The Hole in Our Gospel, Part II

None of us approach the gospel in a vacuum.  Good, bad or indifferent, our families, our churches, our economy, our politics, our cultures, our finances, even our versions of the Bible all color our understanding and grasp of the Christian faith.  What I have most appreciated about The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns is that it has helped me to see past some of my own ignorance and biases to the hole in my own gospel.

This is the second part of my review of The Hole in Our Gospel.  I read the last few chapters flying home from a business trip a few days ago with tears streaming down my cheeks.  I was deeply moved, profoundly touched and radically challenged.

Think about it, if the gospel becomes only a matter of faith, the gospel ceases to be the gospel.

  • Our Lord’s first miracle at the wedding in Canna would not have happened.
  • The 5,000 would have never been fed because Jesus would have only cared for their spiritual needs.
  • We would not know the parable of the good Samaritan.
  • The women with an issue of blood would have never been healed.
  • Jesus would have ignored the lepers.
  • The paralytic would have never been lowered through the roof.
  • The rich young ruler would not have turned away sorrowful.
  • There would only be one great commandment, not two.  Mark 12:28-31

If the gospel were not also a social gospel then none of those verses would have been included in the Bible and as Mr. Stearns says, “We would much rather believe that the only things needed for our salvation are saying the right words and believing the right things–not living lives that are characterized by Christ’s concern for the poor.”  Ouch!

I must admit that I was unprepared for the staggering statics of poverty and it’s impact on our world…

  • Women and children in developing countries spend two hundred million hours a day getting water
  • As many as 5 million people die every year of water-related illnesses
  • Roughly 1 of 4 children in developing countries is underweight
  • Some 350 to 400 million children are hungry
  • About 854 million people do not have enough food to sustain them
  • Approximately 25,000 people die each day of hunger or its related causes

Each of these statics should remind us of people created in the image of God and loved by him.  While there are no quick fixes, every challenge has a solution and each of us CAN make a difference.

Think you’re too poor to do anything about it?

  • “If your income is $25,000 per year, you are wealthier than approximately 90 percent of the worlds population!”
  • “If you make $50,000 per year, you’re wealthier than 99 percent of the world’s population!”

The reality is that we have the capabilities and resources to do something about the poverty, sickness and inequities in our world.  I was surprised to learn that only about 5% of American households tithe and those that do only give about 2.58%.  If every American churchgoer tithed 10% of their income, we would have an additional $168 billion to spend in funding the work of the church worldwide!  That would literally change the world.

Stearns shares the story of Fish Hoek Baptist church in South Africa.  God touched their hearts to do something practical to reach out to those who were HIV-positive.  This little church started a ministry known as Living Hope which now has an annual budget of $1.2 million with a full-time staff of 147.  He goes on to say, “by comparison the churches annual budget is just $300,000 with a staff of 10.  The AIDS ministry now dwarfs the church in size and scope”.  This little church’s ministry has become so successful that their own government has asked if they would consider taking over the running of parts of the governments health programs.  Wow!

With regards to money this little church, like the parable of the talents reminds us that:

  1. It’s not our money–it all comes from God
  2. We are not entitled to it but entrusted with it.
  3. God expects us to use it in the interest of His kingdom.

So much for the American Dream…

The bottom line is that if you and I could fully grasp the whole gospel, we could and would literally change the world–it’s economy, politics and religion.  As a country we wouldn’t have to worry about terrorism, because they would see our compassion not our might;

Blessed are the peacemakers,

For they shall be called sons of God.

…and our evangelism would be seen, not just heard.

Blessed are the pure in heart,

For they shall see God.

I think The Hole in Our Gospel should be required reading for every Christian and every college student.  If you’re interested in truth, I strongly encourage you to read The Hole in Our Gospel.  It just might change your gospel.

Go to The Hole in Our Gospel and select the link, Things You Can Do.  Choose to make a difference.

“Don’t fail to do something just because you can’t do everything.”

Bob Pierce, founder World Vision

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It’s been brought to my attention that there are a couple of very good “What’s Next” resources for The Hole in Our Gospel.

There is a companion website, Six Week Quest, that takes you through a 42-day online journal with a challenge or thought for the day on poverty & justice.  This is in addition to the resources for small groups on the site as well.

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This entry was posted on Monday, October 26th, 2009 at 6:04 AM and is filed under Faith. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.