But, alas, I find what many term “social gospel” to be somewhat prohibitive to that end in that it relegates the central message of the gospel, namely, deliverance from the spiritual bondage of sin through faith in the propitiatory and substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ as secondary to a temporal “deliverance” defined primarily in terms of the socio-economic empowerment of black people (also known as ‘black power‘) and the embracement and affirmation, particularly by white people, of black social and cultural normativity.

The business of Christianity is not simply to make us feel happier or even to make us live a better life, it is to reconcile us to God.– D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

There is a movement afoot, particularly within black evangelical circles, to extol, if not exalt, social justice as the raison d’etre, that is, the most important reason and purpose for the existence of the church today.
I say “particularly” because the aforementioned movement is not restricted only to the realm of black evangelicalism. The truth is there are also certain elements within white evangelicalism which, being motivated to some extent by a collective acquiescence to the idea of “white guilt,“ have attached themselves to this movement like a caboose to a locomotive.
The problem with movements, however, is they invariably beget labels (e.g. “social gospel”, “liberation theology”, etc.). And labels tend to subtly, though eventually, reorient our focus from that which is of utmost importance, namely, the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world, to an ethno-centric “gospel” constructed from a collective worldview espoused by “woke” theologians and philosophers who are considered by many to be the most socially and culturally aware on matters of social and liberative justice.
Again, this mindset is not exclusive to black evangelicalism, and yet it is within that milieu that this movement, I believe, is doing the most harm.
I make that statement neither lightly nor disparagingly. I was raised in the Black Church. The affinity I have for its history and traditions is borne not only from education but experience. I appreciate the invaluable sacrifices and contributions to black ecclesiology of figures like Absalom Jones, Morris Brown, Jarena Lee, John Marrant, Betsey Stockton, Henry Garnet, and Richard Allen.
I spent half my life, into my early 20s, as a member of Chapel Hill Missionary Baptist Church, located in Atlanta’s West End in the shadows of such venerable HBCUs as Morehouse, Spelman, Clark-Atlanta, and Morris Brown, where I worshiped alongside many family members and friends to the music of black gospel stalwarts as Walter and Edwin Hawkins. In fact, to this very day, the Hawkins-penned Changed, a powerful testimonial of spiritual redemption in Christ, remains one of my all-time favorite gospel songs.
It was at Chapel Hill that I witnessed people of all ages “catch the Spirit” during high points of what often seemed unending worship services. It was at Chapel Hill that I watched royally accoutered choirs march slowly into the sanctuary to the uplifting refrains of ‘We Are Soldiers In The Army‘. It was at Chapel Hill that I passed those faux gold-plated offering plates – you know the ones – with the red crushed-velvet matting, to congregants sitting next to me in pews that, likewise, were fashioned with red crushed-velvet padding as if to match the aesthetics of the offering plates.
It was at that small church on Northside Drive that, Sunday after Sunday, I listened to the verbum Dei, the Word of God, preached – from the King James version of course – from behind an old wooden lectern with the letters ‘IHS’ engraved on the front. And it was at Chapel Hill Missionary Baptist Church that “the doors of the church” were always open, inviting sinners like me to step out from those crushed-velvet cushioned pews, walk that red-carpeted aisle, sit down in the lone wooden chair placed front-and-center of the sanctuary by a white-gloved deacon or deaconess, and “get saved” as it were.
All this to say that there is nothing about the so-called “Black Church experience” to which I cannot personally relate. Which is why, though I am Reformed – and, thankfully, Reformed theology is slowly but steadily gaining exposure within contemporary black evangelicalism – there will always be a place in my heart for the Black Church and, likewise, an equally heartfelt desire to see a recovery of biblical orthodoxy as its primary raison d’etre.
But, alas, I find what many term “social gospel” to be somewhat prohibitive to that end in that it relegates the central message of the gospel, namely, deliverance from the spiritual bondage of sin through faith in the propitiatory and substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ as secondary to a temporal “deliverance” defined primarily in terms of the socio-economic empowerment of black people (also known as ‘black power‘) and the embracement and affirmation, particularly by white people, of black social and cultural normativity.
It is an ideology that is more anthropocentric (man-centered) than theocentric (God-centered). As Dr. James H. Cone, whom many regard as the founder of black liberation theology, explains:
“Black Theology is a theology of black liberation. It seeks to plumb the black condition in the light of God’s revelation in Jesus Christ, so that the black community can see that the gospel is commensurate with the achievement of black humanity. Black Theology is a theology of “blackness”. It is the affirmation of black community that emancipates black people from white racism, thus providing authentic freedom for both white and black people. It affirms the humanity of white people in that it says no to the encroachment of white oppression.” – Black Theology: A Documentary History, Volume 1: 1966-1979
Read More
Related Posts:

