Christians constantly reference and preach the gospel. The whole of Christian religion centers around the gospel. And yet, scholars and commentators still debate its essential content. Everyday churchgoers also conflate or confuse its meaning. So what is the good news of the gospel? How might we boil down Christianity to its most core message? The good news of the gospel … [Read more...] about The Irreducible Gospel
Theology
The Irreligious Religion of Christianity
The gospel will surprise you and thrill you when you see its true dynamism. The gospel can paradoxically create and abolish religion. Sounds impossible, but it’s true. Pastor Tim Keller captures the dynamism of the gospel when he writes: “The gospel calls us out of religion as much as it calls us out of irreligion.” This statement sounds confusing. Isn’t Christianity a … [Read more...] about The Irreligious Religion of Christianity
Simple Faith
We tend to complicate faith, but faith is fairly simple. If someone asked me what it means to have saving faith in Jesus, I would say saving faith involves truly believing in Jesus (more than just intellectual assent) and is verified by a life lived for him. That sounds good, but if we're not careful, we can complicate and clutter faith by adding too many qualifiers.In … [Read more...] about Simple Faith
John Stott on Science and Theology
In his book The Birds Our Teachers, John Stott writes: "As a matter of fact, Scripture bids us...include in our interest everything God has made: 'Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them' (Psalm 111:2 NRSV). Since 'the works of the Lord' refer to his works of both creation and redemption, it seems to me that nature study and Bible study should go … [Read more...] about John Stott on Science and Theology
David Platt and Knowing the Will of God
At RelevantMagazine.com, David Platt shares a helpful excerpt on discerning the will of God from his book Follow Me. I recommend reading the whole article, but I would nonetheless suggest the article needs further clarification. In his post, Platt lists a variety of methods we use to discover God's will, and he implies these methods are not adequate. Alluding to these … [Read more...] about David Platt and Knowing the Will of God