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6. Approach to suffering:
- Liberalism lays the fault at God's doorstep, claiming him to be either unjust or impotent.
- Moralism takes the approach of Job's friends, laying guilt on yourself. "I must be bad to be suffering."
- The gospel shows us that God redeemed us through suffering. That he suffered not that we might not suffer, but that in our suffering we could become like him.
7. Approach to self-control:
- Liberalism tells us to express ourselves and find out what is right for us. This is an emotion-based approach.
- Moralism tells us to control our passions out of fear of punishment. This is a volition-based approach.
- The gospel tells us that the free, perpetual grace of God "teaches" us to "say no" to our passions (Titus 2:13) if we listen to it. This is a whole-person based approach, starting with the truth descending into the heart.
8. Approach to ministry in the world:
- Liberalism tends to emphasize only amelioration of social conditions and minimize the need for repentance and conversion.
- On the other hand moralism will tend to place all the emphasis on the individual human soul. Moralistic religion will insist on converting others to their faith and church, but will ignore social needs of the broader community.
- The gospel leads to love which in turn moves us to give our neighbor whatever is needed-conversion or a cup of cold water, evangelism and social concern.
9. Approach to worship:
- Liberalism leads to a shallow understanding of "acceptance" without a sense of God's holiness and can lead to frothy or casual worship. (A sense of neither God's love nor his holiness leads to a worship service that feels like a committee meeting.)
- Moralism leads to a dour and somber worship which may be long on dignity but short on joy.
- But the gospel leads us to see that God is both transcendent yet immanent. His immanence makes his transcendence comforting, while his transcendence makes his immanence amazing. The gospel leads to both awe and intimacy in worship, for the Holy One is now our Father.
Summary
All problems, personal or social come from a failure to use the gospel
in a radical way. All pathologies in the church and all its ineffectiveness
comes from a failure to use the gospel in a radical way. We believe that
if the gospel is expounded and applied in its fullness in any church,
that church will look very unique. People will find both moral conviction
yet compassion and flexibility. For example, homosexuals are used to being
"bashed" and hated or completely accepted. They never see anything
else. The cultural elites of either liberal or conservative sides are
alike in their unwillingness to befriend or live with or respect or worship
with the poor. They are alike in separating themselves increasingly from
the rest of society. Avoiding the excesses of the dispensationalist, charismatic,
or mainline liberal churches (who all lose the balance of the gospel truth
in different ways), a gospel-centered church will break stereotypes and
shine brightly in the city.