Wednesday, 18 February, 2004

We continue a devotional journey focused around portions of Carl E. Braaten’s book “Justification.”



Braaten writes that a theology of the gospel can be developed only within a cluster of supporting concepts. This week will look at a few.

There are other alienating concepts that must be introduced to make the gospel qua gospel stand out. Not only the law but such negative symbols as sin and Satan, wrath and hell, in whatever modern idiom, must be preached to put starch into the gospel. The twin process of demythologizing and psychologizing has ferreted these terms out of common usage.

We hardly know how to speak of the realities to which they point. But this we can say: If the gospel is not placed in bold relief against the background of the demonic, sin, wrath, and hell, it degenerates into a sweet message of positive thinking.



We too quickly dismiss the reality of evil and the many shapes in which it comes into our lives. Maybe one way to stress its reality is to note that anything that is contrary to the love of God stands as some other reality…and is not the gospel. Right away I thought of the many ways some people attempt to sell the gospel as an instrument of fear and threat as though we can scare/frighten people into “believing in Jesus.” That, is a powerful example of something…a power…a way…that is contrary to the gospel. The way we know the gospel and its power and its vision is to place it next to the voice of a fear mongering evangelist that attempts to turn the gospel into something it is not. That attempt to turn the gospel into that which it is not (fear based rather than grace based) is to face the reality of hell in its most active and aggressive position. The gospel stands in direct contrast to such power.



Connection: Alright, I’ll say it. Those “Left Behind” books use gospel language to sell fear and turn the Reign of God into the same old us verses them…and “us” is right. The whole concept of the rapture with its built in fear mongering is anti-gospel. And we need to say it and see how it can help us see what the gospel really is.



Lord God, take us within your arms and shield us from the powers of evil that attempt to dress up in the words of faith as they sew seeds of fear and anxiety and division and try to make your word of grace something less than it is. Amen.