Replacing the Gospel with the Periphery
This a summary of a point made by D.A. Carson in a lecture given in 1994:
Carson says that it takes three generations to completely replace the passion for the gospel with a passion for the things on the periphery (such as the abortion issue, poverty, etc). The generation of the early 1900's had theological differences but their passion was still the gospel. They were passionate about substitutionary atonement, the inerrancy of Scripture, and the Diety of Christ. Carson then says that we have moved into a new generation where if you ask someone if they believe in these same things they will say yes , but when you probe them and find out where their passion is, it is not precisely with the gospel anymore. It is with the abortion issue, or homeschooling, or womens ordination. He then makes it very clear that these are important issues that should not be ignored, but if we lose the center, we lose everything. "We have a move toward a kind of evangelicalism that assumes the gospel but is passionately focused on one or more things on the periphery: single issue Christians. And then you are only one generation from displacing the gospel with the peripheries."
Carson's point is profound, especially since it came twelve years ago. In this new age of the "social gospel," we drift futher and further from the Christ-centered gospel that is so evident in the fourth and fifth chapters of Revelation. While social action is extremely important for Christians, it cannot be mistaken for the gospel.
"Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and glory and blessing." -- Rev. 5:12
If anyone is interested in listening to a two-part lecture by D.A. Carson on those chapters, here are the links taken from Monergism.com http://www.careyconference.net/audio/1994-carson/1994-1-Carson-ATranscendantGod.mp3
http://www.careyconference.net/audio/1994-carson/1994-1-Carson-ATranscendantGod.mp3
Carson says that it takes three generations to completely replace the passion for the gospel with a passion for the things on the periphery (such as the abortion issue, poverty, etc). The generation of the early 1900's had theological differences but their passion was still the gospel. They were passionate about substitutionary atonement, the inerrancy of Scripture, and the Diety of Christ. Carson then says that we have moved into a new generation where if you ask someone if they believe in these same things they will say yes , but when you probe them and find out where their passion is, it is not precisely with the gospel anymore. It is with the abortion issue, or homeschooling, or womens ordination. He then makes it very clear that these are important issues that should not be ignored, but if we lose the center, we lose everything. "We have a move toward a kind of evangelicalism that assumes the gospel but is passionately focused on one or more things on the periphery: single issue Christians. And then you are only one generation from displacing the gospel with the peripheries."
Carson's point is profound, especially since it came twelve years ago. In this new age of the "social gospel," we drift futher and further from the Christ-centered gospel that is so evident in the fourth and fifth chapters of Revelation. While social action is extremely important for Christians, it cannot be mistaken for the gospel.
"Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and glory and blessing." -- Rev. 5:12
If anyone is interested in listening to a two-part lecture by D.A. Carson on those chapters, here are the links taken from Monergism.com http://www.careyconference.net/audio/1994-carson/1994-1-Carson-ATranscendantGod.mp3
http://www.careyconference.net/audio/1994-carson/1994-1-Carson-ATranscendantGod.mp3
