This is not an outline of our doctrinal beliefs (see the Confessional Statement),
but a statement of how we intend to discharge Christian ministry and interact with
our culture in biblical and theological faithfulness.
I. How should we respond to the cultural crisis of
truth? (The epistemological issue)
For several hundred years, since the dawning of the Enlightenment, it was widely
agreed that truth—expressed in words that substantially correspond to reality—does
indeed exist and can be known. Unaided human reason, it was thought, is able to know
truth objectively. More recently, postmodernism has critiqued this set of
assumptions, contending that we are not in fact objective in our pursuit of
knowledge, but rather interpret information through our personal experiences,
self–interests, emotions, cultural prejudices, language limitations, and relational
communities. The claim to objectivity is arrogant, postmodernism tells us, and
inevitably leads to conflicts between communities with differing opinions as to
where the truth lies. Such arrogance, they say explains, in part, many of the
injustices and wars of the modern era. Yet postmodernism’s response is dangerous in
another way: its most strident voices insist that claims to objective truth be
replaced by a more humbly “tolerant” and inclusively diverse subjective pluralism—a
pluralism often mired in a swamp that cannot allow any firm ground for “the faith
that was once for all entrusted to the saints.” Such a stance has no place for truth
that corresponds to reality, but merely an array of subjectively shaped truths. How
shall we respond to this cultural crisis of truth?
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We affirm that truth is correspondence to reality. We believe the Holy Spirit
who inspired the words of the apostles and prophets also indwells us so that we
who have been made in the image of God can receive and understand the words of
Scripture revealed by God, and grasp that Scripture’s truths correspond to
reality. The statements of Scripture are true, precisely because they are God’s
statements, and they correspond to reality even though our knowledge of those
truths (and even our ability to verify them to others) is always necessarily
incomplete. The Enlightenment belief in thoroughly objective knowledge made an
idol out of unaided human reason. But to deny the possibility of purely
objective knowledge does not mean the loss of truth that corresponds to
objective reality, even if we can never know such truth without an element of
subjectivity. See CS–(2).
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We affirm that truth is conveyed by Scripture. We believe that Scripture is
pervasively propositional and that all statements of Scripture are completely
true and authoritative. But the truth of Scripture cannot be exhausted in a
series of propositions. It exists in the genres of narrative, metaphor, and
poetry which are not exhaustively distillable into doctrinal propositions, yet
they convey God’s will and mind to us so as to change us into his likeness.
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We affirm that truth is correspondence of life to God. Truth is not only a
theoretical correspondence but also a covenantal relationship. The biblical
revelation is not just to be known, but to be lived (Deut 29:29). The purpose of
the Bible is to produce wisdom in us—a life wholly submitted to God’s reality.
Truth, then, is correspondence between our entire lives and God’s heart, words
and actions, through the mediation of the Word and Spirit. To eliminate the
propositional nature of biblical truth seriously weakens our ability to hold,
defend, and explain the gospel. But to speak of truth only as propositions
weakens our appreciation of the incarnate Son as the Way, the Truth, and the
Life, and the communicative power of narrative and story, and the importance of
truth as living truly in correspondence to God.
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How this vision of truth shapes us.
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We adopt a “chastened” correspondence–theory of truth that is less
triumphalistic than that of some in the older evangelicalism. But we
also reject a view of truth that sees truth as nothing more than the
internally coherent language of a particular faith–community. So we
maintain, with what we hope is appropriate humility, the principle of
sola Scriptura.
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Though truth is propositional, it is not only something to be believed,
but also to be received in worship and practiced in wisdom. This balance
shapes our understanding of discipleship and preaching. We want to
encourage a passion for sound doctrine, but we know that Christian
growth is not simply cognitive information transfer. Christian growth
occurs only when the whole life is shaped by Christian practices in
community—including prayer, baptism, the Lord’s Supper, fellowship, and
the public ministry of the Word.
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Our theoretical knowledge of God’s truth is only partial even when
accurate, but we nevertheless can have certainty that what the Word
tells us is true (Luke 1:4). It is through the power of the Holy Spirit
that we receive the words of the gospel in full assurance and conviction
(1 Thess 1:5).
II. How should we read the Bible? (The
hermeneutical issue)
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Reading “along” the whole Bible. To read along the whole Bible is to discern the
single basic plot–line of the Bible as God’s story of redemption (e.g., Luke
24:44) as well as the themes of the Bible (e.g., covenant, kingship, temple)
that run through every stage of history and every part of the canon, climaxing
in Jesus Christ. In this perspective, the gospel appears as creation, fall,
redemption, restoration. It brings out the purpose of salvation, namely, a
renewed creation. As we confess in CS–(1), [God] providentially brings about his
eternal good purposes to redeem a people for himself and restore his fallen
creation, to the praise of his glorious grace.
