The Gospel reloaded

From Jeff

ok, so to start off with, after becoming a christian at 14, what I was always taught and generally assumed for the next decade was that the "gospel" was some variation on the riff "Jesus died on the cross for you sins so that you could go to heaven." While it wasn't always articulated that simply, that was essentially what I assumed (or at least what I was "hearing" from people)

In University, that definition began to feel "flat". However, despite my struggles to uncover a more biblical and broader, "well-rounded" definition, it eluded me. If push came to shove, I probably would have reverted to the definition above.

Within the last 5-7 years I experienced a growing fascination with the idea that the Bible is obsessed with THIS life, not life after death, and in some ways (usually some ones), I began to take my first steps towards the paradigm I hold now.The icing on the cake for me was when I ultimately began studying writers who were well versed in first-century Judaism (especially NT Wright, Ray Vanderlaan, Brad Young, David Flusser and Paul Zanker). What all of these authors offered was a definition of Gospel which made much more sense both biblically and experientially speaking.Basically the idea is that Gospel is not a "Christian" or even "Jewish" word. It's a Roman word that is a "good news announcement" used in empire processionals/games/events to celebrate and announce the reign of Caesar (the god-king) over the (Roman) world.This context, married with the knowledge of first-century understandings of the following terms:"Salvation" = God's rescue from death, destruction."Eternal Life" = life lived in alignment with God's will and created norms"Kingdom of Heaven/God" = life under in the rule and reign of GodLeads me to a broader, more biblical, more hermeneutically sound and personally (and coporately) inspiring understanding of Gospel that I hold to today.

Gospel (rough paraphrase) = the good news that God has entroned Jesus as the Lord and Saviour of the Cosmos, and that I am invited to live under His reign, and turn from hollow imposters (the "Caesars" of this world).

What I offer to others, within this gospel at least, is of secondary significance (to say the least). This is a "Gospel of the kingdom" (Matt. 28), a good news announcement that invites me to experience salvation (ie. freedom/rescue from that which destroys my life) and eternal life (ie. life as God intends--full of goodness, beauty, justice, etc.) as I learn to live by and submit to God's reign in my life ("Kingdom of Heaven").


Kurt McClannan
Today at 1:14pm
Really good work! I'm sure I have read some of these ideas before but it is like I just couldn't understand the significance of what, at the time, seemed like pointless literary gymnastics. Until I truely felt the emptiness of the "old" definitions and the holpelessness that they led me too, I couldn't appreciate the significance that these "new" definitions held. I wish I didn't have to learn that way, but I always seem to have to get caught in the whirlpool to understand the importance of the rope being lowered to me.

Renewed faith this morning

I've been having a discussion with a friend on facebook about what the gospel is to me now that I'm stripping away my modern misunderstanding of the gospel. This is what I came up with so far...

"I think I said it about as good as I can. In the old (or modern) gospel we had all the answers and we begged people to come and hear our answers so their lives could be perfect like ours. In the new (postmodern) gospel we admit we don't have any answers and we put our faith in God our creator anyway. I think under the new gospel we decide that a relationship with our creator makes more sense than anything else and is our only hope of making any kind of sense out of life. Hopefully others see how this works out in our lives and see that as attractive and decide to seek it themselves. I THINK that is what I believe now, the new gospel.I just think the gospel can't have anything to do with pride or "correctness" but rather has to be founded in humility."



I have found a renewed interest in scripture this morning. I find that I'm always comparing my current level of faith and interest in scripture to that which I had prior to seminary, which seemed like a lifetime high. My hunger then was fueled by love and faith, for sure, but also largely by a lack of knowledge of the scriptures, something which I no longer really feel. But I do feel a renewed desire to hear from God and be reminded of what a life based in faith in Jesus Christ has as it's motives, which I want to be my motives, but I often forget, especially without the constant reminder that scripture is. Its like working with a coach. You don't need the coach because he knows things you don't know. You need the coach because he constantly reminds you to do what you already know.

A new blog

I have started a new blog called "A Post Modern Expression of Faith in Omaha." I hope to use this site as a jumping off point to gather like minded Post Modern Christian refugees together. It is less personal and more philosophical and theological. Just thought you might want to know.
www.refugeomaha.blogspot.com

Why Am I the Way I Am?

I started reading Tim Keel's Intuitive Leadership. He is making a case for understanding everything through story. To read his experiences through Highschool into ministry and then into Seminary and back out the other side is to read my story. It makes me truly understand I'm not alone nor is my story wholly unique. All of this made me think back about my families story and why I am the way I am. From one point of view I have always had trouble sticking with anyone thing for very long. I have a breadth of knowledge in many different areas. I have experienced more in my 36 years than others around me. I've struggled from time to time with whether this was a good thing or not. Focus in a persons life allows them to accomplish great feats in a single arena. I've never accomplished great feats in any one field. But I have accomplished lesser things in many different fields. As I thought about story and how it relates to all this I realized that my family background is a seeming mishmash of disconnectedness. No family story was handed down to me at all. No identity through blood. No familial calling. Was I royalty or vagabond? Was there a vocation to which I was destined? Any inherited skills that all men in our family had? Maybe this was why I was so drawn to comicbooks. They gave me a story which I could claim. A destiny and lineage which I could be proud of and attempt to live up to. If my family story is a clue to why I am who I am personally then I make sense. Jack of all trades, master of none, is the certain destiny of an adventurer with no history.