The Christian Message

Christians have almost as many different notions about the message which they should be preaching as they do about the doctrines which underpin their faith. Some Christian ministers focus on prophecy and world events. In fact, a friend just forwarded me an article today from The New York Times by Ruth Graham about Christianity's growing preoccupation with prophecy and current events (see Christian Prophets Are on the Rise). Other ministers concentrate on preaching the "gospel" (good news), but they have wildly different opinions about what constitutes good news, their target audience and the motivation(s) behind preaching it.

As longtime readers of this blog know, the group with which I used to be affiliated (Herbert Armstrong's Worldwide Church of God) believed that they had been commissioned to "cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins" (which they believed to involve focusing on addressing the English-speaking folks of the world). Moreover, they insisted that Traditional Christianity wasn't preaching the correct gospel - that their message was much too Christ-centric in nature. Armstrong taught that the "true" gospel was a message about the Kingdom of God (similar to what Jehovah's Witnesses believe and teach).

In fact, Banned by HWA recently posted a piece about Armstrongite attitudes in this regard (see The COG is not motivated to preach to the world out of compassion). In the article, one of Armstrong's successors is quoted as saying: "The question now is, What are we to expect in the year to come? Will it be a reprieve or another year with similar drama? Bible prophecy indicates that the world will experience a crisis at the end of the age, and there are multiple signs that we are entering just such a time. Going forward we can expect many things will go wrong. There are going to be some major shocks and surprises in our very near future." The same person goes on to say: "At the same time, prophecy shows that the Gospel of the Kingdom of God will be preached in all the world, not to convert the world, but as a witness. Notice this passage in what is called the Olivet Prophecy as found in Matthew 24." In other words, many of these folks believe that it is their sole mission to explain current events in the light of Biblical prophecy and tell folks about what's going to happen next.

An anonymous commentator on the post mentioned above wrote about the implications of such notions. He/She wrote: "And if the reason for preaching is not to convert, then they must also not be motivated to preach repentance because the only reason to repent is to convert, unless I am mistaken, and it is possible to preach repentance without the purpose of converting. So, another associated core tenant is that most of the people hearing the message are not being called and therefore cannot possibly convert. What then is the point of warning the world if they cannot repent and convert??"

In response, another commentator added: "This is an astute observation, and exposes multiple problems with the approach of the COGs in preaching the gospel. If those hearing the message are not being 'called' and therefore have no chance of repentance or conversion, then how is it just to send punishment on a people who have no ability to understand or heed the 'warning' being sent out? We preach punishment and tribulation for those who do not respond to the gospel, while at the same time saying that most will not understand or heed the message we send, because God isn't choosing to call them now."

Is this, however, the commission which Christ gave to his disciples? Is the good news a message about prophecy, the person of Christ, global political realignment and government, the teachings of Christ, or some combination of all of the above?

At the end of the Gospel of Matthew, we read: "Jesus came and told his disciples, 'I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.'" (see Matthew 28:18-20) Most Christians refer to this as "The Great Commission." Notice that Christ instructed his disciples to 1) make disciples of all nations, 2) to baptize them into the Church and 3) teach them to observe the things which he had taught them to do. How does that square with the message that Armstrongites and other Christian ministers are preaching to the world?

In his epistle to the saints at Rome, the Apostle Paul described his ministry in this way: "This letter is from Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, chosen by God to be an apostle and sent out to preach his Good News. God promised this Good News long ago through his prophets in the holy Scriptures. The Good News is about his Son. In his earthly life he was born into King David’s family line, and he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord. Through Christ, God has given us the privilege and authority as apostles to tell Gentiles everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to his name." (see Romans 1:1-5) He went on to talk about "spreading the Good News about his Son" (verse 9). Paul then proceeded to tell them that he was eager to bring the Gospel to Rome (verse 15), and asserted: "For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, 'It is through faith that a righteous person has life.'" (verses 16-17)

Likewise, Paul reminded the saints of Galatia about the nature of his message. He wrote: "Jesus gave his life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live. All glory to God forever and ever! Amen. I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ. You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ." (see Galatians 1:4-7) He went on to say: "But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace. Then it pleased him  to reveal his Son to me so that I would proclaim the Good News about Jesus to the Gentiles." (verses 15-16)

From a Scriptural perspective, these verses about the "Good News" seem pretty straightforward and definitive. Unfortunately, they do not appear to align with the message(s) which some of these ministers are preaching to their audiences. What about you? Are you / Is your group - preaching the Gospel to the world?