Book Review: DEEP CHURCH

Author: Jim Belcher

Publisher: InterVarsity Press
Date: 2009, 233 pages

Jim Belcher (Ph.D., Georgetown) pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Newport California wrote this work to target four audiences. Those who are unhappy with the state of evangelicalism and like some of what both the emerging and traditional camps offer, but are not completely at ease with either, those who are new to the whole conversation and need to understand it, seminarians who are working out their ecclesiology, and lastly pastors who have been ministering for awhile and are beginning to have questions.

Belcher is part of a group of Gen-X pastors who began to question traditional evangelicalism in the 1990s. Eventually many of them began to identify themselves as the Emerging church. Belcher says the Emerging tent is actually large, but comprises three main groups which he identifies as Relevants who are trying to contextualize Christianity to their culture, Reconstructionists who are typically more orthodox but question current ecclesiology and Revisionists who are questioning key evangelical doctrines on theology and culture and wondering if these dogmas are appropriate in a postmodern world. What they share in common is the postmodern critique of modern culture as one of their primary lenses through which they interpret culture and evangelicalism in particular. Their complaints have become particularly shrill and as traditionalists have heard them the pushback has been strong. On the other hand, many traditionalists believe that the Emerging churches are simply 21st century liberals.

Belcher, who has some formal training in philosophic postmodernism, became puzzled so took the time to listen deeply to what they had to say. He has boiled their critiques down to seven major areas which he has identified as truth, evangelism, the gospel, worship, preaching, ecclesiology and culture. In his work he identifies each critique, how traditionalists respond, and then suggests a via media or middle road that avoids either extreme. Although he can identify with the complaint that evangelicals are captive to modernism he also recognizes that without a reference point emergents run the risk of simply becoming another expression of postmodern frustration, no less tied to the culture around them.

Belcher starts out by identifying the chronic evangelical tendency to fragment and posits that in this case we cannot afford another major split that mirrors the modernist/fundamentalist split of the early 20th century. He also asks “what if the emerging church is not liberal?” Isn’t some discussion needed? But before discussion can begin we need to have trust. Because evangelicals tend to view themselves as theologically diverse Belcher suggests a return to the classical consensus which suggests that orthodoxy is defined by adherence to the major creeds of the early church. He argues that this is the essence of C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity. If this becomes the litmus test of orthodoxy then other doctrines can become simply denominational distinctives not necessary for salvation. If we adopt this view, then discussion between the emerging and traditional church becomes possible.

In the area of truth or epistemology the complaint against traditionalists is that they are foundationalists at heart. Their quest for epistemological certainty has bred arrogance, lack of humility and they have all the right answers. Everyone else is wrong. But the postmodernist also believes that anti-foundationalism means that we cannot know reality aside from the individual or community, so they have flawed metaphysics. But the truth is, reality is there and individuals realise it. The emerging camp has not always made it clear what they stand for, but is clear in what they are against. Belcher argues that what is real is found in the Word and provides the authority for Christian community. We build our metaphysics on divine revelation. God becomes our guarantor.

Traditionalists are flawed in their evangelism because they use doctrine as a fence to keep others out and have reduced conversion to doctrine or transfer of theological knowledge. On the other hand emerging culture places belonging before believing. However, the emergents can be asked ‘when does the seeker ever get to a point where they are challenged to repent?’ The bible affirms that Christians are a new and distinctive community. The question becomes can we stress belonging so much that we stunt spiritual growth in our communities? Belcher maintains that Jesus modelled a better approach. He had many followers, but admission to the inner circle (God’s covenant family) required a commitment. He demonstrates this in his challenge to the rich young ruler who thought he was in the inner circle. Jesus told him that what he lacked is that he needed to sell all. Jesus never sent his other followers away, but continued being invitational.

Traditionalists assert that the Emerging church is really the social gospel in the 21st century. It’s emphasis on the Kingdom of God diminishes the importance of the cross. Instead of calling all to make Jesus Lord and Saviour, the gospel is reduced to social justice and good works. Emergents push back by saying that traditionalists overemphasize personal salvation and it produces an individualism that ignores the world, a type of fire insurance against hell. These churches tend to promote self-interest and church shopping for places that meet ones personal needs better. Belcher argues that the gospel touches all areas of life, we are personally transformed which leads to beautiful community, social justice and cultural transformation.

