{"id":5312,"date":"2015-07-22T08:46:16","date_gmt":"2015-07-22T00:46:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/?p=5312"},"modified":"2015-08-13T07:59:49","modified_gmt":"2015-08-13T12:59:49","slug":"why-one-gospel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/2015\/07\/22\/why-one-gospel\/","title":{"rendered":"Why “One Gospel”?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"One<\/a><\/p>\n

Over the coming weeks, I will introduce a number of thoughts and concerns that go into my recent book One Gospel for All Nations: A Practical Approach to Biblical Contextualization<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/span>. [TWEET THIS] <\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

This post will give a sweeping overview of the book\u2019s main objectives.<\/p>\n

Evangelical discussions about contextualization have largely focused on general principles concerning the relationship between the Bible and culture. While this has been important, we need more.<\/p>\n

Getting Practical<\/span><\/h2>\n

After a lot of reading, I grew frustrated for two reasons.<\/p>\n

First, people repeatedly reduce contextualization to a mere act of communication or application. Interpretation is rarely factored into the contextualization process. As I show in my first book, Saving God\u2019s Face<\/em><\/strong><\/span>, if we \u201cassume the gospel,\u201d genuine contextualization becomes nearly impossible. In fact, the entire book attempted to demonstrate what happens when we have a more robust view of contextualization.<\/p>\n

Second, there is very little in print that helps people know precisely the practical steps to take in order to do<\/em> contextualization. Ok, even if we could agree on broad principles, what do we do in practice?? I wrote One Gospel for All Nations<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/a> in order to address this second problem.<\/p>\n

In this book, I propose a practical model of doing contextualization that can be applied in any context. Yes, I know. That\u2019s a big claim. Let me be clear. What am I not<\/em> saying?<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not<\/span> saying . . .<\/p>\n

Contextualization can be reduced a quick and easy formula.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

There is a one size-fits-all method to preaching the gospel<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Contextualization is a one-person task.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

One Gospel for All Nations<\/a><\/em><\/strong> certainly doesn\u2019t answer every question about contextualization methodology; however, I hope it will move the conversation to a far more practical level.<\/p>\n

Bible and Culture<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

In addition, I pray One Gospel<\/a><\/em><\/strong> will spur greater interaction between the fields of missiology and theology. It was written for two communities that don\u2019t always read the same books \u2013\u2013 missionaries and<\/em> theologians.<\/p>\n

Missionaries need to reflect on ways that Scripture shapes the message and methods. Theologians need to consider how a person\u2019s cultural lens subtly shapes one\u2019s exegesis and theology. It is impossible for our cultural lens not <\/em>to affect our reading of Scripture.<\/p>\n

The title captures the tension felt by many evangelicals. We can agree there is only one gospel. Yet, we see the biblical writers communicate the gospel in manifold ways. Not surprisingly, this has spurred much debate in recent years about what exactly counts as the \u201cgospel.\u201d<\/p>\n

If we can\u2019t agree on the gospel, then how can we contextualize it?<\/span> <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Presenting the gospel requires we use words. This means using verbiage and metaphors that reflect a particular worldview. If so, it would seem nearly impossible to present ONE gospel for ALL nations. After all, it would seem to some changing our language and emphasis could invariably create a different \u201cgospel.\u201d<\/p>\n

How do we deal with these tensions?<\/p>\n

Beyond Principles<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

In order to contextualize the gospel, we need a model that is both firm<\/em> and flexible<\/em> amid fluctuating <\/em>cultures.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"I had a significant breakthrough a few years back when studying the ways that Scripture explicitly talks about the gospel. I observed that biblical writers, when describing the gospel, use two types of themes\u2013\u2013 those that frame<\/em> and those that explain<\/em> the gospel.<\/p>\n

My book identifies three \u201cframework\u201d themes.<\/strong> Without exception, one finds at least one of those three themes wherever explicit reference is made to the gospel and evangelizing.<\/p>\n

They include creation, covenant, and kingdom<\/strong><\/span>.<\/em><\/p>\n

For those who have read a lot of biblical theology, it\u2019s not surprising to find that these themes consistently frame<\/em> the gospel. I urge people reading this blog not<\/em><\/strong> to assume you know I mean by those three terms. Each term conveys a set of ideas.<\/p>\n

