Review of “A New Kind of Christianity” (Part5)

Brian McLaren writes in “A New Kind of Christianity” that 10 questions, and the dialogue they spur, may be the key to Christians and churches better expressing the Christian faith to a postmodern culture.

#5 – The Gospel Question: What is the Gospel?

In these two chapters McLaren pits Jesus against Paul – that is, a Modern interpretation of Paul’s definition of “gospel” versus Jesus’ definition of “gospel.”  Returning to themes which appeared in the sections on authority, narrative, and the Bible, McLaren argues that most Christians today go to Romans and define gospel from that letter in ways consistent with the Greco-Roman narrative.  For them, gospel is solely or primarily a message about being justified by grace through faith so that we might go to heaven.

McLaren argues, however, that Jesus defined gospel or “good news” in terms of the “kingdom of God.”  This gospel “wasn’t simply information about how individual souls could leave earth, avoid hell, and ascend to heaven after death…” but was instead “about God’s will being done on earth as in heaven for all people.”  Tracing themes from Genesis, Exodus, and Isaiah through the Gospels, McLaren suggests that Jesus’ gospel is about 1) participating in a new genesis, a new creation that interrupts the downward spirial of violence, 2) embarking on a new exodus, experiencing liberation from earthly powers that oppress and enslave, and 3) becoming a citizen of a new kingdom imagined by the prophets and inaugurated by Christ.

McLaren then returns to Romans, reading it in light of Jesus’ view of gospel.  He shows that many of these same themes are central to Paul’s letter.

One difficulty with McLaren’s analysis is that he leans toward defining sin purely in corporate ways.  He rarely discusses sin as a personal failing.  He discusses the gospel as a way  of dealing with societal injustices and political failings rather than personal missteps.  Suddenly Wal-Mart or Evangelicals are the sinners and I am merely a victim of their sin.

That, however, is also a strength of McLaren’s.  He raises sin from purely personal to also societal.  He helps us see that sin has impacted the entire globe and the good news or gospel must be large enough to address it.  He thus also enables us to see gospel as not something solely concerned with life after death, but life before death as well.

Another strength is his determination to allow Jesus to define gospel for us.  I, for one, had long ignored Jesus’ kingdom teachings and the implications of those teachings for understanding “gospel.”

Whether you agree with McLaren’s answer to the Gospel Question, the question alone is worth wrestling with.  What is the good news of Christianity in a postmodern culture?  What is sin?  What is salvation?  These are questions many Christian groups are wrestling with today.

For example, Mars Hill Church, urged visitors to their website last year to “tweet” the gospel or summarize their view of gospel in 140 characters.  Some of the 95 entries are illuminating (though Mars Hill tends toward the kind of gospel definitions McLaren criticizes).  Christianity Today also contributed to this discussion of tweeting the gospel.

How would you tweet the gospel?