A number of bloggers are raising alarms about the Emergent movement, including Phil Steiger, Greg Koukul, Dignan and Jeff at Dawn Treader.
I share many of the concerns these folks have raised. It may not be clear from my site, but I’m not really an “Emergent” guy. I’m soundly Evangelical in my theology. Yet, I do feel great empathy with much in the Emergent movement, because much of it is a needed corrective for the stagnation that now exists in Evangelicaldom. I hope Evangelicals in the blogshpere don’t make “Emergent” the new whipping boy. That would betray a lack of real understanding of the movement.
I note, for example, that most of the posts I referenced essentially are critiques of Brian McLaren. Folks, Brian McLaren is not the sole voice of Emergent! He is indeed a leader of the movement, and although he isn’t a theologian, where he has touched on doctrinal matters, he can indeed justifiably be criticized for a tendency towards universalism.
Universalism and moral relativism, however, don’t have to be synonymous with a postmodern, non-foundationalist epistemology. If you want to understand more deeply why the Evangelical church must escape foundationalism — even the so-called “soft foundationalism” many propose — please, please read Newbiggin, Raschke, Murphey, Grenz and Franke before deciding Emergent is the next great plague. If you’re not willing to read the challenging stuff these folks have written, don’t comment on postmodern Evangelical theology, because you don’t really understand it. If you have read them, address what they’ve said, not only what McLaren has distilled from them.
