We’re writing a study/discussion guide at my church, for Jim Belcher’s book Deep Church–an examination of the “emerging church” controversy. I was writing my contribution, and since my blog has been lying fallow for a couple weeks, I thought I’d post it.
The author is trying to present both sides fairly on each area of the controversy, and lay out a balanced, faithful approach to each issue. Someone summarized the book as:
- There are problems in the English-speaking church.
- There are fair criticisms of the church.
- There are faithful solutions to those questions.
If you’re interested in some reviews, check out: (1) A thorough summary & review by Kevin DeYoung (notice the comments left by Jim Belcher). (2) A review from a hard-nosed conservative, Frank Turk, explaining what’s so good about this book, even though it’s too nice sometimes. (This one includes an mp3 of a interview featuring both Turk and Belcher on a radio show.) (3) A negative review from 9Marks. (4) A response from Belcher, and a response from Frank.
I was assigned to make the summary & discussion questions for the chapter on epistemology–“Deep Truth”. Here goes!
By the way, if you have any suggestions for more discussion questions, I’d love to hear ’em.