Gospel Prism

Tim Keller spoke at plenary session 3. I must say that I will definitely need to listen to this message again because there is so much to digest. SO this summary will definitely not be as cohesive as it should be. But I’ll try to do the best I can. I would say though that this is definitely worth listening to when it comes out on MP3.

Introduction

Tim Keller began by speaking on Martyn Lloyd Jones (MLJ) and his influence. In MLJ’s lecture on Mark 9, Jesus casts demon out of young boy. The disciples asked, “Why couldn’t we cast out the demon?� MLJ noted that the demon was too deep for things to be cast out in the ordinary way.

The Western world is now the mission field. It is an ex-Christian mission field. The Western culture has been inoculated from Christianity. MLJ says something has happened, so what won’t work any more is the evangelistic campaign.

In Richard Fletcher’s book The Barbarian Invasion, each nation was Christianized by the monks. During that time, evangelism was a long and drawn out process. Then in the1500s, things changed. Almost all of Europe and its culture was based on Christianity. No one doubted the Bible. Thus, MLJ was right. After 1500 AD, all evangelism was a program. It wasn’t personal for people. They had Christian consciences but they didn’t have a Christian heart. Something had changed and now the demon is further and too deep.

In MLJ’s time in London, this deeper demon where no longer ordinary evangelism would work, was in existence. Flannery O’Conner noted that there were pockets of Christ-haunted people, who aren’t Christianized but have a cultural memory that is fairly long. Thus, you can still grow a church based on good preaching and music. On one hand, the “old evangelism� still works. Billy Graham honed the crusade evangelism. But now, nobody thinks evangelism is heading towards that direction. Later, people were trained in evangelism programs.

By the 90s, the evangelism magic bullet was the seeker service. Today, the magic bullet is the alpha program, although it has something right in the processes. But the demon is still too deep.

The Gospel has to recapture evangelism or it won’t work any more. The demon is too deep and only the Gospel can dig it out..

Postmodern problems

Here are the postmodern problems:

1. Truth problem – All truth claims are restraints and power plays.
2. Guilt problem – Most of the Gospel presentations assume a consciousness of guilt. Assumes the listener ought to be good.
3. Meaning problem – They don’t believe texts or words get meaning across. Who’s to say the meaning is correct.

6 Points to an Approach (Jonah Case Study)

Thus, the approach to these problems must be six-fold:

Gospel Theologizing (Jonah 1:1)
The Gospel was often thought of as the basic minimum and theology was the advanced stuff. Especially in the postmodern society, all theology must be nothing less than an exposition of the Gospel. Mark Thompson writes in A Clear and Present Word that the meaning of texts is indeterminate. He bases a view of human language as Gospel based. For example, for someone like Jonathan Edwards, the Gospel starts with God, and in the Triune God, they are eternally happy because they are constantly giving glory to one another. Why then does God create a world? Not to get adoration, because He already has this. But he creates the world to spread the delight he had. You cannot give of yourself without language. Hence, Jesus is the Word. Jesus always speaks the Gospel. Human language brings people to God in Christ.

The whole purpose of human language then is the Gospel. In a postmodern modern society, they will not let us get away from a theology that is not an exposition of the Gospel.

We also have to work on our Gospel presentation. There are few Gospel presentations that speak to PM people. There is no story arc. There is a systematic theology but no biblical theology. The narrative arc was not part of the Gospel presentation. Thus, the Gospel presentation was often consumeristic. Lordship above life for the PM is not part of the Gospel presentation.

For liberals and redemption it’s all about the Kingdom. There is a heavy emphasis on the corporate and the Kingdom, but there is a loss on the emphasis on grace versus works, substitutionary atonement, and the wrath of God. In the end, what dominates is liberal legalism. We need user friendly Gospel presents that merge systematic theology and biblical theology.

Gospel Realizing (Jonah 2)
At the bottom of the fish, Jonah says, “Salvation is of the Lord.� He did know that what he needed most was the Gospel. If you think you have understood the Gospel, you don’t. If you feel as though you do not know the Gospel, you do. That’s why Jonah realized this in the belly.

Religion gives you control, that’s why this is so popular. If I was saved by my works, I have control. But if I am saved by grace, there is no limit to what he can ask of me. I know that to a degree, and I still don’t believe the Gospel. That’s the reason why in general, people are selfish and scared. Because we are justified by power or approval and not by Jesus.
Revival is not composed of programs. MLJ says that revival is when corporately people are struck with the Gospel concurrently in a massive way. They don’t just believe it, but they understand it existentially. How do we account for incredible servant hearts? People finally get it when salvation IS of the Lord. People don’t just go through the motions.

Gospel Urbanization
God tells Jonah, “How can you not come to this city where there are so many people?â€?
The reason the Jews became as influential as they were was because they became light in Babylon. If the cities are secular and the countryside Christian, the culture goes secular. Evangelical churches are the least urban. In cities, we need to bring together what is good about the bourgeois and what is good about the Bohemians

Gospel Communication
There are 4 stages you have to take people through who nothing about the Gospel.

a. Intelligibility

Worldview evangelism – Acts 17 – Some people might view this as a failure of evangelism. With people who don’t know what God means and what sin means, there are going to absolutely misunderstand you go through it like that. Acts 17, Paul lays out a biblical view of God. He creates a Christian worldview. People need to clearly perceive what people are giving them.

b. Credibility

The area of the defeaters – Belief A makes belief B impossible. There can’t just be one true religion. Everyone should be able to decide right and wrong from each other. If you don’t deal with defeater beliefs, people’s eyes will glaze over. What you say doesn’t sound credible to them. .

c. Plausibility

In intelligibility and credibility, you’re trying to show the non-negotiable of the Gospel. But when you get to plausibility, that’s when you get into their hopes. Whose exclusive views will lead to peace in this earth? At the heart of my exclusive views, is a man who dies for His enemies. I am not saved for moral superiority. The Gospel makes me want to serves them because Jesus died for His enemies.

Gospel Formation
MLJ notes that when Jacob wrestled with God, you knew you met God if you had a limp.

Gospel Incarnation
Jonah is a setup for Jeremiah 29. God says to the exiles, “I want you to move into this city and work for the prosperity of this city. Use the resources that you’ve got to make the city well.�

Jonah went to the city but didn’t love the city. It is crucial need to here us talk assuredly about truth. But it is also very important for non-Christians to know that we know what it feels like not to believe.

SAM: I know these last two points are lacking here. I think I just sat there and listened. Boy did Tim Keller talk fast. But oh well, there is much food for thought and well worth the time.