Jesus is God and Savior. Jesus can claim that the disciple who comes to/believes in Him will no longer “go hungry” or “be thirsty”, for they have fully embraced Christ as the source and sustenance of life.2 Jesus further elaborates the exclusivity of those that will be satisfied by the bread of life in John 6:46-47, “ No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only He has seen the Father. Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life.” The Father draws people who will be satisfied by the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Jesus is a brilliant teacher. He takes everyday objects and makes poignant and profound claims that get to the heart of the issue. This is the case when Jesus says that He is the bread of life. What does Jesus mean when He says that He is the bread of life? Jesus cannot mean that He is an actual bread because He has never been described in this manner in the entire Bible. Jesus has been described as both God (Jn. 1:1-5) and man (Phil. 2:6-11). Therefore, Jesus is obviously using a metaphor to describe a particular characteristic about Himself that can be derived from similarities drawn from bread.
John 20:31 states the purpose of John writing his book. He says, “30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” The purpose of John provides some insight into Jesus’ meaning in John 6:35. John has accomplished this purpose by clearly articulating how Jesus’ miracles and actions clearly point to Him as the Lord and the promised Messiah. In John 6:1-15 Jesus feeds the 5000 and in John 6:16-24 Jesus walks on water. The common denominator in both incidents is that Jesus is a miracle worker and therefore His claims of being the Messiah are true. These miracles were clearly signs pointing to Jesus as the Messiah.
The teachings of Jesus in John 6:25-59 are so difficult to swallow, that several people who enjoyed the physical bread provided by Jesus could not digest His life-giving words. Therefore, John 6:60-71 records many so-called disciples or followers of Jesus who abandon Jesus because they did not like what Jesus said. The only people who remained after Jesus’ hard teaching were the twelve disciples. What is it that Jesus said that caused this kind of consternation?
Five observations can be made about this statement in John 6:35.
1. Jesus is indeed the Son of God.The words “I am” are a translation of one Greek word. Typically, these words don’t have any significance beyond pointing to a subject. However, if these words are understood considering the entire corpus of John, these words significantly point out a particular quality about Jesus.
Read More

We can come up with many illegitimate reasons to remain silent. We can join the majority church in burying our heads in the sand while the predators swarm around us. Or, we could share Christ with all creation no matter the cost. Doing this will glorify God, it will extend His Kingdom, and it will conform us to the image of Christ.

I fear that in some of our less enlightened country churches there are conservative individuals who almost believe that to preach anywhere except in the chapel would be a shocking innovation, a sure token of heretical tendencies, and a mark of zeal without knowledge. Any young brother who studies his comfort among them must not suggest anything so irregular as a sermon outside the walls of their Zion. In the olden times we are told, “Wisdom crieth without, she uttereth her voice in the streets, she crieth in the chief places of concourse, in the openings of the gates” (Pro 1:20-21); but the wise men of orthodoxy would have wisdom gagged except beneath the roof of a licensed building.—C.H. Spurgeon.

