The Subtle Danger of An Imprecise Gospel -- By: Robert N. Wilkin

Journal: Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society
Volume: JOTGES 10:1 (Spring 1997)
Article: The Subtle Danger of An Imprecise Gospel
Author: Robert N. Wilkin


The Subtle Danger of An Imprecise Gospel

Robert N. Wilkin

Associate Editor
Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society

I. Introduction

As readers of JOTGES are fully aware, I am not in agreement with Lordship Salvation’s view of the gospel. Yet there are issues (such as: the deity of Christ, inerrancy, the sanctity of marriage, and calling believers to holiness) on which we do find common ground. This article addresses one such shared concern: a concern for the nature of preaching today.

A number of Lordship Salvationists have decried the shallow preaching which is found in many churches today. In his book No Place for Truth, Or Whatever Happened to Evangelical Theology?, David Wells gives a sober warning: “Theology is disappearing.”1 Why is this happening? Because, Wells says, while “the great sin in fundamentalism is to compromise,” “the great sin in evangelicalism is to be narrow.”2

Os Guiness likewise decries the current state of affairs in evangelicalism today. In his book Dining with the Devil: The Megachurch Movement Flirts with Modernity, Guinness describes what pastors are being taught today on how to be effective:

Look at church-growth literature and check for such chapters as “Portrait of the Effective Pastor.” In one such best-seller, theology and theological references are kept to a minimum—little more than a cursory reference to the pastor’s “personal calling” and to “God’s vision for the church.” The bulk of the chapter is taken up with such themes as delegating, confidence, interaction, decision making, visibility, practicality, accountability, and discernment—the profile of the thoroughly modern pastor as CEO.3

He continues:

Small wonder that one eminent Christian leader returned home from a church-growth conference puzzled. There had been “literally no theology,” he said. “In fact, there had been no serious reference to God at all.”4

As these quotations show, lack of depth in preaching has received a fair amount of attention. However, the specific issue of lack of depth in gospel preaching has received much less attention.5 This article is an attempt to address this important issue.

I must confess at the start that I am venturing outside my field here. Normally I write exegetical or theolo...

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