What are \u201cexplanation themes\u201d? These include those motifs, images, and metaphors that explain the significance of the gospel. One could mention justification, redemption, adoption, Temple-language, sacrifice, exodus-imagery, among many others.<\/p>\n

We can understand their meaning and inter-relationships by interpreting theme in light of the framework themes. We cannot simply appeal to our denominational or cultural assumptions when discerning the importance of one biblical idea compared to another.<\/p>\n

To give an analogy, framework themes like the hardware to a computer. Explanatory themes are like the software. They need each other but serve different functions.<\/p>\n

Firm AND Flexible<\/span><\/h2>\n

It is critical to distinguish these two kinds of themes. They account for both the firmness and flexibility of the gospel. They enable us to sufficiently address cultures, which are in constant flux.<\/p>\n

What happens when we don\u2019t identify and understand these \u201cframework themes\u201d and \u201cexplanation themes\u201d?<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Inevitably, we will tend to arbitrarily choose our favorite biblical ideas and stress those above all others. We will appeal to tradition or a narrow set of texts to support our point. Likewise, we will develop a systemized theology centering on our select doctrines.<\/p>\n

In the process, however, we will slowly lose the biblical story as a whole. In addition, we will hinder church unity and cross cultural missions. This is because people will start to confuse what is true\/false with what is primary\/secondary. In addition, people will preach the gospel in a way that is easily understood in their home culture yet make little sense in other cultures.<\/p>\n

