No mere slogan, gospel centrality is a legacy we’ve been entrusted to protect.
Belonging to a healthy church is a privilege no Christian should take for granted. Here, sin-sick sojourners find rest for their souls in the balm of gospel grace. We hear the Word of life proclaimed clearly and boldly, with depth and relevance, full of grace and truth. Jesus Christ has promised the local church will endure every attack sent from hell (Matt. 16:18). Here, we covenant together with our neighbors to hold one another accountable to “adorn the doctrine of God our Savior” (Tit. 2:10). We promise to share our resources so that the nations might hear the gospel. We commit to preach this good news to one another, warning each other when necessary, so that no one may ever forget what God has done for us in Christ.
Local church leaders, however, find that they may profitably partner with others outside their congregations for the support they so desperately need in fulfilling their lofty calling. They may find this encouragement in nearby environs or from their denominations, but not everyone enjoys this option. Others desire to give visibility to the universal church by working with like-minded believers who occasionally disagree on secondary matters. The evangelical parachurch has ably filled that void with unprecedented educational and publishing opportunities. Yet the right balance of agreement and disagreement has been notoriously difficult to find. How broad is too broad? How narrow is too narrow? History illustrates you can go wrong in both directions. Opt for broad, and you will spend so much time attempting to arbitrate disputes that you may lose sight of the mission. Opt for narrow, and the mission of gospel outreach may dissolve into a desperate scramble for self-preservation.
Don Carson and Tim Keller wisely considered these factors when they convened The Gospel Coalition (TGC). Surely no one can boast finding the perfect balance that alleviates all tension and still gathers together a diverse movement where members challenge one another from differing perspectives. Yet in these first four years, TGC has indeed demonstrated substantial unity amid significant diversity, rooted in shared affirmation of its Foundation Documents. Whatever else may come from TGC, I’m convinced this Confessional Statement and Theological Vision for Ministry will endure. May God be pleased to use these explanations of the gospel to build the church long after the leaders who drafted and edited them together have passed from the scene.
In my new role as editorial director of TGC, I’m excited to support this vision by telling stories about the advance of the gospel worldwide. I’m also excited to use our new media platform to provide resources that help Christians think theologically about the culture that shapes them. As with TGC Reviews, the goal is to assist Christians and the church at large by highlighting and producing trustworthy, encouraging resources. And like the biennial national conference, our website (thegospelcoalition.org) attracts a diverse collection of voices representing different communities and different giftings. “The Gospel for All of Life,” a preamble to the Confessional Statement and Theological Vision for Ministry, originally expressed these goals.
We desire to advance along the King’s highway, always aiming to provide gospel advocacy, encouragement, and education so that current- and next-generation church leaders are better equipped to fuel their ministries with principles and practices that glorify the Savior and do good to those for whom he shed his life’s blood.
While united around a particular theological vision, TGC desires to serve the broader church, calling on everyone to join this “effort to renew the contemporary church in the ancient gospel of Christ so that we truly speak and live for him in a way that clearly communicates to our age.” I’m excited that other evangelicals may join us in rejoicing over news about how the gospel flourishes around the world. And I’m excited to seize opportunities whenever possible to demonstrate for a watching, needy world where biblical Christians present a united front. We find ultimate answers to perennial questions about the human dilemma in Jesus Christ alone.
“The supreme need of all human beings is to be reconciled to the God under whose just and holy wrath we stand; the only hope of all human beings is the undeserved love of this same God, who alone can rescue us and restore us to himself,” the Confessional Statement affirms.
I’m excited because gospel centrality is no mere slogan for TGC. The good news truly animates the pastors, professors, and presidents who serve on the council. While the methods of contextualization and technology of delivering the gospel may change, the content does not. We have inherited a deposit of faith and have been called to handle it with greatest care. The Confessional Statement explains the gospel this way:
We believe that the gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ—God’s very wisdom. Utter folly to the world, even though it is the power of God to those who are being saved, this good news is christological, centering on the cross and resurrection: the gospel is not proclaimed if Christ is not proclaimed, and the authentic Christ has not been proclaimed if his death and resurrection are not central (the message is “Christ died for our sins . . . [and] was raised”). This good news is biblical (his death and resurrection are according to the Scriptures), theological and salvific (Christ died for our sins, to reconcile us to God), historical (if the saving events did not happen, our faith is worthless, we are still in our sins, and we are to be pitied more than all others), apostolic (the message was entrusted to and transmitted by the apostles, who were witnesses of these saving events), and intensely personal (where it is received, believed, and held firmly, individual persons are saved).
If we see a growing number churches more excited and motivated by this message than anything else, then I’ll be excited to consider my work for TGC a success. Then God will be glorified and more Christians will enjoy the privilege of belonging to a healthy church.
Is there enough evidence for us to believe the Gospels?
In an age of faith deconstruction and skepticism about the Bible’s authority, it’s common to hear claims that the Gospels are unreliable propaganda. And if the Gospels are shown to be historically unreliable, the whole foundation of Christianity begins to crumble.
