Jim Belcher

An Unusual Book Full of Surprises - This is a book describing Belcher's travel and learning experiences taking place in the native locations of some of his spiritual heroes. I found some of his choices of heroes to be surprising. Some of them are far less known than others, at least in Christian circles. His writing about Cranmer and Bonhoeffer were as captivating as any spy novel could be and I learned a number of pieces of history that are not widespread. His analysis of the spirituality of each of his subjects was superb. He would be writing along, and then stop the story to describe his kids reactions of being there and leave you hanging about the drama. He would then return to pick up right where he left off. This is a fast read and not a challenging book to read. It is a mixture of a collection of terrific biographies and traveling challenges of a family with an RV full of kids. It will be enjoyed by all, and it will shed accurate historical background to Christians that all of us should know.… (meer)

Very well researched and thought out. Excellent book written by Jim Belcher that attempts to unite the polarized views of the emerging church movement with the traditional church, thus creating a third way called "Deep Church". Belcher does a great job in remaining objective and I sincerely applaud his efforts in attempting to bring the two different views together. His heart for unity, grace, and truth are very evident in the way he presents himself throughout this book. And, I learned more about the emerging church and what they believe, along with their protests against the traditional views. Although a noble attempt, I believe Belcher falls short in bringing about reconciliation between these two views. He touches on seven issues at which the two sides are at odds: Truth, evangelism, Gospel, worship, preaching, ecclesiolgy, and culture. In each chapter he systematically presents the emerging view, the traditional view, and then describes what the third way should look like. In most part it seems that Belcher has succeeded in reconciling the two views. However, as a minister in the Presbyterian church he can't help but revert back to the institutionalized and dogmatic ways of the traditional view. After all, he has a presbyter that he is held accountable to. Although Deep Church seems compelling, it seems a bit imbalanced, favoring the traditional views. In his review of Deep Church, conservative and neo-Reformed author/theologian Kevin DeYoung thinks Belcher went too easy on the emerging church, while I think Belcher went too easy on the traditional church. Perhaps this is indicative that the two sides are too polarized. However, if we can remain united on the fundamentals then I am hopeful that someday there will indeed be a Third Way that we can all agree on. Until then, I hope both sides will look past their differences and continue to impact our culture for Jesus Christ.

Here are some of my favorite quotes taken from the book:

When the stress is only on how people are saved from sin, Christianity turns into nothing more than "fire insurance" for the end of life. It does not teach how we are to live and witness in the here and now. (page 41)

The church is known for what it is against more than what it is for. (page 43)

How do we get to the point where both sides can talk about their differences and learn from each other without being accused of heresy? By first agreeing about what binds Christians together. It is that simple. We have to arrive at what John Stott calls the "unity of the Gospel". (page 53)

We place doctrinal purity over unity, or we stress relational unity over sound doctrine. The reality is that Jesus wants us to be equally committed to both. (page 54)

The best description of a twenty-first century human is a person watching TV alone. (page 73)

A third way rejects classical foundationalism and hard postmodernism. This i what it means to be the deep church. (page 83)

I think its legitimate to have an unbounded set with no barriers to the church community so that non-Christians can wander in and out. But the bounded-set of the traditional church also has positives, there are reasons for pushing people to make a decision to accept certain truths in order for them to understand that they are being converted from one way of life to another. (page 100)

The more I study the Bible and reflect on the life and teachings of Jesus, the more I think most of Christianity as practiced today has very little to do with the real Jesus found there. (page 108 quoting Brian McLaren)

For Jesus, the kingdom wasn't something we build or advance or expand. It was something we see and enter and receive. (page 118 quoting Brian McLaren)

In the quest for truth, nothing can be privileged over the community, and certainly not a theology that had been worked out in the fourth and fifth centuries. (page 146)

Christianity can't exist without boundaries. Being a Christian in any biblical sense requires that we not only say yes to many things, but that we are also willing to say no to a number of beliefs and behaviors. (page 150 quoting Kevin DeYoung)

God's vision for the church is one of thrilling mission, not one of ingrown tribalism. (page 162)

The traditional church is pacifist in the area off culture but not in the realm of politics, and the emerging church is pacifist in the realm of politics but not in the realm of culture. (page 190)… (meer)