In his book, Prophetic Untimeliness, author, Os Guinness makes the following important observation.
“Emphasize only the natural fit between the gospel
and the spirit of our age and we will have an easy, comfortable gospel that is
closer to our age than to the gospel—all answers to human aspirations, for
example, and no mention of self-denial and sacrifice. But emphasize the
difficult, the obscure, and even the repellant themes of the gospel, certain
that they too are relevant even though we don’t know how, and we will remain
true to the full gospel. And, surprisingly, we will be relevant not only to our
own generation but also to the next, and the next, and the next.”
Our local ELCA congregation was suffering from the same problem. When I asked their pastor what he thought about penal substitution he respond, "What's that?" Nothing is more counter-cultural than a gospel focused on penal substitution.
On the contrary, to the degree that a church is counter-cultural it will be strong, vibrant, and relevant. It will be filled with young and old, black and white, all set apart from the world, committed to the gospel, and willing to make large sacrifices to see it extended.
Labels: Church, Gospel, theology