Taking Back Christianese #2: “Preach the Gospel; If Necessary, Use Words”
In American evangelicalism over the last decade, there has been a resurgence of interest in what might be called “deed” ministry. Christians should not be concerned only about evangelism, it is argued, but also about caring for the practical, day-to-day needs of our unbelieving neighbors.
This sentiment is captured in a phrase that is being used more and more these days: “Preach the Gospel; if necessary, use words.” This is the next installment in the “Taking Back Christianese” series originally announced here.
Our purpose in this post (as in all the posts in this series) is simply to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of this phrase. We will do … Continue reading...
Social Justice and the Gospel: What is the Core Mission of the Church?
There has been much talk in the last number of years regarding the role of mercy ministry (advocating for social justice) in the life of the local church. I have addressed that issue in a number of previous posts, including this one here. In addition, I recently led a faculty forum–an informal discussion time between students and faculty–on the topic here on the RTS Charlotte campus.
In that faculty forum, I acknowledged the legitimacy of doing “mercy ministry” in the local church. After all, Christians should be known for acts of kindness and grace. Indeed, in my own research on second-century Christianity it was clear that the early believers … Continue reading...
Is Our Mercy Ministry Christ-Centered?
Over the last few years, at least in my denomination (PCA), there has been a lot of talk regarding the importance of making sure that our ministries are “Christ-centered” or “Gospel-centered” in their main thrust. After all, we don’t want ministries that are just about moralism or doing good works; we want ministries that are about grace and the cross.
This “Christ-centered” focus is particularly evident when it comes to how we preach. We don’t want our preaching to turn into just the standard “do” sermons that invite a moralism that undermines the truths of the gospel. The center of our preaching must always be the redemptive work of Christ.… Continue reading...