We live in a world of frightening headlines. On any given day we might read of genocide in Darfur, violence in Gaza, a disease outbreak in Uganda, flooding in Asia or a famine in northern Kenya – not to mention global economic shocks, rising unemployment, home foreclosures and millions more Americans pushed below the poverty line. Does any of this have relevance to our 75 minutes at church on Sunday? Does the Bible have anything to say about such headlines two thousand years after the time of Christ? My goal in writing The Hole in Our Gospel was to confront people with the implications of the faith we profess. The Christian faith was never meant to be some tame anesthetizing tonic meant only to soothe our souls; no, it was intended to be a medicine so powerful that it could challenge the legion of social illnesses that plague the human race – poverty, alienation, hatred, corruption, apathy and injustice. If the gospel is the medicine, then we are the EMTs (emergency medical technicians) called to respond with urgency to the wounded and hurting in our world. But it often seems that our sirens are turned off and our red lights aren’t flashing. We have the power to change the headlines and even the course of history – but only if we take seriously the very specific things Christ asked us to do. It’s really up to us.
Well, if you’ve read the book, I’d like to know what you think. Did it provoke you, anger you, inspire you? I tried to raise some uncomfortable questions that we don’t always ask of ourselves – questions that must be answered as pre-requisites to anyone who wants to change our world for the better. What does God expect of us? Are we willing to be open to God’s will for our lives – regardless of the cost? How might God specifically use us to further His kingdom and reclaim the world he died for? These aren’t easy questions to answer. I know that many of you have wrestled with these questions, and perhaps answered them, long before my book was even written. I’d love for you to share your own thoughts and stories with me and others on this website. Do you think there’s a hole in our gospel?
