Contextualizing the Gospel

Recently, I have been thinking about different ways the Gospel is contextualized in our culture. As we talked about in class, it seems as though the Gospel is contextualized differently in various areas of ministry. In our day and age, I think it is just as important to pay attention to the way we are communicating the Gospel as it was 2000 years ago. The way we think about the Gospel and forms we use to share it with others impacts the way people view God and Christians altogether. During first semester, I thought a lot about the “best” way to contextualize the Gospel for our day and age. While I love thinking about this “best way” of contextualization and definitely think it is necessary for proper Gospel translation, it is also important to understand that due to our sinful nature, we will never be able to share the Gospel perfectly. Although this is disappointing, it is reassuring to know that God would still be willing and able to communicate his perfect Gospel message through imperfect people.

I have really enjoyed the opportunity to listen to and evaluate the different ways guest speakers of our class contextualize the Gospel within their realm of business. While some seem to under-contextualize the Gospel and others might over-contextualize the Gospel, I do appreciate that the guest speakers we have had in class so far are intent on being Gospel-centered. God honors those who seek after Him in truth and sincerity. Our class, Entrepreneurship and the Mission of the Church, has completely changed my view of ministry. Instead of limiting ministry to just being found in “vocational ministry,” the Lord calls for all areas of life, even the seemingly non-redeemable areas, to be places of ministry.