Two Roads Diverged in the Gospel (And I Chose Neither): PART 1

“Everyone is talking about Marty Sampson (and others) leaving the faith, but no one is talking about the fact that Hillsong Church preaches a different gospel than that found in the bible. So… what’s up with that?

An “outside the church” question from a friend

I grew up in a conservative Christian family that frowned upon swearing, drinking, and hip swaying in excess. The gospel was the good news that Jesus died on a cross to save me from my (rather scant) childhood sins and freed me to go to heaven instead of hell when I died.

I’m not one to complain about fire-insurance, but this truncated gospel held little power for my everyday life.

My parents truly lived their faith, so I saw God’s PROVISION on many occasions, and I believed my parents heard God’s “voice” (not audibly) impressing them to move across the country or to trust Him. God permeated our conversations and punctuated our calendar.

Yes, God was present. But His gospel felt like someone offering to pay my college tuition- IF I graduated with an A average first. Salvation was a free gift I knew I couldn’t afford, but I was too busy working for my Christian good grades to rest or experience the gospel of God beyond morality.

I could never find quite enough of God or His power in that gospel.

Then, as a young adult, I was introduced to people from a more charismatic movement that believed in prophecy, spontaneous worship, healing, and speaking in tongues. At first I thought everyone in that group was dangerously out of touch with truth. The prayer language sounded like babbling- the healing felt forced- the prophecy presumptuous at best.

But gradually, in those circles, I felt a shift in my soul. In those places of worship I began to sense God’s presence in a very personal and compelling way. People would pray over me with words that were tailor-made for the moment- words that made me believe God not only SAW me and CARED about me, but also wanted to speak to me PERSONALLY.

It was there that I found an open space to step out of the small gospel box I’d lived in and experience God in a much more relational and powerful way. I began to EXPECT the God of the universe to meet me right here, long before I walked past the heavenly pearly gates or streets of gold.

But I still had my concerns. Many in those groups said that God wanted to heal everyone; that healing was as simple as claiming God’s truth or believing hard enough. As a type 1 diabetic, I have a fairly invested interest in a God who heals. Over and over I’d go and watch people “ooh” and “ahh” as others were healed of a headache or a painful wrist or a sense of fatigue. “Woop-de-stinkin-doo!” I thought. “So God can heal a minor ache but not my pancreas?”

My disillusionment and annoyance grew as my diabetes was never healed.

And often I felt a forced expectation to have a “prayer language” or speak in tongues. Though I told God He can do whatever He wants through me, I simply don’t have that gift.

This version of the gospel brought me into a more tangible relationship with Jesus, but here again I found that lie that I had to DO or BE more to be healed or be more connected with God. This gospel focused on a more present, powerful God- but it sometimes felt that His power rested too much on OUR desires and OUR ability to connect to Him.

With many high profile people walking away from God recently, my friend’s beautifully blunt question forces me to ask: Is the Gospel I base my life on grounded more in God’s truth or man-made tradition? Is there any power in the gospel I believe? Do both gospels somehow diminish who God is and what He offers us?

In my research, I’ve watched two seemingly contradictory documentaries. One is called “The Last Reformation” which purports that the gospel is meant to be shared through the display of healing signs and wonders. The people in the film share God by asking people if they can pray for healing over them. Lou Bega also shares his radical conversion story. This movie addresses my “small gospel” concerns from 1 Corinthians 4:20 that: ^“…the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power” but still leaves me with questions about healing, signs of salvation and more.

The other is called “American Gospel” and counteracts the “prosperity gospel” (the belief that following God should lead to good health and wealth). Instead, this film suggests that we must return our focus to a gospel that can truly save: the message of the cross, the death and sacrifice of Jesus to save our sins, and a call for people to repent of our sins and believe. It calls into question some of the man-made healing hype (though I believe in legitimate healing still) and the “Word of Faith” doctrine, and condemns leaders who use the gospel for financial gain.

I relate to the stories of unhealed God-followers and the emphasis on God’s ultimate Sovereignty and grace. Still, parts of the documentary remind me of the dry gospel that I couldn’t quite taste here and now.

Both suggest that following the Gospel should be radical and will cost us. Both bring up good points of wrestling for me, and I disagree with both on some levels. Both left me aching for a fuller gospel.

This discussion felt too big to finish in one sitting, or possibly ever. So I will continue the discussion in my next post. But I want to start the conversation, and admit my current ambiguous stance.

I’m convinced that our understanding of God’s Gospel is critical to our relationship with Him. If we misunderstand the core of who God is, how He relates to us, and what He made us for, then our relationship with Him will be small, twisted, or incomplete. BUT I’m increasingly convinced that the Gospel is much bigger than ANY of us can grasp, and that no ONE SIDE quite has the corner on it.

I also believe that if someone walks away from a gospel based on lies, they are actually walking closer to the truth. And to some extent, ALL of us are believing some lies about who God is and what it means to follow Him.

Are we willing to examine what we believe and whether our lives are consistent with our doctrine? Are we willing to give each other permission to “doubt” and “wrestle” as part of that journey to standing firm (or walking away)? Are we willing to surrender whatever doctrine or gospel we believe to the God who created it all and let Him breathe relationship, truth, and hope into us?

Are we willing to believe the Gospel is always bigger than we think?

I’d love to hear your comments as I continue this discussion. IF you watch the documentaries, I’d love to hear your thoughts or meet with you to discuss! Thank you SO much to my friend for sharing a brave and powerful question. If YOU have your own question that you don’t feel safe or comfortable asking elsewhere, I’d LOVE to hear it. Because someone else has the same wrestle you do, and talking about it is so much better than stuffing it away.