A Book Recommendation

By Bruce Mills

I am reading a book with a very intriguing title: Why We’re Not Emergent (By Two Guys Who Should Be). It is written by Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck, and published by Moody Publishers. These are two young men (both are 31 years old) who hold to reformed doctrine and explain well why it is incompatible with the fluidity of the Emergent Church. The book is endorsed by such stalwarts of the faith as D. A. Carson, Mark Dever, Al Mohler, Ligon Duncan, and Justin Taylor.

DeYoung is the pastor of University Reformed Church in East Lansing, Michigan. I have listened to one of his sermons on-line and I predict that he may become one of the well-known conference speakers of the future, in the pattern of Piper, MacArthur, Mohler, Sproul, et al. He is a superb teacher of the Word.

Ted Kluck is a professional writer, having authored a couple of sport-related books. His personal experiences of flirting with the edges of the Emergent church movement provides the basis for his witty and somewhat sarcastic viewpoint.

I am not finished reading the book; in fact, I’m not even halfway through it yet. But it is an excellent book. It is well-written and explains clearly what the problems are with the Emergent Church. DeYoung and Kluck tackle the writings of Emergent leaders such as Brian McLaren, Doug Pagitt, and Ron Bell with a clear understanding and perception of what the implications are in what those men have written. It is not written as a scholarly work such as D. A. Carson’s Becoming Conversant with the Emerging Church. Rather, it is written for the average person in the pew who struggles to understand the latest trends and fads in the American evangelical church. The chapters are alternately authored by DeYoung and Kluck, with DeYoung providing the meat and Kluck providing the wry smiles.

I highly recommend this book to you. In fact, I intend to use it as a resource in my own teaching ministry. It retails for $14.99, but it is available from www.amazon.com for $10.49.