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Reading “across” the whole Bible. To read across the whole Bible is to collect
its declarations, summons, promises, and truth–claims into categories of thought
(e.g., theology, Christology, eschatology) and arrive at a coherent
understanding of what it teaches summarily (e.g., Luke 24:46–47). In this
perspective, the gospel appears as God, sin, Christ, faith. It brings out the
means of salvation, namely the substitutionary work of Christ and our
responsibility to embrace it by faith. As we confess in CS–(7), Jesus Christ
acted as our representative and substitute, so that in him we might become the
righteousness of God.
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How this reading of the Bible shapes us
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Many today (but not all) who major in the first of these two ways of
reading the Bible—that is, reading along the whole Bible—dwell on the
more corporate aspects of sin and salvation. The cross is seen mainly as
an example of sacrificial service and a defeat of worldly powers rather
than substitution and propitiation for our sins. Ironically, this
approach can be very legalistic. Instead of calling people to individual
conversion through a message of grace, people are called to join the
Christian community and kingdom program of what God is doing to liberate
the world. The emphasis is on Christianity as a way of life to the loss
of a blood–bought status in Christ received through personal faith. In
this imbalance there is little emphasis on vigorous evangelism and
apologetics, on expository preaching, and on the marks and importance of
conversion/the new birth.
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On the other hand, the older evangelicalism (though not all of it)
tended to read across the Bible. As a result it was more
individualistic, centering almost completely on personal conversion and
safe passage to heaven. Also, its preaching, though expository, was
sometimes moralistic and did not emphasize how all biblical themes
climax in Christ and his work. In this imbalance there is little or no
emphasis on the importance of the work of justice and mercy for the poor
and the oppressed, and on cultural production that glorifies God in the
arts, business, etc.
- We do not believe that in best practice these two ways of reading the
Bible are at all contradictory, even though today, many pit them against
each other. We believe that on the contrary the two, at their best, are
integral for grasping the meaning of the biblical gospel. The gospel is
the declaration that through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ,
God has come to reconcile individuals by his grace and renew the whole
world by and for his glory.
III. How should we relate to the culture around us?
(The contextualization issue)
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By being a counter–culture. We want to be a church that not only gives support
to individual Christians in their personal walks with God, but one that also
shapes them into the alternative human society God creates by his Word and
Spirit. (See below, point 5c.)
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For the common good. It is not enough that the church should counter the values
of the dominant culture. We must be a counter–culture for the common good. We
want to be radically distinct from the culture around us and yet, out of that
distinct identity, we should sacrificially serve neighbors and even enemies,
working for the flourishing of people, both here and now, and in eternity. We
therefore do not see our corporate worship services as the primary connecting
point with those outside. Rather, we expect to meet our neighbors as we work for
their peace, security, and well–being, loving them in word and deed. If we do
this we will be “salt” and “light” in the world (sustaining and improving living
conditions, showing the world the glory of God by our patterns of living; Matt
5:13–16). As the Jewish exiles were called to love and work for the shalom of
Babylon (Jer 29:7), Christians too are God’s people “in exile” (1 Peter 1:1;
James 1:1). The citizens of God’s city should be the best possible citizens of
their earthly city (Jer 29:4–7). We are neither overly optimistic nor
pessimistic about our cultural influence, for we know that, as we walk in the
steps of the One who laid down his life for his opponents, we will receive
persecution even while having social impact (1 Peter 2:12).
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How this relationship to culture shapes us.
- We believe that every expression of Christianity is necessarily and
rightly contextualized, to some degree, to particular human culture;
there is no such thing as a universal a–historical expression of
Christianity. But we never want to be so affected by our culture that we
compromise gospel truths. How then do we keep our balance?
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The answer is that we cannot “contextualize” the gospel in the abstract,
as a thought experiment. If a church seeks to be a counter–culture for
people’s temporal and eternal good, it will guard itself against both
the legalism that can accompany undue cultural withdrawal and the
compromise that comes with over–adaptation. If we seek service rather
than power, we may have significant cultural impact. But if we seek
direct power and social control, we will, ironically, be assimilated
into the very idolatries of wealth, status, and power we seek to change.
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The gospel itself holds the key to appropriate contextualization. If we
over–contextualize, it suggests that we want too much the approval of
the receiving culture. This betrays a lack of confidence in the gospel.
If we under–contextualize, it suggests that we want the trappings of our
own sub–culture too much. This betrays a lack of gospel humility and a
lack of love for our neighbor.
