As evangelicals, we hold the gospel central. But which gospel? ‘How would you explain the gospel message to a teenager?’ is a question I’ve asked repeatedly, in various contexts, over a number of years. It’s wonderful to hear dear brothers and sisters, who love Christ and have a heart for young people, respond instinctively to this question.
Yet, I’ve also been troubled. The answers I’ve heard are full of glorious Bible truth: ‘I’d want them to know that God loves them’, ‘I’d share how they can have life to the full’, ‘I’d explain how Jesus died for sinners’.
Are these things true? Undoubtedly. But are these statements the gospel? In these conversations, talk of Jesus’ Lordship, or of the need for repentance, have – almost without exception – been absent. Does this off-the-cuff gospel gossip reflect wider trends in UK evangelicalism? Like the proverbial frog in the saucepan, has the temperature of our Christianity imperceptibly changed? Have we acclimatised ourselves to a fluffy, pink, and syrupy version of Christianity? A melt-in-your mouth gospel, which is high in sugar, but low in substance? Have we been spinning a candy floss gospel? Does this matter?
