Emerging church proponent Jim Belcher wrote a book in 2009 titled Deep Church: A Third Way Beyond Emerging and Traditional. His book is a perfect example of the Hegelian Dialectic Process in action. Belcher calls for traditional evangelicals and the Emergent Church to come together in dialogue, find what is good about each other, and then blend their ideas.
The truth is that it is impossible to blend biblical truth with worldliness and heresy, yet that is exactly what you would be trying to accomplish if you followed Belcher's "Third Way." Belcher, of course, sees things differently:
Yet the two sides can't get along? They are hostile to each other, using their writings and conferences to denounce the other side. The vast majority of people are confused by the debate. Many have read emerging authors, agreeing with their assessment of the problem and aspects of what they are proposing. But they also have read traditional authors and are drawn to parts of their vision of the church as well. The majority want to learn from both sides…This book is written for those caught in between. They are unhappy with the present state of the evangelical church but are not sure where to turn for an answer. They like some of what the emerging and traditional camps offer, but they are not completely at ease with either. The public conflicts makes this anxiety worse, and these people don't know who to trust or believe. What if both are off target? Is there a third option, a via media? I believe there is a third way…I will demonstrate the strengths and weaknesses of both groups, and move beyond them to a third way, the deep church.