Intro
One of the most glaring differences between the ancient Church of the New Testament and the tepid church of the modern era is our current fixation with cowardice disguised as winsomeness. That early church turned the world upside down with the powerful and glorious Gospel. In contrast, the modern church has become so preoccupied with safeguarding her reputation she doesn’t have the stomach or backbone to overturn anything.
Don’t get me wrong, those earliest Christians succumbed to the tendency of seclusion and cowardice as well. For a few days, they were scattered in terror of being arrested when the Son of Man was crucified. Once He was resurrected, they spent forty days of private instruction with the risen Lord and ten additional days tucked away in a clandestine cubbyhole in Jerusalem before the Spirit of power came upon them. But, once the Spirit came upon them like a rushing wind, they remained hidden no longer. In fact, they boldly left the safety and security of the upper room to be left bruised, beaten, bleeding and battered all over the Roman world in the service of Christ. They were crucified, fed to lions, and bludgeoned with stones. What they did not do was cower or crawl into a hole to maximize their safety and comfort. Instead, they kept on advancing regardless of what it cost them.
Compare that robust, manly, and evangelistic church of old with the milquetoast, vanilla, chicken-hearted ekklesia we see today, and you will spy the problem. We have grown as squishy as overcooked spaghetti noodles at a time that requires sharpened steel! Instead of publicly meeting our era’s increased secularization and immorality with the Gospel, as the first-century church did, we have adopted a sugar and spice and, for goodness sake, have a posture that’s nice. But, unfortunately, that niceness has caused us to run from the fight, surrender the public arena, and treat the church with the same exclusivity and secrecy as a cluster of Freemasons in the grand lodge.
In what follows, I will sketch out ten reasons why we must adopt a faith that proclaims the Gospel publicly. This could be conversations with lost family members, engaging coworkers, handing out tracts, and open air evangelism. However it looks, we must not go quietly into the night, but publicly on to glory.
Why Must Our Faith Be Public?
1. Because It Afflicts the Flesh
The best apologetic for sharing the Gospel in public is that our flesh despises it. We tense up like a cat in a room full of rocking chairs at the mere prospect of sharing our faith with a stranger. So instead, we prefer to speak in the security of our church buildings with people who already agree with us.
And while that kind of fellowship is edifying and good, we are also called to mortify the flesh and its desires. If my heart objects to preaching outdoors, sharing my faith with a stranger, or handing out Gospel tracts in a public area, then I need to discern why it is reacting that way. I must ask myself some questions: Am I protecting a fragile ego? Am I afraid of what others will think of me? Am I nervous? Do I feel unprepared or won’t know what to say? Do I have a fear of how that person will react? If any of those, or any other unBiblical reasons, prevent me from doing it, I must slay the flesh and move on to obedience.
Remember, the Bible describes the heart as wicked and desperately sick. Therefore, any action that buffets the heart and encourages the flesh is immediately suspect.
2. Because Hell Is Hot
A second reason for publicly declaring the Gospel is the reality of eternal conscious torment for all who stand opposed to Christ. Paul says in Romans 10:
How, then, will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? – Romans 10:14-15
The word used for “preach” in this passage (κηρύσσω) certainly includes the homiletical discipline of vocational ministers who herald the Gospel from behind solid oaken pulpits on Sunday. Praise God for that work! But it is also not limited to that! In fact, the word here means to announce something publicly and to make a message known to the masses. So, far from limiting this to a group of trained seminarians, Paul has in mind equipping everyone as messengers and sending them out into the world to make Christ known wherever He is not.
His reason for this is simple. How will the world hear it if we do not send messengers out into the world to publicly announce the Gospel? And how could they possibly believe it if they do not hear it? And without belief in the Lord Jesus Christ, they will spend an eternity in hell.
Our inactivity and passivity for evangelism have awful damning consequences.
3. Because It’s Faithful to the Mission
As a Calvinist, I understand that the Lord draws all men unto Himself. He predestined the elect in eternity past, paid for them two thousand years ago on the cross, and regenerated them in space and time by the Spirit’s working. He is the author of salvation, the one who seeks and saves the lost and draws all His people unto Himself and holds them secure in His ferocious and tender grip. Still, none of these glorious truths nullify the need for and the command for us to go and make disciples of all the nations (Mt. 28:18-20).
When Jesus gave the great commission, He didn’t limit His authority and dominion to a church building or require His followers to only make disciples from a gathered flock. Instead, he told us to go into the world and disciple the nations. This involves getting outside our buildings and comfort zones, announcing the message to outsiders, and being ready to answer any objections they have until they cut us off, curse us out, or are converted unto Him.
Read More
Related Posts: