Bruce Baker

(Love and Spirituality in the Healing of Addictions)

In the Beginning, Grace Evangelicals desperately need spiritual and moral renewal—on that everyone agrees. But what do we do about it?

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Mark Galli

Become A Founding Member of Kyria!A couple of years ago, I received a flier in the mail: A new flavor of church is in town! Whether you prefer church with a more traditional blend or a robust contemporary flavor, at [church name], we have a style just for you! Casual atmosphere, relevant messages, great music, dynamic kids’ programs, and yes, you can choose your own flavor!The “flavors” were described with phrases intended to attract the unchurched: “Real-life messages,” “Safe and fun children’s program,” “Friendly people,” and the marketing coup de grace, “Fresh coffee and doughnuts!”What pagan could resist?I poke fun, yes, but I also recognize two realities. First, we must not mock the desire to reach the unchurched. Second, any evangelical worth his or her evangelistic salt has from time to time succumbed to the cultural pressure, in personal conversations or creating outreach programs, to say things that make the gospel seem small.In our better moments, we recall with the apostle Paul that it is the gospel of Jesus Christ that reaches the world. But we often find ourselves thinking the theology of one character in Flannery O’Connor’s Wise Blood, who said, “If you want to get anywheres in religion, you got to keep it sweet.”

via In the Beginning, Grace | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction.