Building upon the foundation she created in her previous volume, The Great Emergence—our last Featured Book—Phyllis Tickle, in Emergence Christianity, published four years later, offers a “breathtakingly ambitious…attempt to describe the beliefs, disciplines, theology, and ecclesiology of this still-evolving movement,” Publishers Weekly avows. “Even those who may not agree with her sweeping argument may find themselves fascinated by its audacity.”
Indeed, Tickle “tackles emergence Christianity once again,” seminary professor of church and contemporary culture Ryan Bolger observes. “In this volume she takes the conversation further.” In fact, he adds, “Never in one volume have I seen such a diverse set of Christian movements…analyzed for their meaning as it’s related to the bigger picture. Decade by decade, she walks us through the 20th century, tracing the roots of emergence Christianity.”
In her review for Next Church, Elizabeth Michael tells how she once heard Tickle at the annual Festival of Homiletics. “The speaker introducing her went through a long list of her credentials and accolades, and then asked her, ‘What is your passion?’ …I found myself sitting up straight when I heard her response: ‘What is my passion? Still, though it may sound ridiculous, the reign of God.’”
Emergence Christianity: What it is, Where it is Going, and Why it Matters
By Phyllis Tickle
BakerBooks, 2012
