Richard Stearns is the President of World Vision. When the President of World Vision speaks, people listen. When the same person writes, people read. On our trip to South Africa I saw a man sitting in the middle of the plane on our flight from Paris to Johannesburg and I immediately recognized the book he was reading -- because I was also reading it: Richard Stearns, The Hole in Our Gospel: What does God expect of Us? The Answer that Changed my Life and Might Just Change the World
.This book belongs in every church library; every pastor needs to read it; and every adult Sunday school class in our country needs to read it and face the facts -- and think of how best to respond. That's my endorsement of this book. (Even though the book could have been shorter.)
Questions for the day: Does the biblical gospel include justice for the world? Or is justice for the world secondary to the gospel? These are the questions we need to discuss. Where do we define the gospel? From Luke 4:18-19 (gospel of kingdom) or from the message of personal salvation in Romans?
And if one thinks the gospel entails justice, how is that gospel to be preached? What does evangelism look like for a gospel without the hole?
This book has four major elements to it:
First, Richard Stearns tells his own story of conversion and, most importantly for this book, of struggling to accept the Presidency of World Vision because of what it would do to his successful business career. His honesty is worthy of emulation, and his story is valued reading. At one point he has pulled up the sheets of his bed and is weeping over the call to World Vision.
Second, the thrust of this book is that the gospel is bigger than personal salvation and includes global transformation. So, in this sense, Stearns belongs to the growing number of evangelicals who think the four spiritual laws approach to the gospel is not enough -- he doesn't think it is wrong, but he doesn't think it is enough. He calls the absence of justice focus the hole in our gospel. Here are his words: "It's basically the belief that being a Christian, or follower of Jesus Christ, requires much more than just having a personal and transforming relationship with God. It also entails a public and transforming relationship with the world" (2). This theme is found on most every page in this book.
Third, this book includes chp after chp of leading his readers to think again and again about their commitment to global justice, to compassion for the poor and the needy, and to financial support for the many, many folks involved in making a difference in the day-to-day lives of suffering people in the world.
26,500 children die each day of preventable diseases.
Fourth, this book is filled with compelling stories of folks whose lives are being transformed by ministries like World Vision -- and this book is much more Stearns' own story than the story of World Vision. The book does not come off at all like a plea to participate in World Vision. Maybe more could have been done in this regard.
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Scot,
I need to read this book. Like you, my background includes a definition of the gospel that was far too limited. Limited to one's own personal salvation, etc.
Just read through this fascinating conversation that took place here yesterday. I had read through almost all of the comments when I was struck by the last comment of RJS #60. I do appreciate her words and her caution regarding how we are to live as Christ-followers. She responds to an earlier comment and then says,
"The problem with many expressions of the gospel in my opinion is that they don't actually require even an attempt to transform one's live in the direction of the clear NT teachings toward justice and compassion and love. And this is a perversion of all that is taught by Paul, not to mention Jesus, James, Peter, and John."
Very good.
Thank you so much for pointing this book out, Scot! I have long seen and felt what you have, that many have made the transformed life of the believer some secondary, optional matter. It's not! If anyone is in Christ, they are a new creature! No, its not perfected in this life, we know, but it should reorient our aims, goals, purposes, and intentions.
This book is now on my wish list! Thanks!
Thanks so much, Scot. I just got this book and it's wonderful. I love this quote: "The whole gospel is a vision for ushering in God's kingdom -- now, not in some future time, and here, on earth, not in some distant heaven."
Hi Scott,
Great review - I'll definitely check it out.
We've just completed work on a DVD called:
"A Question of Mercy: Gospel Application to Issues of Justice and Mercy".
The DVD is aimed to help churches work through some of these issues. In our interactions with churches over such themes we tend to see them either lean hard to the left or hard to the right - but we're quite sure the issue is NOT "justice versus gospel"!
Thanks for the review Scot, looks like a really good book - I'll definitely check it out.
FYI, a friend and I have just finished producing a 6-week DVD course called "A Question of Mercy". It's intended for use in small groups and deals with exactly these themes. I.e. how justice and mercy are indeed part of the full biblical gospel of the kingdom, and how this should both shape the content of our gospel witness and lead to mission that encompasses working for justice!
We felt it would be really helpful to have these themes presented in a DVD format that's more conducive to working through in small groups.
If you're interested you can check it out here...
http://www.citygospel.net/content/view/45/1/
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