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Emergent is no longer just emerging. It has in many respects emerged. Though some things remain unclear, what you see is what it is and, more importantly, what you see is also where it is going. Where it is going is in the direction of gospel expansion. Is emergent "evangelical"? Some answer with a hearty, "By all means!" Others, a more moderate, "Well yes, on some level." Still others, a most definite, "No, of course not!"

The emerging movement, the larger movement of which emergent is a segment, remains more or less connected to the core of evangelicalism. It contains a variety of missional impulses; it remains concerned about the church; and its theological ideas will undoubtedly continue to impact evangelicalism. John Stott recently sketched three core practices of emerging churches: the way of Jesus, breaking down the sacred-secular divide, and community living. He says that "emerging churches are rediscovering [these core practices] and giving them a fresh emphasis." Rediscovering accurately describes what is going on, but those in the emerging movement feel these core practices are a fresh discovery. Furthermore, what Stott calls the "emerging churches" involves a spectrum that deserves a closer look.

I maintain a crucial distinction between two related streams: emergent and the broader emerging movement. Emergent is crystallized in Emergent Village and its leaders Brian McLaren, Tony Jones, and Doug Pagitt. Emerging is a mix of orthodox, missional, evangelical, church-centered, and social justice leaders and lay folk. When I think of this broader emerging movement, I think of Dan Kimball at Vintage Faith Church in Santa Cruz, Dave Dunbar at Biblical Seminary in Hatfield, Pennsylvania, Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch and their book The Shaping of Things to Come, and Donald Miller's Blue Like Jazz. Some of this was anticipated by Lesslie Newbigin's many writings and is now sketched in Tom Sine's The New Conspirators. Furthermore, I see emerging trends in megachurches like Willow Creek Community Church and Saddleback Church.

Despite what some critics assume, Brian McLaren, the most controversial of emergent leaders, does not represent all things emerging. But he does represent the more progressive wing, and his latest books offer a glimpse of where that movement might be heading.

To understand McLaren, one must appreciate two things. First, his books are "works in progress." He's working things out in front of us all, and he isn't offering final words on anything. Second, he's exploring how the gospel, seen as the kingdom vision of Jesus, impacts both global crises and Christian discipleship. So although I continue to have questions for McLaren (see below), I believe he can be a rich source for Christian imagination, vision, and reflection.

McLaren's two recent books, The Secret Message of Jesus and Everything Must Change, build upon his earlier works, such as Reinventing Your Church, his three-volume set of fiction, and his best-selling Generous Orthodoxy. If his fiction and Generous Orthodoxy questioned prevailing ideas, Secret Message and Everything Must Change try to construct a positive vision of his priorities and the foundation for future work. These two recent books are the focus of this article.

No one today better expresses, like a beat poet, both the ironic faith of emergents and a strong sense of how the gospel should be lived today. As emergent's pastor and confessing priest, McLaren has moved through this irony and come out the other side with a vision that has won over many.

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September 2008, Vol. 52, No. 9