When I was growing up, one of the worst things you could say about an evangelical is that they believed in the “Social Gospel”. It was almost a “cuss word”.
There were some good reasons for that. Strictly speaking, the “Social Gospel” included a redefinition of the content of the Gospel. Its adherents no longer believed in the substitutionary atonement of Christ, His Resurrection, or His Word. They wanted results! So they reinterpreted the Gospel narratives to suit their tastes.
But even at that, adherents to the Social Gospel were right to be shocked and appalled by the horrors they witnessed as any Christian should be.
Lord willing, WorldViewChurch.org will be publishing an article on this precise topic in the future.
The creators of the Social Gospel were not only wrong to try to reinvent God’s Good News, they were also wrong (as most of us are) to forget that the things we consider “good” in our society are – almost invariably – traceable to the invasion of Christ’s Kingdom in history.
Hospitals, for example, didn’t exist until after Jesus Christ came.
Far from being a legitimate “cuss word”, the words “Social” and “Gospel” do go together in the sense that wherever the Good News of Jesus Christ has gone, the social ministry and blessing has gone as well. That’s just how the grace of God works. Our deeds of love and mercy are a sign of the intrusion of the Kingdom just as our Lord’s good works were.
Today, I had an opportunity to talk to Matt Friedeman on his daytime radio program on American Family Radio. Matt is a professor of Evangelism and Christian Education at Wesley Biblical Seminary and Jackson, Mississippi area pastor as well as being a morning radio host.
You can see the video here: Chuck Huckaby and the Social Gospel
