, even ing a proposition-less view of Scripture, after reading Kevin Deyoung and Ted a foundation-less approach to truth, and Kluck’s Why We’re Not Emergent (by Two an incomplete understanding of Jesus as Guys Who Should Be). Having said that, all-inclusive and all-tolerant.

While it is I’m grateful for their critique of the true that the evangelical church excesmovement. It was a refreshing slap in the face that awoke me from a kind of EC sively loves biblical propositions, moral stupor, and I believe that every self- absolutes, and fire/brimstone preaching, proclaimed, card-carrying emerging Deyoung and Kluck accuse EC proponents of going too far in the opposite Christian should read it.

Deyoung and Kluck certainly fit the direction. By applying too much softprofile of those who make up the EC ener to Christ, Scripture, ethics, and truth constituency—young, white, middle-class; with new language and nuanced defiraised in traditional, evangelical, subur- nitions in the name of relevance, EC ban churches; and sincerely desirous of teachers have, according to the authors, making the gospel relevant for their gen- rendered the gospel impotent and unable eration. Furthermore, they’re witty and to offer the hope that people really need. hip and even look the part, donning the And besides, claim Deyoung and Kluck, EC trademarks of scruffy hair and thinly such an attempt at accommodating contemporary society is hardly new or “emergent,” as they regularly refer to the liberal and neo-orthodox projects of the 20th century, projects to which time has not been kind.

Whereas Deyoung’s chapters primarily treat these concerns theologically and pastorally, Kluck’s chapters are more personal and experiential. Both authors say what they say intensely but not angrily, confidently but not arrogantly. Though they take on some of the EC giants— McLaren, Bell, Sweet, Pagitt, Burke, and others—they refrain from questioning their integrity, sincerity, and ultimate place in the Lamb’s Book of Life. In fact, Kluck writes in his introduction, “We strove to represent these guys accurately, and hope that if we were to run into each other at a conference, a coffee shop named Ecclesia, PRISM 2009

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or a pub, we could truly enjoy each other’s fellowship, cognizant of the fact that we will be together in the kingdom.”

I wish Brian McLaren or some other big shot emergent pioneer had written the foreword to this book or at least endorsed it. It would have demonstrated an irenic spirit among brothers and sisters who disagree—a much better alternative to the name-calling, rock-throwing, Biblebashing ways that have so characterized church conflicts. Unfortunately, the emerging church debate is no exception, as many on both sides have exhibited inflammatory immaturity.Why can’t the church, emergent or otherwise, be different from the Bill O’Reillys and Bill Mahers of the world?

As I said, I affirm the EC and am sticking to it. Spirit-led followers of Jesus should always be open to fresh new ways of understanding and experiencing God as well as to innovative models of sharing the beautiful and mysterious gospel with others. If we are going to err as Christians, let us err on the side of adventure. If this book lacks anything, it would be the absence of a risk-taking spirit.The authors seem desirous enough to make the gospel relevant for postmodern times, but the necessary willingness to think outside the box doesn’t come through very clearly. To me, the faith they ultimately champion feels awfully safe. Is it just me, or do the words “faith” and “safe” constitute an oxymoron? Is there not a way for Christians to be adventurous in the Spirit while also being anchored in the Rock? If EC folks would humble themselves and take seriously the correctives in this book, they will come closer to striking that blessed balance and thereby securing a future for a creative, exciting and authentic movement of God for a postmodern generation. n Al Tizon is director of Evangelicals for Social Action’s Word & Deed Network and assistant professor of holistic ministry at PalmerTheological Seminary in Wynnewood, Pa.

and competencies can take you, and beyond what is affirmed or risked by the crowd—and you will experience me

By Gary A. Haugen and my power and wisdom and love.”

InterVarsity Press Haugen believes that the American church is largely focused on being safe Reviewed by Jim Unruh and in control, rather than on a couraWarning:This book is dangerous. I was in geous dependence on God that conthe shower, reflecting and praying about fronts injustice. The result is that many Just Courage: God’s Great Expedition for the American Christians feel empty and Restless Christian, and I got so distracted unfulfilled in their spiritual self-absorpby God’s call that I cut myself while tion, while around the world children needlessly live and die in brutal slavery shaving.

Gary Haugen is the founder and and despairing poverty.

God hates injustice, and God hates CEO of International Justice Mission worship without justice.“God is not only (IJM), a human rights organization. His displeased with injustice; he is appalled book highlights the important work of that his people are not showing up to IJM, seeking to rescue oppressed indistop it,” writes Haugen, who believes viduals from human trafficking, slavery, that love of God and love of others must land theft, and other injustices. Laced include confronting massive, aggressive with personal stories, Haugen’s book also evil and violence in the world.

