Tethered to the Center
The Gospel Coalition kicked off in late May with little fanfare, just how organizers wanted it. Any conference headlined by D. A. Carson, Tim Keller, and John Piper would likely attract more than 500 attenders with a little publicity. But Gospel Coalition leaders chose a word-of-mouth strategy and capped attendance by hosting the two-day conference in the chapel at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS). They wanted to test their ideas on a relatively small, friendly group.
Don't let the low-key strategy fool you. This new group, spearheaded by 40 stake-holding theologians and pastors, has big goals. They want nothing less than a renewed evangelical commitment to core confessional beliefs. And they have the strategy to match their ambition.
The Gospel Coalition already boasts one hallmark achievement with its foundational documents, a confessional statement and theological call to ministry. Gospel Coalition's diverse leadership, ranging from Presbyterian pastor Phil Ryken to emerging leader Mark Driscoll, hashed out the documents in meetings over more than two years. Carson wrote the original draft of the confessional statement, while Keller penned the theological call to ministry. The confession, dense and comprehensive, addresses current trends with a positive tone meant to attract rather than condemn. But because the confession betrays a broadly Reformed perspective and expects that men lead churches and homes, it will not appeal to every evangelical. The ministry statement, on the other hand, can help all evangelicals navigate cultural challenges such as politicized faith, consumerism, and theological and moral relativism.
Bolstering the Center
Nearly every speaker during the May event expressed a sense of loss. They ...
This article is currently available to CT subscribers only.
To continue reading:
or
The Latest in Movie News, May 20, 2013
Star Trek Into Darkness
(on articles open to the public, you must at least register for a free account).
RSS
Twitter
Facebook
Newsletters
Google
Comments
Displaying 1–3 of 10 comments
See all comments
Alison
I'm absolutely thrilled.
Mrs. Donna L. Carlaw
P: As long as the confessional statement is tied to the outdated idea that women cannot serve as leaders in churches and are not equal to their husbands in providing leadership, ...> I would be interested to know why you say "outdated idea" rather than "unbiblical idea." Is male-only leadership in the church and in the home unbiblical or just outdated? If oudated, it will go the way of the Dodo bird. OTOH, if male-led homes and churches are the biblical norm, then you have a problem. I did not know that truth was a kind of popularity contest as you seem to be saying. J: The Apostle's and the Nicene Creeds are foundational in the confession of the Christian Faith. I think Protestants, particulary Evangelicals and Pentecostals need to get reacquainted with these creeds. > I'm wondering how many women were present when these Creeds were hammered out. Why these creeds especially? In what ways are you saying we have forgotten who the real Christ is?
Darren King
Postmodern developments have helped evangelicals to realize that what many once considered "a biblical view" was really just a systematic reading of scripture based on one particular view. This is the reason why Carson and gang's perspective on evangelicalism is waning. They are simply defending their one, subjective reading of the scriptures and calling this "Evangelical Christianity". Others, realizing this subjective underpinning, have chosen to see the text more as a living narrative; a narrative that needs to be contextualized (read: "tethered") within 2000 years of Christian history, not merely the last few centuries of the modern era.