An excellent companion to last year’s Why We’re Not Emergent, DeYoung and Kluck thoughtfully examine the organized, institutionalized church and conclude that it is necessary and vital in a Christian’s life. They honestly discuss the church’s shortcomings (past and present) and detail many of the issues people have with organized church. Even with its flaws, they remind us, the visible church is bought by Christ and built by Christ, and His people must be in it. 

Do we assume police officers are worthless because we still have crime or parents are pointless because kids still do stupid things? Not at all. Why then do we assume that the existence of an unmet need or ongoing tragedy in the world is unassailable proof of the church’s failure? [41]

We shouldn’t think spontaneity equals spirituality. Why is a service considered more “Spirit-led” if the Spirit puts the service together on Sunday morning instead of Tuesday afternoon? Deviating from the script on Sunday is fine and at times clearly called for, but let’s not forget that there’s nothing wrong with calling on the Spirit to help us put together the script in the first place. [124]

No matter what the teachers of tickling ears say, we do have rules to follow. Jesus didn’t say if you love Me you’ll feel close to Me. He said if you love Me, you’ll keep My commandments. The church, as the gathering of those who love Jesus, should be pure, holy, loving, and true – both as an indication of our obedience and as a reflection of the character of God. [178]

Go to church. Don’t go for the coffee, the presentations, the music, or the amenities. Don’t even go for the feelings you may or may not get when you go because, no offense, these feelings may or may not be trustworthy most of the time. Go for the gospel. Go for the preaching. Go to be near to God’s Word. [196]

The goal is to grow in godliness. But the church will be full of sin so long as she is full of sinners – which is kind of the point I thought. It’s more than a little ironic that the same folks who want the church to ditch the phony, plastic persona and become a haven for broken, imperfect sinners are ready to leave the church when she is broken, imperfect, and sinful. [211] 

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Troubled by the growing trend among Christians (especially young men) toward indecisiveness, DeYoung has issued a poignant challenge: just do something. In this short book, DeYoung examines some common misconceptions about the will of God and how our decision-making should relate to our knowledge of it. At times, DeYoung can come across a bit brash, but it’s clear that he is writing from a genuine pastoral concern and desire to see Christians engage in God-honoring lives.

Our search for the will of God has become an accomplice in the postponement of growing up, a convenient out for the young (or old) Christian floating through life without direction or purpose. Too many of us have passed off our instability, inconsistency, and endless self-exploration as “looking for God’s will,” as if not making up our minds and meandering through life were marks of spiritual sensitivity. [15]

Passivity is a plague among Christians. It’s not just what we don’t do anything; it’s that we feel spiritual for not doing anything. We imagine that our inactivity is patience and sensitivity to God’s leading. At times it may be; but it’s also quite possible we are just lazy. [51]

God’s way is not to show us what tomorrow looks like or even to tell us what decisions we should make tomorrow. That’s not His way because that’s not the way of faith. God’s way is to tell us that He knows tomorrow, He cares for us, and therefore, we should not worry. [57]

The will of God for your life is pretty straightforward: Be holy like Jesus, by the power of the Spirit, for the glory of God. [62]

Wisdom is the difference between knowing a world-class biologist who can write your papers for you and studying under a world-class biologist so that you can write the kind of papers he would write. Too many of us want God to be the world-class scholar who will write our papers and live our lives for us, when God wants us to sit at His feet and read His Word so that we can live a life in the image of His Son. [93] 

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What is the emerging church movement? What place do they give to the Bible, faith, and Christ? DeYoung and Kluck share writing duties in the examination of all that is emergent, the former handling the play-by-play while the latter adding color commentary based on his experience and encounters with the emerging movement. The tone is thoughtful and often bold, but not abrasive. This book is a very well-researched effort to address a critical issue. Highly recommended.

There is a place for questions. There is a time for conversation. But there is also the possibility of certainty, not because we have dissected God like a freshman biology student dissects a frog, but because God has spoken to us clearly and intelligibly and has given us ears to hear His voice. [40]

We can wax eloquent about the beauty of the story and how the Scriptures read us, but unless people are convinced that the Bible is authoritative, true, inspired, and the very words of God, over time they will read it less frequently, know it less fully, and trust it less surely. [78]

The apostles never preached with the double-talk and ambiguity you find in so many emergent books. [109]

Where sin is the main problem we need a crucified Substitute. Where pain and brokenness are the main problems, we need to learn to love ourselves. God is no longer a holy God angry with sin, who, in His great mercy, sent His Son to die on our behalf so that divine justice might be satisfied. God becomes a vulnerable lover who opens Himself up to hurt and rejection in order to be with us because we are worth dying for. I have no doubt that this message will find a receptive audience, but it is not the message the apostles proclaimed and for which they died. Christians don’t get killed for telling people that God believes in them and suffers like them and can heal their brokenness. They get killed for calling sinners to repentance and proclaiming faith in the crucified Son of God as the only means by which we who were enemies might be reconciled to God. [194]

Jesus is more than a coping mechanism. We may desire sweet fellowship with a kind, caring Jesus, but if He is to help us in any real way, He must be more than a sensitive good listener – He must be strong, exalted, and mighty. [250]

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