Haugen challenges the Western church to engage supports his position with scores of in justice issues locally and internationScripture passages and stories. ally.

But Haugen recognizes that confrontThe book’s foundation is that God ing injustice takes large doses of couroffers Christians this simple proposition: age, preparation, and God’s grace. He “Follow me beyond what you can consuggests three steps for courage: do less, trol, beyond where your own strength reflect, and pray more.To confront injustice leads us to truly receive our own rescue from Christ. He shares stories of people who discovered Christ in deeper and more significant ways as they were liberated from slavery or who braved dangers to rescue others.

Finally, he believes Jesus asks parents to make a choice: “Are we raising our children to be safe or brave, smart or loving, successful or significant?”

After reading this section, I was roller skating with my 5-year-old. It was his first time on skates and, with Haugen on my mind, I realized I was trying to keep him safe, preventing him from falling by holding him tightly upright. He was free from bruises, but he was not learning. Finally, I gave him a “brave” talk.

I told him that if he skated alone he would fall and he would get hurt. But I promised that if he was brave he would

Just Courage

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economy and sagging global standing, some of the language of this book seems immediately outdated. Few are calling the United States the global superpower anymore, and Bush’s aggressive crusading for democracy feels very 2003 rather than 2008. In this sense, the book is already outdated.

But on the other hand, the deeper project, not just of this book but also of this community, feels very much in tune with the times. For what Heltzel and Benson and their authors are doing here Jim Unruh is pastor of Faith Mennonite is, in part, challenging the white, male, Church in South Hutchinson, Kan. conservative, evangelical imperium in the United States. Here we meet a multiracial, multidenominational, multi-instituEvangelicals tional scholarly community that repreand Empire sents and writes about Hispanic, female, African American, Asian American,

By Bruce Ellis Benson and Peter African, Pentecostal evangelicalisms. Just Goodwin Heltzel, eds. this empire will ultimately be brought as the diverse constituency that elected Brazos Press down by the very diverse, unassimilable, Obama signals the end of white male singular individuals and communities hegemony in America, and just as the Reviewed by David P. Gushee white-male-dominated Christian right currently drawn into its web.

Into this discussion come these 21 was unable to stop Obama’s election This book offers a collection of essays that reflect the emergence of a politically radi- evangelical scholars, some of them seek- despite their cries of alarm, the very cal, evangelical scholarly community ing seriously to engage the Hardt/Negri existence of this kind of book portends among a cohort of younger Christians. thesis and others addressing various relat- the remarkably diverse future of both The book is significant partly because ed themes. All seem to agree on two America and American Christianity. n of its content but mainly because of this points: that the United States, especially emerging scholarly community, which under George W. Bush, has functioned David P. Gushee is a professor of Christian shows the promise of reshaping evan- as the global imperial power and the ethics at Mercer University in Atlanta, Ga., a gelical public witness in the United States master of the neoliberal economic order; regular PRISM columnist (“Kingdom Ethics”), and that white evangelical American and the author of numerous books about in some interesting ways.

First let us turn to the content of the Christianity has supported this imperi- Christian political engagement. book. Evangelicals and Empire: Christian alism with nary a whimper. Indeed, some Alternatives to the Political Status Quo is in argue that white evangelicalism’s leaders Check out part a collective response to two recent have essentially functioned as imperial Linking Arms, books by neo-Marxist scholars Michael power brokers themselves both in the Linking Lives: Hardt and Antonio Negri: Empire nation and within the more circumHow Urban(Harvard University Press, 2000) and scribed but still vast world of American Suburban Multitude: War and Democracy in the Age evangelicalism.The essays, some of them Partnerships of Empire (Penguin, 2005). These books quite technical, explore a number of Can Transform argued that classical imperialism is giv- variations on this theme.

Communities by Al Tizon, I began reading this book on the day ing way to a kind of diffuse, globalized Ronald J. Sider, John M. imperial order based in social, economic, America voted to elect Barack Obama Perkins, and Wayne L. Gordon and political forces not controlled by president. In light of that stunning repufrom Baker Books. any one nation, though the United States diation of the policies of the past eight remains the dominant power; and that years, and also in light of our staggering end up having more fun. What a simple lesson, but so important. I can imagine God calling us, his children, to a deeper engagement with justice. We may well get hurt, but we will discover what really matters in life.

Gary Haugen’s book is already having an impact on my ministry. My prayer is that many people read Just Courage and then allow the Spirit of God to speak and move us all to live for justice. n

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