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The Gospel & Hope 08

I have swithered whether to email this short essay or not. On the one hand I do not wish to be, nor be perceived as being, simply negative and ‘agin’ things. I see the risk that putting out a moderately critical essay hard on the heels of an essay critical of Inclusivism, may well confirm suspicions that I am no more than ‘a grumpy old man’. It is not so. I fervently wish to be one with all who are evidently ‘in Christ’. All who love the gospel (in word and deed) are my brothers and sisters whom I wish to embrace and serve. However, the counterpoint is that sometimes even those who, like me, love the gospel can make mistakes (I very much include myself here). It seems to me our increasing willingness to tacitly accept Liberal and Roman Catholics as ‘Christians’ and work together with them may well be one such mistake. A friend observed, ‘tolerance is the new holiness’ and I fear that we evangelicals are buying heavily into such tolerance and will in time pay a heavy price.

And so, despite some reservations, I will forward this short article, trusting that since the issues involved align with those discussed in ‘Inclusivism’ we may be alerted all the more to the urgency of framing clear beliefs on the gospel. It is for you to judge if I am mistaken in my concerns.

Thinking about Hope ‘08

Hope ’08 is now upon us. To be truthful it is an initiative about which I was only vaguely aware until recently. In fact, about most of what it may involve I am still unsure. I have to date listened to the two video presentations, read the main website and the Scottish website, and heard a little about Scottish New Year celebrations. Since it invites local churches to be involved and my own church among others presumably will consider this, I thought I would jot down a few initial observations to prompt reflection and perhaps constructive discussion.

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About John

Hi there - I am a member of Greenview and have been for over 20 years. For a number of these years I functioned as an elder, however, indifferent health forced me to take more of a back seat. I see this as an opportunity to do a little writing, often focussing on issues that are a matter of evangelical debate today. Naturally the views expressed are my own and may not reflect the views of the elders or church at large, though differences are likely to be in the detail and not the substance.

These articles and sermons were written partly to clarify my own thoughts and partly with the intention of provoking thought in others who may read them. If you read one I hope you find it stimulating. Please feel free to give me feedback or discuss my articles in the forums.

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