Patrick Mitchell's excellent blog "Faith in Ireland" is well worth a visit. Along with Ken Gibson's Just Blogging it's one of my regular 'stop off points' when I'm on my daily trawl through the internet news and views (searching for interesting snippets for VOX Magazine...).
Patrick's recent series about the visit of Scot McKnight to the Irish Bible Institute's summer school has been a thought-provoking read. (The link is to the first of six blog entries... read them all if you can!).
You've all heard the saying familiarity breeds contempt. While I'm sure Christians in Ireland don't feel contempt for the Gospel, I do sometimes feel it has become 'stale' or even an embarrassment. Reduced to a formula (the 'plan of salvation') that is used by die-hard evangelists, the Gospel ceases to thrill ordinary church goers because they have boxed it and set it aside ("That's what I needed before I became a Christian").
A challenging series which takes a fresh look at the Gospel is most welcome. Patrick's lively re-telling of Scot McKnight's teaching opens new vistas of possibility, challenges our thinking and inspires excitement. It reminds us that the Gospel is wider, deeper, more encompassing than those faltering first steps of belief. It prompts us to a renewed passion and commitment to the Gospel - lived, breathed, taught, explained, demonstrated and completed in the person of Jesus Christ.
After all... when Paul wrote Romans he was writing to believers! Is it time for us to look again?
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
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