Rediscovering the Gospel : Its Eclipse in American Culture

Could it be that long after a person becomes a Christian something new can be discovered in the gospel? Some may say, ?The gospel is simple, what more is there to discover? However, the gospel of Jesus Christ is not simple; it comes from the wisdom of God. Another reason why we might discover something new, even to the extent of seeing the gospel again, as it were, for the first time is culture. The gospel does not drop directly into our hearts from heaven; it comes to us through human culture. Culture filters its message. A principle in all of Salvation History is that God reveals himself through culture. The chief example is the incarnation of the Son of God who came to humankind immersed in Jewish culture. In our attempt to understand the gospel we cannot escape the ?culture factor?. The title Rediscovering the Gospel: Its Eclipse in American Culture implies a cultural filter?American culture. Both American and Jewish cultures have filtered our knowledge of the gospel, and the losses are significant. In layman?s terms?non-theological language?this book reveals how these two cultures obscure the pristine message of the gospel in the New Testament. Using the only document written by a Gentile, Gospel of Luke-Acts of the Apostles, we examine the Jewish culture-gospel controversy in the early Church, showing how crucial the ?culture factor? was, and is, for understanding the gospel. The results are startling. The book provides even the seasoned Christian reader with the opportunity to ?rediscover the gospel? and to experience its power afresh.