IV. In what ways is the gospel unique?
This gospel fills Christians with humility and hope, meekness and boldness, in a
unique way. The biblical gospel differs markedly from traditional religions as well
as from secularism. Religions operate on the principle: “I obey, therefore I am
accepted,” but the gospel principle is: “I am accepted through Christ, therefore I
obey.” So the gospel differs from both irreligion and religion. You can seek to be
your own “lord and savior” by breaking the law of God, but you can also do so by
keeping the law in order to earn your salvation.
Irreligion and secularism tend to inflate self–encouraging, uncritical,
“self–esteem”; religion and moralism crush people under guilt from ethical standards
that are impossible to maintain. The gospel, however, humbles and affirms us at the
same time, since, in Christ, each of us is simultaneously just, and a sinner still.
At the same time, we are more flawed and sinful than we ever dared believe, yet we
are more loved and accepted than we ever dared hope.
Secularism tends to make people selfish and individualistic. Religion and morality in
general tend to make people tribal and self–righteous toward other groups (since
their salvation has, they think, been earned by their achievement). But the gospel
of grace, centered on a man dying for us while we were his enemies, removes
self–righteousness and selfishness and turns its members to serve others both for
the temporal flourishing of all people, especially the poor, and for their
salvation. It moves us to serve others irrespective of their merits, just as Christ
served us (Mark 10:45).
Secularism and religion conform people to behavioral norms through fear (of
consequences) and pride (a desire for self–aggrandizement). The gospel moves people
to holiness and service out of grateful joy for grace, and out of love of the glory
of God for who he is in himself.
V. What is gospel–centered ministry?
It is characterized by:
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Empowered corporate worship.
The gospel changes our relationship with God from one of hostility or slavish
compliance to one of intimacy and joy. The core dynamic of gospel–centered
ministry is therefore worship and fervent prayer. In corporate worship God’s
people receive a special life–transforming sight of the worth and beauty of God,
and then give back to God suitable expressions of his worth. At the heart of
corporate worship is the ministry of the Word. Preaching should be expository
(explaining the text of Scripture) and Christ–centered (expounding all biblical
themes as climaxing in Christ and his work of salvation). Its ultimate goal,
however, is not simply to teach but to lead the hearers to worship, individual
and corporate, that strengthens their inner being to do the will of God.
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Evangelistic effectiveness.
Because the gospel (unlike religious moralism) produces people who do not
disdain those who disagree with them, a truly gospel–centered church should be
filled with members who winsomely address people’s hopes and aspirations with
Christ and his saving work. We have a vision for a church that sees conversions
of rich and poor, highly educated and less educated, men and women, old and
young, married and single, and all races. We hope to draw highly secular and
postmodern people, as well as reaching religious and traditional people. Because
of the attractiveness of its community and the humility of its people, a
gospel–centered church should find people in its midst who are exploring and
trying to understand Christianity. It must welcome them in hundreds of ways. It
will do little to make them “comfortable” but will do much to make its message
understandable. In addition to all this, gospel–centered churches will have a
bias toward church planting as one of the most effective means of evangelism
there is.
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Counter–cultural community.
Because the gospel removes both fear and pride, people should get along inside
the church who could never get along outside. Because it points us to a man who
died for his enemies, the gospel creates relationships of service rather than of
selfishness. Because the gospel calls us to holiness, the people of God live in
loving bonds of mutual accountability and discipline. Thus the gospel creates a
human community radically different from any society around it. Regarding sex,
the church should avoid both the secular society’s idolization of sex and
traditional society’s fear of it. It is a community which so loves and cares
practically for its members that biblical chastity makes sense. It teaches its
members to conform their bodily being to the shape of the gospel—abstinence
outside of heterosexual marriage and fidelity and joy within. Regarding the
family, the church should affirm the goodness of marriage between a man and a
woman, calling them to serve God by reflecting his covenant love in life–long
loyalty, and by teaching his ways to their children. But it also affirms the
goodness of serving Christ as singles, whether for a time or for a life. The
church should surround all persons suffering from the fallenness of our human
sexuality with a compassionate community and family. Regarding money, the
church’s members should engage in radical economic sharing with one another—so
“there are no needy among them” (Acts 4:34). Such sharing also promotes a
radically generous commitment of time, money, relationships, and living space to
social justice and the needs of the poor, the oppressed, the immigrant, and the
economically and physically weak. Regarding power, it is visibly committed to
power–sharing and relationship–building among races, classes, and generations
that are alienated outside of the Body of Christ. The practical evidence of this
is that our local churches increasingly welcome and embrace people of all races
and cultures. Each church should seek to reflect the diversity of its local
geographical community, both in the congregation at large and in its leadership.
