A review by drbobcornwall
Emergence Christianity: What It Is, Where It Is Going, and Why It Matters by Phyllis Tickle

2.0

Emergence Christianity is the follow up to The Great Emergence (for my review of this book see my blog -- http://www.bobcornwall.com/2009/01/great-emergence-review.html). While I'm not a big fan of the idea that history moves in grand 500 year leaps, I found it an intriguing read. I was hoping for more in this follow up book, but I was disappointed by the book. I'm not sure why this happened, because Baker usually does a good job with editing, but the book is full of errors, including wrong names and affiliations. To give but one instance -- she writes that John Wimber directed Fuller Seminary's Department of Church Growth. While he did co-teach a signs and wonder's class with Peter Wagner, he wasn't a regular faculty member. Instead he worked for the Charles Fuller Evangelistic Association. In another place she suggested that the early church didn't have an atonement theology before Augustine, but that is clearly wrong.

But more to the point, in her effort to lift up the broad spread of Emergence Christianity I think she covered things way too superficially. Thus, just about everyone who is at least a bit hip is emergent. My suggestion is read The Great Emergence and look elsewhere for follow up.