I was talking with someone yesterday about the theological/philosophical headwaters for the emerging conversation. There are a handful of names that keep turning up in the footnotes of books written in the emergent tone of voice.
Here are the ones I’m thinking of in no particular order:
1. Lesslie Newbigin
2. Michael Polanyi (Newbigin refererences him quite a bit.)
3. N. T. Wright
4. Dallas Willard
5. Hunsberger and the gang from Gospel and Our Culture Network (Their work is a result of taking up the Newbigin gauntlet.)
6. Richard Foster His integration of the various streams of Christian spirituality was my first exposure to a “both/and” approach to the Christian faith.
7. Stanley Grenz
8. Len Sweet He was one of the first Christian thinkers to tell us that a cultural tsunami was coming. (thanks to J. A. Turner for the reminder)
I haven’t included Brian McLaren in this list because I think of him as more of a popularizer of the work of those mentioned above. In no way do I mean this to be a dis of McLaren. He’s doing a wonderful service for the church by taking what can be some very difficult material and making it available to a wider audience.
Have I missed somebody? Have I included someone that shouldn’t be?
Telling Stories, Asking Questions, Learning Lessons
I’d include Stanley Hauerwas from Duke and Robert Webber who used to be a Wheaton.
I think we’ll see Alan Hirsch and Michael Frost in your list in a few years for The Shaping of Things to Come. In my opinion, Frost and Hirsch take the “emerging conversation” to another level, arguing that simply doing church services a different or more attractive way (while remaining an “attractional” congregation) won’t cut it in postmodernity. Against the attractional/Christendom model of church, Frost and Hirsch juxtapose the incarnational/emerging missional model of church, which actually emerges from the storefronts, coffee shops, and homes of the Christ-followers. These guys are brilliant and have done their homework. They need to be on any list of authors impacting the current conversation.
I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again: If you haven’t read this seminal book, buy it. And buy an extra copy to give away. It’s phenomenal, and it will have you scratching your head at the position the church is in and eager to start afresh.
Probably should at least offer a tip of the hat to Len Sweet.
I think that’s an excellent list. You cover the bases pretty well, in ways that parallel my own experience with emerging theology.
Agreed on Frost and Hirsch — great stuff.
Brueggeman also might belong on this list. I’ve seen his name pop up quite a bit though I haven’t read any of it myself yet.
Been teaching Walsh and Keesmaat, Colossians Remixed for two weeks now to the Parents of Teen’s class here at Westover the response has been great. This is an excellent book. Thanks for the recommendation!
Good list, you had to have Dallas Willard & Foster.
How about Eugene Peterson? He’s been talking about the importance of paying attention to the local context and conditions for twenty years or more. His rants agains trying to engineer the spiritual life are sublime.
He also did an intro to a book about U2 where he called them prophetic.
He doesn’t ware the pomo label. Most post moderns (out side of the self concious EC don’t)
He’s a big part of my emerging journey.
I’d also add Brian J Walsh (an author in said U2 book) for the book Truth is Stranger than it used to be, my personal intro to pomo Christian thought. He’s been writing on the topic since 89.
– Peace
Big fan of Stanley Grenz’s Sexual Ethics! Hey Wade, steve holt said you’d be the guy to talk to about getting an emergent chruch blogring for people from CoC backgrounds. I’d love to see one for Abilene specific folks too, but dont’ have a clue about that kind of web stuff.
What about Donald Miller?