GOOD NEWS

What is the Gospel?

What a great question. We've been talking about this all week in my Postmodern Theologies class with John Mark Hicks. I like the warning in Divine Conspiracy against "vampire Christianity"--the notion that Christians only want Jesus for his blood. We get Jesus' blood and then move on to Paul for the rest of consumer passions.

Think about the rich diversity of "gospel talk" in the four Gospels for instance. In Matthew, salvation is linked to the "ethical training for the kingdom of heaven"--the Rabbi shows his disciples how to live as outposts of God's future reign. In Mark, salvation is tied discipleship in a different way. Discipleship is participating in the shame (as opposed to Mel Gibson's "pain") of the cross. Those who would be a part of this New Band of Brothers/Sisters must be willing to embrace shame in light of a culture hinged on power and honor. In Luke, salvation is tied to the overturning of the dominant power systems--the poor are liberated, the capties are set free (it's not Blessed are the poor in spirit but blessed are the poor). In Luke we are introduced to a radical theology of neighbor: there is no one who is not our neighbor! In John, salvation is couched in the language of abiding in eternal life (John's word for Kingdom) and belief in "the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world."

What is interesting to me is that the four Gospels are even more layered than what I've just presented. Each one presents a rather wholistic picture of salvation...and we haven't even gotten to Paul yet :)

I like this idea "people out of legalistic traditions need grace; people out of grace traditions need discipleship." I think that says a lot about where we're currently at in Restoration/Evangelical churches. The gospel doesn't just want to say something (our sins are forgiven) it wants us to live a certain way (we are empowered to be the Second Incarnation).