Wednesday, March 5

The ‘Gospel’ question…

Okay…here’s some of the things I’ve been processing through the last few weeks. I really like what these thoughts are doing in me…

I read a series of articles from the last Leadership Journal. The main emphasis of the issue was the question ‘Is Our Gospel Too Small?’ And the article that made me think the most was ‘An Efficient Gospel?’ by Tim Keel.

Here’s a couple of pieces from it…(I’ve edited it to a much smaller version, but I believe I’ve been true to the original intent)

I’d love to hear your thoughts on it, and then I’ll post my thoughts and the questions I’m wrestling with in a day or so. (It will be too long of a post if I do it all in this one post)

Keel writes… I had been a disciple of Jesus Christ for less than a year when I first heard "the gospel question." , "If someone were to ask you what the gospel is, what would you say?"

Not only did I have to admit that I had no idea what "the gospel" is, I also had to grapple with the fact that I wasn't even sure what I was being asked.

At my university I discovered that "gospel" was a word that many Christians used as shorthand for the means by which a person could go to heaven after they died. Over time they had perfected the science of explaining "the gospel" in a simple and efficient way.

In a modern world, we tend to reduce the complexity and diversity of the Scriptures to simple systems, even when our systems flatten the diversity and integrity of the biblical witness. We reduce our sermons to consumer messages that reduce God to a resource that helps the individual secure a reduced version of the "abundant life" Jesus promised (John 10:10).

And the gospel itself gets reduced to a simplified framework of a few easily memorized steps. As you might have guessed by now, if that's what is meant by gospel, then yes indeed, I believe our gospel is too small.

I don't know how you interpret such statements, but I can tell you what it is like to write them. It's scary. It seems dangerous to say such things these days. Everyone appears to be on their theological guard (which also tells us something about the reduced nature of our gospel).

I am discovering that the version of "the gospel" I was given as a college-age counselor was largely missing the earthly, communal, and social nature of what God has been about since the beginning of salvation history. First with Israel, then with the church, God has animated a people to enact his saving way of life as a prophetic witness against, and a hopeful alternative to, the destructive narratives of the surrounding world.

People are not asking the traditional gospel question much anymore. Asking, "If I died tomorrow, where would I end up?" does not generate much life. But asking people, "If you had just a few years left, what kind of life would you want to live?" generates enormous energy. It is a question of hope, something our balkanized world sorely needs.

And perhaps not surprisingly, Jesus has a response to those who are asking such a question and on just such a quest. To them he says, "Wake up." "The kingdom of God is at hand." "Come, follow me."

Mark Nelson at 11:33 AM 5comments

5 Comments

at 12:01 PM  Anonymous said...

I see the gospel as a catalyst of hope. It's not a how-to, not a 4-step program, not an equation, not an if-then statement. It's not something we share or don't. It's not something we do. It just is. It's a latent truth that, despite the visible evidence all around that everything is broken, God has a wonderful, universal, unifying secret: all is actually repaired and restored. Such knowledge cannot result in anything but hope. The only thing that threatens such a gift is our refusal to believe, accept, proclaim and live as the freed, restored, loved people that we are.

 

at 12:41 PM  Unknown said...

I really like the section about discovering that the "gospel" we are "given" may be missing substantial parts such as the earthly, communal, and social nature of what God is and has been about. Yes, I do believe we limit "the gospel" when we are only concerned with "getting people into heaven" and limit God to a system, formula, program, or equation. It (the gospel) is huge as God is huge. If I could summarize all of "the gospel" in a single catch phrase or paragraph, then what is the point of having the bible or continuing to study the biggness of God.

 

at 6:58 PM  Nicole said...

In my theology class yesterday, we studied and spoke about grace and faith. To me, these two concepts sum up the Gospel.

The Gospel is the story of our horrible hurt and brokenness, the life of Christ who died and rose again for us, and a God who extends us grace if only we will accept it through faith.

The Gospel is the story of that grace, that God loves us and it isn't about what we produce, or consume. It isn't about anything we "do," it's about God loving us so much that we have inherent worth in His eyes, and we must struggle through faith to believe that God truly is good.

Heh...I guess I feel like John Calvin, we gotta preach the Gospel every Sunday until we actually live like we believe it.

 

at 9:49 PM  Mrs. Jake said...

Sharing the gospel has always been presented to me on my hand. The five finger gospel in five minutes. As I am growing older (and through Crossings) I see that sharing the gospel takes weeks, months, even years. It takes time, investment of life, and patience. Gosh no wonder people think Christians are crazy! We're telling them where to go instead of walking along beside them! If I were to become mute, would I still be able to "share" the gospel?

This is definatly a good chew.

 

at 8:01 PM  Rob said...

The Gospel is the answer to the question I ask myself daily. Why do I constantly turn my back on God, rely on myself, lust after everything that will ultimately never bring me pleasure, etc. It explains why I am totally and completely crooked deep down (to borrow from Derek Webb) and ultimately what God did to fix that problem.

I need to hear it daily, I need to eat and drink of it constantly. It is both simple and complex, definitely not something that fits easily into a formula. The more I think about it and struggle with it, the more it humbles me, the more it stirs me to love others with action and in truth. This is something I can not do on my own. I am far too selfish.

 

Post a Comment