Volu m e II - Purdue University Calumet

author endeavor to create doctrine, rules or interpretations of scripture without asking the reader to
investigate for themselves. To reiterate a past point, the Emergent Church Movement is not aiming to
create a denomination, but rather engage in a dialogue and one may argue whether taking a firm stance on
this issue is relevant to the conversation. These authors do not try to fit into the “modern” box of objective
truth, but rather present their case in a way that suggests that they do not promote their opinion over
another. In this ideal, it is up to the individual to weigh what truth they find in scriptures and incorporate it
into the story of their life.
Emerging Conclusion
As of late, the Emergent Church Movement has undergone shifts of its own, with some initial
supporters removing themselves from the Emergent label. Early voices of the ECM like Pastor Mark
Driscoll of Mars Hill Church in Seattle (which is not affiliated with Mars Hill Grand Rapids) see the
“dialogue” becoming far too one-sided in favor of postmodernism. Though one may see this as a failure on
the part of the ECM, I would argue that it is a triumph. If the ECM is truly a bridge between postmodern
and modern thought (and not creating its own territory,) it is good to see that pastors are weighing the
influence of postmodernity and if can apply within the context of Christianity.
It is clear that a shift is happening in the Christian church, whether it is indeed a rummage sale or
a simple theological fad. Either way, the scholarship of Rob Bell and Donald Miller clearly show that the
Emergent Church Movement is affecting the Church on the pastoral and personal level. In a recent Relevant
Magazine article, Emergent Church leader Brian McLaren states:
The litmus test for the continued health of the emergent conversation… is not that its
ideas become rigidly defined and institutionalized, but rather that they become part of the
collective unconscious—ideas that seemed so radical in this generation would become
mere second nature to future generations. In doing so, emergent would have the opposite
fate of so many movements that became unshakable status quo behemoths.
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