FOUR REFORMED PERSPECTIVES ON GOSPEL AND CULTURE

FOUR REFORMED PERSPECTIVES ON GOSPEL AND CULTURE

By Kevin DeYoung 

Here’s a fascinating article called “The Whole and the Heart of the Gospel” from Ray Pennings in Comment Magazine. Pennings outlines four Reformed approaches to “the proclamation of the gospel and seeking the peace of the city.” He labels the four approaches Neocalvinist, two kingdom perspective, Neopuritan, and Old Calvinisism.

The gist:

So to summarize the discussion within Reformed circles today: The neocalvinist says the fundamental presuppositions underlying the debate need to be changed if we are to have meaningful engagement. The two kingdom perspective responds that it won’t happen; when we try to engage in discussion, we end up calling things Christian that really aren’t, resulting in pride and a misrepresentation of the gospel. The neopuritans say that that is why we should avoid a systemic approach; we should focus more on the individual needs of our neighbors and show them, both in ministries of mercy as well as by positive examples, that faith makes a difference. The Old Calvinists say that in all of this activity, we are losing our focus and getting dirty as we dig around in the garbage cans of culture to retrieve a penny or two of value from the bottom. We and our culture need heart-surgery, not band-aids.

In his conclusion, Pennings’ does not side with any of the four approaches. Instead he encourages us to eschew easy answers.

Neither I nor the church of which I am part pretends to have embodied the full range of biblical teaching as it bears on this challenging issue. As our culture is changing from one in which there was a majoritarian underlying Christian ethic (at least superficially) to one that more reflects a pre-Constantinian model, the questions of the relationship between the church and the peace of society will need to be rethought, as the “easy” answers of the past decades will be exposed as inadequate. It is my prayer that this generation may be found faithful and equipped by God’s Spirit to wrestle with and to live out the teachings of God’s word in the midst of these challenging times.