imagining how the church can reorient around mission

A multi-faceted Gospel (i.e. the “good news” is not as monolithic as we often make it) « Stirrings

I have been preparing for Christian Associates’ 2nd annual North American conference called “Connect.”  On Saturday morning at Connect, our 80 or so participants will wrestle with how we “embody the gospel communally.” The premise is that we default to expressing the good news in quite individualistic fashion, making it harder for normal people to really comprehend the beauty and breadth of God’s message in Christ for the world. The gospel is most clearly understand when embodied by communities that believe it and act as signs, foretastes and instruments of the now-and-not-yet Kingdom of God (as the great missiologist Lesslie Newbigin reminds us).

via dansteigerwald4ca.wordpress.com

A great blog by my friend and colleague, Dan Steigerwald.  He draws heavily from a short essay from Tim Keller as he addresses the many facets of the Gospel.

Let me know know what you think.

2 Responses

  1. Mark – that is a fantastic story. Thanks for sharing it. I am so glad that are people like you demonstrating the Kingdom to the “least of these.”
    Peace!

  2. A few years back some malcontent’s and I ran a little art group in Govan in Glasgow for the local kids. Govan has a rich history but it suffered from the decline of heavy industry and has been for many years one of the “forgotten places of the empire”. Our rational was simple – love these kids, some with problems that would sink strong men, like Christ. Yeah, there were first time decisions and prayer for all the kids. However the gospel looked more like the creative protests we got the kids into. I think of one; the kids made posters based on how we are different but them same. I remember little Gemmas’ slogan – ‘we are family. We are all different.’. She had recently lost her mother, on the same poster she wrote “life is like fighting a lion, but courage will get you through”. We took these child-like truths to the street and pasted them over gang menchies (slogans). If the gospel ‘saves’ it had to save our kids from the lure of gang culture. I wonder how many other facets of salvation we may neglect in our pursuit of the gospel?