the gospel?

This is in a category I've called 'idiosyncratic', but it's a more important post today. It's about the core of Christianity, the gospel.

The trouble is, using the word gospel can cover over all sorts of serious problems and disagreements. All because it becomes a tag with no content, an label that's impossible to disagree with even when it's used disagreeably.

So, for example, I was at a meeting when a bloke said he was all in favour of ecumenical activity, that differences between churches need not be stressed, and that all that matters 'having the gospel in common.' Sounds good, hey?

But when interviewed in the press, he described himself as 'liberal' with regard to matters of God. Which would probably mean that he would have trouble agreeing that Jesus' death took the penalty for sin or that Jesus' tomb was empty because Jesus rose to new life. As I read the Bible, these are fundamental and irreplaceable gospel truths.

The question then becomes: what did he mean by gospel? I'm sure he was sincere in claiming the gospel is what counts, but each of us who heard this just heard the label or tag. We didn't hear him explain what he thinks the gospel is.

Or another time a guy spoke about churches helping to address the problems of drunkenness and violence on local streets. A good thing to do and helpful to local authorities, families, etc. Then he said that such activity was - I'm sure you're ahead of me here - a gospel matter. I wish I had asked how it is gospel to help drunks get taxis home or to call police at signs of street violence.

A good behaviour is not the gospel. Even if that good behaviour is done by self-identifying Christians.

The gospel is the gospel of Jesus. It's all about him. It demands a response, but the response is not God's message. God's message is that Jesus rules.

Here's a good SI test for gospel integrity:

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you— unless you believed in vain.

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.

From 1 Corinthians 15