Why the Gospel?

“God has given us the gospel. But for what ultimate purpose and final reasons?” wonders Bates (The Gospel Precisely), theology professor at Quincy University, in this flawed entry. First, Bates spells out what the gospel isn’t—an assurance that belief is a get-into-heaven-free card. Instead, its purpose is to proclaim Jesus’s sovereignty. Bates writes that believers must recognize Jesus’s “royal authority” or else risk “worship[ing] bankrupt idols” such as “money, power, [and] sex.” After accepting Jesus as king, the faithful should glorify him by praying, giving themselves over to God emotionally, and especially by making disciples of those of “different nations, ethnicities, and cultures,” just as Jesus welcomed a diverse swath of peoples into his fold. Bates also discusses how to recruit and retain church members in an “increasingly secular landscape” in which it’s “trendier to dismantle traditional Christianity than embrace it.” Interventions can entail “wrestling with big questions” in church discussion groups, or joining up with like-minded disciple makers for support. While Bates brings ample enthusiasm to this outing, his argument too often grows repetitive, circling back to the same several points rather than delving deeper into practical applications. Only already devoted believers will find this useful. (May)