One group is the “social justice” Christians. When these believers read the Bible, they see God’s very real concern for the poor, the needy, and the downtrodden. They identify strongly with the Lord’s exhortation to address injustice. I agree with their concerns and their passions, and I am grateful for their reminder that the church always must tend to those in need. Unfortunately, many in this movement have started to equate “concern for the poor” with “the gospel.” For them, a specific activity has become the standard by which Christians are measured. In other words, if you are not pursuing social justice as your top agenda item, then you are not really proclaiming or living out the gospel of Jesus. I recently read a blog post from an individual who passionately adheres to this position. He quoted Jesus’ statement in Luke 4:18-19 which reads:
The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.
After citing this verse, the writer essentially said, “end of discussion. This proves my case.”
I always find it interesting when people use “proof texts” to reinforce their particular agenda. It is so easy to fall into this pattern, and – when I see it in others – it reminds me to guard against this tendency within myself. In this case, the passage at hand does make it clear that Jesus has a deep concern for the poor, needy, and oppressed. But is the Lord speaking of these needs in their physical context? Or their spiritual context? Or perhaps both?
After all, one could certainly make the case that Jesus did not die on the cross just so we could be healed from our physical infirmities, or be set free from poverty. And even if we take this passage at face value, is it really the “end of the discussion” about the life, ministry, and purposes of our Lord?
It seems to me that caring for the poor and needy is something that Christians should do (one of many things that Christians should do) once “the gospel” has grabbed hold of their heart.
What, then, is “the gospel”?
Another group that is fueling on-line chatter about this topic is “The New Calvinists” (TNC’s). Pastors who are part of this growing movement often are organizing under the banner of the gospel. For example, one of their groups is “The Gospel Coalition” and their major annual conference is called “Together For The Gospel.” This group has a high view of Scripture, and they teach and preach with great diligence. I am grateful for their example that we must devote ourselves to the study of God’s Word. However, it is disconcerting when they equate “Calvinism” with “the gospel”. For this group, a specific doctrinal system has become the standard by which Christians are measured. In other words, if you are not preaching Calvinism, then you are not really proclaiming or living out the gospel of Jesus.
NOTE: My views would fall more generally in the direction of Arminian theology. For a basic overview of the differences between Calvinism and Arminianism, click on this link:
http://www.the-highway.com/compare.html
I once was invited to meet with a few ministers who identify with the TNC’s. I arrived at the church, we grabbed some coffee, and sat down to converse. One of the ministers began to speak, and the following conversation ensued:
Minister: “Man, it’s so good to be together.”
Me: “Yes, I always love getting together with other pastors. It’s great to be able to encourage each other and pray for each other.”
Minister: “No, I mean it’s so good to get together as Calvinists. It’s really important for us to stick together.”
Me: “Well, actually, I’m not a Calvinist....”
I explained to him without rancor that I was part of a movement – the Restoration Movement – that had been started by people from different doctrinal groups (some from the Arminian view and some from the Calvinist view) for the express purpose of moving beyond these divisions. The founders of our movement wanted to focus on the core beliefs that unite us (“the essentials”), rather than squabble over the secondary beliefs that divide us (“the non-essentials”), because they wanted to get Christians working together for the cause of the gospel.
The other ministers listened politely…we went on with our meeting…and I never was invited back again. It saddened me to realize that their narrow doctrinal view was more important than our unity as brothers and sisters in Christ. Despite their expressed intention to work “together for the gospel”, they were more interested in working together for Calvinism.
I have no doubts that there are other groups within Christianity who – like the two I’ve mentioned here – equate their preferred activity or preferred doctrinal system with “the gospel.” How sad that we draw these artificial boundaries which Jesus did not create.
What really breaks my heart is that such boundaries and divisions within God’s family actually detract from our ability to proclaim the gospel to those who desperately need to hear the “good news” about Jesus.
So the question remains: what is the gospel? How should we describe it?
I will address that in Part 2.
- Bruce