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The integration of faith and work.
The good news of the Bible is not only individual forgiveness but the renewal of
the whole creation. God put humanity in the garden to cultivate the material
world for his own glory and for the flourishing of nature and the human
community. The Spirit of God not only converts individuals (e.g., John 16:8) but
also renews and cultivates the face of the earth (e.g., Gen 1:2; Psalm 104:30).
Therefore Christians glorify God not only through the ministry of the Word, but
also through their vocations of agriculture, art, business, government,
scholarship—all for God’s glory and the furtherance of the public good. Too many
Christians have learned to seal off their faith–beliefs from the way they work
in their vocation. The gospel is seen as a means of finding individual peace and
not as the foundation of a worldview—a comprehensive interpretation of reality
affecting all that we do. But we have a vision for a church that equips its
people to think out the implications of the gospel on how we do carpentry,
plumbing, data–entry, nursing, art, business, government, journalism,
entertainment, and scholarship. Such a church will not only support Christians’
engagement with culture, but will also help them work with distinctiveness,
excellence, and accountability in their trades and professions. Developing
humane yet creative and excellent business environments out of our understanding
of the gospel is part of the work of bringing a measure of healing to God’s
creation in the power of the Spirit. Bringing Christian joy, hope, and truth to
embodiment in the arts is also part of this work. We do all of this because the
gospel of God leads us to it, even while we recognize that the ultimate
restoration of all things awaits the personal and bodily return of our Lord
Jesus Christ (CS–[13]).
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The doing of justice and mercy.
God created both soul and body, and the resurrection of Jesus shows that he is
going to redeem both the spiritual and the material. Therefore God is concerned
not only for the salvation of souls but also for the relief of poverty, hunger,
and injustice. The gospel opens our eyes to the fact that all our wealth (even
wealth for which we worked hard) is ultimately an unmerited gift from God.
Therefore the person who does not generously give away his or her wealth to
others is not merely lacking in compassion, but is unjust. Christ wins our
salvation through losing, achieves power through weakness and service, and comes
to wealth through giving all away. Those who receive his salvation are not the
strong and accomplished but those who admit they are weak and lost. We cannot
look at the poor and the oppressed and callously call them to pull themselves
out of their own difficulty. Jesus did not treat us that way. The gospel
replaces superiority toward the poor with mercy and compassion. Christian
churches must work for justice and peace in their neighborhoods through service
even as they call individuals to conversion and the new birth. We must work for
the eternal and common good and show our neighbors we love them sacrificially
whether they believe as we do or not. Indifference to the poor and disadvantaged
means there has not been a true grasp of our salvation by sheer grace.
Conclusion
The ministry we have outlined is relatively rare. There are many seeker–driven
churches that help many people find Christ. There are many churches seeking to
engage the culture through political activism. There is a fast–growing charismatic
movement with emphasis on glorious, passionate, corporate worship. There are many
congregations with strong concern for doctrinal rigor and purity and who work very
hard to keep themselves separate from the world. There are many churches with a
radical commitment to the poor and marginalized.
We do not, however, see enough individual churches that embody the full, integrative
gospel balance we have outlined here. And while, in God’s grace, there is an
encouraging number of bright spots in the church, we see no broad movement yet of
this gospel–centered ministry. We believe such a balance will produce churches with
winsome and theologically substantial preaching, dynamic evangelism and apologetics,
and church growth and church planting. They will emphasize repentance, personal
renewal, and holiness of life. At the same time, and in the same congregations,
there will be engagement with the social structures of ordinary people, and cultural
engagement with art, business, scholarship, and government. There will be calls for
radical Christian community in which all members share wealth and resources and make
room for the poor and the marginalized. These priorities will all be combined and
will mutually strengthen one another in each local church.
What could lead to a growing movement of gospel–centered churches? The ultimate
answer is that God must, for his own glory, send revival in response to the fervent,
extraordinary, prevailing prayer of his people. But we believe there are also
penultimate steps to take. There is great hope if we can unite on the nature of
truth, how best to read the Bible, on our relationship to culture, on the content of
the gospel, and on the nature of gospel–centered ministry. We believe that such
commitments will drive us afresh toward Scripture, toward the Christ of Scripture,
toward the gospel of Christ, and we will begin to grow in our ability, by God’s
grace, as churches, to “act in line with the truth of the gospel” (Gal 2:14). We are
ashamed of our sins and failures, grateful beyond measure for forgiveness, and eager
to see afresh the glory of God and embody conformity to his Son.
