Are we afraid of the Gospel? Not too long ago I read an article about the modern, evangelical church being Gospel cowards. The premise of the article is that we want a tame gospel, one that does not challenge the status quo, one that allows us to keep all of our cultural traditions without demanding a radical worldview.
It is so easy to become like the Pharisees without even realizing it. The Pharisees of the New Testament times were the true conservatives of their day and in many ways like much of the church of our day. They were orthodox in their theology, politically lined up to the right and pious in their behavior.
The problem was that they had misunderstood theology, had an incorrect worldview and were legalistic in their daily lives.
How much of our Christianity is gospel based and gospel driven and how much of it is based on the cultural traditions of our time and driven by a political agenda that may or may not be Christ centered?
Answering these questions is far more complicated than they appear at first glance. We all have a tendency to shy away from any self-examination that would challenge our cherished traditions and beliefs. It is easy for me to examine someone else’s life and tell them where they are in step with the world but much more difficult for me to recognize my own tendency to compromise the gospel to keep my “sacred cows” from being made into hamburger.
Our gospel is safe. The Gospel is dangerous and radical. It is time that we cease to be gospel cowards.
