Emergent eschatology

I don't understand enough about the emergent church to comment on many of their distinctive ideas (although part of the problem can be actually pinning down what those ideas are). But one area where I feel they are adrift is eschatology.

A recurring theme in emergent writing is the relative neglect Christians should have for the future. Now I understand where this comes from: as far as I can see there is a reaction against the ghetto mentality of some 20th century eschatology which led churches to abandon the needs of the world in favour of waiting out the last days in an ecclesiastical bunker. But to then advise us that the bible says little about the future and the emphasis is all now and that if we concentrate on the second coming etc then we will neglect present needs....is just wrong. There is no necessary connection at all.

I recently preached through the latter half of Romans 8. The whole basis of this most encouraging passage is that we can persevere in the present because we have such an overwhelming future hope (v25). Nowhere in Romans are we advised to ignore the present; rather we are told we will be joyful and strong Christians because of our hope based on the promised future that God gives to us in Christ. Which is why Paul can repeatedly speak of living in eager expectation (vv19, 23, 25). Daily, he powers himself up on future hope.

He then goes on to demonstrate how solid and infinite the foundation of this hope is, strecthing out of time (v29); and then spends most of the rest of the passage assuring us that absolutely nothing can rob us of this life, stretching from the present into the everlasting. Indeed it is the future that provides the great verse of hope (v28): because we are promised that we will be conformed to Christ we can be sure that all things work together for good: because everything feeds into this conformity, all events good and bad, in the hands of God, make us like Jesus, work for us an everlasting weight of glory.

I really think that emergent teaching on this point is losing out badly. Maybe I have misunderstood their teaching, because I can't see how anyone would willingly give up the present power of such a future hope.