Author: Jonathan Dodson

Dane Ortlund shares some helpful reflections on this question:

In more recent days, though, some are raising the question of whether this is getting a bit out of hand, asking whether we can emphasize the gospel to the exclusion of other things, and, perhaps most of all, simply expressing a general cynicism about the current trendiness of being gospel-centered…

Ortlund offers three options:

1. Uncritically dismiss it due to its trendiness

2. Uncritically absorb it due to its being embraced by others we know or respect; vicariously feed on others’ excitement without personally digesting it ourselves

3. Consider what it means, and whether it is biblical; ponder what istrue in it; ask why it is trendy.

I’ll add a fourth:

4. Use the terminology only if you commit to explaining it over and over again so that people that are new to your church and your writing grasp your true meaning. We do this at Austin City Life fairly regularly and explicitly. I’ll say from the pulpit, “The danger with using catchy terminology in a church is that people catch onto the terminology, start using it, without very little understanding. Today we are going to look at just what the Gospel is.”