In the area of worship traditionalists create mall like church environments sporting high energy entertainment style worship and model church structures after the world’s business models. In its place some emergents are making their worship spaces sacred again by creating a multi-sensory experience that combines art and worship, old and new. Christianity is not just new, but ancient as well. The critics argue that just as other churches pander to the culture at large, the emerging church just offers a specialized worship experience that can easily become entertainment and will require new ways to keep people. Belcher sees clearly the problems in the traditional church but also argues that the theological amnesia that the emergent stream has of the Great Tradition means that they will likely be absorbed by the culture at large, since they don’t have sufficient roots. Belcher echoes that to avoid this fate, evangelicals need to return to keeping the Bible, culture and tradition. In this case tradition can act as a counterbalance against culture. At Belchers church they base the worship on the following principles: Ancient and new, feature biblical drama, an atmosphere of joy and reverence, the priesthood of all Believers, profound but accessible sermons, weekly Eucharist and guest friendly evangelism.

In the area of preaching, emergents are tired of rationalistic preaching that is both moralistic and legalistic. They charge that it comes across as arrogant and preachy. Some say what is more important than the authority of the bible is God speaking to the community, sometimes using the bible and sometimes not. The traditional church pushes back by saying the issue is really the emergents distrust of authority and a loss of confidence in God’s Word. Belcher argues that we need to use the great tradition as a plumb line, a rule of faith the church has used for two millennia to understand the faith, live it out faithfully and pass along to the next generation. Surely we need to contextualize the message, but without an outside marker we don’t know how far we have moved from biblical fidelity (p 153).

In the area of ecclesiology the emerging church is disappointed with the institutionalism. Their thinking is fuelled by a passion for missions and church structure gets in their way. The emphasis placed on church attendance, one size fits all worship, and church planting, which are the earmarks that the church is modernistic. In its place they suggest flat management structure, and some prefer home churches. The traditionalists push back by saying that those things coupled with fluid structures and limited accountability are simply trends of the new business model, so the emergents are just as enthralled by the culture as they claim everyone else is. Once again Belcher sees that although both sides have a point, they are still missing something. The problem is that many evangelicals have been influenced by the models of modernity for 150 years. He states ‘without the great Tradition teaching us about inherited forms of church structure and government, we will continue to talk past one another.’ In the end he arrives at the conclusion that the Bible plus Tradition plus Mission will enable us to form a deep ecclesiology.

Emergents contend that in the area of culture, the church has become dualist in outlook, with a wall between the sacred and the secular. This has led to becoming isolationist, inhospitable to postmodern seekers, arrogant and judgemental. People are often of the world but not in it. The traditionalist pushes back with the assertion that immersing in the culture translates to whatever the world loves at the moment, and pandering to every worldly theme, trend and fashion. Belcher feels that the emergents still have too narrow of a view of creation, mostly focused on the private sphere touched by music, art and film. They don’t recover enough of creation. On this issue he draws inspiration from Abraham Kuyper who felt that although the church has a special spiritual purpose, spiritual transformation will manifest itself in people making new culture and seeing their communities transformed.

Belcher has clearly done a thorough job of research and has spent a lot of time listening to and trying to understand the emergent church. His background in the traditional church and his own personal voyage have prepared him to undertake the task. He has not only consulted primary sources, but in some cases gone to authors to discuss their work (Wolterstorff, Frost and Hirsch, Kimball and Pagitt). He is sympathetic to both sides of the dispute, and does not hesitate to agree with valid criticisms. He has achieved his stated purpose with something for each of the four groups he addresses.

One of his more important points that he raises really is a corollary to from D.H. Williams contention that evangelicals suffer from historical amnesia. He states “…it is too easy to think we are being biblical when we let either the traditions and preferences of the recent past dictate our ecclesiology or let the surrounding culture mold our views of church structure” (p 173). Because all humans are essentially bound to the era in which they live it is difficult at times to see how conditioned we are by our culture. At times we are so tightly bound it is miraculous that God can still speak into our time. So Belcher recommends that we allow the great tradition to act as a counter balance or plumb line in both our preaching and ecclesiology.

I would highly recommend Belchers work to anyone who is troubled with the current state of evangelicalism. As a member of a church that is strongly a product of some of the same forces that have produced the emergents I am almost weekly reminded of the amnesia and chaos that results when you have many voices in the community who want anything but the evangelical culture they grew up with. And as I watch us slip into the same patterns as our surrounding culture I get alarmed. Belcher’s cool, calm voice reminds me that the great cloud of witnesses mentioned in the book of Hebrews extends beyond the death of the last apostle and that perhaps they may have something to contribute to this dialogue.