\n

Photo Credit: Nate Bolt via CC 2.0\/Flickr<\/span><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Over the coming weeks, I will introduce a number of thoughts and concerns that go into my recent book One Gospel for All Nations: A Practical Approach to Biblical Contextualization. [TWEET THIS] This post will give a sweeping overview of the book\u2019s main objectives. Evangelical discussions about contextualization have largely focused on general principles concerning […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2368,"featured_media":6481,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,11],"tags":[109,114,2120],"class_list":["post-5312","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-contextualization","category-one-gospel-for-all-nations","tag-explanatory-themes","tag-framework-themes","tag-one-gospel-for-all-nations"],"yoast_head":"\nWhy "One Gospel"?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Over the coming weeks, I will introduce a number of thoughts and concerns that go into my recent book One Gospel for All Nations: A Practical Approach to\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/2015\/07\/22\/why-one-gospel\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why "One Gospel"?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Over the coming weeks, I will introduce a number of thoughts and concerns that go into my recent book One Gospel for All Nations: A Practical Approach to\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/2015\/07\/22\/why-one-gospel\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Saving God\u2019s Face\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/savinggodsface\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-07-22T00:46:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2015-08-13T12:59:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/576\/2015\/07\/One-Gospel-for-All-Nations-FRONT-COVER-reduced.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"564\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"768\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Brad Vaughn\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@savinggodsface\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Brad Vaughn\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/2015\/07\/22\/why-one-gospel\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/2015\/07\/22\/why-one-gospel\/\",\"name\":\"Why \\\"One Gospel\\\"?\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2015-07-22T00:46:16+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2015-08-13T12:59:49+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/#\/schema\/person\/c6033eb278ed95fcd5f10ce3ad21210c\"},\"description\":\"Over the coming weeks, I will introduce a number of thoughts and concerns that go into my recent book One Gospel for All Nations: A Practical Approach to\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/2015\/07\/22\/why-one-gospel\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/2015\/07\/22\/why-one-gospel\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/2015\/07\/22\/why-one-gospel\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Why “One Gospel”?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/\",\"name\":\"Saving God\u2019s Face\",\"description\":\"Doing Theology. Thinking Mission.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/#\/schema\/person\/c6033eb278ed95fcd5f10ce3ad21210c\",\"name\":\"Brad Vaughn\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9bbbad5d972a1a8a5a150c7a99da188d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9bbbad5d972a1a8a5a150c7a99da188d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Brad Vaughn\"},\"description\":\"Brad Vaughn (fka \u201cJackson Wu\u201d) currently teaches Humane Letters at the Arete Preparatory Academy in Arizona, having spent many years teaching at several colleges and universities. Originally from Texas, he spent 15 years in East Asia, where he helped found an accredited seminary for Chinese students. He has a B.S. in Applied Mathematics and an M.A. in Philosophy (both from Texas A&M), an M.Div (Gordon-Conwell), and a PhD in Theology from SEBTS. His research specializations include biblical contextualization, missiology, and the Bible\u2019s theology of honor and shame. In addition to various academic articles and essays, he has published 5 books, including Reading Romans with Eastern Eyes, The Cross in Context, Seeking God\u2019s Face, One Gospel for All Nations, and Saving God\u2019s Face. He enjoys reading, movies, exercising, sports, and playing games with his wife and 5 children.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/savinggodsface.com\",\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/savinggodsface\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/savinggodsface\/\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/savinggodsface\/\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/savinggodsface\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCgSOQ-ezU4Knk2gBdEGRikg\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/author\/jackwu\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Why \"One Gospel\"?","description":"Over the coming weeks, I will introduce a number of thoughts and concerns that go into my recent book One Gospel for All Nations: A Practical Approach to","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/2015\/07\/22\/why-one-gospel\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Why \"One Gospel\"?","og_description":"Over the coming weeks, I will introduce a number of thoughts and concerns that go into my recent book One Gospel for All Nations: A Practical Approach to","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/2015\/07\/22\/why-one-gospel\/","og_site_name":"Saving God\u2019s Face","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/savinggodsface","article_published_time":"2015-07-22T00:46:16+00:00","article_modified_time":"2015-08-13T12:59:49+00:00","og_image":[{"width":564,"height":768,"url":"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/576\/2015\/07\/One-Gospel-for-All-Nations-FRONT-COVER-reduced.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Brad Vaughn","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@savinggodsface","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Brad Vaughn","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/2015\/07\/22\/why-one-gospel\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/2015\/07\/22\/why-one-gospel\/","name":"Why \"One Gospel\"?","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/#website"},"datePublished":"2015-07-22T00:46:16+00:00","dateModified":"2015-08-13T12:59:49+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/#\/schema\/person\/c6033eb278ed95fcd5f10ce3ad21210c"},"description":"Over the coming weeks, I will introduce a number of thoughts and concerns that go into my recent book One Gospel for All Nations: A Practical Approach to","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/2015\/07\/22\/why-one-gospel\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/2015\/07\/22\/why-one-gospel\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/2015\/07\/22\/why-one-gospel\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Why “One Gospel”?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/","name":"Saving God\u2019s Face","description":"Doing Theology. Thinking Mission.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/#\/schema\/person\/c6033eb278ed95fcd5f10ce3ad21210c","name":"Brad Vaughn","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9bbbad5d972a1a8a5a150c7a99da188d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9bbbad5d972a1a8a5a150c7a99da188d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Brad Vaughn"},"description":"Brad Vaughn (fka \u201cJackson Wu\u201d) currently teaches Humane Letters at the Arete Preparatory Academy in Arizona, having spent many years teaching at several colleges and universities. Originally from Texas, he spent 15 years in East Asia, where he helped found an accredited seminary for Chinese students. He has a B.S. in Applied Mathematics and an M.A. in Philosophy (both from Texas A&M), an M.Div (Gordon-Conwell), and a PhD in Theology from SEBTS. His research specializations include biblical contextualization, missiology, and the Bible\u2019s theology of honor and shame. In addition to various academic articles and essays, he has published 5 books, including Reading Romans with Eastern Eyes, The Cross in Context, Seeking God\u2019s Face, One Gospel for All Nations, and Saving God\u2019s Face. He enjoys reading, movies, exercising, sports, and playing games with his wife and 5 children.","sameAs":["https:\/\/savinggodsface.com","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/savinggodsface","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/savinggodsface\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/savinggodsface\/","https:\/\/twitter.com\/savinggodsface","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCgSOQ-ezU4Knk2gBdEGRikg"],"url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/author\/jackwu\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5312","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2368"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5312"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5312\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6481"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5312"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5312"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jacksonwu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5312"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}