What is the Gospel? (Part 2)

Scot McKnight asked a while ago whether the gospel was misunderstood by rank and file evangelicals.  He specifically pointed to Luke 4:18-19 which speaks about the poor, about captives, about the oppressed.  The suggestion was that for most evangelicals the gospel is defined in terms of “personal salvation”, where we are individually saved from our own sins and benefit as individuals in a spiritual sense, when the more “robust” gospel is about the “kingdom” here and now, righting of wrongs, healing of wounds, mercy, justice and liberty.  

It is  not my intention to hammer Dr. McKnight, but to push back on the emphasis.  The so-called "soterian" gospel of personal salvation is indeed worthy of some scrutiny.  But so is a gospel that suggests that the effects of grace in the here and now should be the primary focal point of "gospel".(More)

What is the Gospel?

Back to theological issues, I've been observing from a distance discussions about the meaning of the Gospel in evangelical circles.  Everybody talks about "the gospel" in evangelical circles, but like a lot of words or phrases that are used again and again, there is an assumption that everybody agrees on what the term means.  So I think the discussion itself is not a bad idea.  (More)